UNIVERSITY  OF 

ILLINOIS  LIBRARY 

AT  URBANA-CHAMPA1GN 


THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  ILLINOIS 

LIBRARY 

<311.328 


SDWW 


portrait?  aqd  Biographical  jsSptehe?  of 
of  tje  (JountJ 


TOGETHER    WITH 


PORTKAITS   AND    BIOGRAPHIES    OF   ALL,    THE    GOVERNORS    OF    ILLINOIS, 
AND    OF    THE    PRESIDENTS    OF    THE    UNITED   STATES. 


• 


:' 


? 


ALSO   CONTAINING   A   HISTORY   OF  THE   COUNTY,  FROM  ITS  EARLIEST  SETTLEMENT 
TO  THE  PRESENT  TIME. 


CHICAGO: 
CHAPMAN    BROTHERS. 


^   -- 


-^••^- 


• 


E  HAVE  completed  our  labors  in  writing  and  compiling  the  PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPH- 
ICAL ALBUM  OF  DE  KALB  COUNTY,  and  wish,  in  presenting  it  to  our  patrons,  to  speak 
briefly  of  the  importance  of  local  works  of  this  nature.  It  is  certainly  the  duty 
of  the  present  to  commemorate  the  past,  to  perpetuate  the  names  of  the  pioneers, 
to  furnish  a  record  of  their  early  settlement,  and  to  relate  the  story  of  their  progress. 
;  The  civilization  of  our  day,  the  enlightenment  of  the  age,  and  this  solemn  duty  which 
men  of  the  present  time  owe  to  their  ancestors,  to  themselves  and  to  their  posterity, 
demand  that  a  record  of  their  lives  and  deeds  should  be  made.  In  local  history  is  found  a  power 
to  instruct  man  by  precedent,  to  enliven  the  mental  faculties,  and  to  waft  down  the  river  of  time  a  safe 
vessel  in  which  the  names  and  actions  of  the  people  who  contributed  to  raise  this  region  from  its 
primitive  state  may  be  preserved.  Surely  and  vapidly  the  noble  men,  who  in  their  vigor  and  prime 
came  to  DE  KALB  County  and  claimed  the  virgin  soil  as  their  heritage,  are  passing  to 
their  graves.  The  number  remaining  who  can  relate  the  history  of  the  first  days  of  settlement  is 
becoming  small  indeed,  so  that  an  actual  necessity  exists  for  the  collection  and  preservation  of  his- 
torical matter  without  delay,  before  the  settlers  of  the  wilderness  are  cut  down  by  time.  Not  only 
is  it  of  the  greatest  importance  to  render  history  of  pioneer  times  full  and  accurate,  but  it  is  also  essen- 
tial that  the  history  of  the  county,  from  its  settlement  to  the  present  day,  should  be  treated  through  its  various 
phases,  so  that  a  record,  complete  and  impartial,  may  be  handed  down  to  the  future.  The  present  the  age 
of  progress,  is  reviewed,  standing  out  in  bold  relief  over  the  quiet,  unostentatious  olden  times;  it  is  abrilliant 
record,  which  is  destined  to  live  in  the  future;  the  good  works  of  men,  their  magnificent  enterprises,  their 
lives,  whether  commercial  or  military,  do  not  sink  into  oblivion,  but,  on  the  contrary,  grow  brighter  with  age, 
/  and  contribute  to  build  up  a  record  which  carries  with  it  precedents  and  principles  that  will  be  advanced  and 
a  observed  when  the  acts  of  soulless  men  will  be  forgotten,  and  their  very  names  hidden  in  obscurity. 

In  the  preparation  of  the  personal  sketches  contained  in  this  volume,  unusual  care  and  pains  were 
taken  to  have  them  accurate,  even  in  the  smallest  detail.  Indeed,  nothing  was  passed  lightly  over  or  treated 
indifferently,  and  we  flatter  ourselves  that  it  is  one  of  the  most  accurate  works  of  its  nature  ever  published. 
As  one  of  the  most  interesting  features  of  this  work,  we  present  the  portraits  of  numerous  representa- 
tive citizens.  It  has  been  our  aim  to  have  the  prominent  men  of  to-day,  as  well  as  the  pioneers,  represented 
in  this  department;  and  we  congratulate  ourselves  on  the  uniformly  high  character  of  the  gentlemen  whose 
^  portraits  we  present.  They  are  in  the  strictest  sense  representative  men,  and  are  selected  from  all  the  call- 
ings and  professions  worthy  to  be  represented.  There  are  others,  it  is  true,  who  claim  equal  prominence  with 
those  presented,  but  of  course  it  was  impossible  for  us  to  give  portraits  of  all  the  leading  men  and  pioneers 
of  the  county.  We  are  under  great  obligation  to  many  of  the  noble  and  generous  people  of  DE  KALB 
County  for  kindly  and  material  assistance  in  the  preparation  of  this  ALBUM. 

CHAPMAN  BROTHERS. 
CHICAGO,  May,  1885. 


•; 


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AND     OF     THE 


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TflfUBMtf 

OFTHI 
IWMERSITY 


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I 


HE  Father  of  our  Country  was 
born  in  Westmorland  Co.,  Va., 
Feb.    22,   1732.     His  parents 
were     Augustine    and     Mary 
(Ball)  Washington.  The  family 
to  which  he  belonged  has  not 
been    satisfactorily  traced    in 
England.      His     great-grand- 
father, John  Washington,  em- 
igrated to  Virginia  about  1657, 
and    became     a     prosperous 
*       planter.      He  had   two   sons, 
Lawrence    and    John.      The 
former  married   Mildred    Warner 
and    had    three    children,    John. 
Augustine  and  Mildred.      Augus- 
tine,  the   father  of   George,  first 
married    Jane   Butler,    who    bore 
him  four  children,  two  of  whom, 
Lawrence  and  Augustine,  reached 
maturity.     Of  six  children  by  his 
second  marriage,  George  was  the 
eldest,   the    others    being    Betty, 
Samuel,  John  Augustine,  Charles 
and  Mildred. 

Augustine  Washington,  the  father  of  George,  died 
in  1743,  leaving  a  large  landed  property.  To  his 
eldest  son,  Lawrence,  he  bequeathed  an  estate  on 
the  Patomac,  afterwards  known  as  Mount  Vernon, 
and  to  George  he  left  the  parental  residence.  George 
received  only  such  education  as  the  neighborhood 
schools  afforded,  save  for  a  short  time  after  he  left 
school,  when  he  received  private  instruction  in 
.  mathematics.  His  spelling  was  rather  defective. 


Remarkable  stories  are  told  of  his  great  physical 
strength  and  development  at  an  early  age.  He  was 
an  acknowledged  leader  among  his  companions,  and 
was  early  noted  for  that  nobleness  of  character,  fair- 
ness and  veracity  which  characterized  his  whole  life. 

When  George  was  14  years  old  he  had  a  desire  to  go  to 
sea,  and  a  midshipman's  warrant  was  secured  for  him, 
but  through  the  opposition  of  his  mother  the  idea  was 
abandoned.  Two  years  later  he  was  appointed 
surveyor  to  the  immense  estate  of  Lord  Fairfax.  In 
this  business  he  spent  three  years  in  a  rough  frontier 
life,  gaining  experience  which  afterwards  proved  very 
essential  to  him.  In  1751,  though  only  19  years  of 
age,  he  was  appointed  adjutant  with  the  rank  of 
major  in  the  Virginia  militia,  then  being  trained  for 
active  service  against  the  French  and  Indians.  Soon 
after  this  he  sailed  to  the  West  Indies  with  his  brother 
Lawrence,  who  went  there  to  restore  his  health.  They 
soon  returned,  and  in  the  summer  of  1752  Lawrence 
died,  leaving  a  large  fortune  to  an  infant  daughter 
who  did  not  long  survive  him.  On  her  demise  the 
estate  of  Mount  Vernon  was  given  to  George. 

Upon  the  arrival  of  Robert  Dinwiddie,  as  Lieuten- 
ant-Governor  of  Virginia,  in  1752,  the  militia  was 
reorganized,  and  the  province  divided  into  four  mili- 
tary districts,  of  which  the  northern  was  assigned  to 
Washington  as  adjutant  general.  Shortly  after  this 
a  very  perilous  mission  was  assigned  him  and  ac- 
cepted, which  others  had  refused.  This  was  to  pro- 
ceed to  the  French  post  near  Lake  Erie  in  North- 
western Pennsylvania.  The  distance  to  be  traversed 
was  between  500  and  600  miles.  Winter  was  at  hand, 
and  the  journey  was  to  be  made  without  military 
escort,  through  a  territory  occupied  by  Indians.  The 

^€3^ -4*S*d> 


ii 


GEORGE   WASHINGTON. 


trip  was  a  perilous  one,  and  several  times  he  came  near 
losing  his  life,  yet  he  returned  in  safety  and  furnished 
a  full  and  useful  report  of  his  expedition.  A  regiment 
of  300  men  was  raised  in  Virginia  and  put  in  com- 
mand of  Col.  Joshua  Fry,  and  Major  Washington  was 
commissioned  lieutenant-colonel.  Active  war  was 
then  begun  against  the  French  and  Indians,  in  which 
Washington  took  a  most  important  part.  In  the 
memorable  event  of  July  9,  1755,  known  as  Brad- 
dock's  defeat,  Washington  was  almost  the  only  officer 
of  distinction  who  escaped  from  the  calamities  of  the 
day  with  life  and  honor.  The  other  aids  of  Braddock 
were  disabled  early  in  the  action,  and  Washington 
alone  was  left  in  that  capacity  on  the  field.  In  a  letter 
to  his  brother  he  says :  "  I  had  four  bullets  through 
my  coat,  and  two  horses  shot  under  me,  yet  I  escaped 
unhurt,  though  death  was  leveling  my  companions 
on  every  side."  An  Indian  sharpshooter  said  he  was 
not  born  to  be  killed  by  a  bullet,  for  he  had  taken 
direct  aim  at  him  seventeen  times,  and  failed  to  hit 

After  having  been  five  years  in  the  military  service, 
and  vainly  sought  promotion  in  the  royal  army,  he 
took  advantage  of  the  fall  of  Fort  Duquesne  and  the 
expulsion  of  the  French  from  the  valley  of  the  Ohio, 
to  resign  his  commission.  Soon  after  he  entered  the 
Legislature,  where,  although  not  a  leader,  he  took  an 
active  and  important  part.  January  17,  1759,  he 
married  Mrs.  Martha  (Dandridge)  Custis,  the  wealthy 
widow  of  John  Parke  Custis. 

When  the  British  Parliament  had  closed  the  port 
of  Boston,  the  cry  went  up  throughout  the  provinces 
that  "The  cause  of  Boston  is  the  cause  of  us  all." 
It  was  then,  at  the  suggestion  of  Virginia,  that  a  Con- 
gress of  all  the  colonies  was  called  to  meet  at  Phila- 
delphia,Sept.  5,  1774,  to  secure  their  common  liberties, 
peaceably  if  possible.  To  this  Congress  Col.  Wash- 
ington was  sent  as  a  delegate.  On  May  10,  1775,  the 
Congress  re-assembled,  when  the  hostile  intentions  of 
England  were  plainly  apparent.  The  battles  of  Con- 
cord and  Lexington  had  been  fought.  Among  the 
first  acts  of  this  Congress  was  the  election  of  a  com- 
mander-in-chief  of  the  colonial  forces.  This  high  and 
responsible  office  was  conferred  upon  Washington, 
who  was  still  a  member  of  the  Congress.  He  accepted 
it  on  June  19,  but  upon  the  express  condition  that  he 
receive  no  salary.  He  would  keep  an  exact  account 
of  expenses  and  expect  Congress  to  pay  them  and 
nothing  more.  It  is  not  the  object  of  this  sketch  to 
trace  the  military  acts  of  Washington,  to  whom  the 
fortunes  and  liberties  of  the  people  of  this  country 
were  so  long  confided.  The  war  was  conducted  by 
him  under  ever)-  possible  disadvantage,  and  while  his 
forces  often  met  with  reverses,  yet  he  overcame  every 
obstacle,  and  after  seven  years  of  heroic  devotion 
and  matchless  skill  he  gained  liberty  for  the  greatest 
nation  of  earth.  On  Dec.  23,  T783,  Washington,  in 
a  parting  address  of  surpassing  beauty,  resigned  his 


commission  as  commander-in-chief  of  the  army  to 
to  the  Continental  Congress  sitting  at  Annapolis.  He 
retired  immediately  to  Mount  Vernon  and  resumed 
his  occupation  as  a  farmer  and  planter,  shunning  all 
connection  with  public  life. 

In  February,  1 7 89,  Washington  was  unanimously 
elected  President.  In  his  presidential  career  he  was 
subject  to  the  peculiar  trials  incidental  to  a  new 
government ;  trials  from  lack  of  confidence  on  the  pan 
of  other  governments;  trials  from  want  of  harmony 
between  the  different  sections  of  our  own  country; 
trials  from  the  impoverished  condition  of  the  country, 
owing  to  the  war  and  want  of  credit;  trials  from  the 
beginnings  of  party  strife.  He  was  no  partisan.  His 
clear  judgment  could  discern  the  golden  mean  ;  and 
while  perhaps  this  alone  kept  our  government  from 
sinking  at  the  very  outset,  it  left  him  exposed  to 
attacks  from  both  sides,  which  were  often  bitter  and 
very  annoying. 

At  the  expiration  of  his  first  term  he  was  unani- 
mously re-elected.  At  the  end  of  this  term  many 
were  anxious  that  he  be  re-elected,  but  he  absolutely 
refused  a  third  nomination.  On  the  fourth  of  March, 
1797,  at  the  expiraton  of  his  second  term  as  Presi- 
dent, he  returned  to  his  home,  hoping  to  pass  there 
his  few  remaining  years  free  from  the  annoyances  of 
public  life.  Later  in  the  year,  however,  his  repose 
seemed  likely  to  be  interrupted  by  war  with  France. 
At  the  prospect  of  such  a  war  he  was  again  urged  to 
take  command  of  the  armies.  He  chose  his  sub- 
ordinate officers  and  left  to  them  the  charge  of  mat- 
ters in  the  field,  which  he  superintended  from  his 
home.  In  accepting  the  command  he  made  the 
reservation  that  he  was  not  to  be  in  the  field  until 
it  was  necessary.  In  the  midst  of  these  preparations 
his  life  was  suddenly  cut  off.  December  12,  he  took 
a.  severe  cold  from  a  ride  in  the  rain,  which,  settling 
in  his  throat,  produced  inflammation,  and  terminated 
fatally  on  the  night  of  the  fourteenth.  On  the  eigh- 
teenth his  body  was  borne  with  military  honors  to  its 
final  resting  place,  and  interred  in  the  family  vault  at 
Mount  Vernon. 

Of  the  character  of  Washington  it  is  impossible  to 
speak  but  in  terms  of  the  highest  respect  and  ad- 
miration. The  more  we  see  of  the  operations  of 
our  government,  and  the  more  deeply  we  feel  the 
difficulty  of  uniting  all  opinions  in  a  common  interest, 
the  more  highly  we  must  estimate  the  force  of  his  tal- 
ent and  character,  which  have  been  able  to  challenge 
the  reverence  of  all  parties,  and  principles,  and  na- 
tions, and  to  win  a  fame  as  extended  as  the  limits 
of  the  globe,  atid  which  we  cannot  but  believe  will 
be  as  lasting  as  the  existence  of  man. 

The  person  of  Washington  was  unusally  tall,  erect 
and  well  proportioned.  His  muscular  strength  was 
great.  His  features  were  of  a  beautiful  symmetry. 
He  commanded  respect  without  any  appearance  of 
haughtiness,  and  ever  serious  without  being  dull. 


TffLJMARr 

»m 
UMVEIIIOT 


DB-     JOMM  ADAMS, 


OHN  ADAMS,  the  second 
President  and  the  first  Vice- 
President  of  the  United  States, 
was  born  in  Braintree  ( now 
Quincy  ),Mass.,  and  about  ten 
W^®  niiles  from  Boston,  Oct.  19, 
^  1735.  His  great-grandfather,  Henry 
I  Adams,  emigrated  from  England 
,1  about  1640,  with  a  family  of  eight 
\  sons,  and  settled  at  Braintree.  The 
parents  of  John  were  John  and 
Susannah  (Boylston)  Adams.  His 
father  was  a  farmer  of  limited 
means,  to  which  he  added  the  bus- 
iness of  shoemaking.  He  gave  his 
eldest  son,  John,  a  classical  educa- 
tion at  Harvard  College.  John 
graduated  in  1755,  and  at  once  took  charge  of  the 
school  in  Worcester,  Mass.  This  he  found  but  a 
"school  of  affliction,"  from  which  he  endeavored  to 
gain  relief  by  devoting  himself,  in  addition,  to  the 
study  of  law.  For  this  purpose  he  placed  himself 
under  the  tuition  of  the  only  lawyer  in  the  town.  He 
had  thought  seriously  of  the  clerical  profession 
but  seems  to  have  been  turned  from  this  by  what  he 
termed  "  the  frightful  engines  of  ecclesiastical  coun- 
cils, of  diabolical  malice,  and  Calvanistic  good  nature,"' 
of  the  operations  of  which  he  had  been  a  witness  in 
his  native  town.  He  was  well  fitted  for  the  legal 
profession,  possessing  a  clear,  sonorous  voice,  being 
ready  and  fluent  of  speech,  and  having  quick  percep- 
tive powers.  He  gradually  gained  practice,  and  in 
1764  married  Abigail  Smith,  a  daughter  of  a  minister, 
and  a  lady  of  superior  intelligence.  Shortly  after  his 
marriage,  (1765),  the  attempt  of  Parliamentary  taxa- 
tion turned  him  from  law  to  politics.  He  took  initial 
steps  toward  holding  a  town  meeting,  and  the  resolu- 


tions  he  offered  on  the  subject  became  very  popular 
throughout  the  Province,  and  were  adopted  word  for 
word  by  over  forty  different  towns.  He  moved  to  Bos- 
ton in  1768,  and  became  one  of  the  most  courageous 
and  prominent  advocatesof  the  popular  cause,  and 
was  chosen  a  member  of  the  General  Court  (the  Leg- 
lislature)  in  1770. 

Mr.  Adams  was  chosen  one  of  the  first  delegates 
from  Massachusetts  to  the  first  Continental  Congress, 
which  met  in  1774.  Here  he  distinguished  himself 
by  his  capacity  for  business  and  for  debate,  and  ad- 
vocated the  movement  for  independence  against  the 
majority  of  the  members.  In  May,  1776,  he  moved 
and  carried  a  resolution  in  Congress  that  the  Colonies 
should  assume  the  duties  of  self-government.  He 
was  a  prominent  member  of  the  committee  of  five 
appointed  June  n,  to  prepare  a  declaration  of  inde- 
pendence. This  article  was  drawn  by  Jefferson,  but 
on  Adams  devolved  the  task  of  battling  it  through 
Congress  in  a  three  days  debate. 

On  the  day  after  the  Declaration  of  Independence 
was  passed,  while  his  soul  was  yet  warm  with  the 
glow  of  excited  feeling,  he  wrote  a  letter  to  his  wife, 
which,  as  we  read  it  now,  seems  to  have  been  dictated 
by  the  spirit  of  prophecy.  "Yesterday,"  he  says,"the 
greatest  question  was  decided  that  ever  was  debated 
in  America;  and  greater,  perhaps,  never  was  or  will 
be  decided  among  men.  A  resolution  was  passed 
without  one  dissenting  colony,  '  that  these  United 
States  are,  and  of  right  ought  to  be,  free  and  inde- 
pendent states.'  The  day  is  passed.  The  fourth  of 
July,  1776,  will  be  a  memorable  epoch  in  the  history 
of  America.  I  am  apt  to  believe  it  will  be  celebrated 
by  succeeding  generations,  as  the  great  anniversary 
festival.  It  ought  to  be  commemorated  as  the  day  of 
deliverance  by  solemn  acts  of  devotion  to  Almighty 
God.  It  ought  to  be  solemnized  with  pomp,  shows, 


JOHN  ADAMS. 


games,  sports,  guns,  bells,  bonfires,  and  illuminations 
from  one  end  of  the  continent  to  the  other,  from  this 
time  forward  for  ever.  You  will  think  me  transported 
with  enthusiasm,  but  I  am  not.  I  am  well  aware  of 
the  toil,  and  blood  and  treasure,  that  it  will  cost  to 
maintain  this  declaration,  and  support  and  defend 
these  States;  yet,  through  all  the  gloom,  I  can  see  the 
rays  of  light  and  glory.  I  can  see  that  the  end  is 
worth  more  than  all  the  means;  and  that  posterity 
will  triumph,  although  you  and  I  may  rue,  which  I 
hope  we  shall  not." 

In  November,  1777,  Mr.  Adams  was  appointed  a 
delegate  to  France^  and  to  co-operate  with  Bemjamin 
Franklin  and  Arthur  Lee,  who  were  then  in  Paris,  in 
the  endeavor  to  obtain  assistance  in  arms  and  money 
from  the  French  Government.  This  was  a  severe  trial 
to  his  patriotism,  as  it  separated  him  from  his  home, 
compelled  him  to  cross  the  ocean  in  winter,  and  ex- 
posed him  to  great  peril  of  capture  by  the  British  cruis- 
ers, who  were  seeking  him.  He  left  France  June  17, 
1779.  In  September  of  the  same  year  he  was  again 
chosen  to  go  to  Paris,  and  there  hold  himself  in  readi- 
ness to  negotiate  a  treaty  of  peace  and  of  commerce 
with  Great  Britian,  as  soon  as  the  British  Cabinet 
might  be  found  willing  to  listen  to  such  proposels.  He 
sailed  for  France  in  November,  from  there  he  went  to 
Holland,  where  he  negotiated  important  loans  and 
formed  important  commercial  treaties. 

Finally  a  treaty  of  peace  with  England  was  signed 
Jan.  21,  1783.  The  re-action  from  the  excitement, 
toil  and  anxiety  through  which  Mr.  Adams  had  passed 
threw  him  into  a  fever.  After  suffering  from  a  con- 
tinued fever  and  becoming  feeble  and  emaciated  he 
was  advised  to  go  to  England  to  drink  the  waters  of 
Bath.  While  in  England,  still  drooping  anddespond- 
ing,  he  received  dispatches  from  his  own  government 
urging  the  necessity  of  his  going  to  Amsterdam  to 
negotiate  another  loan.  It  was  winter,  his  health  was 
delicate,  yet  he  immediately  set  out,  and  through 
storm,  on  sea,  on  horseback  and  foot.he  made  the  trip. 

February  24,  1785,  Congress  appointed  Mr.  Adams 
envoy  to  the  Court  of  St.  James.  Here  he  met  face 
to  face  the  King  of  England,  who  had  so  long  re- 
garded him  as  a  traitor.  As  England  did  not 
condescend  to  appoint  a  minister  to  the  United 
States,  and  as  Mr.  Adams  felt  that  he  was  accom- 
plishing but  little,  he  sought  permission  to  return  to 
his  own  country,  where  he  arrived  in  June,  1788. 

When  Washington  was  first  chosen  President,  John 
Adams,  rendered  illustiious  by  his  signal  services  at 
home  and  abroad,  was  chosen  Vice  President.  Again 
at  the  second  election  of  Washington  as  President, 
Adams  was  chosen  Vice  President.  In  1796,  Wash- 
ington retired  from  public  life,  and  Mr.  Adams  was 
elected  President,though  not  without  much  opposition. 
Serving  in  this  office  four  years,he  was  succeeded  by 
Mr.  Jefferson,  his  opponent  in  politics. 

While   Mr.  Adams  was  Vice  President  the  great 


French  Revolution  shook  the  continent  of  Europe, 
and  it  was  upon  this  point  which  he  was  at  issue  with 
the  majority  of  his  countrymen  led  by  Mr.  Jefferson. 
Mr.  Adams  felt  no  sympathy  with  the  French  people 
in  their  struggle,  for  he  had  no  confidence  in  their 
power  of  self-government,  and  he  utterly  abhored  the 
class  of  atheist  philosophers  who  he  claimed  caused  it. 
On  the  other  hand  Jefferson's  sympathies  were  strongly 
enlisted  in  behaif  of  the  French  people.  Hence  or- 
iginated the  alienation  between  these  distinguished 
men,  and  two  powerful  parties  were  thus  soon  organ- 
ized, Adams  at  the  head  of  the  one  whose  sympathies 
were  with  England  and  Jefferson  led  the  other  in 
sympathy  with  France. 

The  world  has  seldom  seen  a  spectacle  of  more 
moral  beauty  and  grandeur,  than  was  presented  by  the 
old  age  of  Mr.  Adams.  The  violence  of  party  feeling 
had  died  away,  and  he  had  begun  to  receive  that  just 
appreciation  which,  to  most  men,  is  not  accorded  till 
after  death.  No  one  could  look  upon  his  venerable 
form,  and  think  of  what  he  had  done  and  suffered, 
and  how  he  had  given  up  all  the  prime  and  strength 
of  his  life  to  the  public  good,  without  the  deepest 
emotion  of  gratitude  and  respect.  It  was  his  peculiar 
good  fortune  to  witness  the  complete  success  of  the 
institution  which  he  had  been  so  active  in  creating  and 
supporting.  In  1824,  his  cup  of  happiness  was  filled 
to  the  brim,  by  seeing  his  son  elevated  to  the  highest 
station  in  the  gift  of  the  people. 

The  fourth  of  July,  1826,  which  completed  the  half 
century  since  the  signing  of  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence, arrived,  and  there  were  but  three  of  the 
signers  of  that  immortal  instrument  left  upon  the 
earth  to  hail  its  morning  light.  And,  as  it  is 
well  known,  on  that  day  two  of  these  finished  their 
earthly  pilgrimage,  a  coincidence  so  remarkable  as 
to  seem  miraculous.  For  a  few  days  before  Mr. 
Adams  had  been  rapidly  failing,  and  on  the  morning 
of  the  fourth  he  found  himself  too  weak  to  rise  from 
his  bed.  On  being  requested  to  name  a  toast  for  the 
customary  celebration  of  the  day,  he  exclaimed  "  IN- 
DEPENDENCE FOREVER.  "  When  the  day  was  ushered 
in,  by  the  ringing  of  bells  and  the  firing  of  cannons, 
he  was  asked  by  one  of  his  attendants  if  he  knew 
what  day  it  was?  He  replied,  "O  yes;  it  is  the  glor- 
ious fourth  of  July — God  bless  it — God  bless  you  all." 
In  the  course  of  the  day  he  said,  "  It  is  a  great  and 
glorious  day."  The  last  words  he  uttered  were, 
"Jefferson  survives."  But  he  had,  at  one  o'clock,  re- 
signed his  spirit  into  the  hands  of  his  God. 

The  personal  appearance  and  manners  of  Mr. 
Adams  were  not  particularly  prepossessing.  His  face, 
as  his  portrait  manifests,was  intellectual  ard  expres- 
sive, but  his  figure  was  low  and  ungraceful,  and  his 
manners  were  frequently  abrupt  and  uncourteous. 
He  had  neither  the  lofty  dignity  of  Washington,  nor 
the  engaging  elegance  and  gracefulness  which  marked 
the  manners  and  address  of  Jefferson. 


•••••••••••••••i 


HOMAS  JEFFERSON  was 
born  April  2,  1743,  at  Shad- 
well,  Albermarle  county,  Va. 
His  parents  were  Peter  and 
Jane  (Randolph)  Jefferson, 
the  former  a  native  of  Wales, 
and  the  latter  born  in  Lon- 
don. To  them  were  born  six 
daughters  and  two  sons,  of 
whom  Thomas  was  the  elder. 
When  14  years  of  age  his 
father  died.  He  received  a 
most  liberal  education,  hav- 
ing been  kept  diligently  at  school 
from  the  time  he  was  five  years  of 
age.  In  1760  he  entered  William 
and  Mary  College.  Williamsburg  was  then  the  seat 
of  the  Colonial  Court,  and  it  was  the  obode  of  fashion 
and  splendor.  Voting  Jefferson,  who  was  then  17 
years  old,  lived  somewhat  expensively,  keeping  fine 
horses,  and  much  caressed  by  gay  society,  yet  he 
was  earnestly  devoted  to  his  studies,  and  irreproacha- 
able  in  his  morals.  It  is  strange,  however,  under 
such  influences,that  he  was  not  ruined.  In  the  sec- 
ond year  of  his  college  course,  moved  by  some  un- 
explained inward  impulse,  he  discarded  his  horses, 
society,  and  even  his  favorite  violin,  to  which  he  had 
previously  given  much  time.  He  often  devoted  fifteen 
hours  a  day  to  hard  study,  allowing  himself  for  ex- 
ercise only  a  run  in  the  evening  twilight  of  a  mile  out 
of  the  city  and  back  again.  He  thus  attained  very 
high  intellectual  culture,  alike  excellence  in  philoso- 
phy and  the  languages.  The  most  difficult  Latin  and 
Greek  authors  he  read  with  facility.  A  more  finished 
scholar  has  seldom  gone  forth  from  college  halls;  and 


there  was  not  to  be  found,  perhaps,  in  all  Virginia,  a 
more  pureminded,  upright,  gentlemanly  young  man. 

Immediately  upon  leaving  college  he  began  the 
study  of  law.  For  the  short  time  he  continued  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession  he  rose  rapidly  and  distin- 
guished himself  by  his  energy  and  accuteness  as  a 
lawyer.  But  the  times  called  for  greater  action. 
The  policy  of  England  had  awakened  the  spirit  of 
resistance  of  the  American  Colonies,  and  the  enlarged 
views  which  Jefferson  had  ever  entertained,  soon  led 
him  into  active  political  life.  In  1769  he  was  chosen 
a  member  of  the  Virginia  House  of  Burgesses.  In 
1772  he  married  Mrs.  Martha  Skelton,  a  very  beauti- 
ful, wealthy  and  highly  accomplished  young  widow. 

Upon  Mr.  Jefferson's  large  estate  at  Shadwell,  there 
was  a  majestic  swell  of  land,  called  Monticello,  which 
commanded  a  prospect  of  wonderful  extent  and 
beauty.  This  spot  Mr.  Jefferson  selected  for  his  new 
home;  and  here  he  reared  a  mansion  of  modest  yet 
elegant  architecture,  which,  next  to  Mount  Vernon, 
became  the  most  distinguished  resort  in  our  land. 

In  1775  he  was  sent  to  the  Colonial  Congress, 
where,  though  a  silent  member,  his  abilities  as  a 
writer  and  a  reasoner  soon  become  known,  and  he 
was  placed  upon  a  number  of  important  committees, 
and  was  chairman  of  the  one  appointed  for  the  draw- 
ing up  of  a  declaration  of  independence.  This  com- 
mittee consisted  of  Thomas  Jefferson,  John  Adams, 
Benjamin  Franklin,  Roger  Sherman  and  Robert  R. 
Livingston.  Jefferson,  as  chairman,  was  appointed 
to  draw  up  the  paper.  Franklin  and  Adams  suggested 
a  few  verbal  changes  before  it  was  submitted  to  Con- 
gress. On  June  28,  a  few  slight  changes  were  made 
in  it  by  Congress,  and  it  was  passed  and  signed  July 
4,  1776.  What  must  have  been  the  feelings  of  thai 


f 


man — what  the  emotions  that  swelled  his  breast — 
who  was  charged  with  the  preparation  of  that  Dec- 
laration, which,  while  it  made  known  the  wrongs  of 
America,  was  also  to  publish  her  to  the  world,  free, 
soverign  and  independent.  It  is  one  of  the  most  re- 
markable papers  ever  written  ;  and  did  no  other  effort 
of  the  mind  of  its  author  exist,  that  alone  would  be 
sufficient  to  stamp  his  name  with  immortality. 

In  1779  Mr.  Jefferson  was  elected  successor  to 
Patrick  Henry,  as  Governor  of  Virginia.  At  one  time 
the  British  officer,  Tarleton,  sent  a  secret  expedition  to 
Monticello,  to  capture  the  Governor.  Scarcely  five 
minutes  elapsed  after  the  hurried  escape  of  Mr.  Jef- 
ferson and  his  family,  ere  his  mansion  was  in  posses- 
sion of  the  British  troops.  His  wife's  health,  never 
very  good,  was  much  injured  by  this  excitement,  and 
in  the  summer  of  1782  she  died. 

Mr.  Jefferson  was  elected  to  Congress  in  1783. 
Two  years  later  he  was  appointed  Minister  Plenipo- 
tentiary to  France.  Returning  to  the  United  States 
in  September,  ^89,  he  became  Secretary  of  State 
in  Washington's  cabinet.  This  position  he  resigned 
Jan.  i,  1794.  In  1797,  he  was  chosen  Vice  Presi- 
dent, and  four  years  later  was  elected  President  over 
Mr.  Adams,  with  Aaron  Burr  as  Vice  President.  In 
r8o4  he  was  re-elected  with  wonderful  unanimity, 
and  George  Clinton,  Vice  President. 

The  early  part  of  Mr.  Jefferson's  second  adminstra- 
tion  was  disturbed  by  an  event  which  threatened  the 
tranquilily  and  peace  of  the  Union ;  this  was  the  con- 
spiracy of  Aaron  Burr.  Defeated  in  the  late  election 
to  the  Vice  Presidency,  and  led  on  by  an  unprincipled 
ambition,  this  extraordinary  man  formed  the  plan  of  a 
military  expedition  into  the  Spanish  territories  on  our 
southwestern  frontier,  for  the  purpose  of  forming  there 
a  new  republic.  This  has  been  generally  supposed 
was  a  mere  pretext ;  and  although  it  has  not  been 
generally  known  what  his  real  plans  were,  there  is  no 
doubt  that  they  were  of  a  far  more  dangerous 
character. 

In  1809,  at  the  expiration  of  the  second  term  for 
which  Mr.  Jefferson  had  been  elected,  he  determined 
to  retire  from  political  life.  For  a  period  of  nearly 
forty  years,  he  had  been  continually  before  the  pub- 
lic, and  all  that  time  had  been  employed  in  offices  of 
the  greatest  trust  and  responsibility.  Having  thus  de- 
voted the  best  part  of  his  life  to  the  service  of  his 
country,  he  now  felt  desirous  of  that  rest  which  his 
declining  years  required,  and  upon  the  organization  of 
the  new  administration,  in  March,  rSog,  he  bid  fare- 
well forever  to  public  life,  and  retired  to  Monticello. 

Mr.  Jefferson  was  profuse  in  his  hospitality.  Whole 
families  came  in  their  coaches  with  their  horses, — 
fathers  and  mothers,  boys  and  girls,  babies  and 
nurses, — and  remained  three  and  even  six  months. 
Life  at  Monticello,  for  years,  resembled  that  at  a 
fashionable  watering-place. 

The  fourth  of  July,  1826,  being  the  fiftieth  anniver- 

g^Vg^ff-3,  >m£^f^'         ^  A 

-_      A*V      -  . 


sary  of  the  Declaration  of  American  Independence, 
great  preparations  were  made  in  every  part  of  the 
Union  for  its  celebration,  as  the  nation's  jubilee,  and 
the  citizens  of  Washington,  to  add  to  the  solemnity 
of  the  occasion,  invited  Mr.  Jefferson,  as  the  framer, 
and  one  of  the  few  surviving  signers  of  the  Declara- 
tion, to  participate  in  their  festivities.  But  an  ill- 
ness, which  had  been  of  several  weeks  duration,  and 
had  been  continually  increasing,  compelled  him  to 
decline  the  invitation. 

On  the  second  of  July,  the  disease  under  which 
he  was  laboring  left  him,  but  in  such  a  reduced 
state  that  his  medical  attendants,  entertained  no 
hope  of  his  recovery.  From  this  time  he  was  perfectly 
sensible  that  his  last  hour  was  at  hand.  On  the  next 
day,  which  was  Monday,  he  asked  of  those  around 
him,  the  day  of  the  month,  and  on  being  told  it  was 
the  third  of  July,  he  expres3ed  the  earnest  wish  that 
he  might  be  permitted  to  breathe  the  air  of  the  fiftieth 
anniversary.  His  prayer  was  heard — that  day,  whose 
dawn  was  hailed  with  such  rapture  through  our  land, 
burst  upon  his  eyes,  and  then  they  were  closed  for- 
ever. And  what  a  noble  consummation  of  a  noble 
life!  To  die  on  that  day, — the  birthday  of  a  nation,- - 
the  day  which  his  own  name  and  his  own  act  had 
rendered  glorious;  to  die  amidst  the  rejoicings  and 
festivities  of  a  whole  nation,  who  looked  up  to  him, 
as  the  author,  under  God,  of  their  greatest  blessings, 
was  all  that  was  wanting  to  fill  up  the  record  his  life. 

Almost  at  the  same  hour  of  his  death,  the  kin- 
dred spirit  of  the  venerable  Adams,  as  if  to  bear 
him  company,  left  the  scene  of  his  earthly  honors. 
Hand  in  hand  they  had  stood  forth,  the  champions  of 
freedom;  hand  in  hand,  during  the  dark  and  desper- 
ate struggle  of  the  Revolution,  they  had  cheered  and 
animated  their  desponding  countrymen;  for  half  a 
century  they  had  labored  together  for  the  good  of 
the  country;  and  now  hand  in  hand  they  depart. 
In  their  lives  they  had  been  united  in  the  same  great 
cause  of  liberty,  and  in  their  deaths  they  were  not 
divided. 

In  person  Mr.  Jefferson  was  tall  and  thin,  rather 
above  six  feet  in  height,  but  well  formed;  his  eyes 
were  light,  his  hair  originally  red,  in  after  life  became 
white  and  silvery;  his  complexion  was  fair,  his  fore- 
head broad,  and  his  whole  countenance  intelligent  and 
thoughtful.  He  possessed  great  fortitude  of  mind  as 
well  as  personal  courage ;  and  his  command  of  tem- 
per was  such  that  his  oldest  and  most  intimate  friends 
never  recollected  to  have  seen  him  in  a  passion. 
His  manners,  though  dignified,  were  simple  and  un- 
affected, and  his  hospitality  was  so  unbounded  that 
all  found  at  his  house  a  ready  welcome.  In  conver- 
sation he  was  fluent,  eloquent  and  enthusiastic ;  and 
his  language  was  remarkably  pure  and  correct.  He 
was  a  finished  classical  scholar,  and  in  his  writings  is 
discernable  the  care  with  which  he  formed  his  style 
upon  the  best  models  of  antiquity. 


AMES  MADISON,  "Father 
of  the  Constitution,"  and  fourth 
President  of  the  United  States, 
was  born  March  16,  1757,  and 
died  at  his  home  in  Virginia, 
^  June  28,  1836.  The  name  of 
James  Madison  is  inseparably  con- 
nected with  most  of  the  important 
events  in  that  heroic  period  of  our 
country  during  which  the  founda- 
tions of  this  great  republic  were 
d.  He  was  the  last  of  the  founders 


of  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States  to  be  called  to  his  eternal 
reward. 

The  Madison  family  were  among 
the  early  emigrants  to  the  New  World, 
landing  upon  the  shores  of  the  Chesa- 
peake but  15  years  after  the  settle- 
ment of  Jamestown.  The  father  of 
James  Madison  was  an  opulent 
planter,  residing  upon  a  very  fine  es- 
tate called  "Montpelier,"  Orange  Co., 
Va.  The  mansion  was  situated  in 
the  midst  of  scenery  highly  pictur- 
esque and  romantic,  on  the  west  side 
of  South-west  Mountain,  at  the  foot  of 
Blue  Ridge.  It  was  but  25  miles  from  the  home  of 
Jefferson  at  Monticello.  The  closest  personal  and 
political  attachment  existed  between  these  illustrious 
men,  from  their  early  youth  until  death. 

The  early  education  of  Mr.  Madison  was  conducted 
mostly  at  home  under  a  private  tutor.  At  the  age  of 
1 8  he  was  sent  to  Princeton  College,  in  New  Jersey. 
Here  he  applied  himself  to  study  with  the  most  im- 


prudent zeal;  allowing  himself,  for  months,  but  three 
hours'  sleep  out  of  the  24.  His  health  thus  became  so 
seriously  impaired  that  he  never  recovered  any  vigor 
of  constitution.  He  graduated  in  1771,  with  a  feeble 
body,  with  a  character  of  utmost  purity,  and  with  a 
mind  highly  disciplined  and  richly  stored  with  learning 
which  embellished  and  gave  proficiency  to  his  subse- 
quent career. 

Returning  to  Virginia,  he  commenced  the  study  of 
law  and  a  course  of  extensive  and  systematic  reading. 
This  educational  course,  the  spirit  of  the  times  in 
which  he  lived,  and  the  society  with  which  he  asso- 
ciated, all  combined  to  inspire  him  with  a  strong 
love  of  liberty,  and  to  train  him  for  his  life-work  of 
a  statesman.  Being  naturally  of  a  religious  turn  of 
mind,  and  his  frail  health  leading  him  to  think  that 
his  life  was  not  to  be  long,  he  directed  especial  atten- 
tion to  theological  studies.  Endowed  with  a  mind 
singularly  free  from  passion  and  prejudice,  and  with 
almost  unequalled  powers  of  reasoning,  he  weighed 
all  the  arguments  for  and  against  revealed  religion, 
until  his  faith  became  so  established  as  never  to 
be  shaken. 

In  the  spring  of  1776,  when  26  years  of  age,  he 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  Virginia  Convention,  to 
frame  the  constitution  of  the  State.  The  next  year 
(1777),  he  was  a  candidate  for  the  General  Assembly. 
He  refused  to  treat  the  whisky-loving  voters,  and 
consequently  lost  his  election ;  but  those  who  had 
witnessed  the  talent,  energy  and  public  spirit  of  the 
modest  young  man,  enlisted  themselves  in  his  behalf, 
and  he  was  appointed  to  the  Executive  Council. 

Both  Patrick  Henry  and  Thomas  Jefferson  were 
Governors  of  Virginia  while  Mr.  Madison  remained 
member  of  the  Council ;  and  their  appreciation  of  his 


.  >/ 


.r   -  -  -_ 


intellectual,  social  and  moral  worth,  contributed  not 
a  little  to  his  subsequent  eminence.  In  the  year 
1780,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Continental 
Congress.  Here  he  met  the  most  illustrious  men  in 
our  land,  and  he  was  immediately  assigned  to  one  of 
the  most  conspicuous  positions  among  them. 

For  three  years  Mr.  Madison  continued  in  Con- 
gress, one  of  its  most  active  and  influential  members. 
In  the  year  1784,  his  term  having  expired,  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  Virginia  Legislature. 

No  man  felt  more  deeply  than  Mr.  Madison  the 
utter  inefficiency  of  the  old  confederacy,  with  no  na- 
tional government,  with  no  power  to  form  treaties 
which  would  be  binding,  or  to  enforce  law.  There 
was  not  any  State  more  prominent  than  Virginia  in 
the  declaration,  that  an  efficient  national  government 
must  be  formed.  In  January,  1786,  Mr.  Madison 
carried  a  resolution  through  the  General  Assembly  of 
Virginia,  inviting  the  other  States  to  appoint  commis- 
sioners to  meet  in  convention  at  Annapolis  to  discuss 
this  subject.  Five  States  only  were  represented.  The 
convention,  however,  issued  another  call,  drawn  up 
by  Mr.  Madison,  urging  all  the  States  to  send  their 
delegates  to  Philadelphia,  in  May,  1787,  to  draft 
a  Constitution  for  the  United  States,  to  take  the  place 
of  that  Confederate  League.  The  delegates  met  at 
the  time  appointed.  Every  State  but  Rhode  Island 
was  represented.  George  Washington  was  chosen 
president  of  the  convention ;  and  the  present  Consti- 
tution of  the  United  States  was  then  and  there  formed. 
There  was,  perhaps,  no  mind  and  no  pen  more  ac- 
tive in  framing  this  immortal  document  than  the  mind 
and  the  pen  of  James  Madison. 

The  Constitution,  adopted  by  a  vote  81  to  79,  was 
to  be  presented  to  the  several  States  for  acceptance. 
But  grave  solicitude  was  felt.  Should  it  be  rejected 
we  should  be  left  but  a  conglomeration  of  independent 
States,  with  but  little  power  at  home  and  little  respect 
abroad.  Mr.  Madison  was  selected  by  the  conven- 
tion to  draw  up  an  address  to  the  people  of  the  United 
States,  expounding  the  principles  of  the  Constitution, 
and  urging  its  adoption.  There  was  great  opposition 
to  it  at  first,  but  it  at  length  triumphed  over  all,  and 
went  into  effect  in  1789. 

Mr.  Madison  was  elected  to  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives in  the  first  Congress,  and  soon  became  the 
avowed  leader  of  the  Republican  party.  While  in 
New  York  attending  Congress,  he  met  Mrs.  Todd,  a 
young  widow  of  remarkable  power  of  fascination, 
whom  he  married.  She  was  in  person  and  character 
queenly,  and  probably  no  lady  has  thus  far  occupied 
so  prominent  a  position  in  the  very  peculiar  society 
which  has  constituted  our  republican  court  as  Mrs. 
Madison. 

Mr.  Madison  served  as  Secretary  of  State  under 
Jefferson,  and  at  the  close  of  his  administration 

as  chosen  President.  At  this  time  the  encroach- 
ments of  England  had  brought  us  to  the  verge  of  war. 


British  orders  in  council  destroyed  our  commerce,  and 
our  flag  was  exposed  to  constant  insult.  Mr.  Madison 
was  a  man  of  peace.  Scholarly  in  his  taste,  retiring 
in  his  disposition,  war  had  no  charms  for  him.  But  the 
meekest  spirit  can  be  roused.  It  makes  one's  blood 
boil,  even  now,  to  think  of  an  American  ship  brought 
to,  upon  the  ocean,  by  the  guns  of  an  English  cruiser. 
A  young  lieutenant  steps  on  board  and  orders  the 
crew  to  be  paraded  before  him.  With  great  nonchal- 
ance he  selects  any  number  whom  he  may  please  to 
designate  as  British  subjects ;  orders  them  down  the 
ship's  side  into  his  boat ;  and  places  them  on  the  gun- 
deck  of  his  man-of-war,  to  fight,  by  compulsion,  the 
battles  of  England.  This  right  of  search  and  im- 
pressment, no  efforts  of  our  Government  could  induce 
the  British  cabinet  to  relinquish. 

On  the  i8th  of  June,  i8r2,  President  Madison  gave 
his  approval  to  an  act  of  Congress  declaring  war 
against  Great  Britain.  Notwithstanding  the  bitter 
hostility  of  the  Federal  party  to  the  war,  the  country 
in  general  approved;  and  Mr.  Madison,  on  the  4th 
of  March,  i8i3>  was  re-elected  by  a  large  majority, 
and  entered  upon  his  second  term  of  office.  This  is 
not  the  place  to  describe  the  various  adventures  of 
this  war  on  the  land  and  on  the  water.  Our  infant 
navy  then  laid  the  foundations  of  its  renown  in  grap- 
pling with  the  most  formidable  power  which  ever 
swept  the  seas.  The  contest  commenced  in  earnest 
by  the  appearance  of  a  British  fleet,  early  in  February, 
1813,  in  Chesapeake  Bay,  declaring  nearly  the  whole 
coast  of  the  United  States  under  blockade. 

The  Emperor  of  Russia  offered  his  services  as  me 
ditator.  America  accepted ;  England  refused.  A  Brit- 
ish force  of  five  thousand  men  landed  on  the  banks 
of  the  Patuxet  River,  near  its  entrance  into  Chesa- 
peake Bay,  and  marched  rapidly,  by  way  of  Bladens- 
burg,  upon  Washington. 

The  straggling  little  city  of  Washington  was  thrown 
into  consternation.  The  cannon  of  the  brief  conflict 
at  Bladensburg  echoed  through  the  streets  of  the 
metropolis.  The  whole  population  fled  from  the  city. 
The  President,  leaving  Mrs.  Madison  in  the  White 
House,  with  her  carriage  drawn  up  at  the  door  to 
await  his  speedy  return,  hurried  to  meet  the  officers 
in  a  council  of  war.  He  met  our  troops  utterly  routed, 
and  he  could  not  go  back  without  danger  of  being 
captured.  But  few  hours  elapsed  ere  the  Presidential 
Mansion,  the  Capitol,  and  all  the  public  buildings  in 
Washington  were  in  flames. 

The  war  closed  after  two  years  of  fighting,  and  on 
Feb.  13,  1 8 15,  the  treaty  of  peace  was  signed  atGhent. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1817,  his  second  term  of 
office  expired,  and  he  resigned  the  Presidential  chair 
to  his  friend,  James  Monroe.  He  retired  to  his  beau- 
tiful home  at  Montpelier,  and  there  passed  the  re- 
mainder of  his  days.  On  June  28,  1836,  then  at  the 
age  of  85  years,  he  fell  asleep  in  death.  Mrs.  Madi- 
son died  July  12,  1849. 


r 


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TWUBBAW 
OHK 

nwvEisnv  OF  LUWBI 


AMES  MONROE,  the  fifth 
Presidentof- The  United  States, 
was  born  in  Westmoreland  Co., 
Va.,  April  28,  1758.  His  early 
life  was  passed  at  the  place  of 
nativity.  His  ancestors  had  for 
many  years  resided  in  the  prov- 
ince in  which  he  was  born.  When, 
at  17  years  of  age,  in  the  process 
of  completing  his  education  at 
William  and  Mary  College,  the  Co- 
lonial Congress  assembled  at  Phila- 
delphia to  deliberate  upon  the  un- 
just .and  manifold  oppressions  of 
Great  Britian,  declared  the  separa- 
tion of  the  Colonies,  and  promul- 
gated the  Declaration  of  Indepen- 
dence. Had  he  been  born  ten  years  before  it  is  highly 
probable  that  he  would  have  been  one  of  the  signers 
of  that  celebrated  instrument.  At  this  time  he  left 
school  and  enlisted  among  the  patriots. 

He  joined  the  army  when  everything  looked  hope- 
less and  gloomy.  The  number  of  deserters  increased 
from  day  to  day.  The  invading  armies  came  pouring 
in ;  and  the  tones  not  only  favored  the  cause  of  the 
mother  country,  but  disheartened  the  new  recruits, 
who  were  sufficiently  terrified  at  the  prospect  of  con- 
tending with  an  enemy  whom  they  had  been  taught 
to  deem  invincible.  To  such  brave  spirits  as  James 
Monroe,  who  went  right  onward,  undismayed  through 
difficulty  and  danger,  the  United  States  owe  their 
political  emancipation.  The  young  cadet  joined  the 
ranks,  and  espoused  the  cause  of  his  injured  country, 
with  a  firm  determination  to  live  or  die  with  her  strife 


for  liberty.  Firmly  yet  sadly  he  shared  in  the  mel- 
ancholy retreat  from  Harleam  Heights  and  White 
Plains,  and  accompanied  the  dispirited  army  as  it  fled 
before  its  foes  through  New  Jersey.  In  four  months 
after  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  the  patriots 
had  been  beaten  in  seven  battles.  At  the  battle  of 
Trenton  he  led  the  vanguard,  and,  in  the  act  of  charg- 
ing upon  the  enemy  he  received  a  wound  in  the  left 
shoulder.  ' 

As  a  reward  for  his  bravery,  Mr.  Monroe  was  pro- 
moted a  captain  of  infantry ;  and,  having  recovered 
from  his  wound,  he  rejoined  the  army.  He,  however, 
receded  from  the  line  of  promotion,  by  becoming  an 
officer  in'  the  staff  of  Lord  Sterling.  During  the  cam- 
paigns of  1777  and  1*778,  in  the  actions  of  Brandy- 
wine,  Germantown  and  Monmouth,  he  continued 
aid-de-camp;  but  becoming  desirous  to  regain  his 
position  in  the  army,  he  exerted  himself  to  collect  a 
regiment  for  the  Virginia  line.  This  scheme  failed 
owing  to  the  exhausted  condition  of  the  State.  Upon 
this  failure  he  entered  the  office  of  Mr.  Jefferson,  at 
that  period  Governor,  and  pursued,  with  considerable 
ardor,  the  study  of  common  law.  He  did  not,  however, 
entirely  lay  aside  the  knapsack  for  the  green  bag; 
but  on  the  invasions  of  the  enemy,  served  as  a  volun- 
teer, during  the  two  years  of  his  legal  pursuits. 

In  1782,  he  was  elected  from  King  George  county, 
a  member  of  the  Leglislature  of  Virginia,  and  by  that 
body  he  was  elevated  to  a  seat  in  the  Executive 
Council.  He  was  thus  honored  with  the  confidence 
of  his  fellow  citizens  at  23  years  of  age  ;  and  having 
at  this  early  period  displayed  some  of  that  ability 
and  aptitude  for  legislation,  which  were  afterward 
employed  with  unremitting  energy  for  the  public  good, 

-««§*& 


^ 


JAMES  MONROE. 


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he  was  in  the  succeeding  year  chosen  a  member  of 
the  Congress  of  the  U.nited'  States. 
Deeply  as  Mr.  Monroe  felt  the  imperfections  of  the  old 
Confederacy,  he  was  opposed  to  the  new  Constitution, 
thinking,  with  many  others  of  the  Republican  party, 
that  it  gave  too  much  power  to  the  Central  Government, 
and  not  enough  to  the  individual  States.  Still  he  re- 
tained the  esteem  of  his  friends  who  were  its  warm 
supporters,  and  who,  notwithstanding  his  opposition 
secured  its  adoption.  In  1789,  he  became  a  member 
of  the  United  States  Senate;  which  office  he  held  for 
four  years.  Every  month  the  line  of  distinction  be- 
tween the  two  great  parties  which  divided  the  nation, 
the  Federal  and  the  Republican,  was  growing  more 
distinct.  The  two  prominent  ideas  which  now  sep- 
arated them  were,  that  the  Republican  party  was  in 
sympathy  with  France,  and  also  in  favor  of  such  a 
strict  construction  of  the  Constitution  as  to  give  the 
Central  Government  as  little  power,  and  the  State 
Governments  as  much  power,  as  the  Constitution  would 
warrant.  The  Federalists  sympathized  with  England, 
and  were  in  favor  of  a  liberal  construction  of  the  Con- 
stitution, which  would  give  as  much  power  to  the 
Central  Government  as  that  document  could  possibly 
authorize. 

The  leading  Federalists  and  Republicans  were 
alike  noble  men,  consecrating  all  their  energies  to  the 
good  of  the  nation.  Two  more  honest  men  or  more 
pure  patriots  than  John  Adams  the  Federalist,  and 
James  Monroe  the  Republican,  never  breathed.  In 
building  up  this  majestic  nation,  which  is  destined 
to  eclipse  all  Grecian  and  Assyrian  greatness,  the  com- 
bination of  their  antagonism  was  needed  to  create  the 
right  equilibrium.  And  yet  each  in  his  day  was  de- 
nounced as  almost  a  demon. 

Washington  was  then  President.  England  had  es- 
poused the  cause  of  the  Bourbons  against  the  princi- 
ples of  the  French  Revolution.  All  Europe  was  drawn 
into  the  conflict.  We  were  feeble  and  far  away. 
Washington  issued  a  proclamation  of  neutrality  be- 
tween these  contending  powers.  France  had  helped 
us  in  the  struggle  for  our  liberties.  All  the  despotisms 
of  Europe  were  now  combined  to  prevent  the  French 
from  escaping  from  a  tyranny  a  thousand-fold  worse 
than  that  which  we  had  endured.  Col.  Monroe,  more 
magnanimous  than  prudent,  was  anxious  that,  at 
whatever  hazard,  we  should  help  our  old  allies  in 
their  extremity.  It  was  the  impulse  of  a  generous 
and  noble  nature.  He  violently  opposed  the  Pres- 
ident's proclamation  as  ungrateful  and  wanting  in 
magnanimity. 

Washington,  who  could  appreciate  such  a  character, 
developed  his  calm,  serene,  almost  divine  greatness, 
by  appointing  that  very  James  Monroe,  who  was  de- 
nouncing the  policy  of  the  Government,  as  the  minister 
of  that  Government  to  the  Republic  of  France.  Mr. 
Monroe  was  welcomed  by  the  National  Convention 
in  France  with  the  most  enthusiastic  demonstrations. 


Shortly  after  his  return  to  this  country,  Mr.  Mon 
roe  was  elected  Governor  of  Virginia,  and  held  the 
office  for  three  years.  He  was  again  sent  to  France  to 
co-operate  with  Chancellor  Livingston  in  obtaining 
the  vast  territory  then  known  as  the  Province  of 
Louisiana,  which  France  had  but  shortly  before  ob- 
tained from  Spain.  Their  united  efforts  were  suc- 
cessful. For  the  comparatively  small  sum  of  fifteen 
millions  of  dollars,  the  entire  territory  of  Orleans  and 
district  of  Louisiana  were  added  to  the  United  States. 
This  was  probably  the  largest  transfer  of  real  estate 
which  was  ever  made  in  all  the  history  of  the  world. 

From  France  Mr.  Monroe  went  to  England  to  ob- 
tain from  that  country  some  recognition  of  our 
rights  as  neutrals,  and  to  remonstrate  against  those 
odious  impressments  of  our  seamen.  But  Eng- 
land was  unrelenting.  He  again  returned  to  Eng- 
land on  the  same  mission,  but  could  receive  no 
redress.  He  returned  to  his  home  and  was  again 
chosen  Governor  of  Virginia.  This  he  soon  resigned 
to  accept  the  position  of  Secretary  of  State  under 
Madison.  While  in  this  office  war  with  England  was 
declared,  the  Secretary  of  War  resigned,  and  during 
these  trying  times,  the  duties  of  the  War  Department 
were  also  put  upon  him.  He  was  truly  the  armor- 
bearer  of  President  Madison,  and  the  most  efficient 
business  man  in  his  cabinet.  Upon  the  return  of 
peace  he  resigned  the  Department  of  War,  but  con- 
tinued in  the  office  of  Secretary  of  State  until  the  ex- 
piration of  Mr.  Madison's  adminstration'.  At  the  elec- 
tion held  the  previous  autumn  Mr.  Monroe  himself  had 
been  chosen  President  with  but  little  opposition,  and 
upon  March  4,  1817,  was  inaugurated.  Four  years 
later  he  was  elected  for  a  second  term. 

Among  the  important  measures  of  his  Presidency 
were  the  cession  of  Florida  to  the  United  States;  the 
Missouri  Compromise,  and  the  "  Monroe  doctrine."' 

This  famous  doctrine,  since  known  as  the  "Monroe 
doctrine,"  was  enunciated  by  him  in  1823.  At  that 
time  the  United  States  had  recognized  the  independ- 
ence of  the  South  American  states,  and  did  not  wish 
to  have  European  powers  longer  attempting  to  sub- 
due portions  of  the  American  Continent.  The  doctrine 
is  as  follows:  "That  we  should  consider  any  attempt 
on  the  part  of  European  powers  to  extend  their  sys- 
tem to  any  portion  of  this  hemisphere  as  dangerous 
to  our  peace  and  safety,"  and  "that  we  could  not 
view  any  interposition  for  the  purpose  of  oppressing 
or  controlling  American  governments  or  provinces  in 
any  other  light  than  as  a  manifestation  by  European 
powers  of  an  unfriendly  disposition  toward  the  United 
States."  This  doctrine  immediately  affected  the  course 
of  foreign  governments,  and  has  become  the  approved 
sentiment  of  the  United  States. 

At  the  end  of  his  second  term  Mr.  Monroe  retired 
to  his  home  in  Virginia,  where  he  lived  until  1830, 
when  he  went  to  New  York  to  live  with  his  son-in- 
law,  In  that  city  he  died,on  the  4th  of  July,  1831, 

^ ^^^ ^^«® 


THFUIBW 

wm 

iu«Qn 


J,      SL. 


OHN  QUINCY  ADAMS,  the 
sixth  President  of  the  United 
States,  was  born  in  the  rural 
home  of  his   honored   father, 
John  Adams,  in  Quincy,  Mass., 
on  the  1 1  th  cf  July,  1767.  His 
mother,  a  woman  of  exalted 
orth,  watched  over  his  childhood 
during  the  almost   constant   ab- 
sence of  his  father.      When   but 
eight  years  of  age,  he  stood  with 
his  mother  on  an  eminence,  listen- 
ing to  the  booming  of  the  great  bat- 
tle on  Bunker's  Hill,  and  gazing  on 
upon  the  smoke  and  flames  billow- 
ing up  from    the   conflagration  of 
Charlestown. 

When  but  eleven  years  old  he 
took  a  tearful  adieu  of  his  mother, 
to  sail  with  his  father  for  Europe, 
through  a  fleet  of  hostile  British  cruisers.  The  bright, 
animated  boy  spent  a  year  and  a  half  in  Paris,  where 
his  father  was  associated  with  Franklin  and  Lee  as 
minister  plenipotentiary.  His  intelligence  attracted 
the  notice  of  these  distinguished  men,  and  he  received 
from  them  flattering  marks  of  attention. 

Mr.  John  Adams  had  scarcely  returned  to  this 
country,  in  1779,  ere  he  was  again  sent  abroad.  Again 
John  Quincy  accompanied  his  father.  At  Paris  he 
applied  himself  with  great  diligence,  for  six  months, 
to  study;  then  accom pained  his  father  to  Holland, 
where  he  entered,  first  a  school  in  Amsterdam,  then 
the  University  at  Leyden.  A'bout  a  year  from  this 
time,  in  1781,  when  the  manly  boy  was  but  fourteen 
years  of  age,  he  was  selected  by  Mr.  Dana,  our  min- 
ister to  the  Russian  court,  as  his  private  secretary. 

In  this  school  of  incessant  labor  and  of  enobling 
culture  he  spent  fourteen  months,  and  then  returned 
to  Holland  through  Sweden,  Denmark,  Hamburg  and 
Bremen.  This  long  journey  he  took  alone,  in  the 
winter,  when  in  his  sixteenth  year.  Again  he  resumed 
his  studies,  under  a  private  tutor,  at  Hague.  Thence, 


in  the  spring  of  1782,  he  accompanied  his  father  to 
Paris,  traveling  leisurely,  and  forming  acquaintance 
with  the  most  distinguished  men  on  the  Continent; 
examining  architectural  remains,  galleries  of  paintings, 
and  all  renowned  works  of  art.  At  Paris  he  again 
became  associated  with  the  most  illustrious  men  of 
all  lands  in  the  contemplations  of  the  loftiest  temporal 
themes  which  can  engross  the  human  mind.  After 
a  short  visit  to  England  he  returned  to  Paris,  and 
consecrated  all  his  energies  to  study  until  May,  1785, 
when  he  returned  to  America.  To  a  brilliant  young 
man  of  eighteen,  who  had  seen  much  of  the  world, 
and  who  was  familiar  with  the  etiquette  of  courts,  a 
residence  with  his  father  in  London,  under  such  cir- 
cumstances, must  have  been  extremely  attractive; 
but  with  judgment  very  rare  in  one  of  his  age,  he  pre- 
ferred to  return  to  America  to  complete  his  education 
in  an  American  college.  He  wished  then  to  study 
law,  that  with  an  honorable  profession,  he  might  be 
able  to  obtain  an  independent  support. 

Upon  leaving  Harvard  College,  at  the  age  of  twenty, 
he  studied  law  for  three  years.  In  June,  ^94,  be- 
ing then  but  twenty-seven  years  of  age,  he  was  ap- 
pointed by  Washington,  resident  minister  at  the 
Netherlands.  Sailing  from  Boston  in  July,  he  reached 
London  in  October,  where  he  was  immediately  admit- 
ted to  the  deliberations  of  Messrs.  Jay  and  Pinckney, 
assisting  them  in  negotiating  a  commercial  treaty  with 
Great  Britian.  After  thus  spending  a  fortnight  in 
London,  he  proceeded  to  the  Hague. 

In  July,  1797,  he  left  the  Hague  to  go  to  Portugal  as 
minister  plenipotentiary.  On  his  way  to  Portugal, 
upon  arriving  in  London,  he  met  with  despatches 
directing  him  to  the  court  of  Berlin,  but  requesting 
him  to  remain  in  London  until  he  should  receive,  his 
instructions.  While  waiting  he  was  married  to  an 
American  lady  to  whom  he  had  been  previously  en- 
gaged,— Miss  Louisa  Catherine  Johnson,  daughter 
of  Mr.  Joshua  Johnson,  American  consul  in  London  ; 
a  lady  endownd  with  that  beauty  and  those  accom- 
plishment which  eminently  fitted  her  to  move  in  the 
elevated  sphere  for  which  she  was  destined. 


S-; 


JOHN  QUINCY  ADAMS. 


He  reached  Berlin  with  his  wife  in  November,  1797  ; 
where  he  remained  until  July,  1799,  when,  having  ful- 
filled all  the  purposes  of  his  mission,  he  solicited  his 
recall. 

Soon  after  his  return,  in  1802,  he  was  chosen  to 
the  Senate  of  Massachusetts,  from  Boston,  and  then 
was  elected  Senator  of  the  United  States  for  six  years, 
from  the  4th  of  March,  1804.  His  reputation,  his 
ability  and  his  experience,  placed  him  immediately 
among  the  most  prominent  and  influential  members 
of  that  body.  Especially  did  he  sustain  the  Govern- 
ment in  its  measures  of  resistance  to  the  encroach- 
ments of  England,  destroying  our  commerce  and  in- 
sulting our  flag.  There  was  no  man  in  America  more 
familiar  with  the  arrogance  of  the  British  court  upon 
these  points,  and  no  one  more  resolved  to  present 
a  firm  resistance. 

In  1809,  Madison  succeeded  Jefferson  in  the  Pres- 
idential chair,  and  he  immediately  nominated  John 
Quincy  Adams  minister  to  St.  Petersburg.  Resign- 
ing his  professorship  in  Harvard  College,  he  embarked 
at  Boston,  in  August,  1809. 

While  in  Russia,  Mr.  Adams  was  an  intense  stu- 
dent. He  devoted  his  attention  to  the  language  and 
history  of  Russia;  to  the  Chinese  trade;  to  the 
European  system  of  weights,  measures,  and  coins  ;  to 
the  climate  and  astronomical  observations  ;  while  he 
kept  up  a  familiar  acquaintance  with  the  Greek  and 
Latin  classics.  In  all  the  universities  of  Europe,  a 
more  accomplished  scholar  could  scarcely  be  found. 
All  through  life  the  Bible  constituted  an  important 
part  of  his  studies.  It  was  his  rule  to  read  five 
chapters  every  day. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1817,  Mr.  Monroe  took  the 
Presidential  chair,  and  immediately  appointed  Mr. 
Adams  Secretary  of  State.  Taking  leave  of  his  num- 
erous friends  in  public  and  private  life  in  Europe,  he 
sailed  in  June,  1819,  for  the  United  States.  On  the 
1 8th  of  August,  he  again  crossed  the  threshold  of  his 
home  in  Quincy.  During  the  eight  years  of  Mr.  Mon- 
roe's administration,  Mr.  Adams  continued  Secretary 
of  State. 

Some  time  before  the  close  of  Mr.  Monroe's  second 
term  of  office,  new  candidates  began  to  be  presented 
for  the  Presidency.  The  friends  of  Mr.  Adams  brought 
forward  his  name.  It  was  an  exciting  campaign. 
Party  spirit  was  never  more  bitter.  Two  hundred  and 
sixty  electoral  votes  were  cast.  Andrew  Jackson  re- 
ceived ninety-nine;  John  Quincy  Adams,  eighty-four; 
William  H.  Crawford,  forty -one ;  Henry  Clay,  thirty- 
seven.  As  there  was  no  choice  by  the  people,  the 
question  went  to  the  House  of  Representatives.  Mr. 
Clay  gave  the  vote  of  Kentucky  to  Mr.  Adams,  and 
he  was  elected. 

The  friends  of  all  the  disappointed  candidates  now 
combined  in  a  venomous  and  persistent  assault  upon 
Mr.  Adams.  There  is  nothing  more  disgraceful  in 
the  past  history  of  our  country  than  the  abuse  which 


was  poured  in  one  uninterrupted  stream,  upon   this 
high-minded,  upright,  patriotic  man.  There  never  was 
an  administration  more  pure  in  principles,  more  con- 
scientiously devoted  to  the  best  interests  of  the  coun-     , 
try,  than  that  of  John  Quincy  Adams ;  and  never,  per- 
haps, was   there  an  administration   more   unscrupu-  if 
lously  and  outrageously  assailed. 

Mr.  Adams  was,  to  a  very  remarkable  degree,  ab- 
stemious and  temperate  in  his  habits;  always  rising 
early,  and  taking  much  exercise.  When  at  his  home  in 
Quincy,  he  has  been  known  to  walk,  before  breakfast, 
seven  miles  to  Boston.  In  Washington,  it  was  said 
that  he  was  the  first  man  up  in  the  city,  lighting  his 
own  fire  and  applying  himself  to  work  in  his  library 
often  long  before  dawn. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1829,  Mr.  Adams  retired 
from  the  Presidency,  and  was  succeeded  by  Andrew 
Jackson.  John  C.  Calhoun  was  elected  Vice  Presi- 
dent. The  slavery  question  now  began  to  assume 
portentous  magnitude.  Mr.  Adams  returned  to 
Quincy  and  to  his  studies,  which  he  pursued  with  un- 
abated zeal.  But  he  was  not  long  permitted  to  re- 
main in  retirement.  In  November,  1830,  he  was 
elected  representative  to  Congress.  For  seventeen 
years,  until  his  death,  he  occupied  the  post  as  repre- 
sentative, towering  above  all  his  peers,  ever  ready  to 
do  brave  battle'  for  freedom,  and  winning  the  title  of 
"the  old  man  eloquent."  Upon  taking  his  seat  in 
the  House,  he  announced  that  he  should  hold  him- 
self bound  to  no  party.  Probably  there  never  was  a 
member  more  devoted  to  his  duties.  He  was  usually 
the  first  in  his  place  in  the  morning,  and  the  last  to 
leave  his  seat  in  the  evening.  Not  a  measure  could 
be  brought  forward  and  escape  his  scrutiny.  The 
battle  which  Mr.  Adams  fought,  almost  singly,  against 
the  proslavery  party  in  the  Government,  was  sublime 
in  its  moral  daring  and  heroism.  For  persisting  in 
presenting  petitions  for  the  abolition  of  slavery,  he 
was  threatened  with  indictment  by  the  grand  .jury, 
with  expulsion  from  the  House,  with  assassination ; 
but  no  threats  could  intimidate  him,  and  his  final 
triumph  was  complete. 

It  has  been  said  of  President  Adams,  that  when  his- 
body  was  bent  and  his  hair  silvered  by  the  lapse  of 
fourscore  years,  yielding  to  the  simple  faith  of  a  little 
child,  he  was  accustomed  to  repeat  every  night,  before 
he  slept,  the  prayer  which  his  mother  taught  him  in 
his  infant  years. 

On  the  2ist  of  February,  1848,  he  rose  on  the  floor 
of  Congress,  with  a  paper  in  his  hand,  to  address  the 
speaker.  Suddenly  he  fell,  again  stricken  by  paraly- 
sis, and  was  caught  in  the  arms  of  those  around  him. 
For  a  time  he  was  senseless,  as  he  was  conveyed  to 
the  sofa  in  the  rotunda.  With  reviving  conscious- 
ness, he  opened  his  eyes,  looked  calmly  around  and  &£ 
said  "  This  is  the  end  of  earth  /'then  after  a  moment's  «* 
pause  he  added,  "7  am  content''  These  were  the  ®} 
last  words  of  the  grand  "Old  Man  Eloquent."  ^ 


OF  IKE 

IMrVEftSITY  OF  (LIMNS 


v§) 


NDREW  JACKSON,  the 
seventh  President  of  the 
'United  States,  was  born  in 
Waxhaw  settlement,  N.  0., 
March  15,  1767,  a.  few  days 
after  his  father's  death.  His 
parents  were  poor  emigrants 
from  Ireland,  and  took  up 
their  abode  in  Waxhaw  set- 
tlement, where  they  lived  in 
deepest  poverty. 
Andrew,  or  Andy,  as  he  was 
universally  called,  grew  up  a  very 
rough,  rude,  turbulent  boy.  His 
features  were  coarse,  his  form  un- 
gainly; and  there  was  but  very 
little  in  his  character,  made  visible,  which  was  at- 
tractive. 

When  only  thirteen  years  old  he  joined  the  volun- 
teers of  Carolina  against  the  British  invasion.  In 
1781,  he  and  his  brother  Robert  were  captured  and 
imprisoned  for  a  time  at  Camden.  A  British  officer 
ordered  him  to  brush  his  mud-spattered  boots.  "  I  am 
a  prisoner  of  war,  not  your  servant,"  was  the  reply  of 
the  dauntless  boy. 

The  brute  drew  his  sword,  and  aimed  a  desperate 
blow  at  the  head  of  the  helpless  young  prisoner. 
Andrew  raised  his  hand,  and  thus  received  two  fear- 
ful gashes, — one  on  the  hand  and  the  other  upon  the 
head.  The  officer  then  turned  to  his  brother  Robert 
with  the  same  demand.  He  also  refused,  and  re- 
ceived a  blow  from  the  keen-edged  sabre,  which  quite 
disabled  him,  and  which  probably  soon  after  caused 
his  death.  They  suffered  much  other  ill-treatment,  and 
were  finally  stricken  with  the  small-pox.  Their 
mother  was  successful  in  obtaining  their  exchange, 


and  took  her  sick  boys  home.  After  a  long  illness 
Andrew  recovered,  and  the  death  of  his  mother  soon 
left  him  entirely  friendless. 

Andrew  supported  himself  in  various  ways,  such  as 
working  at  the  saddler's  trade,  teaching  school  and 
clerking  in  a  general  store,  until  1784,  when  he 
entered  a  law  office  at  Salisbury,  N.  C.  He,  however, 
gave  more  attention  to  the  wild  amusements  of  the 
times  than  to  his  studies.  In  1788,  he  was  appointed 
solicitor  for  the  western  district  of  North  Carolina,  of 
which  Tennessee  was  then  a  part.  This  involved 
many  long  and  tedious  journeys  amid  dangers  of 
every  kind,  but  Andrew  Jackson  never  knew  fear, 
and  the  Indians  had  no  desire  to  repeat  a  skirmish 
with  the  Sharp  Knife. 

In  1791,-  Mr.  Jackson  was  married  to  a  woman  who 
supposed  herself  divorced  from  her  former  husband. 
Great  was  the  surprise  of  both  parties,  two  years  later, 
to  find  that  the  conditions  of  the  divorce  had  just  been 
definitely  settled  by  the  first  husband.  The  marriage 
ceremony  was  performed  a  second  time,  but  the  occur- 
rence was  often  used  by  his  enemies  to  bring  Mr. 
Jackson  into  disfavor. 

During  these  years  he  worked  hard  at  his  profes- 
sion, and  frequently  had  one  or  more  duels  on  hand, 
one  of  which,  when  he  killed  Dickenson,  was  espec- 
ially disgraceful. 

In  January,  1796,  the  Territory  of  Tennessee  then 
containing  nearly  eighty  thousand  inhabitants,  the 
people  met  in  convention  at  Knoxville  to  frame  a  con- 
stitution. Five  were  sent  from  each  of  the  eleven 
counties.  Andrew  Jackson  was  one  of  the  delegates. 
The  new  State  was  entitled  to  but  one  member  in 
the  National  House  of  Representatives.  Andrew  Jack- 
son was  chosen  that  member.  Mounting  his  horse  he 
rode  to  Philedelphia,  where  Congress  then  held  its 

^ ^^^ -&e§«@. 


-v.  - 


ANDRE  W  JA  CKSON. 


ferred  upon  him.     Just  at  that  time  Gen.    Jacks 
offered  his  services  and  those  of  twenty-five  hund: 


Xf  sessions, — a  distance  of  about  eight  hundred  miles. 
f,  j?  Jackson  was  an  earnest  advocate  of  the  Demo- 
i  cratic  party.  Jefferson  was  his  idol.  He  admired 
anaparte,  loved  France  and  hated  England.  As  Mr. 
Jackson  took  his  seat,  Gen.  Washington,  whose 
(Second  term  of  office  was  then  expiring,  delivered  his 
last  speech  to  Congress.  A  committee  drew  up  a 
complimentary  address  in  reply.  Andrew  Jackson 
did  not  approve  of  the  address,  and  was  one  of  the 
twelve  who  voted  against  it.  He  was  not  willing  to 
say  that  Gen.  Washington's  adminstration  had  been 
"  wise,  firm  and  patriotic." 

-      Mr.  Jackson  was   elected   to    the    United    States 
/€K  Senate  in  1797,  but  soon  resigned  and  returned  home. 
<^£  Soon  after  he  was  chosen  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court 
\  of  his  State,  which  position  he  held  for  six  years. 

When  the  war  of  1812  with  Great  Britian  com- 
menced, Madison  occupied  the  Presidential  chair. 
Aaron  Burr  sent  word  to  the  President  that  there  was 
an  unknown  man  in  the  West,  Andrew  Jackson,  who 
vould  do  credit  to  a  commission  if  one  were  con- 

kson 

ty-nve  hundred 

volunteers.     His  offer  was  accepted,  and  the   troops 
were  assembled  at  Nashville. 
!£      As  the  British  were  hourly  expected  to  make  an  at- 
Q  tack  upon  New  Orleans,  where  Gen.  Wilkinson  was 
Vft  in  command,  he  was  ordered   to  descend   the   river 
^4-  with  fifteen  hundred  troops  to   aid  Wilkinson.      The 
^?  expedition  reached  Natchez ;  and  after  a  delay  of  sev- 
"  '  eral    weeks  there,   without   accomplishing   anything, 
the  men  were  ordered  back  to  their  homes.     But  the 
energy  Gen.  Jackson  had  displayed,  and  his  entire 
devotion  to  the  comrfort   of  his    soldiers,  won   him 
golden  opinions;  and  he  became  the    most  popular 
man  in  the  State.     It  was  in  this  expedition  that  his 
toughness  gave  him  the  nickname  of  "  Old  Hickory." 
Soon  after  this,  while  attempting  to  horsewhip  Col. 
Thomas    H.  Benton,  for  a  remark   that  gentleman 
I   made  about  his  taking  a  part  as  second  in  a  duel,  in 
/f€    which  a  younger  brother  of  Benton's  was  engaged, 
3|5   he  received  two  severe  pistol  wounds.    While  he  was 
^   lingering  upon  a  bed  of  suffering  news  came  that  the 
Indians,  who  had  combined  under  Tecumseh  from 
Florida  to  the  Lakes,  to  exterminate  the  white    set- 
tlers, were  committing  the  most  awful  ravages.     De- 
cisive action  became  necessary.     Gen.  Jackson,  with 
his  fractured  bone  just  beginning  to  heal,  his  arm  in 
a  sling,  and  unable  to  mount  his  horse  without  assis- 
tance, gave  his  amazing  energies  to  the  raising  of  an 
army  to  rendezvous  at  Fayettesville,  Alabama. 

The  Creek  Indians  had  established  a  strong  fort  on 
one  of  the  bends  of  the  Tallapoosa  River,  near  the  cen- 
ter of  Alabama,  about  fifty  miles  below  Fort  Strother. 
With  an  army  of  two  thousand  men,  Gen.  Jackson 
'  traversed  the  pathless  wilderness  in  a  march  of  eleven 
days.  He  reached  their  fort,  called  Tohopeka  or 
Horse-shoe,  on  the  27th  of  March.  1814,  The  bend 


of  the  river  enclosed  nearly  one  hundred  acres  of 
tangled  forest  and  wild  ravine.  Across  the  narrow 
neck  the  Indians  had  constructed  a  formidable  breast- 
work of  logs  and  brush.  Here  nine  hundred  warriors, 
with  an  ample  suply  of  arms  were  assembled. 

The  fort  was  stormed.  The  fight  was  utterly  des- 
perate. Not  an  Indian  would  accept  of  quarter.  When 
bleeding  and  dying,  they  would  fight  those  who  en- 
deavored to  spare  their  lives.  From  ten  in  the  morn- 
ing until  dark,  the  battle  raged.  The  carnage  was 
awful  and  revolting.  Some  threw  themselves  into  the 
river;  but  the  unerring  bullet  struck  their  heads  as 
they  swam.  Nearly  everyone  of  the  nine  hundred  war- 
rios  were  killed  A  few  probably,  in  the  night,  swam 
the  river  and  escaped.  This  ended  the  war.  The 
power  of  the  Creeks  was  broken  forever.  This  bold 
plunge  into  the  wilderness,  with  its  terrifric  slaughter, 
so  appalled  the  savages,  that  the  haggard  remnants 
of  the  bands  came  to  the  camp,  begging  for  peace. 

This  closing  of  the  Creek  war  enabled  us  to  con- 
centrate all  our  militia  upon  the  British,  who  were  the 
allies  of  the  Indians  No  man  of  less  resolute  will 
than  Gen.  Jackson  could  have  conducted  this  Indian 
campaign  to  so  successful  an  issue  Immediately  he 
was  appointed  major-genCral. 

Late  in  August,  with  an  army  of  two  thousand 
men,  on  a  rushing  march,  Gen.  Jackson  came  to 
Mobile.  A  British  fleet  came  from  Pensacola,  landed 
a  force  upon  the  beach,  anchored  near  the  little  fort, 
and  from  both  ship  and  shore  commenced  a  furious 
assault.  The  battle  was  long  and  doubtful.  At  length 
one  of  the  ships  was  blown  up  and  the  rest  retired. 

Garrisoning  Mobile,  where  he  had  taken  his  little 
army,  he  moved  his  troops  to  New  Orleans, 
And  the  battle  of  New  Orleans  which  soon  ensued, 
was  in  reality  a  very  arduous  campaign.  This  won 
for  Gen.  Jackson  an  imperishable  name.  Here  his 
troops,  which  numbered  about  four  thousand  men, 
won  a  signal  victory  over  the  British  army  of  about 
nine  thousand.  His  loss  was  but  thirteen,  while  the 
loss  of  the  British  was  two  thousand  six  hundred. 

The  name  of  Gen.  Jackson  soon  began  to  be  men- 
tioned in  connection  with  the  Presidency,  but,  in  1824, 
he  was  defeated  by  Mr.  Adams^  He  was,  however, 
successful  in  the  election  of  r828,  and  was  re-elected 
for  a  second  term  in  1832.  In  1829,  just  before  he 
assumed  the  reins  of  the  government,  he  met  with 
the  most  terrible  affliction  of  his  life  in  the  death  of 
his  wife,  whom  he  had  loved  with  a  devotion  which  has 
perhaps  never  been  surpassed.  From  the  shock  of 
her  death  he  never  recovered. 

His  administration  was  one  of  the  most  memorable 
in  the  annals  of  our  country;  applauded  by  one  party, 
condemned  by  the  other.  No  man  had  more  bitter 
enemies  or  warmer  friends.  At  the  expiration  of  his 
two  terms  of  office  he  retired  to  the  Hermitage,  where 
he  died  June  8,  1845.  The  last  years  of  Mr.  Jack- 
son's life  were  that  of  a  devoted  Christian  man. 


Hu* 


^ 


ARTIN  VAN  BUREN,  the 
eighth     President     of     the 
United  States,  was  born  at 
Kinderhook,  N.  Y.,  Dec.   5, 
1782.  _  He  died  at  the  same 
place,  July   24,    1862.      His 
body  rests  in  the  cemetery 
at  Kinderhook.     Above  it  is 
a  plain  granite   shaft  fifteen  feet 
high,  bearing  a  simple  inscription 
about  half  way  up   on   one   face. 
The  lot  is  unfenced,  unbordered 
or  unbounded  by  shrub  or  flower. 

There  is  but  little  in  the  life  of  Martin  Van  Buren 
of  romantic  interest.  He  fought  no  battles,  engaged 
in  no  wild  adventures.  Though  his  life  was  stormy  in 
political  and  intellectual  conflicts,  and  he  gained  many 
signal  victories,  his  days  passed  uneventful  in  those 
incidents  which  give  zest  to  biography.  His  an- 
cestors, as  his  name  indicates,  were  of  Dutch  origin, 
and  were  among  the  earliest  emigrants  from  Holland 
to  the  banks  of  the  Hudson.  His  father  was  a  fanner, 
residing  in  the  old  town  of  Kinderhook.  His  mother, 
also  of  Dutch  lineage,  was  a  woman  of  superior  intel- 
ligence and  exemplary  piety. 

He  was  decidedly  a  precocious  boy,  developing  un- 
usual activity,  vigor  and  strength  of  mind.  At  the 
age  of  fourteen,  he  had'finished  his  academic  studies 
in  his  native  village,  and  commenced  the  study  of 
law.  As  he  had  not  a  collegiate  education,  seven 
years  of  study  in  a  law-office  were  required  of  him 
before  he  could  be  admitted  to  the  bar.  Inspired  with 
a  lofty  ambition,  and  conscious  of  his  powers,  he  pur- 
sued his  studies  with  indefatigable  industry.  After 
spending  six  years  in  an  office  in  his  native  village, 


> 

he  went  to  the  city  of  New  York,  and  prosecuted  his 
studies  for  the  seventh  year. 

In  1803,  Mr.  Van  Buren,  then  twenty-one  years  of 
age,  commenced  the  practice  of  law  in  his  native  vil- 
lage.    The  great  conflict  between  the   Federal   and 
Republican  party  was  then  at  its  height.      Mr.   Van 
Buren  was  from  the  beginning  a  politician.     He  had,   . 
perhaps,  imbibed  that   spirit  while   listening   to   the  * 
many  discussions  which  had  been  carried  on  in  his  * 
father's   hotel.       He  was  in   cordial  sympathy    with  * 
Jefferson,  and  earnestly  and  eloquently  espoused  the  * 
cause  of  State  Rights ;  though  at  that  time  the   Fed- 
eral  party   held  the  supremacy   both   in    his    town 
and  State. 

His  success  and  increasing  ruputation  led  him, 
after  six  years  of  practice,  to  remove  to  Hudson,  the 
county  seat  of  his  county.  Here  he  spent  seven  years, 
constantly  gaining  strength  by  contending  in  the 
c6urts  with  some  of  the  ablest  men  who  have  adorned 
the  bar  of  his  State. 

Just  before  leaving  Kinderhook  for  Hudson,  Mr.  jf£ 
Van  Buren  married  a  lady  alike  distinguished  for 
beauty  and  accomplishments.  After  twelve  short 
years  she  sank  into  the  grave,  the  victim  of  consump- 
tion, leaving  her  husband  and  four  sons  to  weep  over 
her  loss.  For  twenty-five  years,  Mr.  Van  Buren  was 
an  earnest,  successful,  assiduous  lawyer.  The  record 
of  those  years  is  barren  in  items  of  public  interest. 
In  r8i 2,  when  thirty  years  of  age,  he  was  chosen  to 
the  State  Senate,  and  gave  his  strenuous  support  to 
Mr.  Madison's  adminstration.  In  1815,  he  was  ap- 
pointed Attorney-General,  and  the  next  year  moved 
to  Albany,  the  capital  of  the  State.  <*1V 

While  he  was  acknowledged  as  one  of  the   most® 
prominent  leaders  of  the  Democratic  party,  he  had 


VS£UU.& 


MARTIN  VAN  BUREN. 


the  moral  courage  to  avow  that  true  democracy  did 
not  require  that  "  universal  suffrage "  which  admits 
the  vile,  the  degraded,  the  ignorant,  to  the  right  of 
governing  the  State.  In  true  consistency  with  his 
democratic  principles,  he  contended  that,  while  the 
path  leading  to  the  privilege  of  voting  should  be  open 
to  every  man  without  distinction,  no  one  should  be 
invested  with  that  sacred  prerogative,  unless  he  were 
in  some  degree  qualified  for  it  by  intelligence,  virtue 
and  some  property  interests  in  the  welfare  of  the 
State. 

In  1821  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  United 
States  Senate;  and  in  the  same  year,  he  took  a  seat 
in  the  convention  to  revise  the  constitution  of  his 
native  State.  His  course  in  this  convention  secured 
the  approval  of  men  of  all  parties.  No  one  could 
doubt  the  singleness  of  his  endeavors  to  promote  the 
interests  of  all  classes  in  the  community.  In  the 
Senate  of  the  United  States,  he  rose  at  once  to  a 
conspicuous  position  as  an  active  and  useful  legislator. 

In  1827,  John  Quincy  Adams  being  then  in  the 
Presidential  chair,  Mr.  Van  Buren  was  re-elected  to 
the  Senate.  He  had  been  from  the  beginning  a  de- 
termined opposer  of  the  Administration,  adopting  the 
"State  Rights"  view  in  opposition  to  what  was 
deemed  the  Federal  proclivities  of  Mr.  Adams. 

Soon  after  this,  in  1828,  he  was  chosen  Governorof 
the  State  of  New  York,  and  accordingly  resigned  his 
seat  in  the  Senate.  Probably  no  one  in  the  United 
States  contributed  so  much  towards  ejecting  John  Q. 
Adams  from  the  Presidential  chair,  and  placing  in  it 
Andrew  Jackson,  as  did  Martin  Van  Buren.  Whether 
entitled  to  the  reputation  or  not,  he  certainly  was  re- 
garded throughout  the  United  States  as  one  of  the 
most  skillful,  sagacious  and  cunning  of  politicians. 
It  was  supposed  that  no  one  knew  so  well  as  he  how 
to  touch  the  secret  springs  of  action;  how  to  pull  all 
the  wires  to  put  his  machinery  in  motion ;  and  how  to 
organize  a  political  army  which  would,  secretly  and 
stealthily  accomplish  the  most  gigantic  results.  By 
these  powers  it  is  said  that  he  outwitted  Mr.  Adams, 
Mr.  Clay,  Mr.  Webster,  and  secured  results  which 
few  thought  then  could  be  accomplished. 

When  Andrew  Jackson  was  elected  President  he 
appointed  Mr.  Van  Buren  Secretary  of  State.  This 
position  he  resigned  in  1831,  and  was  immediately 
.ppointed  Minister  to  England,  where  he  went  the 
same  autumn.  The  Senate,  however,  when  it  met, 
refused  to  ratify  the  nomination,  and  he  returnee} 


home,  apparently  untroubled ;  was  nominated  Vice 
President  in  the  place  of  Calhoun,  at  the  re-election 
of  President  Jackson ;  and  with  smiles  for  all  and 
frowns  for  none,  he  took  his  place  at  the  head  of  that 
Senate  which  had  refused  to  confirm  his  nomination 
as  ambassador. 

His  rejection  by  the  Senate  roused  all  the  zeal  of 
President  Jackson  in  behalf  of  his  repudiated  favor- 
ite ;  and  this,  probably  more  than  any  other  cause, 
secured  his  elevation  to  the  chair  of  the  Chief  Execu- 
tive. On  the  2oth  of  May,  1836,  Mr.  Van  Buren  re- 
ceived the  Democratic  nomination  to  succeed  Gen. 
Jackson  as  President  of  the  United  States.  He  was 
elected  by  a  handsome  majority,  to  the  delight  of  the 
retiring  President.  "  Leaving  New  York  out  of  the 
canvass,"  says  Mr.  Parton,  "the  election  of  Mr.  Van 
Buren  to  the  Presidency  was  as  much  the  act  of  Gen. 
Jackson  as  though  the  Constitution  had  conferred 
upon  him  the  power  to  appoint  a  successor." 

His  administration  was  filled  .with  exciting  events. 
The  insurrection  in  Canada,  which  threatened  to  in- 
volve this  country  in  war  with  England,  the  agitation 
of  the  slavery  question,  and  finally  the  great  commer- 
cial panic  which  spread  over  the  country,  all  were 
trials  to  his  wisdom.  The  financial  distress  was  at- 
tributed to  the  management  of  the  Democratic  party, 
and  brought  the  President  into  such  disfavor  that  he 
failed  of  re-election. 

With  the  exception  of  being  nominated  for  the 
Presidency  by  the  "-Free  Soil"  Democrats,  in  1848, 
Mr.  Van  Buren  lived  quietly  upon  his  estate  until 
his  death. 

He  had  ever  been  a  prudent  man,  of  frugal  habits, 
and  living  within  his  income,  had  now  fortunately  a 
competence  for  his  declining  years.  His  unblemished 
character,  his  commanding  abilities,  his  unquestioned 
patriotism,  and  the  distinguished  positions  which  he 
had  occupied  in  the  government  of  our  country,  se- 
cured to  him  not  only  the  homage  of  his  party,  but 
the  respect  ot  the  whole  community.  It  was  on  the 
4th  of  March,  1841,  that  Mr.  Van  Buren  retired  from 
the  presidency.  From  his  fine  estate  at  Lindenwald, 
he  still  exerted  a  powerful  influence  upon  the  politics 
of  the  country.  From  this  time  until  his  death,  on 
the  24th  of  July,  1862,  at  the  age  of  eighty  years,  he 
resided  at  Lindenwald,  a  gentleman  of  leisure,  of 
culture  and  of  wealth;  enjoying  in  a  healthy  old 
age,  probably  far  more  happiness  than  he  had  before 
experienced  amitf  the  stormy  scenes  of  his  active  life. 


WILLIAM,  HBXKT    flAKKISOX 


ILLIAM  HENRY  HARRI- 
SON, the  ninth   President  of 
the  United  States,  was  born 
at  Berkeley,  Va..,  Feb.  9, 1773. 
His  father,   Benjamin   Harri- 
son, was  in  comparatively  op- 
ulent circumstances,  and  was 
one  of  the  most  distinguished 
men  of  his  day.      He  was  an 
intimate    friend    of     George 
Washington,  vs  as  early  elected 
a  member  of  the  Continental 
Congress,    and  was    conspicuous 
among  the  patriots  of  Virginia  in 
resisting  the  encroachments  of  the 
British  crown.     In  the  celebrated 
Congress  of  1775,  Benjamin  Har- 
rison  and   John   Hancock   were 
both  candidates  for  the  office  of 
speaker. 

Mr  Harrison  was  subsequently 
chosen  Governor  of  Virginia,  and 
was  twice  re-elected.  His  son, 
I  William  Henry,  of  course  enjoyed 
in  childhood  all  the  advantages  which  wealth  and 
intellectual  and  cultivated  society  could  gire.  Hav- 
ing received  a  thorough  common-school  education,  he 
entered  Hampden  Sidney  College,  where  he  graduated 
with  honor  soon  after  the  death  of  his  father.  He 
then  repaired  to  Philadelphia  to  study  medicine  under 
the  instructions  of  Dr.  Rush  and  the  guardianship  of 
Robert  Morris,  both  of  whom  were,  with  his  father, 
signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence. 

Upon  the  outbreak  of  the  Indian  troubles,  and  not- 
withstanding the  remonstrances  of  his  friends,  he 
abandoned  his  medical  studies  and  entered  the  army, 
having  obtained  a  commission  of  Ensign  from  Presi- 


dent  Washington.  He  was  then  but  19  years  old. 
From  that  time  he  passed  gradually  upward  in  rank 
until  he  became  aid  to  General  Wayne,  after  whose 
death  he  resigned  his  commission.  He  was  then  ap- 
pointed Secretary  of  the  North-western  Territory.  This 
Territory  was  then  entitled  to  but  one  member  in 
Congress  and  Capt.  Harrison  was  chosen  to  fill  that 
position. 

In  the  spring  of  r8oo  the  North-western  Territory 
was  divided  by  Congress  into  two  portions.  The 
eastern  portion,  comprising  the  region  now  embraced 
in  the  State  of  Ohio,  was  called  "  The  Territory 
north-west  of  the  Ohio."  The  western  portion,  which 
included  what  is  now  called  Indiana,  Illinois  and 
Wisconsin,  was  called  the  "Indiana  Territory."  Wil- 
liam Henry  Harrison,  then  27  years  of  age,  was  ap- 
pointed by  John  Adams,  Governor  of  the  Indiana 
Territory,  and  immediately  after,  also  Governor  of 
Upper  Louisiana.  He  was  thus  ruler  over  almost  as 
extensive  a  realm  as  any  sovereign  upon  the  globe.  He 
was  Superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs,  and  was  in- 
vested with  powers  nearly  dictatorial  over  the  now 
rapidly  increasing  white  population.  The  ability  and 
fidelity  with  which  he  discharged  these  responsible 
duties  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  he  was  four 
times  appointed  to  this  office — first  by  John  Adams, 
twice  by  Thomas  Jefferson  and  afterwards  by  Presi- 
dent Madison. 

When  he  began  his  adminstration  there  were  but 
three  white  settlements  in  that  almost  boundless  region, 
now  crowded  with  cities  and  resounding  with  all  the 
tumult  of  wealth  and  traffic.  One  of  these  settlements 
was  on  the  Ohio,  nearly  opposite  Louisville ;  one  at 
Vincennes,  on  the  Wabash,  and  the  third  a  French 
settlement. 

The  vast  wilderness  over  which  Gov.  Harrison 
reigned  was  filled  with  many  tribes  of  Indians.  About 


o 


WILLIAM  HENRY  HARRISON. 


i 


Q 
I 
V 


the  year  1806,  two  extraordinary  men,  twin  brothers, 
of  the  Shawnese  tribe,  rose  among  them.  One  of 
these  was  called  Tecumseh,  or  "  The  Crouching 
Panther;"  the  other,  Olliwacheca,  or  "  The  Prophet." 
Tecumseh  was  not  only  an  Indian  warrior,  but  a  man 
of  great  sagacity,  far-reaching  foresight  and  indomit- 
able perseverance  in  any  enterprise  in  which  he  might 
engage.  He  was  inspired  with  the  highest  enthusiasm, 
and  had  long  regarded  with  dread  and  with  hatred 
the  encroachment  of  the  whites  upon  the  hunting- 
grounds  of  his  fathers.  His  brother,  the  Prophet,  was 
anorator,  who  could  sway  the  feelings  of  the  untutored 
Indian  as  the  gale  tossed  the  tree-tops  beneath  which 
they  dwelt. 

But  the  Prophet  was  not  merely  an  orator :  he  was, 
in  the  superstitious  minds  of  the  Indians,  invested 
with  the  superhuman  dignity  of  a  medicine-man  or  a 
magician.  With  an  enthusiasm  unsurpassed  by  Peter 
the  Hermit  rousing  Europe  to  the  crusades,  he  went 
from  tribe  to  tribe,  assuming  that  he  was  specially  sent 
by  the  Great  Spirit. 

Gov.  Harrison  made.many  attempts  to  conciliate 
the  Indians,  but  at  last  the  war  came,  and  at  Tippe- 
canoe  the  Indians  were  routed  with  great  slaughter. 
October  28,  1812,  his  army  began  its  inarch.  When 
near  the  Prophet's  town  three  Indians  of  rank  made 
their  appearance  and  inquired  why  Gov.  Harrison  was 
approaching  them  in  so  hostile  an  attitude.  After  a 
short  conference,  arrangements  were  made  for  a  meet- 
ing the  next  day,  to  agree  upon  terms  of  peace. 

But  Gov.  Harrison  was  too  well  acquainted  with 
the  Indian  character  to  be  deceived  by  such  protes- 
tations. Selecting  a  favorable  spot  for  his  night's  en- 
campment, he  took  every  precaution  against  surprise. 
His  troops  were  posted  in  a  hollow  square,  and  slept 
upon  their  arms. 

The  troops  threw  themselves  upon  the  ground  for 
rest;  but  every  man  had  his  accourtrements  on,  his 
loaded  musket  by  his  side,  and  his  bayonet  fixed.  The 
wakeful  Governor,  between  three  and  four  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  had  risen,  and  was  sitting  in  conversa- 
tion with  his  aids  by  the  embers  of  a  waning  fire.  It 
was  a  chill,  cloudy  morning  with  a  drizzling  rain.  In 
the  darkness,  the  Indians  had  crept  as  near  as  possi-  • 
ble,  and  just  then,  with  a  savage  yell,  rushed,  with  all 
the  desperation  which  superstition  and  passion  most 
highly  inflamed  could  give,  upon  the  left  flank  of  the 
little  army.  The  savages  had  been  amply  provided 
with  gun-  nd  ammunition  by  the  English.  Their 
war-whoo^  .vas  accompainM  by  a  shower  of  bullets. 

The  camp-fires  were  instantly  extinguished,  as  the 
light  aided  the  Indians  in  their  aim.  With  hide- 
ous yells,  the  Indian  bands  rushed  on,  not  doubting  a 
speedy  and  an  entire  victory.  But  Gen.  Harrison's 
troops  stood  as  immovable  as  the  rocks  around  them 
until  day  dawned :  they  then  made  a  simultaneous 
charge  with  the  bayonet,  and  swept  every  thing  be- 
fore them,  and  completely  routing  the  foe. 

^0* & 


Gov.  Harrison  now  had  all  his  energies  tasked 
to  the  utmost.  The  British  descending  from  the  Can. 
adas,  were  of  themselves  a  very  formidable  force  ;  but 
with  their  savage  allies,  rushing  like  wolves  from  the 
forest,  searching  out  every  remote  farm-house,  burn- 
ing, plundering,  scalping,  torturing,  the  wide  frontier 
was  plunged  into  a  state  of  consternation  which  even 
the  most  vivid  imagination  can  but  faintly  conceive. 
The  war-whoop  was  resounding  everywhere  in  the 
forest.  The  horizon  was  illuminated  with  the  conflagra- 
tion of  the  cabins  of  the  settlers.  Gen  Hull  had  made 
the  ignominious  surrender  of  his  forces  at  Detroit. 
Under  these  despairing  circumstances,  Gov.  Harrison 
was  appointed  by  President  Madison  commander-in- 
chief  of  the  North-western  army,  with  orders  to  retake 
Detroit,  and  to  protect  the  frontiers. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  place  a  man  in  a  situation 
demanding  more  energy,  sagacity  and  courage;  but 
General  Harrison  was  found  equal  to  the  position, 
and  nobly  and  triumphantly  did  he  meet  all  the  re- 
sponsibilities. 

He  won  the  love  of  his  soldiers  by  always  sharing 
with  them  their  fatigue.  His  whole  baggage,  while 
pursuing  the  foe  up  the  Thames,  was  carried  in  a 
valise;  and  his  bedding  consisted  of  a  single  blanket 
lashed  over  his  saddle.  Thirty-five  British  officers, 
his  prisoners  of  war,  supped  with  him  after  the  battle. 
The  only  fare  he  could  give  them  was  beef  roasted 
before  the  fire,  without  bread  or  salt. 

In  1816,  Gen.  Harrison  was  chosen  a  member  of 
the  National  House  of  Representatives,  to  represent 
the  District  of  Ohio.  In  Congress  he  proved  an 
active  member;  and  whenever  he  spoke,  it  was  with 
force  of  reason  and  power  of  eloquence,  which  arrested 
the  attention  of  all  the  members. 

In  1819,  Harrison  was  elected  to  the  Senate  of 
Ohio;  and  in  1824,  as  one  of  the  presidential  electors 
of  that  State,  he  gave'  his  vote  for  Henry  Clay.  The 
same  year  he  was  chosen  to  the  United  States  Senate. 

In  1836,  the  friends  of  Gen.  Harrison  brought  him 
forward  as  a  candidate  for  the  Presidency  against 
Van  Buren,  but  he  was  defeated.  At  the  close  of 
Mr.  Van  Buren's  term,  he  was  re-nominated  by  his 
party,  and  Mr.  Harrison  was  unanimously  nominated 
by  the  Whigs,  with  John  Tyler  for  the  Vice  Presidency. 
The  contest  was  very  animated.  Gen.  Jackson  gave 
all  his  influence  to  prevent  Harrison's  election  ;  but 
his  triumph  was  signal. 

The  cabinet  which  he  formed,  with  Daniel  Webster 
at  its  head  as  Secretary  of  State,  was  one  of  the  most 
brilliant  with  which  any  President  had  ever  been 
surrounded.  Never  were  the  prospects  of  an  admin- 
istration more  flattering,  or  the  hopes  of  the  country 
more  sanguine.  In  the  midst  of  these  bright  and 
joyous  prospects,  Gen.  Harrison  was  seized  by  a 
pleurisy-fever  and  after  a  few  days  of  violent  sick- 
ness, died  on  the  4th  of  April ;  just  one  month  after 
his  inauguration  as  President  of  the  United  States. 


Wf  tawny 


OHN    TYLER,     the    tenth 
j  Presidentof  the  United  States. 
He  was  born  in  Charles-city 
Co.,  Va.,  March  29, 1790.  He 
was  the  favored  child   of  af- 
fluence and  high    social   po- 
sition.    At  the   early  age  of 
twelve,  John  entered  William 
and   Mary  College  and  grad- 
uated with  much  honor  when 
but  seventeen  years  old.  After 
graduating,  he  devoted  him- 
self with   great   assiduity  to   the 
study    of    law,    partly  with    his 
father   and   partly  with   Edmund 
Randolph,  one  of  the  most  distin- 
guished lawyers  of  Virginia. 

At  nineteen  years  of  age,  ne 
commenced  the  practice  of  law. 
His  success  was  rapid  and  aston- 
ishing: It  is  said  that  three 
months  .had  not  elapsed  ere  there 
was  scarcely  a  case  on  the  dock- 
et of  the  court  in  which  he  was 
not  retained.  When  but  twenty-one  years  of  age,  he 
was  almost  unanimously  elected  to  a  seat  in  the  State 
Legislature.  He  connected  himself  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  and  warmly  advocated  the  measures  of 
Jefferson  and  Madison.  For  five  successive  years  he 
was  elected  to  the  Legislature,  receiving  nearly  the 
unanimous  vote  or  his  county. 

When  but  twenty-six  years  of  age,  he  was  elected 
a  member  of  Congress.  Here  he  acted  earnestly  and 
ably  with  the  Democratic  party,  opposing  a  national 
bank,  internal  improvements  by  the  General  Govern- 

&&&$«• 


ment,  a  protective  tariff,  and  advocating  a  strict  con-' 
struction  of  the  Constitution,  and  the  most  careful 
vigilance  over  State  rights.  His  labors  in  Congress 
were  so  arduous  that  before  the  close  of  his  second 
term  he  found  it  necessary  to  resign  and  retire  to  his 
estate  in  Charles-city  Co.,  to  recruit  his  health.  He, 
however,  soon  after  consented  to  take  his  seat  in  the 
State  Legislature,  where  his  influence  was  powerful 
in  promoting  public  works  of  great  utility.  With  a 
reputation  thus  canstantly  increasing,  he  was  chosen 
by  a  very  large  majority  of  votes,  Governor  of  his 
native  State.  His  administration  was  signally  a  suc- 
cessful one.  His  popularity  secured  his  re-election. 

John  Randolph,  a  brilliant,  erratic,  half-crazed 
man,  then  represented  Virginia  in  the  Senate  of  the 
United  States.  A  portion  of  the  Democratic  party 
was  displeased  with  Mr.  Randolph's  wayward  course, 
and  brought  forward  John  Tyler  as  his  opponent, 
considering  him  the  only  man  in  Virginia  of  sufficient 
popularity  to  succeed  against  the  renowned  orator  of 
Roanoke.  Mr.  Tyler  was  the  victor. 

In  accordance  with  his 'professions,  upon  taking  his 
seat  in  the  Senate,  he  joined  the  ranks  of  the  opposi- 
tion. He  opposed  the  tariff;  he  spoke  against  and 
voted  against  the  bank  as  unconstitutional ;  he  stren- 
uously opposed  all  restrictions  upon  slavery,  resist- 
ing all  projects  of  internal  improvements  by  the  Gen- 
eral Government,  and  avowed  his  sympathy  with  Mr. 
Calhoun's  view  of  nullification  ;  he  declared  that  Gen. 
Jackson,  by  his  opposition  to  the  nullifiers,  had 
abandoned  the  principles  of  the  Democratic  party. 
Such  was  Mr.  Tyler's  record  in  Congress, — a  record 
in  perfect  accordance  with  the  principles  which  he 
had  always  avowed. 

Returning  to  Virginia,  he  resumed  the  practice  of 
his  profession.  There  was  a  split  in  the  Democratic 


\ 


r 


JOHN  TYLER. 


., 

•• 


/ 


party.  His  friends  still  regarded  him  as  a  true  Jef- 
fersonian,  gave  him  a  dinner,  and  showered  compli- 
ments upon  him.  He  had  now  attained  the  age  of 
forty-six.  His  career  had  been  very  brilliant.  In  con- 
sequence of  his  devotion  to  public  business,  his  pri- 
vate affairs  had  fallen  into  some  disorder ;  and  it  was 
not  without  satisfaction  that  he  resumed  the  practice 
of  law,  and  devoted  himself  to  the  culture  of  his  plan- 
tation. Soon  after  this  he  removed  to  Williamsburg, 
for  the  better  education  of  his  children ;  and  he  again 
took  his  seat  in  the  Legislature  of  Virginia. 

By  the  Southern  Whigs,  he  was  sent  to  the  national 
convention  at  Harrisburg  to  nominate  a  President  in 
1839.  The  majority  of  votes  were  given  to  Gen.  Har- 
rison, a  genuine  Whig,  much  to  the  disappointment  of 
the  South,  who  wished  for  Henry  Clay.  To  concili- 
ate the  Southern  Whigs  and  to  secure  their  vote,  the 
convention  then  nominated  John  Tyler  for  Vice  Pres- 
ident. It  was  well  known  that  he  was  not  in  sympa- 
thy with  the  Whig  party  in  the  Noith :  but  the  Vice 
President  has  but  very  little  power  in  the  Govern- 
ment, his  main  and  almost  only  duty  being  to  pre- 
side over  the  meetings  of  the  Senate.  Thus  it  hap- 
pened that  a  Whig  President,  and,  in  reality,  a 
Democratic  Vice  President  were  chosen. 

In  1841,  Mr.  Tyler  was  inaugurated  Vice  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States.  In  one  short  month  from 
that  time,  President  Harrison  died,  and  Mr.  Tyler 
thus  found  himself,  to  his  own  surprise  and  that  of 
the  whole  Nation,  an  occupant  of  the  Presidential 
chair.  This  was  a  new  test  of  the  stability  of  our 
institutions,  as  it  was  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  our 
country  that  such  an  event  had  occured.  Mr.  Tyler 
was  at  home  in  Williamsburg  when  he  received  the 
unexpected  tidings  of  the  death  of  President  Harri- 
son. He  hastened  to  Washington,  and  on  the  6th  of 
r'l  was  inaugurated  to  the  high  and  responsible 
e.  He  was  placed  in  a  position  of  exceeding 
delicacy  and  difficulty.  All  his  long  life  he  had  been 
opposed  to  the  main  principles  of  the  party  which  had 
brought  him  into  power.  He  had  ever  been  a  con- 
sistent, honest  man,  with  an  unblemished  record. 
Gen.  Harrison  had  selected  a  Whig  cabinet.  Should 
he  retain  them,  and  thus  surround  himself  with  coun- 
sellors whose  views  were  antagonistic  to  his  own  ?  or, 
on  the  other  hand,  should  he  turn  against  the  party 
which  had  elected  him  and  select  a  cabinet  in  har-' 
mony  with  himself,  and  which  would  oppose  all  those 
views  which  the  Whigs  deemed  essential  to  the  pub- 
lic welfare  ?  This  was  his  fearful  dilemma.  He  in- 
vited the  cabinet  which  President  Harrison  had 
selected  to  retain  their  seats.  He  reccommended  a 
day  of  fasting  and  prayer,  that  God  would  guide  and 
bless  us. 

The  Whigs  carried  through  Congress  a  bill  for  the 
incorporation  of  a  fiscal  bank  of  the  United  States. 
The  President,  after  ten  days'  delay,  returned  it  with 
his  veto.  He  suggested,  however,  that  he  would 


approve  of  a  bill  drawn  up  upon  such  a  plan  as  he 
proposed.  Such  a  bill  was  accordingly  prepared,  and 
privately  submitted  to  him.  He  gave  it  his  approval. 
It  was  passed  without  alteration,  and  he  sent  it  back 
with  his  veto.  Here  commenced  the  open  rupture. 
It  is  said  that  Mr.  Tyler  was  provoked  to  this  meas- 
ure by  a  published  letter  from  the  Hon.  John  M. 
Botts,  a  distinguished  Virginia  Whig,  who  severely 
touched  the  pride  of  the  President. 

The  opposition  now  exultingly  received  the  Presi- 
dent into  their  arms.  The  party  which  elected  him 
denounced  him  bitterly.  All  the  members  of  his 
cabinet,  excepting  Mr.  Webster,  resigned.  The  Whigs 
of  Congress,  both  the  Senate  and  the  House,  held  a 
meeting  and  issued  an  address  to  the  people  of  the 
United  States,  proclaiming  that  all  political  alliance 
between  the  Whigs  and  President  Tyler  were  at 
an  end. 

Still  the  President  attempted  to  conciliate.  He 
appointed  a  new  cabinet  of  distinguished  Whigs  and 
Conservatives,  carefully  leaving  out  all  strong  party 
men.  Mr.  Webster  soon  found  it  necessary  to  resign, 
forced  out  by  the  pressure  of  his  Whig  friends.  Thus 
the  four  years  of  Mr.  Tyler's  unfortunate  administra- 
tion passed  sadly  away.  No  one  was  satisfied.  The 
land  was  filled  with  murmurs  and  vituperation.  Whigs 
and  Democrats  alike  assailed  him.  More  and  more, 
however,  he  brought  himself  into  sympathy  with  his 
old  friends,  the  Democrats,  until  atth'e  close  of  his  term, 
he  gave  his  whole  influence  to  the  support  of  Mr. 
Polk,  the  Democratic  candidate  for  his  successor. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1845,  he  retired  from  the 
harassments  of  office,  to  the  regret  of  neither  party,  and 
probably  to  his  own  unspeakable  relief.  His  first  wife, 
Miss  Letitia  Christian,  died  in  Washington,  in  1,842 ; 
and  in  June,  1844,  President  Tyler  was  again  married, 
at  New  York,  to  Miss  Julia  Gardiner,  a  young  lady  of 
many  personal  and  intellectual  accomplishments.' 

The  remainder  of  his  days  Mr.  Tyler  passed  mainly 
in  retirement  at  his  beautiful  home, — Sherwood  For- 
est, Charles-city  Co.,  Va.  A  polished  gentleman  in 
his  manners,  richly  furnished  with  information  from 
books  and  experience  in  the  world,  and  possessing 
brilliant  powers  of  conversation,  his  family  circle  was 
the  scene  of  unusual  attractions.  With  sufficient 
moans  for  the  exercise  of  a  generous  hospitality,  he 
might  have  enjoyed  a  serene  old  age  with  the  few 
friends  who  gathered  around  him,  were  it  not  for  the 
storms  of  civil  war  which  his  own  principles  and 
policy  had  helped  to  introduce. 

When  the  great  Rebellion  rose,  which  the  State- 
rights  and  nullifying  doctrines  of  Mr.  John  C.  Cal- 
houn  had  inaugurated,  President  Tyler  renounced  his 
allegiance  to  the  United  States,  and  joined  the  Confed- 
erates. He  was  chosen  a  member  of  their  Congress; 
and  while  engaged  in  active  measures  to  destroy,  by 
force  of  arms,  the  Government  over  which  he  had 
once  presided,  he  was  taken  sick  and  soon  died. 


_•  -X-O- 


,,:T'V\. 


AMES  K.  POLK,  the  eleventh 
^President  of  the  United  States, 
was  born  in  Mecklenburg  Co., 
N.  C.,Nov.  2,  1795.     His  par- 
ents were   Samuel  and   Jane 
(Knox)  Polk,  the  former  a  son 
of  Col.  Thomas  Polk,  who  located 
at  the  above  place,  as  one  of  the 
first  pioneers,  in  1735. 

In  the  year  1 806,  with  his  wife 
and  children,  and  soon  after  fol- 
lowed by  most  of  the   members   of 
the  Polk  farnly,  Samuel   Polk   emi- 
grated some  two  or  three  hundred 
miles  farther  west,  to  the  rich  valley 
of  the  Duck  River.      Here   in   the 
midst  of  the  wilderness,  in  a  region 
which  was  subsequently  called  Mau- 
ry  Co.,  they  reared   their  log  huts, 
and  established  their  homes.    In  the 
hard  toil  of  a  new  farm  in  the  wil- 
derness, James  K.  Polk   spent   the 
early  years  of  his    childhood   and 
youth.     His  father,  adding  the  pur- 
suit of  a  surveyor  to  that  of  a  farmer, 
gradually  increased  in  wealth  until 
he  became  one  of  the  leading  men  of  the  region.  His 
mother  was  a  superior  woman,  of  strong   common 
sense  and  earnest  piety. 

Very  early  in  life,  James  developed  a  taste  for 
reading  and  expressed  the  strongest  desire  to  obtain 
a  liberal  education.  His  mother's  training  had  made 
him  methodical  in  his  habits,  had  taught  him  punct- 
uality and  industry,  and  had  inspired  him  with  lofty 
principles  of  morality.  His  health  was  frail ;  and  his 
father,  fearing  that  he  might  not  be  able  to  endure  a 




sedentary  life,  got  a  situation  for  him  behind  the 
counter,  hoping  to  fit  him  for  commercial  pursuits. 

This  was  to  James  a  bitter  disappointment.  He 
had  no  taste  for  these  duties,  and  his  daily  tasks 
were  irksome  in  the  extreme.  He  remained  in  this 
uncongenial  occupation  but  a  few  weeks,  when  at  his 
earnest  solicitation  his  father  removed  him,  and  made 
arrangements  for  him  to  prosecute  his  studies.  Soon 
after  he  sent  him  to  Murfreesboro  Academy.  With 
ardor  which  could  scarcely  be  surpassed,  he  pressed 
forward  in  his  studies,  and  in  less  than  two  and  a  half 
years,  in  the  autumn  of  1815,  entered  the  sophomore 
class  in  the  University  of  North  Carolina,  at  Chapel 
Hill.  Here  he  was  one  of  the  most  exemplary  of 
scholars,  punctual  in  every  exercise,  never  allowing 
himself  to  be  absent  from  a  recitation  or  a  religious 
service. 

He  graduated  in  1818,  with  the  highest  honors,  be- 
ing deemed  the  best  scholar  of  his  class,  both  in 
mathematics  and  the  classics.  He  was  then  twenty- 
three  years  of  age.  Mr.  Folk's  health  was  at  this 
time  much  impaired  by  the  assiduity  with  which  he 
had  prosecuted  his  studies.  After  a  short  season  of 
relaxation  he  went  to  Nashville,  and  entered  the 
office  of  Felix  Grundy,  to  study  law.  Here  Mr.  Polk 
renewed  his  acquaintance  with  Andrew  Jackson,  who 
resided  on  his  plantation,  the  Hermitage,  but  a  few 
miles  from  Nashville.  They  had  probably  been 
slightly  acquainted  before. 

Mr.  Folk's  father  was  a  Jeffersonian  Republican, 
and  James  K.  Polk  ever  adhered  to  the  same  politi- 
cal faith.  He  was  a  popular  public  speaker,  and  was 
constantly  called  upon  to  address  the  meetings  of  his 
party  friends.  His  skill  as  a  speaker  was  such  that 
he  was  popularly  called  the  Napoleon  of  the  stump, 
He  was  a  man  of  unblemished  morals,  genial  and 


60 


JAMES  K.  POLK. 


I 


courteous  in  his  bearing,  and  with  that  sympathetic 
nature  in  the  joys  and  griefs  of  others  which  ever  gave 
him  troops  of  friends.  In  1823,  Mr.  Polk  was  elected 
to  the  Legislature  of  Tennessee.  Here  he  gave  his 
strong  influence  towards  the  election  of  his  friend, 
Mr.  Jackson,  to  the  Presidency  of  the  United  States. 

In  January,  1824,  Mr.  Polk  married  Miss  Sarah 
Childress,  of  Rutherford  Co.,  Tenn.  'His  bride  was 
altogether  worthy  of  him, — a  lady  of  beauty  and  cul- 
ture. In  the  fall  of  1825,  Mr.  Polk  was  chosen  a 
member  of  Congress.  The  satisfaction  which  he  gave 
to  his  constituents  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact,  that 
for  fourteen  successive  years,  until  1 839,  he  was  con- 
tinued in  that  office.  He  then  voluntarily  withdrew, 
only  that  he  might  accept  the  Gubernatorial  chair 
of  Tennessee.  In  Congress  he  was  a  laborious 
member,  a  frequent  and  a  popular  speaker.  He  was 
always  in  his  seat,  always  courteous ;  and  whenever 
he  spoke  it  was  always  to  the  point,  and  without  any 
ambitious  rhetorical  display. 

During  five  sessions  of  Congress,  Mr.  Polk  was 
Speaker  of  the  House.  Strong  passions  were  roused, 
and  stormy  scenes  were  witnessed  ;  but  Mr.  Polk  per- 
formed his  arduous  duties  to  a  very  general  satisfac- 
tion, and  a  unanimous  vote  of  thanks  to  him  was 
passed  by  the  House  as  he  withdrew  on  the  4th  of 
March,  1839. 

In  accordance  with  Southern  usage,  Mr.  Polk,  as  a 
candidate  for  Governor,  canvassed  the  State.  He  was 
elected  by  a  large  majority,  and  on  the  i4th  of  Octo- 
ber, 1839,  took  the  oath  of  office  at  Nashville.  In  1841, 
his  term  of  office  expired,  and  he  was  again  the  can- 
didate of  the  Democratic  party,  but  was  defeated. 

On  the  4th of  March,  1845,  Mr.  Polk  was  inaugur- 
ated President  of  the  United  States.  The  verdict  of 
the  country  in  favor  of  the  annexation  of  Texas,  exerted 
its  influence  upon  Congress  ;  and  the  last  act  of  the 
administration  of  President  Tyler  was  to  affix  his  sig- 
nature to  a  joint  resolution  of  Congress,  passed  on  the 
3d  of  March,  approving  of  the  annexation  of  Texas  to 
the  American  Union.  As  Mexico  still  claimed  Texas 
as  one  of  her  provinces,  the  Mexican  minister, 
Almonte,  immediately  demanded  his  passports  and 
left  the  country,  declaring  the  act  of  the  annexation 
to  be  an  act  hostile  to  Mexico. 

In  his  first  message,  President  Polk  urged  that 
Texas  should  immediately,  by  act  of  Congress,  be  re- 
ceived into  the  Union  on  the  same  footing  with  the 
other  States.  In  the  meantime,  Gen.  Taylor  was  sent 


with  an  army  into  Texas  to  hold  the  country.  He  was 
sent  first  to  Nueces,  which  the  Mexicans  said  was  the 
western  boundary  of  Texas.  Then  he  was  sent  nearly 
two  hundred  miles  further  west,  to  the  Rio  Grande, 
where  he  erected  batteries  which  commanded  the 
Mexican  city  of  Matamoras,  which  was  situated  on 
the  western  banks. 

The  anticipated  collision  soon  took  place,  and  war 
was  declared  against  Mexico  by  President  Polk.  The 
war  was  pushed  forward  by  Mr.  Folk's  administration 
with  great  vigor.  Gen.  Taylor,  whose  army  was  first 
called  one  of  "  observation,"  then  of  "  occupation," 
then  of  "  invasion,"  was  sent  forward  to  Monterey.  The 
feeble  Mexicans,  in  every  encounter,  were  hopelessly 
and  awfully  slaughtered.  The  day  of  judgement 
alone  can  reveal  the  misery  which  this  war  caused. 
It  was  by  the  ingenuity  of  Mr.  Polk's  administration 
that  the  war  was  brought  on. 

'To  the  victors  belong  the  spoils."  Mexico  was 
prostrate  before  us.  Her  capital  was  in  our  hands. 
We  now  consented  to  peace  upon  the  condition  that 
Mexico  should  surrender  to  us,  in  addition  to  Texas, 
all  of  New  Mexico,  and  all  of  Upper  and  Lower  Cal- 
ifornia. This  new  demand  embraced,  exclusive  of 
Texas,  eight  hundred  thousand  square  miles.  This 
was  an  extent  of  territory  equal  to  nine  States  of  the 
size  of  New  York.  Thus  slavery  was  securing  eighteen 
majestic  States  to  be  added  to  the  Union.  There  were 
some  Americans  who  thought  it  all  right :  there  were 
others  who  thought  it  all  wrong.  In  the  prosecution 
of  this  war,  we  expended  twenty  thousand  lives  and 
more  than  a  hundred  million  of  dollars.  Of  this 
money  fifteen  millions  were  paid  to  Mexico. 

On  the  3d  of  March,  1849,  Mr.  Polk  retired  from 
office,  having  served  one  term.  The  next  day  was 
Sunday.  On  the  5th,  Gen.  Taylor  was  inaugurated 
as  his  successor.  Mr.  Polk  rode  to  the  Capitol  in  the 
same  carriage  with  Gen.  Taylor;  and  the  same  even- 
ing, with  Mrs.  Polk,  he  commenced  his  return  to 
Tennessee.  He  was  then  but  fifty-four  years  of  age. 
He  had  ever  been  strictly  temperate  in  all  his  habits, 
and  his  health  was  good.  With  an  ample  fortune, 
a  choice  library,  a  cultivated  mind,  and  domestic  ties 
of  the  dearest  nature,  it  seemed  as  though  long  years 
of  tranquility  and  happiness  were  before  him.  But  the 
cholera — that  fearful  scourge — was  then  sweeping  up 
the  Valley  of  the  Mississippi.  This  he  contracted, 
and  died  on  the  isth  of  June,  1849,  in  the  fifty-fourth 
year  of  his  age,  greatly  mourned  by  his  countrymen. 


TRELIBHAHf 

OF  IKE 
WJYERSITY  OF  ILUifflS 


^ 


ACHARY  TAYLOR,  twelfth 
President  of  the  United  States, 
vas  born  on  the  24th  of  Nov., 
1784,  in  Orange  Co.,  Va.  His 
father,  Colonel  Taylor,  was 
a  Virginian  of  note,  and  a  dis- 
tinguished patriot  arid  soldier  of 
the  Revolution.  When  Zachary 
was  an  infant,  his  father  with  his 
wife  and  two  children,  emigrated 
to  Kentucky,  where  he  settled  in 
^  the  pathless  wilderness,  a  few 
miles  from  Louisville.  In  this  front- 
ier home,  away  from  civilization  and 
all  its  refinements,  young  Zachary 
could  enjoy  but  few  social  and  educational  advan- 
tages. When  six  years  of  age  he  attended  a  common 
school,  and  was  then  regarded  as  a  bright,  active  boy, 
rather  remarkable  for  bluntness  and  decision  of  char- 
acter He  was  strong,  fearless  and  self-reliant,  and 
manifested  a  strong  desire  to  enter  the  army  to  fight 
the  Indians  who  were  ravaging  the  frontiers.  There 
is  little  to  be  recorded  of  the  uneventful  years  of  his 
childhood  on  his  father's  large  but  lonely  plantation. 
In  1808,  his  father  succeeded  in  obtaining  for  him 
the  commission  of  lieutenant  in  the  United  States 
army ;  and  he  joined  the  troops  which  were  stationed 
at  New  Orleans  under  Gen.  Wilkinson.  Soon  after 
this  he  married  Miss  Margaret  Smith,  a  young  lady 
from  one  of  the  first  families  of  Maryland. 

Immediately  after  the  declaration  of  war  with  Eng- 
land, in  1812,  Capt.  Taylor  (for  he  had  then  been 
promoted  to  that  rank)  was  put  in  command  of  Fort 
Harrison,  on  the  Wabash,  about  fifty  miles  above 
Vincennes.  This  fort  had  been  built  in  the  wilder- 
ness by  Gen.  Harrison, on  his  march  to  Tippecanoe. 
It  was  one  of  the  first  points  of  attack  by  the  Indians, 
led  by  Tecumseh.  Its  garrison  consisted  of  a  broken 


company  of  infantry  numbering   fifty  men,   many  of 
whom  were  sick. 

Early  in  the  autumn  of  i8r2,  the  Indians,  stealthily, 
and  in  large  numbers,  moved  upon  the  fort.  Their 
approach  was  first  indicated  by  the  murder  of  two 
soldiers  just  outside  of  the  stockade.  Capt.  Taylor 
made  every  possible  preparation  to  meet  the  antici- 
pated assault.  On  the  4th  of  September,  a  band  of 
forty  painted  and  plumed  savages  came  to  the  fort, 
waving  a  white  flag,  and  informed  Capt.  Taylor  that 
in  the  morning  their  chief  would  come  to  have  a  talk 
with  him.  It  was  evident  that  their  object  was  merely 
to  ascertain  the  state  of  things  at  the  fort,  and  Capt. 
Taylor,  well  versed  in  the  wiles  of  the  savages,  kept 
them  at  a  distance. 

The  sun  went  down ;  the  savages  disappeared,  the 
garrison  slept  upon  their  arms.  One  hour  before 
midnight  the  war  whoop  burst  from  a  thousand  lips 
in  the  forest  around,  followed  by  the  discharge  of 
musketry,  and  the  rush  of  the  foe.  Every  man,  'sick 
and  well,  sprang  to  his  post.  Every  man  knew  that 
defeat  was  not  merely  death,  but  in  the  case  of  cap- 
ture, death  by  the  most  agonizing  and  prolonged  tor- 
ture. No  pen  can  describe,  no  immagination  can 
conceive  the  scenes  which  ensued.  The  savages  suc- 
ceeded in  setting  fire  to  one  of  the  block-houses- 
Until  six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  this  awful  conflict 
continued.  The  savages  then,  baffled  at  every  point, 
and  gnashing  their  teeth  with  rage,  retired.  Capt. 
Taylor,  for  this  gallant  defence,  was  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  major  by  brevet. 

Until  the  close  of  the  war,  MajorTaylor  was  placed 
in  such  situations  that  he  saw  but  little  more  of  active 
service.  He  was  sent  far  away  into  the  depths  of  the 
wilderness,  to  Fort  Crawford,  on  Fox  River,  which 
empties  into  Green  Bay.  Here  there  was  but  little 
to  be  done  but  to  wear  away  the  tedious  hours  as  one 
best  could.  There  were  no  books,  no  society,  no  in- 


V 


S 


ZACHARY  TAYLOR. 


J 


I 


tellectual  stimulus.  Thus  with  him  the  uneventful 
years  rolled  on  Gradually  he  rose  to  the  rank  of 
colonel.  In  the  Black-Hawk  war,  which  resulted  in 
the  capture  of  that  renowned  chieftain,  Col  Taylor 
took  a  subordinate  but  a  brave  and  efficient  part. 

For  twenty-four  years  Col.  Taylor  was  engaged  in 
the  defence  of  the  frontiers,  in  scenes  so  remote,  and  in 
employments  so  obscure,  that  his  name  was  unknown 
beyond  the  limits  of  his  own  immediate  acquaintance. 
In  the  year  r836,  he  was  sent  to  Florida  to  compel 
the  Seminole  Indians  to  vacate  that  region  and  re- 
tire beyond  the  Mississippi,  as  their  chiefs  by  treaty, 
had  promised  they  should  do.  The  services  rendered 
here  secured  for  Col.  Taylor  the  high  appreciation  of 
the  Government;  and  as  a  reward,  he  was  elevated 
to  the  rank  of  brigadier-general  by  brevet ;  and  soon 
after,  in  May,  1838,  was  appointed  to  the  chief  com- 
mand of  the  United  States  troops  in  Florida. 

After  two  years  of  such  wearisome  employment 
amidst  the  everglades  of  the  peninsula,  Gen.  Taylor 
obtained,  at  his  own  request,  a  change  of  command, 
and  was  stationed  over  the  Department  of  the  South- 
west. This  field  embraced  Louisiana,  Mississippi, 
Alabama  and  Georgia.  Establishing  his  headquarters 
at  Fort  Jessup,  in  Louisiana,  he  removed  his  family 
to  a  plantation  which  he  purchased,  near  Baton  Rogue. 
Here  he  remained  for  five  years,  buried,  as  it  were, 
from  the  world,  but  faithfully  discharging  every  duty 
imposed  upon  him. 

In  r846,  Gen.  Taylor  was  sent  to  guard  the  land 
between  the  Nueces  and  Rio  Grande,  the  latter  river 
being  the  boundary  of  Texas,  which  was  then  claimed 
by  the  United  States.  Soon  the  war  with  Mexico 
was  brought  on,  and  at  Palo  Alto  and  Resaca  de  la 
Palma,  Gen.  Taylor  won  brilliant  victories  over  the 
Mexicans.  The  rank  of  major-general  by  brevet 
was  then  conferred  upon  Gen.  Taylor,  and  his  name 
was  received  with  enthusiasm  almost  everywhere  in 
the  Nation.  Then  came  the  battles  of  Monterey  and 
Buena  Vista  in  which  he  won  signal  victories  over 
forces  much  larger  than  he  commanded. 

His  careless  habits  of  dress  and  his  unaffected 
simplicity,  secured  for  Gen.  Taylor  among  his  troops, 
the  sobriquet  of  "Old  Rough  and  Ready.' 

The  tidings  of  the  brilliant  victory  of  Buena  Vista 
spread  the  wildest  enthusiasm  over  the  country.  The 
name  of  Gen.  Taylor  was  on  every  one's  lips.  The 
Whig  party  decided  to  take  advantage  of  this  wonder- 
ful popularity  in  bringing  forward  the  unpolished,  un- 
lettered, honest  soldier  as  their  candidate  for  the 
Presidency.  Gen.  Taylor  was  astonished  at  the  an- 
nouncement, and  for  a  time  would  not  listen  to  it;  de- 
claring that  he  was  not  at  all  qualified  for  such  an 
office.  So  little  interest  had  he  taken  in  politics  that, 
for  forty  years,  he  had  not  cast  a  vote.  It  was  not 
without  chagrin  that  several  distinguished  statesmen 
who  had  been  long  years  in  the  public  service  found 
their  claims  get  aside  in  behalf  of  one  whose  name 

(^VV^S^gui  >3V?6JV1^  /~N 


had  never  been  heard  of,  save  in  connection  with  Palo 
Alto,  Resaca  de  la  Palma,  Monterey  and  Buena 
Vista.  It  is  said  that  Daniel  Webster,  in  his  haste  re- 
marked, "  It  is  a  nomination  not  fit  to  be  made."  . 

Gen.  Taylor  was  not  an  eloquent  speaker  nor  a  fine 
wnter.  His  friends  took  possession  of  him,  and  pre- 
pared such  few  communications  as  it  was  needful 
should  be  presented  to  the  public.  The  popularity  of 
the  successful  warrior  swept  the  land.  He  was  tri- 
umphantly elected  over  two  opposing  candidates, — 
"Gen.  Cass  and  Ex-President  Martin  Van  Buren. 
Though  he  selected  an  excellent  cabinet,  the  good 
old  man  found  himself  in  a  very  uncongenial  position, 
and  was,  at  times,  sorely  perplexed  and  harassed. 
His  mental  sufferings  were  very  severe,  and  probably 
tended  to  hasten  his  death.  The  pro-slavery  party 
was  pushing  its  claims  with  tireless  energy ,  expedi- 
tions were  fitting  out  to  capture  Cuba  ;  California  was 
pleading  for  admission  to  the  Union,  while  slavery 
stood  at  the  door  to  bar  her  out.  Gen.  Taylor  found 
the  political  conflicts  in  Washington  to  be  far  more 
trying  to  the  nerves  than  battles  with  Mexicans  or 
Indians. 

In  the  midst  of  all  these  troubles,  Gen.  Taylor, 
after  he  had  occupied  the  Presidential  chair  but  little 
over  a  year,  took  cold,  and  after  a  brief  sickness  of 
but  little  over  five  days,  died  on  the  9th  of  July,  1850. 
His  last  words  were,  "  I  am  not  afraid  to  die.  I  am 
ready.  I  have  endeavored  to  do  my  duty."  He  died 
universally  respected  and  beloved.  An  honest,  un- 
pretending man,  he  had  been  steadily  growing  in  the 
affections  of  the  people ;  and  the  Nation  bitterly  la- 
mented his  death. 

Gen.  Scott,  who  was  thoroughly  acquainted  with 
Gen.  Taylor,  gave  the  following  graphic  and  truthful 
description  of  his  character: — "  With  a  good  store  of 
common  sense,  Gen.  Taylor's  mind  had  not  been  en- 
larged and  refreshed  by  reading,  or  much  converse 
with  the  world.  Rigidity  of  ideas  was  the  conse- 
quence. The  frontiers  and  small  military  posts  had 
been  his  home.  Hence  he  was  quite  ignorant  for  his 
rank,  and  quite  bigoted  in  his  ignorance.  His  sim- 
plicity was  child-like,  and  with  innumerable  preju- 
dices, amusing  and  incorrigible,  well  suited  to  the 
tender  age.  Thus,  if  a  man,  however  respectable, 
chanced  to  wear  a  coat  of  an  unusual  color,  or  his  hat 
a  little  on  one  side  of  his  head;  or  an  officer  to  leave 
a  corner  of  his  handkerchief  dangling  from  an  out- 
side pocket, — in  any  such  case,  this  critic  held  the 
offender  to  be  a  coxcomb  (perhaps  something  worse), 
whom  he  would  not,  to  use  his  oft  repeated  phrase, 
'touch  with  a  pair  of  tongs.' 

"Any  allusion  to  literature  beyond  good  old  Dil- 
worth's  spelling-book,  on  the  part  of  one  wearing  a 
sword,  was  evidence,  with  the  same  judge,  of  utter 
unfitness  for  heavy  marchings  and  combats.  In  short, 
few  men  have  ever  had  a  more  comfortable,  labor- 
saving  contempt  for  learning  of  every  kind." 


THFUBRARY 

OF  THE 
OUVEftSOT  Of  ILUiatS 


ILLARD  FILLVORE,' thir- 
teenth President  of  the  United 
States,   was  born  at  Summer 
Hill,  Cayuga  Co.,   N.  Y  .,  on 
the  yth  of  January,  1800.  His 
father  was  a  farmer,  and  ow- 
ing to  misfortune,  in  humble  cir- 
cumstances.    Of  his  mother,  the 
daughter  of  Dr.  AbiatharMillard, 
of  Pittsfield,  Mass.,  it   has  been 
said  that  she  possessed  an  intellect 
of  very  high  order,  united  with  much 
personal  loveliness,  sweetness  of  dis- 
position, graceful  manners  and  ex- 
quisite sensibilities.      She   died   in 
1831 ;  having  lived  to  see  her  son  a 
'        young  man  of  distinguished    prom- 
ise, though  she  was  not  permitted  to  witness  the  high 
dignity  which  he  finally  attained. 

In  consequence  of  the  secluded  home  and  limited 
means  of  his  father,  Millard  enjoyed  but  slender  ad- 
vantages for  education  in  his  early  years.  The  com- 
mon schools,  which  he  occasionally  attended  were 
very  imperfect  institutions;  and  books  were  scarce 
and  expensive.  There  was  nothing  then  in  his  char- 
acter to  indicate  the  brilliant  career  upon  which  he 
was  about  to  enter.  He  was  a  plain  fanner's  boy; 
intelligent,  good-looking,  kind-hearted.  The  sacred 
influences  of  home  had  taught  him  to  revere  the  Bible, 
and  had  laid  the  foundations  of  an  upright  character. 
When  fourteen  years  of  age,  his  father  sent  him 
some  hundred  miles  from  home,  to  the  then  wilds  of 
Livingston  County,  to  learn  the  trade  of  a  clothier. 
Near  the  mill  there  was  a  small  villiage,  where  some 


enterprising  man  had  commenced  the  collection  of  a 
village  library.  This  proved  an  inestimable  blessing 
to  young  Fillmore.  His  evenings  were  spent  in  read- 
ing. Soon  every  leisure  moment  was  occupied  with 
books.  His  thirst  for  knowledge  became  insatiate ; 
and  the  selections  which  he  made  were  continually 
more  elevating  and  instructive.  He  read  history, 
biography,  oratory,  and  thus  gradually  there  was  en- 
kindled in  his  heart  a  desire  to  be  something  more 
than  a  mere  worker  with  his  hands;  and  he  was  be- 
coming, almost  unknown  to  himself,  a  well-informed, 
educated  man. 

The  young  clothier  had  now  attained  the  age  of 
nineteen  years,  and  was  of  fine  personal  appearance 
and  of  gentlemanly  demeanor.  It  so  happened  that 
there  was  a  gentleman  in  the  neighborhood  of  ample 
pecuniary  means  and  of  benevolence, — Judge  Walter 
Wood, — who  was  struck  with  the  prepossessing  ap- 
pearance of  young  Fillmore.  He  made  his  acquaint- 
ance, and  was  so  much  impressed  with  his  ability  and 
attainments  that  he  advised  him  to  abandon  his 
trade  and  devote  himself  to  the  study  of  the  law.  The 
young  man  replied,  that  he  had  no  means  of  his  own, 
no  friends  to  help  him  and  that  his  previous  educa- 
tion had  been  very  imperfect.  But  Judge  Wood  had 
so  much  confidence  in  him  that  he  kindly  offered  to 
take  him  into  his  own  office,  and  to  loan  him  such 
money  as  he  needed.  Most  gratefully  the  generous 
offer  was  accepted. 

There  is  in  many  minds  a  strange  delusion  about 
a  collegiate  education.  A  young  man  is  supposed  to 
be  liberally  educated  if  he  has  graduated  at  some  col- 
lege. But  many  a  boy  loiters  through  university  halls 
and  then  enters  a  law  office,  who  is  by  no  means  as 
A  ^  ^mJ&^mr' ~&va^>s£@ 


MILLARD  FILLMORE. 


J 


I 


* 


well  prepared  to  prosecute  his  legal  studies  as  was 
Millard  Fillmore  when  he  graduated  at  the  clothing- 
mill  at  the  end  of  four  years  of  manual  labor,  during 
which  every  leisure  moment  had  been  devoted  to  in- 
tense mental  culture. 

In  1823,  when  twenty-three  years  of  age,  he  was 
admitted  to  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas.  He  then 
went  to  the  village  of  Aurora,  and  commenced  the 
practice  of  law.  In  this  secluded,  peaceful  region, 
his  practice  of  course  was  limited,  and  there  was  no 
opportunity  for  a  sudden  rise  in  fortune  or  in  fame. 
Here,  in  the  year  1826,  he  married  a  lady  of  great 
moral  worth,  and  one  capable  of  adorning  any  station 
she  might  be  called  to  fill, — Miss  Abigail  Powers. 

His  elevation  of  character,  his  untiring  industry, 
his  legal  acquirements,  and  his  skill  as  an  advocate, 
gradually  attracted  attention ;  and  he  was  invited  to 
enter  into  partnership  under  highly  advantageous 
circumstances,  with  an  elder  member  of  the  bar  in 
Buffalo.  Just  before  removing  to  Buffalo,  in  1829, 
he  took  his  seat  in  the  House  of  Assembly,  of  the 
State  of  New  York,  as  a  representative  from  Erie 
County.  Though  he  had  never  taken  a  very  active 
part  in  politics,  his  vote  and  his  sympathies  were  with 
the  Whig  party.  The  State  was  then  Democratic, 
and  he  found  himself  in  a  helpless  minority  in  the 
Legislature ,  still  the  testimony  comes  from  all  parties, 
that  his  courtesy,  ability  and  integrity,  won,  to  a  very 
unusual  degree  the  respect  of  his  associates. 

In  the  autumn  of  1832,  he  was  elected  to  a  seat  in 
the  United  States  Congress.  He  entered  that  troubled 
arena  in  some  of  the  most  tumultuous  hours  of  our 
national  history.  The  great  conflict  respecting  the 
national  bank  and  the  removal  of  the  deposits,  was 
then  raging. 

His  term  of  two  years  closed ;  and  he  returned  to 
his  profession,  which  he  pursued  with  increasing  rep- 
utation and  success.  After  a  lapse  of  two  years 
he  again  became  a  candidate  for  Congress ;  was  re- 
elected,  and  took  his  seat  in  1837.  His  past  expe- 
rience as  a  representative  gave  him  strength  and 
confidence.  The  first  term  of  service  in  Congress  to 
any  man  can  be  but  little  more  than  an  introduction. 
He  was  now  prepared  for  active  duty.  All  his  ener- 
gies were  brought  to  bear  upon  the  public  good.  Every 
measure  received  his  impress. 

Mr.  Fillmore  was  now  a  man  of  wide  repute,  and 
his  popularity  filled  the  State,  and  in  the  year  1847, 
he  was  elected  Comptroller  of  the  State. 

*  >\v  ' . 


Mr.  Fillmore  had  attained  the  age  of  forty-seven 
years.  His  labors  at  the  bar,  in  the  Legislature,  in 
Congress  and  as  Comptroller,  had  given  him  very  con- 
siderable fame.  The  Whigs  were  casting  about  to 
find  suitable  candidates  for  President  and  Vice-Presi- 
dent at  the  approaching  election.  Far  away,  on  the 
waters  of  the  Rio  Grande,  there  was  a  rough  old 
soldier,  who  had  fought  one  or  two  successful  battles 
with  the  Mexicans,  which  had  caused  his  name  to  be 
proclaimed  in  trumpet-tones  all  over  the  land.  But 
it  was  necessary  to  associate  with  him  on  the  same 
ticket  some  man  of  reputation  as  a  statesman. 

Under  the  influence  of  these  considerations,  the 
names  of  Zachary  Taylor  and  Millard  Fillmore  became 
the  rallying-cry  of  the  Whigs,  as  their  candidates  for 
President  and  Vice-Peesident.  The  Whig  ticket  was 
signally  triumphant.  On  the  4th  of  March,  1849, 
Gen.  Taylor  was  inaugurated  President,  and  Millard 
Fillmore  Vice-President,  of  the  United  States. 

On  the  gth  of  July,  1850,  President  Taylor,  but 
about  one  year  and  four  months  after  his  inaugura- 
tion, was  suddenly  taken  sick  and  died.  By  the  Con- 
stitution, Vice-President  Fillmore  thus  became  Presi- 
dent. He  appointed  a  very  able  cabinet,  of  which 
the  illustrious  Daniel  Webster  was  Secretary  of  State. 

Mr.  Fillmore  had  very  serious  difficulties  to  contend 
with,  since  the  opposition  had  a  majority  in  both 
Houses.  He  did  everything  in  his  power  to  conciliate 
the  South ;  but  the  pro-slavery  party  in  the  South  felt 
theinadequacyof  all  measuresof  transient  conciliation. 
The  population  of  the  free  States  was  so  rapidly  in- 
creasing over  that  of  the  slave  States  that  it  was  in- 
evitable that  the  power  of  the  Government  should 
soon  pass  into  the  hands  of  the  free  States.  The 
famous  compromise  measures  were  adopted  under  Mr. 
Fillmcre's  adminstration,  and  the  Japan  Expedition 
was  sent  out.  On  the  4th  of  March,  1853,  Mr.  Fill- 
more,  having  served  one  term,  retired. 

In  1856,  Mr.  Fillmore  was  nominated  for  the  Pres- 
idency by  the  "  Know  Nothing  "  party,  but  was  beaten 
by  Mr.  Buchanan.  After  that  Mr.  Fillmore  lived  in 
retirement.  During  the  terrible  conflict  of  civil  war, 
he  was  mostly  silent.  It  was  generally  supposed  that 
his  sympathies  were  rather  with  those  who  were  en- 
deavoring to  overthrow  our  institutions.  President 
Fillmore  kept  aloof  from  the  conflict,  without  any 
cordial  words  of  cheer  to  the  one  party  or  the  other. 
He  was  thus  forgotten  by  both.  He  lived  to  a  ripe 
old  age,  and  died  in  Buffalo.  N.  Y.,  March  8,  1874. 


Of  THE 

mmssm  or  U.LMQIS 


RANKLIN    PIERCE,   the 
fourteenth   President  of  the 
United  States,  was  born  in 
Hillsborough,   N.    H.,    Nov. 
23,  1804.     His  father  was  a 
Revolutionary  soldier,  who, 
with   his   own    strong    arm, 
hewed  out  a   home   in   the 
wilderness.     He  was  a  man 
of    inflexible    integrity;    of 
strong,  though   uncultivated 
mind,  and  an  uncompromis- 
ing Democrat.      The  mother  of 
Franklin  Pierce  was  all  that  a  son 
could  desire, — an  intelligent,  pru- 
dent, affectionate,  Christian  wom- 
an.    Franklin  was  the  sixth  of  eight  children. 

Franklin  was  a  very  bright  and  handsome  boy,  gen- 
erous, warm-hearted  and  brave.  He  won  alike  the 
love  of  old  and  young.  The  boys  on  the  play-ground 
loved  him.  His  teachers  loved  him.  The  neighbors 
looked  upon  him  with  pride  and  affection.  He  was 
by  instinct  a  gentleman;  always  speaking  kind  words, 
doing  kind  deeds,  with  a  peculiar  unstudied  tact 
which  taught  him  what  was  agreeable.  Without  de- 
veloping any  precocity  of  genius,  or  any  unnatural 
devotion  to  books,  he  was  a  good  scholar ;  in  body, 
in  mind,  in  affections,  a  finely-developed  boy. 

When  sixteen  years  of  age,  in  the  year  1820,  he 
entered  Bowdoin  College,  at  Brunswick,  Me.  He  was 
one  of,the  most  popular  young  men  in  the  college. 
The  purity  of  his  moral  character,  the  unvarying 
courtesy  of  his  demeanor,  his  rank  as  a  scholar,  and 


genial  nature,  rendered  him  a  universal  favorite. 
There  was  something  very  peculiarly  winning  in  his 
address,  and  it  was  evidently  not  in  the  slightest  de- 
gree studied :  it  was  the  simple  outgushing  of  his 
own  magnanimous  and  loving  nature. 

Upon  graduating,  in  the  year  1824,  Franklin  Pierce 
commenced  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Judge 
Woodbury,  one  of  the  most  distinguished  lawyers  of 
the  State,  and  a  man  of  great  private  worth.  The 
eminent  social  qualities  of  the  young  lawyer,  his 
father's  prominence  as  a  public  man,  and  the  brilliant 
political  career  into  which  Judge  Woodbury  was  en- 
tering, all  tended  to  entice  Mr.  Pierce  into  the  faci- 
nating  yet  perilous  path  of  political  life.  With  all 
the  ardor  of  his  nature  he  espoused  the  cause  of  Gen. 
Jackson  for  the  Presidency.  He  commenced  the- 
practice  of  law  in  Hillsborough,  and  was  soon  elected 
to  represent  the  town  in  the  State  Legislature.  Here 
he  served  for  four  yeais.  The  last  two  years  he  was 
chosen  speaker  of  the  house  by  a  very  large  vote. 

In  1833,  at  the  age  of  twenty-nine,  he  was  elected 
a  member  of  Congress.  Without  taking  an  active 
part  in  debates,  he  was  faithful  and  laborious  in  duty, 
and  ever  rising  in  the  estimation  of  those  with  whom 
he  was  associatad. 

In  1837,  being  then  but  thirty-three  years  of  age, 
he  was  elected  to  the  Senate  of  the  United  States ; 
taking  his  seat  just  as  Mr.  Van  Buren  commenced 
his  administration.  He  was  the  youngest  member  in 
the  Senate.  In  the  year  1834,  he  married  Miss  Jane 
Means  Appleton,  a  lady  of  rare  beauty  and  accom- 
plishments, and  one  admirably  fitted  to  adorn  every 
station  with  which  her  husband  was  honoied.  Of  the 


• 


FRANKLIN  PIERCE. 


who  were  born  to  them,  all  now  sleep  with 
ts  in  the  grave. 

In  the  year  1838,  Mr.'  Pierce,  with  growing  fame 
and  increasing  business  as  a  lawyer,  took  up  his 
residence  in  Concord,  the  capital  of  New  Hampshire. 
President  Polk,  upon  his  accession  to  office,  appointed 
Mr.  Pierce  attorney-general  of  the  United  States;  but 
the  offer  was  declined,  in  consequence  of  numerous 
professional  engagements  at  home,  and  the  precariuos 
state  of  Mrs.  Pierce 's  health.  He  also,  about  the 
same  time  declined  the  nomination  for  governor  by  the 
Democratic  party.  The  war  with  Mexico  called  Mr. 
Pierce  in  the  army.  Receiving  the  appointment  of 
brigadier-general,  he  embarked,  with  a  portion  of  his 
troops,  at  Newport,  R.  I.,  on  the  ayth  of  May,  1847. 
He  took  an  important  part  in  this  war,  proving  him- 
self a  brave  and  true  soldier. 

When  Gen.  Pierce  reached  his  home  in  his  native 
State,  he  was  received  enthusiastically  by  the  advo- 
cates of  the  Mexican  war,  and  coldly  by  his  oppo- 
nents. He  resumed  the  practice  of  his  profession, 
very  frequently  taking  an  active  part  in  political  ques- 
tions, giving  his  cordial  support  to  the  pro-slavery 
wing  of  the  Democratic  party.  The  compromise 
measures  met  cordially  with  his  approval;  and  he 
strenuously  advocated  the  enforcement  of  the  infa- 
mous fugitive-slave  law,  which  so  shocked  the  religious 
sensibilities  of  the  North.  He  thus  became  distin- 
guished as  a  "  Northern  man  with  Southern  principles.'' 
The  strong  partisans  of  slavery  in  the  South  conse- 
quently regarded  him  as  a  man  whom  they  could 
safely  trust  in  office  to  carry  out  their  plans. 

On  the  1 2th  of  June,  1852,  the  Democratic  conven- 
tion met  in  Baltimore  to  nominate  a  candidate  for  the 
Presidency.  For  four  days  they  continued  in  session, 
and  in  thirty-five  ballotings  no  one  had  obtained  a 
two-thirds  vote.  Not  a  vote  thus  far  had  been  thrown 
for  Gen.  Pierce.  Then  the  Virginia  delegation 
brought  forward  his  name.  There  were  fourteen 
more  ballotings,  during  which  Gen.  Pierce  constantly 
gained  strength,  until,  at  the  forty-ninth  ballot,  he 
received  two  hundred  and  eighty-two  votes,  and  all 
other  candidates  eleven.  Gen.  Winfield  Scott  was 
the  Whig  candidate.  Gen.  Pierce  was  chosen  with 
great  unanimity.  Only  four  States — Vermont,  Mas- 
sachusetts, Kentucky  and  Tennessee  —  cast  their 
electoral  votes  against  him.  Gen.  Franklin  Pierce 
was  therefore  inaugurated  President  of  the  United 
States  on  the  4th  of  March,  1853. 


His  administration  proved  one  of  the  most  stormy  our 
country  had  ever  experienced.  The  controversy  be- 
tween slavery  and  freedom  was  then  approaching  its 
culminating  point.  It  became  evident  that  there  was 
an  "  irrepressible  conflict  "  between  them,  and  that 
this  Nation  could  not  long  exist  "  half  slave  and  half 
free."  President  Pierce,  during  the  whole  of  his  ad- 
ministration, did  every  thing  he  could  to  conciliate 
the  South  ;  but  it  was  all  in  vain.  The  conflict  every 
year  grew  more  violent,  and  threats  of  the  dissolution 
of  the  Union  were  borne  to  the  North  on  every  South- 
ern breeze. 

Such  was  the  condition  of  affairs  when  President 
Pierce  approached  the  close  of  his  four-years'  term 
of  office.  The  North  had  become  thoroughly  alien- 
ated from  him.  The  anti-slavery  sentiment,  goaded 
by  great  outrages,  had  .been  rapidly  increasing;  all 
the  intellectual  ability  and  social  worth  of  President 
Pierce  were  forgotten  in  deep  reprehension  of  his  ad- 
ministrative acts.  The  slaveholders  of  the  South,  also, 
unmindful  of  the  fidelity  with  which  he  had  advo- 
cated those  measures  of  Government  which  they  ap- 
proved, and  perhaps,  also,  feeling  that  he  had 
rendered  himself  so  unpopular  as  no  longer  to  be 
able  acceptably  to  serve  them,  ungratefully  dropped 
him,  and  nominated  James  Buchanan  to  succeed  him. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1857,  President  Pierce  re- 
tired to  his  home  in  Concord.  Of  three  children,  two 
had  died,  and  his  only  surviving  child  had  been 
killed  before  his  eyes  by  a  railroad  accident ;  and  his 
wife,  one  of  the  most  estimable  and  accomplished  of 
ladies,  was  rapidly  sinking  in  consumption.  The 
hour  of  dreadful  gloom  soon  came,  and  he  was  left 
alone  in  the  world,  without  wife  or  child. 

When  the  terrible  Rebellion  burst  forth,  which  di- 
vided our  country  into  two  parties,  and  two  only,  Mr. 
Pierce  remained  steadfast  in  the  principles  which  he 
had  always  cherished,  and  gave  his  sympathies  to 
that  pro-slavery  party  with  which  he  had  ever  been 
allied.  He  declined  to  do  anything,  either  by  voice 
or  pen,  to  strengthen  the  hand  of  the  National  Gov- 
ernment. He  continued  to  reside  in  Concord  until 
the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  October, 
1869.  He  was 'one  of  the  most  genial  and  social  of 
men,  an  honored  communicant  of  the  Episcopal 
Church,  and  one  of  the  kindest  of  neighbors.  Gen- 
erous to  a  fault,  he  contributed  liberally  for  the  al- 
leviation of  suffering  and  want,  and  many  of  his  towns- 
people were  often  gladened  by  his  material  bounty. 


THEunumr 

OF  THE 


FIFTEENTH  PRESIDENT. 


i  .  'i  .  •<  '.  'i  '.  'i  '.  <i  '.  '.  '.  'i  '.  'i  ',  S  '.  Ti  .  'i  .  'i  ,  'i  .  '.;.'  .  i1  .  i1  .  i'  .  i'  ,  i1  .1'  .  V  ,  i1  .  i1  .1'  .'  i1 

ACl^ViM 


AMES  BUCHANAN,  the  fif- 
tee'nth  President  of  the  United 
States,  was  born  in  a  small 
frontier  town,  at  the  foot  of  the 
eastern  ridge  of  the  Allegha- 
nies,  in  Franklin  Co.,  Penn.,  on 
the  23d  of  April,  1791.  The  place 
where  the  humble  cabin  of  his 
father  stood  was  called  Stony 
Batter.  It  was  a  wild  and  ro- 
mantic spot  in  a  gorge  of  the  moun- 
tains, with  towering  summits  rising 
grandly  all  around.  His  father 
was  a  native  of  the  north  of  Ireland ; 
a  poor  man,  who  had  emigrated  in 
1783,  with  little  property  save  his 
own  strong  arms.  Five  years  afterwards  he  married 
Elizabeth  Spear,  the  daughter  of  a  respectable  farmer, 
and,  with  his  young  bride,  plunged  into  the  wilder- 
ness, staked  his  claim,  reared  his  log-hut,  opened  a 
clearing  with  his  axe,  and  settled  down  there  to  per- 
form his  obscure  part  in  the  drama  of  life.  In  this  se- 
cluded home,  where  James  was  born,  he  remained 
for  eight  years,  enjoying  but  few  social  or  intellectual 
advantages.  When  James  was  eight  years  of  age,  his 
father  removed  to  the  village  of  Mercersburg,  where 
his  son  was  placed  at  school,  and  commenced  a 
course  of  study  in  English,  Latin  and  Greek.  His 
progress  was  rapid,  and  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  he 
entered  Dickinson  College,  at  Carlisle.  Here  he  de- 
veloped remarkable  talent,  and  took  his  stand  among 
the  first  scholars  in  the  institution.  His  application 
to  study  was  intense,  and  yet  his  native  powers  en- 


abled  him  to  master  the  most  abstruse  subjects  with 
facility. 

In  the  year  1809,  he  graduated  with  the  highest 
honors  of  his  class.  He  was  then  eighteen  years  of 
age;  tall  and  graceful,  vigorous  in  health,  fond  of 
athletic  sport,  an  unerring  shot,  and  enlivened  with 
an  exuberant  flow  of  animal  spirits.  He  immediately 
commenced  the  study  of  law  in  the  city  of  Lancaster, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1812,  when  he  was 
but  twenty-one  years  of  age.  Very  rapidly  he  rose 
in  his  profession,  and  at  once  took  undisputed  stand 
with  the  ablest  lawyers  of  the  State.  When  but 
twenty-six  years  of  age,  unaided  by  counsel,  he  suc- 
cessfully defended  before  the  State  Senate  one  of  the 
judges  of  the  State,  who  was  tried  upon  articles  of 
impeachment.  At  the  age  of  thirty  it  was  generally 
admitted  that  he  stood  at  the  head  of  the  bar;  and 
there  was  no  lawyer  in  the  State  who  had  a  more  lu- 
crative practice. 

In  1820,  he  reluctantly  consented  to  run  as  a 
candidate  for  Congress.  He  was  elected,  and  for 
ten  years  he  remained  a  member  of  the  Lower  House, 
During  the  vacations  of  Congress,  he  occasionally 
tried  some  important  case.  In  1831,  he  retired 
altogether  from  the  toils  of  his  profession,  having  ac- 
quired an  ample  fortune. 

Gen.  Jackson,  upon  his  elevation  to  the  Presidency, 
appointed  Mr.  Buchanan  minister  to  Russia.  The 
duties  of  his  mission  he  performed  with  ability,  which 
gave  satisfaction  to  all  parties.  Upon  his  return,  in 
1833,  he  was  elected  to  a  seat  in  the  United  States 
Senate.  He  there  met,  as  his  associates,  Webster, 
Clay,  Wright  and  Calhoun.  He  advocated  the  me; 
ures  proposed  by  President  Jackson,  of  making  repri 


JAMES  BUCHANAN. 


sals  against  France,  to  enforce  the  payment  of  our 
claims  against  that  country ;  and  defended  the  course 
of  the  President  in  his  unprecedented  and  wholesale 
removal  from  office  of  those  who  were  not  the  sup- 
porters of  his  administration.  Upon  this  question  he 
was  brought  into  direct  collision  with  Henry  Clay. 
He  also,  with  voice  and  vote,  advocated  expunging 
from  the  journal  of  the  Senate  the  vote  of  censure 
against  Gen.  Jackson  for  removing  the  deposits. 
Earnestly  he  opposed  the  abolition  of  slavery  in  the 
District  of  Columbia,  and  urged  the  prohibition  of  the 
circulation  of  anti-slavery  documents  by  the  United 
States  mails. 

As  to  petitions  on  the  subject  of  slavery,  he  advo- 
cated that  they  should  be  respectfully  received;  and 
that  the  reply  should  be  returned,  that  Congress  had 
no  power  to  legislate  upon  the  subject.  "  Congress," 
said  he,  "  might  as  well  undertake  to  interfere  with 
slavery  under  a  foreign  government  as  in  any  of  the 
States  where  it  now  exists." 

Upon  Mr.  Folk's  accession  to  the  Presidency,  Mr. 
Buchanan  became  Secretary  of  State,  and  as  such, 
took  his  share  of  the  responsibility  in  the  conduct  of 
the  Mexican  War.  Mr.  Polk  assumed  that  crossing 
the  Nueces  by  the  American  troops  into  the  disputed 
territory  was  not  wrong,  but  for  the  Mexicans  to  cross 
the  Rio  Grande  into  that  territory  was  a  declaration 
of  war.  No  candid  man  can  read  with  pleasure  the 
account  of  the  course  our  Government  pursued  in  that 
movement. 

Mr.  Buchanan  identified  himself  thoroughly  with 
the  party  devoted  to  the  perpetuation  and  extension 
of  slavery,  and  brought  all  the  energies  of  his  mind 
to  bear  against  the  Wilmot  Proviso.  He  gave  his 
cordial  approval  to  the  compromise  measures  of  1850, 
which  included  the  fugitive-slave  law.  Mr.  Pierce, 
upon  his  election  to  the  Presidency,  honored  Mr. 
Buchanan  with  the  mission  to  England. 

In  the  year  1856,  a  national  Democratic  conven- 
tion nominated  Mr.  Buchanan  for  the  Presidency.  The 
political  conflict  was  one  of  the  most  severe  in  which 
our  country  has  ever  engaged.  All  the  friends  of 
slavery  were  on  one  side;  all  the  advocates  of  its  re- 
striction and  final  abolition,  on  the  other.  Mr.  Fre- 
mont, the  candidate  of  the  enemies  of  slavery,  re- 
ceived 114  electoral  votes.  Mr.  Buchanan  received 
174,  and  was  elected.  The  popular  vote  stood 
1,340,618,  for  Fremont,  r, 224,750  for  Buchanan.  On 
March  4th,  1857,  Mr.  Buchanan  was  inaugurated. 

Mr.  Buchanan  was  far  advanced  in  life.  Only  four 
years  were  wanting  to  fill  up  his  threescore  years  and 
ten.  His  own  friends,  those  with  whom  he  had  been 
allied  in  political  principles  and  action  for  years,  were 
seeking  the  destruction  of  the  Government,  that  they 
might  rear  upon  the  ruins  of  our  free  institutions  a 
nation  whose  corner-stone  should  be  human  slavery. 
In  this  emergency,  Mr.  Buchanan  was  hopelessly  be- 
wildered. He  could  not,  with  his  long-avowed  prin- 


ciples,  consistently  oppose  the  State-rights  party  in 
their  assumptions.  As  President  of  the  United  States, 
bound  by  his  oath  faithfully  to  administer  the  laws, 
he  could  not,  without  perjury  of  the  grossest  kind, 
unite  with  those  endeavoring  to  overthrow  the  repub- 
lic. He  therefore  did  nothing. 

The  opponents  of  Mr.  Buchanan's  administration 
nominaled  Abraham  Lincoln  as  their  standard  bearer 
in  the  next  Presidential  canvass.  The  pro-slavery 
party  declared,  that  if  he  were  elected,  and  the  con- 
trol of  the  Government  were  thus  taken  from  their 
hands,  they  would  secede  from  the  Union,  taking 
with  them,  as  they  retired,  the  National  Capitol  at 
Washington,  and  the  lion's  share  of  the  territory  of 
the  United  States. 

Mr.  Buchanan's  sympathy  with  the  pro-slavery 
party  was  such,  that  he  had  been  willing  to  offer  them 
far  more  than  they  had  ventured  to-  claim.  All  the 
South  had  professed  to  ask  of  the  North  was  non- 
intervention upon  the  subject  of  slavery.  Mr.  Bu- 
chanan had  been  ready  to  offer  them  the  active  co- 
operation of  the  Government  to  defend  and  extend 
the  institution. 

As  the  storm  increased  in  violence,  the  slaveholders 
claiming' the  right  to  secede,  and  Mr.  Buchanan  avow- 
ing that  Congress  had  no  power  to  prevent  it,  one  of 
the  most  pitiable  exhibitions  of  governmental  im- 
becility was  exhibited  the  world  has  ever  seen.  He 
declared  that  Congress  had  no  power  to  enforce  its 
laws  in  any  State  which  had  withdrawn,  or  which 
was  attempting  to  withdraw  from  the  Union.  This 
was  not  the  doctrine  of  Andrew  Jackson,  when,  with 
his  hand  upon  his  sword-hilt,  he  exclaimed,  "  The 
Union  must  and  shall  be  preserved ! " 

South  Carolina  seceded  in  December,  1860;  nearly 
three  months  before  the  inauguration  of  President 
Lincoln.  Mr.  Buchanan  looked  on  in  listless  despair. 
The  rebel  flag  was  raised  in  Charleston;  Fort  Sumpter 
was  besieged ;  our  forts,  navy-yards  and  arsenals 
were  seized;  our  depots  of  military -stores  were  plun- 
dered ;  and  our  custom-houses  and  post-offices  were 
appropriated  by  the  rebels. 

The  energy  of  the  rebels,  and  the  imbecility  of  our 
Executive,  were  alike  marvelous.  The  Nation  looked 
on  in  agony,  waiting  for  the  slow  weeks  to  glide  away, 
and  close  the  administration,  so  terrible  in  its  weak- 
ness At  length  the  long-looked-for  hour  of  deliver- 
ance came,  when  Abraham  Lincoln  was  to  receive  the 
scepter. 

The  administration  of  President  Buchanan  was 
certainly  the  most  calamitous  our  country  has  ex- 
perienced. His  best  friends  cannot  recall  it  with 
pleasure.  And  still  more  deplorable  it  is  for  his  fame, 
that  in  that  dreadful  conflict  which  rolled  its  billows 
of  flame  and  blood  over  our  whole  land,  no  word  came 
from  his  lips  to  indicate  his  wish  that  our  country's 
banner  should  triumph  over  the  flag  of  the  rebellion. 
He  died  at  his  Wheatland  retreat,  June  i, 


OF  THE 


BRAHAM  LINCOLN,  the 
sixteenth  President  of  the 
United  States,  was  bom  in 
Hardin  Co.,  Ky.,  Feb.  12, 
1 809.  About  the  year  1 7  80,  a 
man  by  the  name  of  Abraham 
Lincoln  left  Virginia  with  his 
family  and  moved  into  the  then 
wilds  of  Kentucky.  Only  two  years 
after  this  emigration,  still  a  young 
man,  while  working  one  day  in  a 
field,  was  stealthily  approached  by 
an  Indian  and  shot  dead.  His  widow 
was  left  in  extreme  poverty  with  five 
little  children,  three  boys  and  two 
girls.  Thomas,  the  youngest  of  the 
boys,  was  four  years  of  age  at  his 
father's  death.  This  Thomas  was 
the  father  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  the 
President  of  the  United  States 
whose  name  must  henceforth  forever  be  enrolled 
with  the  most  prominent  in  the  annals  of  our  world. 
Of  course  no  record  has  been  kept  of  the  life 
of  one  so  lowly  as  Thomas  Lincoln.  He  was  among 
the  poorest  of  the  poor.  His  home  was  a  wretched 
log-cabin ;  his  food  the  coarsest  and  the  meanest. 
Education  he  had  none;  he  could  never  either  read 
or  write.  As  soon  as  he  was  able  to  do  anything  for 
himself,  he  was  compelled  to  leave  the  cabin  of  his 
starving  mother,  and  push  out  into  the  world,  a  friend- 
less, wandering  boy,  seeking  work.  He  hired  him- 
self out,  and  thus  spent  the  whole  of  his  youth  as  a 
laborer  in  the  fields  of  others. 

When  twenty-eight  years  of  age  he  built  a  log- 
cabin  of  his  own,  and  married  Nancy  Hanks,  the 
daughter  of  another  family  of  poor  Kentucky  emi- 
grants, who  had  also  come  from  Virginia.  Their 
second  child  was  Abraham  Lincoln,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch.  The  mother  of  Abraham  was  a  noble 
woman,  gentle,  loving,  pensive,  created  to  adorn 
a  palace,  doomed  to  toil  and  pine,  and  die  in  a  hovel. 
"All  that  I  am,  or  hope  to  be,"  exclaims  the  grate- 
ful son  "  I  owe  to  my  angel-mother. 

When  he  was  eight  years  of  age,  his  father  sold  his 


cabin  and  small  farm,  and  moved  to  Indiana.  Where 
two  years  later  his  mother  died. 

Abraham  soon  became  the  scribe  of  the  uneducated 
community  around  him.  He  could  not  have  had  a 
better  school  than  this  to  teach  him  to  put  thoughts 
into  words.  He  also  became  an  eager  reader.  The 
books  he  could  obtain  were  few ;  but  these  he  read 
and  re-read  until  they  were  almost  committed  to 
memory. 

As  the  years  rolled  on,  the  lot  of  this  lowly  family 
was  the  usual  lot  of  humanity.  There  were  joys  and 
griefs,  weddings  and  funerals.  Abraham's  sister 
Sarah,  to  whom  he  was  tenderly  attached,  was  mar- 
ried when  a  child  of  but  fourteen  years  of  age,  and 
soon  died.  The  family  was  gradually  scattered.  Mr. 
Thomas  Lincoln  sold  out  his  squatter's  claim  in  1830, 
and  emigrated  to  Macon  Co.,  111. 

Abraham  Lincoln  was  then  twenty-one  years  of  age. 
With  vigorous  hands  he  aided  his  father  in  rearing 
another  log-cabin.  Abraham  worked  diligently  at  this 
until  he  saw  the  family  com/ortably  settled,  and  their 
small  lot  of  enclosed  prairie  planted  with  corn,  when 
he  announced  to  his  father  his  intention  to  leave 
home,  and  to  go  out  into  the  world  and  seek  his  for- 
tune. Little  did  he  or  his  friends  imagine  how  bril- 
liant that  fortune  was  to  be.  He  saw  the  value  of 
education,  and  was  intensely  earnest  to  improve  his 
mind  to  the  utmost  of  his  power. .  He  saw  the  ruin 
which  ardent  spirits  were  causing,  and  became 
strictly  temperate ;  refusing  to  allow  a  drop  of  intoxi- 
cating liquor  to  pass  his  lips.  And  he  had  read  in 
God's  word,  "Thou  shalt  not  take  the  name  of  the 
Lord  thy  God  in  vain ;"  and  a  profane  expression  he 
was  never  heard  to  utter.  Religion  he  revered.  His 
morals  were  pure,  and  he  was  uncontaminated  by  a 
single  vice. 

Young  Abraham  worked  for  a  time  as  a  hired  laborer 
among  the  farmers.  Then  he  went  to  Springfield, 
where  he  was  employed  in  building  a  large  flat-boat. 
In  this  he  took  a  herd  of  swine,  floated  them  down 
the  Sangamon  to  the  Illinois,  and  thence  by  the  Mis- 
sissippi to  New  Orleans.  Whatever  Abraham  Lin- 
coln undertook,  he  performed  so  faithfully  as  to  gn 
great  satisfaction  to  his  employers.  In  this  adven- 


*, 


f 


ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 


^ 


ture  his  employers  were  so  well  pleased,  that  upon 
his  return  they  placed  a  store  and  mill  under  his  care. 

In  1832,  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Black  Hawk  war,  he 
enlisted  and  was  chosen  captain  of  a  company.  He 
returned  to  Sangamon  County,  and  although  only  23 
years  of  age,  was  a  candidate  for  the  Legislature,  but 
was  defeated.  He  soon  after  received  from  Andrew 
Jackson  the  appointment  of  Postmaster  of  New  Salem, 
His  only  post-office  was  his  hat.  All  the  letters  he 
received  he  carried  there  ready  to  deliver  to  those 
he  chanced  to  meet.  He  studied  surveying,  and  soon 
made  this  his  business.  In  1834  he  again  became  a 
candidate  for  the  Legislature,  and  was  elected.  .  Mr. 
Stuart,  of  Springfield,  advised  him  to  study  law.  He 
walked  from  New  Salem  to  Springfield,  borrowed  of 
Mr.  Stuart  a  load  of  books,  carried  them  back,  and 
began  his  legal  studies.  When  the  Legislature  as- 
sembled he  trudged  on  foot  with  his  pack  on  his  back 
one  hundred  miles  to  Vandalia,  then  the  capital.  In 
1836  he  was  re-elected  to  the  Legislature.  Here  it 
was  he  first  met  Stephen  A.  Douglas.  In  1839  he  re- 
moved to  Springfield  and  began  the  practice  of  law. 
His  success  with  the  jury  was  so  great  that  he  was 
soon  engaged  in  almost  every  noted  case  in  the  circuit. 

In  1854  the  great  discussion  began  between  Mr. 
Lincoln  and  Mr.  Douglas,  on  the  slavery  question. 
In  the  organization  of  the  Republican  party  in  Illinois, 
in  1856,  he  took  an  active  part,  and  at  once  became 
one  of  the  leaders  in  that  party.  Mr.  Lincoln's 
speeches  in  opposition  to  Senator  Douglas  in  the  con- 
test in  1858  for  a' seat  in  the  Senate,  form  a  most 
notable  part  of  his  history.  The  issue  was  on  the 
slavery  question,  and  he  took  the  broad  ground  of 
the  Declaration  of  Independence,  that  all  men  are 
created  equal.  Mr.  Lincaln  was  defeated  in  this  con- 
test, but  won  a  far  higher  prize. 

The  great  Republican  Convention  met  at  Chicago 
on  the  i6th  of  June,  1860.  The  delegates  and 
strangers  who  crowded  the  city  amounted  to  twenty- 
five  thousand.  An  immense  building  called  "  The 
Wigwam,"  was  reared  to  accommodate  the  Conven- 
tion. There  were  eleven  candidates  for  whom  votes 
were  thrown'.  William  H.  Seward,  a  man  whose  fame 
as  a  statesman  had  long  filled  the  land,  was  the  most 
prominent.  It  was  generally  supposed  he  would  be 
the  nominee.  Abraham  Lincoln,  however,  received 
the  nomination  on  the  third  ballot.  Little  did  he  then 
dream  of  the  weary  years  of  toil  and  care,  and  the 
bloody  death,  to  which  that  nomination  doomed  him : 
and  as  little  did  he  dream  that  he  was  to  render  services 
to  his  country,  which  would  fix  upon  him  the  eyes  of 
the  whole  civilized  world,  and  which  would  give  him 
a  place  in  the  affections  of  his  countrymen,  second 
only,  if  second,  to  that  of  Washington. 

Election  day  came  and  Mr.  Lincoln  received  180 
electoral  votes  out  of  203  cast,  and  was,  therefore, 
constitutionally  elected  President  of  the  United  States. 
The  tirade  of.abuse  that  was  poured  upon  this  good 


and  merciful  man,  especially  by  the  slaveholders,  was 
greater  than  upon  any  other  man  ever  elected  to  this 
high  position.  In  February,  1861,  Mr.  Lincoln  started 
for  Washington,  stopping  in  all  the  large  cities  on  his 
way  making  speeches.  The  whole  journey  was  frought 
with  much  danger.  Many  of  the  Southern  States  had 
already  seceded,  and  several  attempts  at  assassination 
were  afterwards  brought  to  light.  A  gang  in  Balti- 
more had  arranged,  upon  his  arrival  to  "  get  up'  a  row," 
and  in  the  confusion  to  make  sure  of  his  death  with 
revolvers  and  hand-grenades.  A  detective  unravelled 
the  plot.  A  secret  and  special  train  was  provided  to 
take  him  from  Harrisburg,  through  Baltimore,  at  an 
unexpected  hour  of  the  night.  The  train  started  at 
half-past  ten  ;  and  to  prevent  any  possible  communi- 
cation on  the  part  ol  the  Secessionists  with  their  Con- 
federate gang  in  Baltimore,  as  soon  as  the  train  had 
started  the  telegraph-wires  were  cut.  Mr.  Lincoln 
reached  Washington  in  safety  and  was  inaugurated, 
although  great  anxiety  was  felt  by  all  loyal  people. 

In  the  selection  of  his  cabinet  Mr.  Lincoln  gave 
to  Mr.  Seward  the  Department  of  State,  and  to  other 
prominent  opponents  before  the  convention  he  gave 
important  positions. 

During  no  other  administration  have  the  duties 
devolving  upon  the  President  been  so  manifold,  and 
the  responsibilities  so  great,  as  those  which  fell  to 
the  lot  of  President  Lincoln.  Knowing  this,  and 
feeling  his  own  weakness  and  inability  to  meet,  and  in 
his  own  strength  to  cope,  with,  the  difficulties,  he 
learned  early  to  seek  Divine  wisdom  and  guidance  in 
determining  his  plans,  and  Divine  comfort  in  all  his 
trials,  both  personal  and  national.  Contrary  to  his 
own  estimate  of  himself,  Mr.  Lincoln  was  one  of  the 
most  courageous  of  men.  He  went  directly  into  the 
rebel  capital  just  as  the  retreating  foe  was  leaving, 
with  no  guard  but  a  few  sailors.  From  the  time  he 
had  left  Springfield,  in  1861,  however,  plans  had  been 
made  for  his  assassination, and  he  at  last  fell  a  victim 
to  one  of  them.  April  14,  1865,  he,  with  Gen.  Grant, 
was  urgently  invited  to  attend  Fords'  Theater.  It 
was  announced  that  they  would  Le  present.  Gen. 
Grant,  however,  left  the  city.  President  Lincoln,  feel- 
ing, witn  his  characteristic  kindliness  of  heart,  that 
it  would  be  a  disappointment  if  he  should  fail  them, 
very  reluctantly  consented  to  go.  While  listening  to 
the  play  an  actor  by  the  name  of  John  Wilkes  Booth 
entered  the  box  where  the  President  and  family  were 
seated,  and  fired  a  bullet  into  his  brains.  He  died  the 
next  morning  at  seven  o'clock. 

Never  before,  in  the  history  of  the  world  was  a  nation 
plunged  into  such  deep  grief  by  the  death  of  its  ruler. 
Strong  men  met  in  the  streets  and  wept  in  speechless 
anguish.  It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  a  nation  was 
in  tears.  His  was  a  life  which  will  fitly  become  a 
model.  His  name  as  the  savior  of  his  country  will 
live  with  that  of  Washington's,  its  father;  his  country- 
men being  unable  to  decide  which  is  the  greater. 




THFLBM8Y 
OFTK 


SEVENTEENTH  PRESIDENT. 


NDREW  JOHNSON,  seven- 
teenth President  of  the  United 
States.  '  The  early  life  of 
Andrew  Johnson  contains  but 
the  record  of  poverty,  destitu- 
tion and  friendlessness.  He 
was  born  December  29,  1808, 
in  Raleigh,  N.  C.  His  parents, 
belonging  to  the  class  of  the 
"poor  whites  "  of  the  South,  were 
in  such  circumstances,  that  they 
could  not  confer  even  the  slight- 
est advantages  of  education  upon 
their  child.  When  Andrew  was  five 
years  of  age,  his  father  accidentally 
lost  his  life  while  herorically  endeavoring  to  save  a 
friend  from  drowning.  Until  ten  years  of  age,  Andrew 
was  a  ragged  boy  about  the  streets,  supported  by  the 
labor  of  his  mother,  who  obtained  her  living  with 
her  own  hands. 

He  then,  having  never  attended  a  school  one  day, 
and  being  unable  either  to  read  or  write,  was  ap- 
prenticed to  a  tailor  in  his  native  town.  A  gentleman 
was  in  the  habit  of  going  to  the  tailor's  shop  occasion- 
ally, and  reading  to  the  boys  at  work  there.  He  often 
read  from  the  speeches  of  distinguished  British  states- 
men. Andrew,  who  was  endowed  with  a  mind  of  more 
than  ordinary  native  ability,  became  much  interested 
in  these  speeches ;  his  ambition  was  roused,  and  he 
was  inspired  with  a  strong  desire  to  learn  to  read. 

He  accordingly  applied  himself  to  the  alphabet,  and 
with  the  assistance  of  some  of  his  fellow-workmen, 
learned  his  letters.  He  then  called  upon  the  gentle- 
man to  borrow  the  book  of  speeches.  The  owner, 


pleased  with  his  zeal,  not  only  gave  him  the  book, 
but  assisted  him  in  learning  to  combine  the  letters 
into  words.  Under  such  difficulties  he  pressed  on- 
ward laboriously,  spending  usually  ten  or  twelve  hours 
at  work  in  the  shop,  and  then  robbing  himself  of  rest 
and  recreation  to  devote  such  time  as  he  could  to 
reading. 

He  went  to  Tennessee  in  1826,  and  located  at 
Greenville,  where  he  married  a  young  lady  who  pos- 
sessed some  education.  Under  her  instructions  he 
learned  to  write  and  cipher.  He  became  prominent 
in  the  village  debating  society,  and  a  favorite  with 
the  students  of  Greenville  College.  In  1828,  he  or- 
ganized a  working  man's  party,  which  elected  him 
alderman,  and  in  1830  elected  him  mayor,  which 
position  he  held  three  years. 

He  now  began  to  take  a  lively  interest  in  political 
affairs ;  identifying  himself  with  the  working-classes, 
to  which  he  belonged.  In  1835,  he  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  House  of  Representatives  of  Tennes- 
see. He  was  then  just  twenty-seven  years  of  age. 
He  became  a  very  active  member  of  the  legislature, 
gave  his  adhesion  to  the  Democratic  party,  and  in 
1840  "stumped  the  State,"  advocating  Martin  Van 
Buren's  claims  to  the  Presidency,  in  opposition  to  those 
of  Gen.  Harrison.  In  this  campaign  he  acquired  much 
readiness  as  a  speaker,  and  extended  and  increased 
his  reputation. 

In  1841,  he  was  elected  State  Senator;  in  1843,  he 
was  elected  a  member  of  Congress,  and  by  successive 
elections,  held  that  important  post  for  ten  years.  In 
1853,  he  was  elected  Governor  of  Tennessee,  and 
was  re-elected  in  1855.  In  all  these  responsible  posi- 
tions, he  discharged  his  duties  with  distinguished  abil- 

*»§<<& 


ty,  and  proved  himself  the  warm  friend  of  the  work- 
ing classes.  In  1857,  Mr.  Johnson  was  elected 
United  States  Senator. 

Years  before,  in  1845,  he  had  warmly  advocated 
the  annexation  of  Texas,  stating  however,  as  his 
reason,  that  he  thought  this  annexation  would  prob- 
ably prove  "  to  be  the  gateway  out  of  which  the  sable 
sons  of  Africa  are  to  pass  from  bondage  to  freedom, 
and  become  merged  in  a  population  congenial  to 
themselves."  In  1850,  he  also  supported  the  com- 
promise measures,  the  two  essential  features  of  which 
were,  that  the  white  people  of  the  Territories  should 
be  permitted  to  decide  for  themselves  whether  they 
would  enslave  the  colored  people  or  not,  and  that 
the  free  States  of  the  North  should  return  to  the 
South  persons  who  attempted  to  escape  from  slavery. 

Mr.  Johnson  was  never  ashamed  of  his  lowly  origin: 
on  the  contrary,  he  often  took  pride  in  avowing  that 
he  owed  his  distinction  to  his  own  exertions.  "  Sir," 
said  he  on  the  floor  of  the  Senate,  "  I  do  not  forget 
that  I  am  a  mechanic ;  neither  do  I  forget  that  Adam 
was  a  tailor  and  sewed  fig-leaves,  and  that  our  Sav- 
ior was  the  son  of  a  carpenter." 

In  the  Charleston-Baltimore  convention  of  1860,  he 
was  the  choice  of  the  Tennessee  Democrats  for  the 
Presidency.  In  1861,  when  the  purpose  of  the  South- 
ern Democracy  became  apparent,  he  took  a  decided 
stand  in  favor  of  the  Union,  and  held  that  "  slavery 
must  be  held  subordinate  to  the  Union  at  whatever 
cost."  He  returned  to  Tennessee,  and  repeatedly 
imperiled  his  own  life  to  protect  the  Unionists  of 
Tennesee.  Tennessee  having  seceded  from  the 
Union,  President  Lincoln,  on  March  4th,  1862,  ap- 
pointed him  Military  Governor  of  the  State,  and  he 
established  the  most  stringent  military  rule.  His 
numerous  proclamations  attracted  wide  attention.  In 

1864,  he  was  elected  Vice-President  of  the    United 
States,  and  upon  the  death  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  April  r5, 

1865,  became  President.     In  a  speech  two  days  later 
he  said,  "  The  American  people  must  be   taught,   if 
they  do  not  already  feel,  that  treason  is  a  crime  and 
must  be  punished ;  that  the     Government  will   not 
always  bear  with  its  enemies ;  that  it  is   strong   not 
only  to  protect,  but  to   punish.     *     *     The  people 
must  understand  that  it  (treason)  is  the   blackest  of 
crimes,  and  will  surely  be  punished."    Yet  his  whole 
administration,  the  history  of  which  is  so  well  known, 
was  in  utter  inconsistency  with,  and  the  most  violent 


opposition  to,  the  principles  laid  down  in  that  speech. 

In  his  loose  policy  of  reconstruction  and  general 
amnesty,  he  was  opposed  by  Congress ;  and  he  char- 
acterized Congress  as  a  new  rebellion,  and  lawlessly 
defied  it,  in  everything  possible,  to  the  utmost.  In 
the  beginning  of  1868,  on  account  of  "high  crimes 
and  misdemeanors,"  the  principal  of  which  was  the 
removal  of  Secretary  Stanton,  in  violation  of  the  Ten- 
ure of  Office  Act,  articles  of  impeachment  were  pre- 
ferred against  him,  and  the  trial  began  March  23. 

It  was  very  tedious,  continuing  for  nearly  three 
months.  A  test  article  of  the  impeachment  was  at 
length  submitted  to  the  court  for  its  action.  It  was 
certain  that  as  the  court  voted  upon  that  article  so 
would  it  vote  upon  all.  Thirty-four  voices  pronounced 
the  President  guilty.  As  a  two-thirds  vote  was  neces- 
sary to  his  condemnation,  he  was  pronounced  ac- 
quitted, notwithstanding  the  great  majority  against 
him.  The  change  of  one  vote  from  the  not  guilty 
side  would  have  sustained  the  impeachment. 

The  President,  for  the  remainder  of  his  term,  was 
but  little  regarded.  He  continued,  though  impotently, 
his  conflict  with  Congress.  His  own  party  did  not 
think  it  expedient  to  renominate  him  for  the  Presi- 
dency. The  Nation  rallied,  with  enthusiasm  unpar- 
alleled since  the  days  of  Washington,  around  the  name 
of  Gen.  Grant.  Andrew  Johnson  was  forgotten. 
The  bullet  of  the  assassin  introduced  him  to  the 
President's  chair.  Notwithstanding  this,  never  was 
there  presented  to  a  man  a  better  opportunity  to  im- 
mortalize his  name,  and  to  win  the  gratitude  of  a 
nation.  He  failed  utterly.  He  retired  to  his  home 
in  Greenville,  Tenn.,  taking  no  very  active  part  in 
politics  until  1875.  On  Jan.  26,  after  an  exciting 
struggle,  he  was  chosen  by  the  Legislature  of  Ten- 
nessee, United  States  Senator  in  the  forty-fourth  Con- 
gress, and  took  his  seat  in  that  body,  at  the  special 
session  convened  by  President  Grant,  on  the  sth  of 
March.  On  the  27th  of  July,  1875,  the  ex-President 
made  a  visit  to  his  daughter's  home,  near  Carter 
Station,  Tenn.  When  he  started  on  his  journey,  he  was 
apparently  in  his  usual  vigorous  health,  but  on  reach- 
ing the  residence  of  his  child  the  following  day,  was 
stricken  with  paralysis,  rendering  him  unconscious. 
He  rallied  occasionally,  but  finally  passed  away  at 
2  A.M.,  July  3 1,  aged  sixty-seven  years.  His  fun- 
eral was  attended  at  Geenville,  on  the  3d  of  August, 
with  every  demonstration  of  respect. 


THELlWWRir 

OF  THE 
UOTERSiTYOFILLNKMS 


LYSSES     S.    GRANT,    the 
eighteenth   President  of  the 
United  States,  was   born   on 
the  agth  of  April,    1822,  of 
Christian  parents,  in  a  humble 
home,  at  Point  Pleasant,  on  the 
banks  of  the  Ohio.  Shortly  after  • 
his   father   moved   to    George- 
town, Brown  Co.,  O.  In  this  re- 
mote frontier   hamlet,   Ulysses 
received  a  common-school  edu- 
cation.    At  the  age   of  seven- 
teen, in  the  year  1839,  he  entered 
the    Military    Academy    at    West 
Point.     Here  he  was  regarded  as  a 
solid,  sensible  young  man   of  fair  abilities,   and   of 
sturdy,  honest  character.     He  took  respectable  rank 
as  a  scholar.     In  June,  1843,  he  graduated,  about  the 
middle  in  his  class,  and  was  sent  as  lieutenant  of  in- 
fantry to  one  of  the  distant  military  posts  in  the  Mis- 
souri Territory.     Two  years  he  past  in  these  dreary 
solitudes,  watching  the  vagabond   and   exasperating 
Indians. 

The  war  with  Mexico  came.  Lieut.  Grant  was 
sent  with  his  regiment  to  Corpus  Christi.  His  first 
battle  was  at  Palo  Alto.  There  was  no  chance  here 
for  the  exhibition  of  either  skill  or  heroism,  nor  at 
Resaca  de  la  Palma,  his  second  battle.  At  the  battle 
of  Monterey,  his  third  engagement,  it  is  said  that 
he  performed  a  signal  service  of  daring  and  skillful 
horsemanship.  His  brigade  had  exhausted  its  am- 
munition. A  messenger  must  be  sent  for  more,  along 
a  route  exposed  to  the  bullets  of  the  foe.  Lieut. 
Grant,  adopting  an  expedient  learned  of  the  Indians, 
grasped  the  mane  of  his  horse,  and  hanging  upon  one 
side  of  the  animal,  ran  the  gauntlet  in  entire  safety. 


From  Monterey  he  was  sent,  with  the  fourth  infantry, 
to  aid  Gen.  Scott,  at  the  siege  of  Vera  Cruz.  In 
preparation  for  the  march  to  the  city  of  Mexico,  he 
was  appointed  quartermaster  of  his  regiment.  At  the 
battle  of  Molino  del  Rey,  he  was  promoted  to  a 
first  lieutenancy,  and  was  brevetted  captain  at  Cha- 
pultepec. 

At  the  close  of  the  Mexican  War,  Capt.  Grant  re- 
turned with  his  regiment  to  New  York,  and  was  again 
sent  to  one  of  the  military  posts  on  the  frontier.  The 
discovery  of  gold  in  California  causing  an  immense 
tide  of  emigration  to  flow  to  the  Pacific  shores,  Capt. 
Grant  was  sent  with  a  battalion  to  Fort  Dallas,  in 
Oregon,  for  the  protection  of  the  interests  of  the  im- 
migrants. Life  was  wearisome  in  those  wilds.  Capt. 
Grant  resigned  his  commission  and  returned  to  the 
States ;  and  having  married,  entered  upon  the  cultiva- 
tion of  a  small  farm  near  St.  Louis,  Mo.  He  had  but 
little  skill  as  a  farmer.  Finding  his  toil  not  re- 
munerative, he  turned  to  mercantile  life,  entering  into 
the  leather  business,  with  a  younger  brother,  at  Ga- 
lena, 111.  This  was  in  the  year  1860.  As  the  tidings 
of  the  rebels  firing  on  Fort  Sumpter  reached  the  ears 
of  Capt.  Grant  in  his  counting-room,  he  said, — 
"Uncle  Sam  has  educated  me  for  the  army;  though 
I  have  served  him  through  one  war,  I  do  not  feel  that 
I  have  yet  repaid  the  debt.  I  am  still  ready  to  discharge 
my  obligations.  I  shall  therefore  buckle  on  my  sword 
and  see  Uncle  Sam  through  this  war  too." 

He  went  into  the  streets,  raised  a  company  of  vol- 
unteers, and  led  them  as  their  captain  to  Springfield, 
the  capital  of  the  State,  where  their  services  were 
offered  to  Gov.  Yates.  The  Governor,  impressed  by 
the  zeal  and  straightforward  executive  ability  of  Capt. 
Grant,  gave  him  a  desk  in  his  office,  to  assist  in  the 
volunteer  organization  that  was  being  formed  in  the 
State  in  behalf  of  the  Government.  On  the  isth  of 


^ 


ULYSSES  S.  GRANT. 


June,  1 86 1,  Capt.  Grant  received  a  commission  as 
Colonel  of  the  Twenty-first  Regiment  of  Illinois  Vol- 
unteers. His  merits  as  a  West  Point  graduate,  who 
had  served  for  15  years  in 'the  regular  army,  were  such 
that  he  was  soon  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Brigadier- 
General  and  was  placed  in  command  at  Cairo.  The 
rebels  raised  their  banner  at  Paducah,  near  the  mouth 
of  the  Tennessee  River.  Scarcely  had  its  folds  ap- 
peared in  the  breeze  ere  Gen.  Grant  was  there.  The 
rebels  fled.  Their  banner  fell,  and  the  star  and 
stripes  were  unfurled  in  its  stead. 

He  entered  the  service  with  great  determination 
and  immediately  began  active  duty.  This  was  the  be- 
ginning, and  until  the  surrender  of  Lee  at  Richmond 
he  was  ever  pushing  the  enemy  with  great  vigor  and 
effectiveness.  At  Belmont,  a  few  days  later,  he  sur- 
prised and  routed  the  rebels,  then  at  Fort  Henry 
won  another  victory.  Then  came  the  brilliant  fight 
at  Fort  Donelson.  The  nation  was  electrified  by  the 
victory,  and  the  brave  leader  of  the  boys  in  blue  was, 
immediately  made  a  Major-General,  and  the  military 
district  of  Tennessee  was  assigned  to  him. 

Like  all  great  captains,  Gen.  Grant  knew  well  how 
to  secure  the  results  of  victory.  He  immediately 
pushed  on  to  the  enemies'  lines.  Then  came  the 
terrible  battles  of  Pittsburg  Landing,  Corinth,  and  the 
siege  of  Vicksburg,  where  Gen.  Pemberton  made  an 
unconditional  surrender  of  the  city  with  over  thirty 
thousand  men  and  one-hundred  and  seventy-two  can- 
non. The  fall  of  Vicksburg  was  by  far  the  most 
severe  blow  which  the  rebels  had  thus  far  encountered, 
and  opened  up  the  Mississippi  from  Cairo  to  the  Gulf. 

Gen.  Grant  was  next  ordered  to  co-operate  with 
Gen.  Banks  in  a  movement  upon  Texas,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  New  Orleans,  where  he  was  thrown  from 
his  horse,  and  received  severe  injuries,  from  which  he 
was  laid  up  for  months.  He  then  rushed  to  the  aid 
of  Gens.  Rosecrans  and  Thomas  at  Chattanooga,  and 
by  a  wonderful  series  of  strategic  and  tactical  meas- 
ures put  the  Union  army  in  fighting  condition.  Then 
followed  the  bloody  battles  at  Chattanooga,  Lookout 
Mountain  and  Missionary  Ridge,  in  which  the  rebels 
were  routed  with  great  loss.  This  won  for  him  un- 
bounded praise  in  the  North.  On  the  4th  of  Febru- 
ary, 1864,  Congress  revived  the  grade  of  lieutenant- 
general,  and  the  rank  was  conferred  on  Gen.  Grant. 
He  repaired  to  Washington  to  receive  his  credentials 
and  enter  upon  the  duties  of  his  new  office. 


Gen.  Grant  decided  as  soon  as  he  took  charge  of 
the  army  to  concentrate  the  widely-dispersed  National 
troops  for  an  attack  upon  Richmond,  the  nominal 
capital  of  the  Rebellion,  and  endeavor  there  to  de- 
stroy the  rebel  armies  which  would  be  promptly  as- 
sembled from  all  quarters  for  its  defence.  The  whole 
continent  seemed  to  tremble  under  the  tramp  of  these 
majestic  armies,  rushing  to  the  decisive  battle  field. 
Steamers  were  crowded  with  troops.  Railway  trains 
were  burdened  with  closely  packed  thousands.  His 
plans  were  comprehensive  and  involved  a  series  of 
campaigns,  which  were  executed  with  remarkable  en- 
ergy and  ability,  and  were  consummated  at  the  sur- 
render of  Lee,  April  9,  1865. 

The  war  was  ended.  The  Union  was  saved.  The 
almost  unanimous  voice  of  the  Nation  declared  Gen. 
Grant  to  be  the  most  prominent  instrument  in  its  sal- 
vation. The  eminent  services  he  had  thus  rendered 
the  country  brought  him  conspicuously  forward  as  the 
Republican  candidate  for  the  Presidential  chair. 

At  the  Republican  Convention  held  at  Chicago, 
May  21,  1868,  he  was  unanimously  nominated  for  the 
Presidency,  and  at  the  autumn  election  received  a 
majority  of  the  popular  vote,  and  214  out  of  294 
electoral  votes. 

The  National  Convention  of  the  Republican  party 
which  met  at  Philadelphia  on  the  5th  of  June,  1872, 
placed  Gen.  Grant  in  nomination  for  a  second  term 
by  a  unanimous  vote.  The  selection  was  emphati- 
cally indorsed  by  the  people  five  months  later,  292 
electoral  votes  being  cast  for  him. 

Soon  after  the  close  of  his  second  term,  Gen.  Grant 
started  upon  his  famous  trip  around  the  world.  He 
visited  almost  every  country  of  the  civilized  world, 
and  was  everywhere  received  with  such  ovations 
and  demonstrations  of  respect  and  honor,  private 
as  well  as  public  and  official,  as  were  never  before 
bestowed  upon  any  citizen  of  the  United  States.  It 
is  not  too  much  to  say  that  his  modest,  courteous,  and 
dignified  demeanor  in  the  presence  of  the  most  dis- 
tinguished men  in  the  different  nations  in  the  world, 
reflected  honor  upon  the  Republic  which  he  so  long 
and  so  faithfully  served.  The  country  felt  a  great 
pride  in  his  reception.  Upon  his  arrival  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, Sept.  20,  r879,  the  city  authorities  gave  him  a 
fine  reception.  After  lingering  in  the  Golden  State 
for  a  while,  he  began  his  tour  through  the  States, 
which  extended  North  and  South,  everywhere  mark- 
ed by  great  acclamation  and  splendid  ovations. 




NINETEENTH  PRESIDENT. 


1'-.'"ir;  i'Tv ;  ''1*7777''  •'  ir3T'<;  7 ;  >' ;  <<  :7>< : .' : .. ..  •. '.  •. '. '. '.  •.  '.  '.  '>:<>:',:  >,  \~<,  '..'i '.  vrv'.v.  '1 


I 

UTHERFORD  B.  HAYES, 
the  nineteenth  President  of 
the  United  States,  was  born  in 
Delaware,  O.,  Oct.  4,  1822,  al- 
most three  months  after  the 
death  of  his  father,  Rutherford 
Hayes.  His  ancestry  on  both 
the  paternal  and  maternal  sides, 
was  of  the  most  honorable  char- 
acter. It  can  be  traced,  it  is  said, 
as  far  back  as  1280,  when  Hayes  and 
Rutherford  were  two  Scottish  chief- 
tains, fighting  side  by  side  with 
Baliol,  William  Wallace  and  Robert 
Bruce.  Both  families  belonged  to  the 
nobility,  owned  extensive  estates, 
and  had  a  large  following.  Misfor- 
tune overtaking  the  family,  George  Hayes  left  Scot- 
land in  1680,  and  settled  in  Windsor,  Conn.  His  son 
George  was  born  in  Windsor,  and  remained  there 
during  his  life.  Daniel  Hayes,  son  of  the  latter,  mar- 
ried Sarah  Lee,  and  lived  from  the  time  of  his  mar- 
riage until  his  death  in  Simsbury,  Conn.  Ezekiel, 
son  of  Daniel,  was  born  in  1724,  and  was  a  manufac- 
turer of  scythes  at  Bradford,  Conn.  Rutherford  Hayes, 
son  of  Ezekiel  and  grandfather  of  President  Hayes,  was 
born  inNew Haven,  in  August,  1756.  He  was  a  fanner, 
blacksmith  and  tavern-keeper.  He  emigrated  to 
Vermont  at  an  unknown  date,  settling  in  Brattleboro, 
where  he  established  a  hotel.  Here  his  son  Ruth- 
erford Hayes,  the  father  of  President  Hayes,  was 


born.  He  was  married,  in  September,  1813,  to  Sophia 
Birchard,  of  Wilmington,  Vt.,  whose  ancestors  emi- 
grated thither  from  Connecticut,  they  having  been 
among  the  wealthiest  and  best  famlies  of  Norwich. 
Her  ancestry  on  the  male  side  are  traced  back  to 
1635,  to  John  Birchard,  one  of  the  principal  founders 
of  Norwich.  Both  of  her  grandfathers  were  soldiers 
in  the  Revolutionary  War. 

The  father  of  President  Hayes  was  an  industrious, 
frugal  and  opened-hearted  man.  He  was  of  a  me- 
chanical turn,  and  could  mend  a  plow,  knit  a  stock~ 
ing,  or  do  almost  anything  else  that  he  choose  to 
undertake.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Church,  active 
in  all  the  benevolent  enterprises  of  the  town,  and  con- 
ducted his  business  on  Christian  principles.  After 
the  close  of  the  war  of  1812,  for  reasons  inexplicable 
to  his  neighbors,  he  resolved  to  emigrate  to  Ohio. 

The  journey  from  Verm6nt  to  Ohio  in  that  day, 
when  there  were  no  canals,  steamers,  nor  railways, 
was  a  very  serious  affair.  A  tour  of  inspection  was 
first  made,  occupying  four  months.  Mr.  Hayes  deter- 
mined to  move  to  Delaware,  where  the  family  arrived 
in  1817.  He  died  July  22,  1822,  a  victim  of  malarial 
fever,  less  than  three  months  before  the  birth  of  the 
son,  of  whom  we  now  write.  Mrs.  Hayes,  in  her  sore  be- 
reavement, found  the  support  she  so  much  needed  in 
her  brother  Sardis,  who  had  been  a  member  of  the 
household  from  the  day  of  its  departure  from  Ver- 
mont, and  in  an  orphan  girl  whom  she  had  adopted 
some  time  before  as  an  act  of  charity. 

Mrs.  Hayes  at  this  period  was  very  weak,  and  the 


ft 


r 


RUTHERFORD  £.  HAYES. 


subject  of  this  sketch  was  so  feeble  at  birth  that  he 
was  not  expected  to  live  beyond  a  month  or  two  at 
most.  As  the  months  went  by  he  grew  weaker  and 
weaker,  so  that  the  neighbors  were  in  the  habit  of  in- 
quiring from  time  to  time  "  if  Mrs.  Hayes'  baby  died 
last  night."  On  one  occasion  a  neighbor,  who  was  on 
familiar  terms  with  the  family,  after  alluding  to  the 
boy's  big  head,  and  the  mother's  assiduous  care  of 
him,  said  in  a  bantering  way,  "  That's  right !  Stick  to 
him.  You  have  got  him  along  so  far,  and  I  shouldn't 
wonder  if  he  would  really  come  to  something  yet." 

"  You  need  not  laugh,"  said  Mrs.  Hayes.  "  You 
wait  and  see.  You  can't  tell  but  I  shall  make  him 
President  of  the  United  States  yet."  The  boy  lived, 
in  spite  of  the  universal  predictions  of  his  speedy 
death;  and  when,  in  1825,  his  older  brother  was 
drowned,  he  became,  if  possible,  still  dearer  to  his 
mother. 

The  boy  was  seven  years  old  before  he  went  to 
school.  His  education,  however,  was  not  neglected. 
He  probably  learned  as  much  from  his  mother  and 
sister  as  he  would  have  done  at  school.  His  sports 
were  almost  wholly  within  doors,  his  playmates  being 
his  sister  and  her  associates.  These  circumstances 
tended,  no  doubt,  to  foster  that  gentleness  of  dispo- 
sition, and  that  delicate  consideration  for  the  feelings 
of  others,  which  are  marked  traits  of  his  character. 

His  uncle  Sardis  Birchard  took  the  deepest  interest 
in  his  education ;  and  as  the  boy's  health  had  im- 
proved, and  he  was  making  good  progress  in  his 
studies,  he  proposed  to  send  him  to  college.  His  pre- 
paration commenced  with  a  tutor  at  home;  but  he 
was  afterwards  sent  for  one  year  to  a  professor  in  the 
Wesleyan  University,  in  Middletown,  Conn.  He  en- 
tered Kenyon  College  in  1838,3!  the  age  of  sixteen, 
and  was  graduated  at  the  head  of  his  class  in  1842. 

Immediately  after  his  graduation  he  began  the 
study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Thomas  Sparrow,  Esq., 
in  Columbus.  Finding  his  opportunities  for  study  in 
Columbus  somewhat  limited,  he  determined  to  enter 
the  Law  School  at  Cambridge,  Mass.,  where  he  re- 
mained two  years. 

In  1845,  after  graduating  at  the  Law  School,  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  at  Marietta,  Ohio,  and  shortly 
afterward  went  into  practice  as  an  attorney-at-law 
with  Ralph  P.  Buckland,  of  Fremont.  Here  he  re- 
mained three  years,  acquiring  but  a  limited  practice, 
and  apparently  unambitious  of  distinction  in  his  pro- 
fession. 

In  1849  he  moved  to  Cincinnati,  where  his  ambi- 
tion found  a  new  stimulus.  For  several  years,  how- 
ever, his  progress  was  slow.  Two  events,  occurring  at 
this  period,  had  a  powerful  influence  upon  his  subse- 
quent life.  One  of  these  was  his  marrage  with  Miss 
Lucy  Ware  Webb,  daughter  of  Dr.  James  Webb,  of 
Chilicothe;  the  other  was  his  introduction  to  the  Cin- 
cinnati Literary  Club,  a  body  embracing  among  its 
members  such  men  as  Chief  Justice  Salmon  P.  Chase, 


Gen.  John  Pope,  Gov.  Edward  F.  Noyes,  and  many 
others  hardly  less  distinguished  in  after  life.  The 
marriage  was  a  fortunate  one  in  every  respect,  as 
everybody  knows.  Not  one  of  all  the  wives  of  our 
Presidents  was  more  universally  admired,  reverenced 
and  beloved  than  was  Mrs!  Hayes,  and  no  one  did 
more  than  she  to  reflect  honor  upon  American  woman- 
hood. The  Literary  Club  brought  Mr.  Hayes  into 
constant  association  with  young  men  of  high  char- 
acter and  noble  aims,  and  lured  him  to  display  the 
qualities  so  long  hidden  by  his  bashfulness  and 
modesty. 

In  1856  he  was  nominated  to  the  office  of  Judge  of 
the  Court  of  Common  Pleas;  but  he  declined  to  ac- 
cept the  nomination.  Two  years  later,  the  office  of 
city  solicitor  becoming  vacant,  the  City  Council 
elected  him  for  the  unexpired  term. 

In  1861,  when  the  Rebellion  broke  out,  he  was  at 
the  zenith  of  his  professional  life.  His  rank  at  the 
bar  was  among  the  the  first.  But  the  news  of  the 
attack  on  Fort  Sumpter  found  him  eager  to  take  up 
arms  for  the  defense  of  his  country. 

His  military  record  was  bright  and  illustrious.  In 
October,  1861,  he  was  made  Lieutenant-Colonel,  and 
in  August,  1862,  promoted  Colonel  of  the  7gth  Ohio 
regiment,  but  he  refused  to  leave  his  old  comrades 
and  go  among  strangers.  Subsequently,  however,  he 
was  made  Colonel  of  his  old  regiment.  At  the  battle 
of  South  Mountain  he  received  a  wound,  and  while 
faint  and  bleeding  displayed  courage  and  fortitude 
that  won  admiration  from  all. 

Col.  Hayes  was  detached  from  his  regiment,  after 
his  recovery,  to  act  as  Brigadier-General,  and  placed 
in  command  of  the  celebrated  Kanawha  division, 
and  for  gallant  and  meritorious  services  in  the  battles 
of  Winchester,  Fisher's  Hill  and  Cedar  Creek,  he  was 
promoted  Brigadier-General.  He  was  also  brevetted 
Major-General,  "forgallant  and  distinguished  services 
during  the  campaigns  of  1864,  in  West  Virginia."  In 
the  course  of  his  arduous  services,  four  horses  were 
shot  from  under  hihi,  and  he  was  wounded  four  times. 

In  1864,  Gen.  Hayes  was  elected  to  Congress,  from 
the  Second  Ohio  District,  which  had  long  been  Dem- 
ocratic. He  was  not  present  during  the  campaign, 
and  after  his  election  was  importuned  to  resign  his 
commission  in  the  army ;  but  he  finally  declared,  "  I 
shall  never  come  to  Washington  until  I  can  come  by 
«the  way  of  Richmond."  He  was  re-elected  in  1866. 

In  1867,  Gen  Hayes  was  elected  Governor  of  Ohio, 
over  Hon.  Allen  G.  Thurman,  a  popular  Democrat. 
In  1869  was  re-elected  over  George  H.  Pendleton. 
He  was  elected  Govenwr  for  the  third  term  in  1875. 

In  1876  he  was  the  standard  bearer  of  the  Repub- 
lican Party  in  the  Presidential  contest,  and  after  a 
hard  long  contest  was  chosen  President,  and  was  in 
augurated  Monday,  March  5,  1875.  He  served  his' 
full  term,  not,  hcwever,  with  satisfaction  to  his  party, 
but  his  administration  was  an  average  one. 


THEUBRW 
OF  THE 

mrvERsirr  OF  ILLINOIS 


TWENTIETH  PRESIDENT. 


AMES  A.  GARFIELD,  twen- 
tieth President  of  the  United 
States,    was    born   Nov.    19, 
i83r,  in  the  woods  of  Orange, 
Cuyahoga  Co.,  O      His    par- 
ents were  Abram  and    Eliza 
(Ballou)   Garfield,   both   of  New 
England  ancestry  and  from  fami- 
well  known  in  the  early  his- 
tory of  that  section  of  our  coun- 
try, but  had  moved  to  the  Western 
Reserve,  in  Ohio,  early  in  its  settle- 
ment. 

The  house  in  which  James  A.  was 
bom  was  not  unlike  the  houses  of 
poor  Ohio  farmers  of  that  day.  It 
was  about  20 130  feet,  built  of  logs,  with  the  spaces  be- 
tween the  logs  filled  with  clay.  His  father  was  a 
hard  working  farmer,  and  he  soon  had  his  fields 
cleared,  an  orchard  planted,  and  a  log  barn  built. 
The  household  comprised  the  father  and  mother  and 
their  four  children — Mehetabel,  Thomas,  Mary  and 
James.  In  May,  1823,  the  father,  from  a  cold  con- 
tracted in  helping  to  put  out  a  forest  fire,  died.  At 
this  time  James  was  about  eighteen  months  old,  and 
Thomas  about  ten  years  old.  No  one,  perhaps,  can 
tell  how  much  James  was  indebted  to  his  brother's 
toil  and  self-sacrifice  during  the  twenty  years  suc- 
ceeding his  father's  death,  but  undoubtedly  very 
much.  He  now  lives  in  Michigan,  and  the  two  sis- 
ters live  in  Solon,  O.,  near  their  birthplace. 

The  early  educational  advantages  young  Garfield 
enjoyed  were  very  limited,  yet  he  made  the  most  of 
them.  He  labored  at  farm  work  for  others,  did  car- 
penter work,  chopped  wood,  or  did  anything  that 
would  bring  in  a  few  dollars  to  aid  his  widowed 
mother  in  her  struggles  to  keep  the  little  family  to- 


gether. Nor  was  Gen.  Garfield  ever  ashamed  of  his 
origin,  and  he  never  forgot  the  friends  of  his  strug- 
gling childhood,  youth  and  manhood,  neither  did  they 
ever  forget  him.  When  in  the  highest  seats  of  honor, 
the  humblest  fiiend  of  his  boyhood  was  as  kindly 
greeted  as  ever.  The  poorest  laborer  was  sure  of  the 
sympathy  of  one  who  had  known  all  the  bitterness 
of  want  and  the  sweetness  of  bread  earned  by  the 
sweat  of  the  brow.  He  was  ever  the  simple,  plain, 
modest  gentleman. 

The  highest  ambition  of  young  Garfield  until  he 
was  about  sixteen  years  old  was  to  be  a  captain  of 
a  vessel  on  Lake  Erie.  He  was  anxious  to  go  aboard 
a  vessel,  which  his  mother  strongly  opposed.  She 
finally  consented  to  his  going  to  Cleveland,  with  the 
understanding,  however,  that  he  should  try  to  obtain 
some  other  kind  of  employment.  He  walked  all  the 
way  to  Cleveland.  This  was  his  first  visit  to  the  city. 
After  making  many  applications  for  work,  and  trying 
to  get  aboard  a  lake  vessel,  and  not  meeting  with 
success,  he  engaged  as  a  driver  for  his  cousin,  Amos 
Letcher,  on  the  Ohio  &  Pennsylvania  Canal.  He  re- 
mained at  this  work  but  a  short  time  when  he  went 
horrie,  and  attended  the  seminary  at  Chester  for 
about  three  years,  when  he  entered  Hiram  and  the 
Eclectic  Institute,  teaching  a  few  terms  of  school  in 
the  meantime,  and  doing  other  work.  This  school 
was  started  by  the  Disciples  of  Christ  in  1850,  of 
which  church  he  was  then  a  member.  He  became 
janitor  and  bell-ringer  in  order  to  help  pay  his  way. 
He  then  became  both  teacher  and  pupil.  He  soon 
"  exhausted  Hiram  "  and  needed  more  ;  hence,  in  the 
fall  of  1854,  he  entered  Williams  College,  from  which 
he  graduated  in  1856,  taking  one  of  the  highest  hon- 
ors of  his  class.  He  afterwards  returned  to  Hiram 
College  as  its  President.  As  above  stated,  he  early 
united  with  the  Christian  or  Diciples  Church  at 
Hiram,  and  was  ever  after  a  devoted,  zealous  mem- 
ber, often  preaching  in  its  pulpit  and  places  where 
he  happened  to  be.  Dr.  Noah  Porter,  President  of 
Yale  College,  says  of  him  in  reference  to  his  religion ; 


v§) 


I 

c 

i 


JAMES  A.  GARFIELD. 


Christianity.      Presdent    Gar 
church  of  his  mother,  the  ch 


President  Garfield  was  more  than  a  man  of 
strong  moral  and  religious  convictions.  His  whole 
history,  from  boyhood  to  the  last,  shows  that  duty  to 
man  and  to  God,  and  devotion  to  Christ  and  life  and 
faith  and  spiritual  commission  were  controlling  springs 
of  his  being,  and  to  a  more  than  usual  degree.  In 
my  judgment  there  is  no  more  interesting  feature  of 
his  character  than  his  loyal  allegiance  to  the  body  of 
Christians  in  which  he  was  trained,  and  the  fervent 
sympathy  which  he  ever  showed  in  their  Christian 
communion.  Not  many  of  the  few  'wise  and  mighty 
and  noble  who  are  called '  show  a  similar  loyalty  to 
the  less  stately  and  cultured  Christian  communions 
in  which  they,  have  been  reared.  Too  often  it  is  true 
that  as  they  step  upward  in  social  and  political  sig- 
nificance they  step  upward  from  one  degree  to 
another  in  some  of  the  many  types  of  fashionable 
Christianity.  President  Garfield  adhered  to  the 
liurch  in  which  he  was 

a  pi 

evangelist,  and  yet  with  the  largest  and  most  unsec- 
tarian  charity  for  all  'who  loveour  Lord  in  sincerity.'" 

Mr.  Garfield  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Lucretia  Rudolph,  Nov.  n,  1858,  who  proved  herself 
worthy  as  the  wife  of  one  whom  all  the  world  loved  and 
mourned.  To  them  were  born  seven  children,  five  of 
whom  are  still  living,  four  boys  and  one  girl. 

Mr.  Garfield  made  his  first  political  speeches  in  1856, 
in  Hiram  and  the  neighboring  villages,  and  three 
years  later  he  began  to  speak  at  county  mass-meet- 
ings, and  became  the  favorite  speaker  wherever  he 
was.  During  this  year  he  was  elected  to  the  Ohio 
Senate.  He  also  began  to  study  law  at  Cleveland, 
and  in  1 86  r  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  The  great 
Rebellion  broke  out  in  the  early  part  of  this  year, 
and  Mr.  Garfield  at  once  resolved  to  fight  as  he  had 
talked,  and  enlisted  to  defend  the  old  flag.  He  re- 
ceived his  commission  as  Lieut.-Colonel  of  the  Forty- 
second  Regiment  of  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  Aug. 
14,  1861.  He  was  immediately  put  into  active  ser- 
vice, and  before  he  had  ever  seen  a  gun  fired  in  action, 
was  placed  in  command  of  four  regiments  of  infantry 
and  eight  companies  of  cavalry,  charged  with  the 
work  of  driving  out  of  his  native  State  the  officer 
(Humphrey  Marshall)  reputed  to  be  the  ablest  of 
those,  not  educated  to  war  whom  Kentucky  had  given 
to  the  Rebellion.  This  work  was  bravely  and  speed- 
ily accomplished,  although  against  great  odds.  Pres- 
ident Lincoln,  on  his  success  commissioned  him 
Brigadier-General,  Jan.  10,  1862;  and  as  "he  had 
been  the  youngest  man  in  the  Ohio  Senate  two  years 
before,  so  now  he  was  the  youngest  General  in  the 
army."  He  was  with  Gen.  Buell's  army  at  Shiloli, 
in  its  operations  around  Corinth  and  its  march  through 
Alabama.  He  was  then  detailed  as  a  member  of  the 
General  Court-Martial  for  the  trial  of  Gen.  Fitz-John 
Porter.  He  was  then  ordered  to  report  to  Gen.  Rose- 
crans,  and  was  assigned  to  the  "Chief  of  Staff." 

The  military  history  of  Gen.  Garfield  closed  with 
£. 


his  brilliant  services  at  Chickamauga,  where  he  won 
the  stars  of  the  Major-General. 

Without  an  effort  on  his  part  Gen.  Garfield  was 
elected  to  Congress  in  the  fall  of  1862  from  the 
Nineteenth  District  of  Ohio.  This  section  of  Ohio 
had  been  represented  in  Congress  for  sixty  years 
mainly  by  two  men — Elisha  Whittlesey  and  Joshua 
R.  Giddings.  It  was  not  without  a  struggle  that  he 
resigned  his  place  in  the  army.  At  the  time  he  en- 
tered Congress  he  was  the  youngest  member  in  that 
body.  There  he  remained  by  successive  re- 
elections  until  he  was  elected  President  in  1880. 
Of  his  labors  in  Congress  Senator  Hoar  says  :  "  Since 
the  year  1864  you  cannot  think  of  a  question  which 
has  been  debated  in  Congress,  or  discussed  before  a 
tribunel  of  the  American  people,  in  regard  to  which 
you  will  not  find,  if  you  wish  instruction,  the  argu- 
ment on  one  side  stated,  in  almost  every  instance 
better  than  by  anybody  else,  in  some  speech  made  in 
the  House  of  Representatives  or  on  the  hustings  by 
Mr.  Garfield." 

Upon  Jan.  14,  1880,  Gen.  Garfield  was  elected  to 
the  U.  S.  Senate,  and  on  the  eighth  of  June,  of  the 


same  year,  was  nominated  as  the  candidate  of  his 
party  for  President  at  the  great  Chicago  Convention. 
He  was  elected  in  the  following  November,  and  on 


March  4,  1881,  was  inaugurated.  Probably  no  ad- 
ministration ever  opened  its  existence  under  brighter 
auspices  than  that  of  President  Garfield,  and  every 
day  it  grew  in  favor  with  the  people,  and  by  the  first 
of  July  he  had  completed  all  the  initiatory  and  pre- 
liminary work  of  his  administration  and  was  prepar- 
ing to  leave  the  city  to  meet  his  friends  at  Williams 
College.  While  on  his  way  and  at  the  depot,  in  com- 
pany with  Secretary  Elaine,  a  man  stepped  behind 
him,  drew  a  revolver,  and  fired  directly  at  his  back. 
The  President  tottered  and  fell,  and  as  he  did  so  the 
assassin  fired  a  second  shot,  the  bullet  cutting  the 
left  coat  sleeve  of  his  victim,  but  inflicting  no  further 
injury.  It  has  been  very  truthfully  said  that  this  was 
"  the  shot  that  was  heard  round  the  world  "  Never 
before  in  the  history  of  the  Nation  had  anything  oc- 
curred which  so  nearly  froze  the  blood  of  the  people 
for  the  moment,  as  this  awful  deed.  He  was  smit- 
ten on  the  brightest,  gladdest  day  of  all  his  life,  and 
was  at  the  summit  of  his  power  and  hope.  For  eighty 
days,  all  during  the  hot  months  of  July  and  August, 
he  lingered  and  suffered.  He,  however,  remained 
master  of  himself  till  the  last,  and  by  his  magnificent 
bearing  was  teaching  the  country  and  the  world  the 
noblest  of  human  lessons  —  how  to  live  grandly  in  the 
very  clutch  of  death.  Great  in  life,  he  was  surpass- 
ingly great  in  death.  He  passed  serenely  away  Sept. 
19,  1883,  at  Elberon,  N.  J.a  on  the  very  bank  "of  the 
ocean,  where  he  had  been  taken  shortly  previous.  The 
world  wept  at  his  death,  as  it  never  had  done  on  the 
death  of  any  other  man  who  had  ever  lived  upon  it. 
The  murderer  was  duly  tried,  found  guilty  and  exe- 
cuted, in  one  year  after  he  committed  the  foul  deed. 


OF  THE 
MHVEBSITC  OF  ILLMQiS 


TWEMTY-FIRST  PRESIDENT. 


&*  •? 


HESTER      A.      ARTHUR, 
twenty-first    President  of  the 
United    States,   was    born    in 
f  Franklin  County,  Vermont,  on 
thefifthof October,  1830,  andis 
the  oldest   of  a   family    of  two 
v    sons  and   five   daughters.     His 
father  was  the  Rev.  Dr.  William 
Arthur,  a  Baptist  clergyman,  who 
emigrated  to  this  country  from 
the  county  Antrim,   Ireland,   in 
his  1 8th  year,  and  died  in   1875,  in 
Newtonville,   near  Albany,   after  a 
long  and  successful  ministry. 

Young  Arthur  was  educated  at 
Union  College,  Schenectady,  where 
he  excelled  in  all  his  studies.  Af- 
ter his  graduation  he  taught  school 
in  Vermont  for  two  years,  and  at 
the  expiration  of  that  time  came  to 
New  York,  with  $500  in  his  pocket, 
and  entered  the  office  of  ex- Judge 
E.  D.  Culver  as  student.  After 
being  admitted  to  the  bar  he  formed 
a  partnership  with  his  intimate  friend  and  room-mate, 
Henry  D.  Gardiner,  with  the  intention  of  practicing 
in  the  West,  and  for  three  months  they  roamed  about 
in  the  Western  States  in  search  of  an  eligible  site, 
but  in  the  end  returned  to  New  York,  where  they 
hung  out  their  shingle,  and  entered  upon  a  success- 
ful career  almost  from  the  start.  General  Arthur 
soon  afterward  married  the  daughter  of  Lieutenant 


.,,,, 


Herndon,  of  the  United  States  Navy,  who  was  lost  at 
sea.  Congress  voted  a  gold  medal  to  his  widow  in 
recognition  of  the  bravery  he  displayed  on  that  occa- 
sion. Mrs.  Arthur  died  shortly  before  Mr.  Arthur's 
nomination  to  the  Vice  Presidency,  leaving  two 
children. 

Gen.  Arthur  obtained  considerable  legal  celebrity 
in  his  first  great  case,  the  famous  Lemmon  suit, 
brought  to  recover  possession  of  eight  slaves  who  had 
been  declared  free  by  Judge  Paine,  of  the  Superior 
Court  of  New  York  City.  It  was  in  1852  that  Jon- 
athan Lemmon,  of  Virginia,  went  to  New  York  with 
his  slaves,  intending  to  ship  them  to  Texas,  when 
they  were  discovered  and  freed.  The  Judge  decided 
that  they  could  not  be  held  by  the  owner  under  the 
Fugitive  Slave  Law.  A  howl  of  rage  went  up  from 
the  South,  and  the  Virginia  Legislature  authorized  the 
Attorney  General  of  that  State  to  assist  in  an  appeal. 
Wm.  M.  Evarts  and  Chester  A.  Arthur  were  employed 
to  represent  the  People,  and  they  won  their  case, 
which  then  went  to  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States.  Charles  O'Conor  here  espoused  the  cause 
of  the  slave-holders,  but  he  too  was  beaten  by  Messrs. 
Evarts  and  Arthur,  and  a  long  step  was  taken  toward 
the  emancipation  of  the  black  race. 

Another  great  service  was  rendered  by  General 
Arthur  in  the  same  cause  in  1856.  Lizzie  Jennings, 
a  respectable  colored  woman,  was  put  off  a  Fourth 
Avenue  car  with  violence  after  she  had  paid  her  fare. 
General  Arthur  sued  on  her  behalf,  and  secured  a 
verdict  of  $500  damages.  The  next  day  the  compa- 
ny issued  an  order  to  admit  colored  persons  to  ride 
on  their  cars,  and  the  other  car  companies  quickly 

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CHESTER  A.  ARTHUR. 


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followed  their  example.  Before  that  the  Sixth  Ave- 
nue Company  ran  a  few  special  cars  for  colored  per- 
sons and  the  other  lines  refused  to  let  them  ride  at  all. 

General  Arthur  was  a  delegate  to  the  Convention 
at  Saratoga  that  founded  the  Republican  party. 
Previous  to  the  war  he  was  Judge-Advocate  of  the 
Second  Brigade  of  the  State  of  New  York,  and  Gov- 
ernor Morgan,  of  that  State,  appointed  him  Engineer- 
in-Chief  of  his  staff.  In  1861,  he  was  made  Inspec- 
tor General,  and  soon  afterward  became  Quartermas- 
ter-General. In  each  of  these  offices  he  rendered 
great  service  to  the  Government  during  the  war.  At 
the  end  of  Governor  Morgan's  term  he  resumed  the 
practice  of  the  law,  forming  a  partnership  with  Mr. 
Ransom,  and  then  Mr.  Phelps,  the  District  Attorney 
of  New  York,  was  added  to  the  firm.  The  legal  prac- 
tice of  this  well-known  firm  was  very  large  and  lucra- 
tive, each  of  the  gentlemen  composing  it  were  able 
lawyers,  and  possessed  a  splendid  local  reputation,  if 
not  indeed  one  of  national  extent. 

He  always  took  a  leading  part  in  State  and  city 
politics.  He  was  appointed  Collector  of  the  Port  of 
New  York  by  President  Grant,  Nov.  21  1872,  to  suc- 
ceed Thomas  Murphy,  and  held  the  office  until  July, 
20,  1878,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Collector  Merritt. 

Mr.  Arthur  was  nominated  on  the  Presidential 
ticket,  with  Gen.  James  A.  Garfield,  at  the  famous 
National  Republican  Convention  held  at  Chicago  in 
June,  1880.  This  was  perhaps  the  greatest  political 
convention  that  ever  assembled  on  the  continent.  It 
was  composed  of  the  leading  politicians  of  the  Re- 
publican party,  all  able  men,  and  each  stood  firm  and 
fought  vigorously  and  with  signal  tenacity  for  their 
respective  candidates  that  were  before  the  conven- 
tion for  the  nomination.  Finally  Gen.  Garfield  re- 
ceived the  nomination  for  President  and  Gen.  Arthur 
for  Vice-President.  The  campaign  which  followed 
was  one  of  the  most  animated  known  in  the  history  of 
our  country.  Gen.  Hancock,  the  standard-bearer  of 
the  Democratic  party,'  was  a  popular  man,  and  his 
party  made  a  valiant  fight  for  his  election. 

Finally  the  election  came  and  the  country's  choice 
was  Garfield  and  Arthur.  They  were  inaugurated 
March  4,  1881,  as  President  and  Vice-President. 
A  few  months  only  had  passed  ere  the  newly  chosen 
President  was  the  victim  of  the  assassin's  bullet.  Then 
came  terrible  weeks  of  suffering, — those  moments  of 
anxious  suspense,  when  the  hearts  of  all  civilized  na- 


tions were  throbbing  in  unison,  longing  for  the  re-  x  t 
covery  of  the  noble,  the  good  President.  The  remark-  /   ' 
able  patience  that  he  manifested  during  those   hours  \  * 
and  weeks,  and  even  months,  of  the  most  terrible  suf- 
fering man  has  often  been  called  upon  to  endure,  was 
seemingly  more  than  human.     It  was  certainly  God- 
like.    During  all  this  period  of  deepest  anxiety  Mr. 
Arthur's  every  move  was  watched,  and  be  it  said  to  his 
credit  that  his  every  action  displayed  only  an  earnest 
desire  that  the  suffering  Garfield  might   recover,  to 
serve  the  remainder  of  the  term  he  had  so   auspi- 
ciously begun.     Not  a  selfish  feeling  was  manifested 
in  deed  or  look  of  this  man,  even  though  the  most 
honored  position  in  the  world   was    at  any   moment  / 
likely  to  fall  to  him. 

At  last  God  in  his  mercy  relieved  President  Gar- 
field  from  further  suffering,  and  the  world,  as  never 
before  in  its  history  over  the  death  of  any  other 
man,  wept  at  his  bier.  Then  it  became  the  duty  of 
the  Vice  President  to  assume  the  responsibilities  of  '  \ 
the  high  office,  and  he  took  the  oath  in  New  York, 
Sept.  20,  1881.  The  position  was  an  embarrassing  $ 
one  to  him,  made  doubly  so  from  the  facts  that  all  ^ 
eyes  were  on  him,  anxious  to  know  what  he  would  do,  $>* 
what  policy  he  would  pursue,  and  who  he  would  se-  ^ 
lect  as  advisers.  The  duties  of  the  office  had  been  & 
greatly  neglected  during  the  President's  long  illness, 
and  many  important  measures  were  to  be  immediately  | 
decided  by  him ;  and  still  farther  to  embarrass  him  he 
did  not  fail  to  realize  under  what  circumstances  he 
became  President,  and  knew  the  feelings  of  many  on 
this  point.  Under  these  trying  circumstances  President 
Arthur  took  the  reins  of  the  Government  in  his  own 
hands ;  and,  as  embarrassing  as  were  the  condition  of  V 
affairs,  he  has  happily  surprised  the  Nation,  acting  so  C  \ 
justly,  so  wisely,  so  well,  that  but  few  have  criticised  ,  ^ 
his  administration.  Should  he  continue  during  the 
remainder  of  his  term  to  pursue  the  wise  policy  he 
has  followed  thus  far,  we  believe  President  Arthurs 
administration  will  go  down  in  history  as  one  of  the 
wisest  and  most  satisfactory  our  country  has  ever 
enjoyed.  His  highest  ambition  seems  to  be  to  do  his 
duty  to  the  whole  Nation,  even  to  the  sacrifice  of  his 
warmest  personal  friends.  With  the  good  of  the 
people  at  heart,  and  guided  by  the  wisdom  already 
displayed,  he  will  surprise  his  opponents,  gratify  his  J  ? 
friends,  and  bless  the  American  Republic,  during 
the  years  he  occupies  the  Presidential  chair. 

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OF  THE 
WflfERSJTr  OF  ILUMflB 


TWENTY-SECOND  PRESIDENT. 


TEPHEN  GROVER  CLEVE- 
LAND, the  twenty- second  Pres- 
ident of  the  United  States,  was 
born  in  1837,  in  the  obscure 
town  of  Caldwell,  Essex  Co., 
N.  J.,  and  in  a  little  two-and-a- 
-story  white  house  which  is  still 
standing,  characteristically  to  mark 
the  humble  birth-place  of  one  of 
America's  great  men  in  striking  con- 
trast with  the  Old  World,  where  all 
men  high  in  office  must  be  high  in 
origin  and  born  in  the  cradle  of 
wealth.  When  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  three  years  of  age,  his 
father,  who  was  a  Presbyterian  min- 
ister, with  a  large  family  and  a  small  salary,  moved, 
by  way  of  the  Hudson  River  and  Erie  Canal,  to 
Fayetteville,  in  search  of  an  increased  income  and  a 
larger  field  of  work.  Fayetteville  was  then  the  most 
straggling  of  country  villages,  about  five  miles  from 
Pompey  Hill,  where  Governor  Seymour  was  born. 

At  the  last  mentioned  place  young  Grover  com- 
menced going  to  school  in  the  "  good,  old-fashioned 
way,"  and  presumably  distinguished  himself  after  the 
manner  of  all  village  boys,  in  doing  the  things  he 
ought  not  to  do.  Such  is  the  distinguishing  trait  of 
all  geniuses  and  independent  thinkers.  When  he 
arrived  at  the  age  of  14  years,  he  had  outgrown  the 
capacity  of  the  village  school  and  expressed  a  most 


emphatic  desire  to  be  sent  to  an  academy.  To  this 
his  father  decidedly  objected.  Academies  in  those 
days  cost  money;  besides,  his  father  wanted  him  to 
become  self-supporting  by  the  quickest  possible 
means,  and  this  at  that  time  in  Fayetteville  seemed 
to  be  a  position  in  a  country  store,  where  his  father 
and  the  large  family  on  his  hands  had  considerable 
influence.  Grover  was  to  be  paid  $50  for  his  services 
the  first  year,  and  if  he  proved  trustworthy  he  was  to 
receive  $100  the  second  year.  Here  the  lad  com- 
menced his  career  as  salesman,  and  in  two  years  he 
had  earned  so  good  a  reputation  for  trustworthiness 
that  his  employers  desired  to  retain  him  for  an  in- 
definite length  of  time.  Otherwise  he  did  not  ex- 
hibit as  yet  any  particular  "  flashes  of  genius  "  or 
eccentricities  of  talent.  He  was  simply  a  good  boy. 
But  instead  of  remaining  with  this  firm  in  Fayette- 
ville, he  went  with  the  family  in  their  removal  to 
Clinton,  where  he  had  an  opportunity  of  attending  a 
high  school.  Here  he  industriously  pursued  his 
studies  until  the  family  removed  with  him  to  a  point 
on  Black  River  known  as  the  "  Holland  Patent,"  a 
village  of  500  or  600  people,  15  miles  north  of  Utica, 
N.  Y.  At  this  place  his  father  died,  after  preaching 
but  three  Sundays.  This  event  broke  up  the  family, 
and  Grover  set  out  for  New  York  City  to  accept,  at  a 
small  salary,  the  position  of  "  under-teacher  "  in  an 
asylum  for  the  blind.  He  taught  faithfully  for  two 
years,  and  although  he  obtained  a  good  reputation  in 
this  capacity,  he  concluded  that  teaching  was  not  his 


V 


( 


S.   GROVER   CLEVELAND. 


' 


z-a\\\\-\%  for  life,  and,  reversing  the  traditional  order, 
he  left  the  city  to  seek  his  fortune,  instead  of  going 
to  a  city.  He  first  thought  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  as 
there  was  some  charm  in  that  name  for  him;  but 
before  proceeding  to  that  place  he  went  to  Buffalo  to 
ask  the  advice  of  his  uncle,  Lewis  F.  Allan,  a  noted 
stock-breeder  of  that  place.  The  latter  did  not 
speak  enthusiastically.  "  What  is  it  you  want  to  do, 
my  boy?"  he  asked.  "Well,  sir,  I  want  to  study 
law,"  was  the  reply.  "  Good  gracious !  "  remarked 
the  old  gentleman ;  "  do  you,  indeed  ?  What  ever  put 
that  into  your  head?  How  much  money  have  you 
got?"  "Well,  sir,  to  tell  the  truth,  I  haven't  got 
any." 

After  a  long  consultation,  his  uncle  offered  him  a 
place  temporarily  as  assistant  herd-keeper,  at  $50  a 
year,  while  he  could  "look  around."  One  day  soon 
afterward  he  boldly  walked  into  the  office  of  Rogers, 
Bowen  &  Rogers,  of  Buffalo,  and  told  them  what  he 
wanted.  A  number  of  young  men  were  already  en- 
gaged in  the  office,  but  Graver's  persistency  won,  and 
he  was  finally  permitted  to  come  as  an  office  boy  and 
have  the  use  of  the  law  library,  for  the  nominal  sum 
of  $3  or  $4  a  week.  Out  of  this  he  had  to  pay  for 
his  board  and  washing.  The  walk  to  and  from  his 
uncle's  was  a  long  and  rugged  one;  and,  although 
the  first  winter  was  a  memorably  severe  one,  his 
shoes  were  out  of  repair  and  his  overcoat — he  had 
none — yet  he  was  nevertheless  prompt  and  regular. 
On  the  first  day  of  his  service  here,  his  senior  em- 
ployer threw  down  a  copy  of  Blackstone  before  him 
with  a  bang  that  made  the  dust  fly,  saying  "That's 
where  they  all  begin."  A  titter  ran  around  the  little 
circle  of  clerks  and  students,  as  they  thought  that 
was  enough  to  scare  young  Graver  out  of  his  plans ; 
but  in  due  time  he  mastered  that  cumbersome  volume. 
Then,  as  ever  afterward,  however,  Mr.  Cleveland 
exhibited  a  talent  for  executiveness  rather  than  for 
chasing  principles  through  all  their  metaphysical 
possibilities.  "  Let  us  quit  talking  and  go  and  do 
it,"  was  practically  his  motto. 

The  first  public  office  to  which  Mr.  Cleveland  was 
elected  was  that  of  Sheriff  of  Erie  Co.,  N.  Y.,  in 
which  Buffalo  is  situated ;  and  in  such  capacity  it  fell 
to  his  duty  to  inflict  capital  punishment  upon  two 
criminals.  In  1881  he  was  elected  Mayor  of  the 
City  of  Buffalo,  on  the  Democratic  ticket,  with  es- 
pecial reference  to  the  bringing  about  certain  reforms 


in  the  administration  of  the  municipal  affairs  of  that 
city.  In  this  office,  as  well  as  that  of  Sheriff,  his 
performance  of  duty  has  generally  been  considered 
fair,  with  possibly  a  few  exceptions  which  were  fer- 
reted out  and  magnified  during  the  last  Presidential 
campaign.  As  a  specimen  of  his  plain  language  in 
a  veto  message,  we  quote  from  one  vetoing  an  iniqui- 
tous street-cleaning  contract:  "This  is  a  time  for 
plain  speech,'  and  my  objection  to  your  action  shall 
be  plainly  stated.  I  regard  it  as  the  culmination  of 
a  most  bare-faced,  impudent  and  shameless  scheme 
to  betray  the  interests  of  the  people  and  to  worse 
than  squander  the  people's  money."  The  New  York 
Sun  afterward  very  highly  commended  Mr.  Cleve- 
land's administration  as  Mayor  of  Buffalo,  and  there- 
upon recommended  him  for  Governor  of  the  Empire 
State.  To  the  latter  office  he  was  elected  in  1882, 
and  his  administration  of  the  affairs  of  State  was 
generally  satisfactory.  The  mistakes  he  made,  if 
any,  were  made  very  public  throughout  the  nation 
after  he  was  nominated  for  President  of  the  United 
States.  For  this  high  office  he  was  nominated  July 
n,  1884,  by  the  National  Democratic  Convention  at 
Chicago,  when  other  competitors  were  Thomas  F. 
Bayard,  Roswell  P.  Flower,  Thomas  A.  Hendricks, 
Benjamin  F.  Butler,  Allen  G.  Thurman,  etc.;  and  he 
was  elected  by  the  people,  by  a  majority  of  about  a 
thousand,  over  the  brilliant  and  long-tried  Repub- 
lican statesman,  James  G.  Blaine.  President  Cleve- 
land resigned  his  office  as  Governor  of  New  York  in 
January,  1885,  in  order  to  prepare  for  his  duties  as 
the  Chief  Executive  of  the  United  States,  in  which 
capacity  his  term  commenced  at  noon  on  the  4th  of 
March,  1885.  For  his  Cabinet  officers  he  selected 
the  following  gentlemen:  For  Secretary  of  State, 
Thomas  F.  Bayard,  of  Delaware ;  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury,  Daniel  Manning,  of  New  York ;  Secretary 
of  War,  William  C.  Endicott,  of  Massachusetts ; 
Secretary  of  the  Navy,  William  C.  Whitney,  of  New 
York ;  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  L.  Q.  C.  Lamar,  of 
Mississippi;  Postmaster-General,  William  F.  Vilas, 
of  Wisconsin ;  Attorney-General,  A.  H.  Garland,  of 
Arkansas. 

The  silver  question  precipitated  a  controversy  be- 
tween those  who  were  in  favor  of  the  continuance  of 
silver  coinage  and  those  who  were  opposed,  Mr. 
Cleveland  answering  for  the  latter,  even  before  his 
inauguration. 


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TM  UBHAHY 

DFTK 
UNIVERSITY  OF  LUNIK 


HADRACH  BOND,  the  first 
Governor  of  Illinois  after  its 
organization  as  a  State,  serving 
from  1818  to  1822,  was  born  in 
Frederick  County,  Maryland, 
in  the  year  1773,  and  was 
raised  a  farmer  on  his  father's 
intation,  receiving  only  a  plain 
English  education.  He  emigrated 
to  this  State  in  1794,  when  it  was  a 
part  of  the  "Northwest  Territory," 
continuing  in  the  vocation  in  which 
he  had  been  brought  up  in  his  native 
State,  in  the  "New  Design,"  near 
Eagle  Creek,  in  what  is  now  Monroe 
County.  He  served  several  terms  as 
a  member  of  the  General  Assembly 
of  Indiana  Territory,  after  it  was  organized  as  such, 
and  in  1812-14  he  was  a  Delegate  to  the  Twelfth 
and  Thirteenth  Congresses,  taking  his  seat  Dec.  3, 
1812,  and  serving  until  Oct.  3,  (814.  These  were 
the  times,  the  reader  will  recollect,  when  this  Gov- 
ernment had  its  last  struggle  with  Great  Britain. 
The  year  1812  is  also  noted  in  the  history  of  this 
State  as  that  in  which  the  first  Territorial  Legislature 
was  held.  It  convened  at  Kaskaskia,  Nov.  25,  and 
adjourned  Dec.  26,  following. 

While  serving  as  Delegate  to  Congress,  Mr.  Bond 
was  instrumental  in  procuring  the  right  of  pre-emp- 
tion on  the  public  domain.  On  the  expiration  of  his 
term  at  Washington  he  was  appointed  Receiver  of 
Public  Moneys  at  Kaskaskia,  then  the  capital  of  the 
Territory.  In  company  with  John  G.  Comyges, 


Thomas  H.  Harris,  Charles  Slade,  Michael  Jones, 
Warren  Brown,  Edward  Humphries  and  Charles  W. 
Hunter,  he  became  a  proprietor  of  the  site  of  the 
initial  city  of  Cairo,  which  they  hoped,  from  its  favor- 
able location  at  the  junction  of  the  two  great 
rivers  near  the  center  of  the  Great  West,  would 
rapidly  develop  into  a  metropolis.  To  aid  the  enter- 
prise, they  obtained  a  special  charter  from  the  Legis- 
lature, incorporating  both  the  City  and  the  Bank  of 
Cairo. 

In  1818  Mr.  Bond  was  elected  the  first  Governor 
of  the  State  of  Illinois,  being  inaugurated  Oct.  6, 
that  year,  which  was  several  weeks  before  Illinois 
was  actually  admitted.  The  facts,  are  these:  In 
January,  1818,  the  Territorial  Legislature  sent  a  peti- 
tion to  Congress  for  the  admission  of  Illinois  as  a 
State,  Nathaniel  Pope  being  then  Delegate.  The 
petition  was  granted,  fixing  the  northern  line  of  the 
State  on  the  latitude  of  the  southern  extremity  of 
Lake  Michigan;  but  the  bill  was  afterward  so  amend- 
ed, as  to  extend  this  line  to  its  present  latitude.  In 
July  a  convention  was  called  at  Kaskaskia  to  draft  a 
constitution,  which,  however,  was  not  submitted  to 
the  people.  By  its  provisions,  supreme  judges,  pros- 
ecuting attorneys,  county  and  circuit  judges,  record- 
ers and  justices  of  the  peace  were  all  to  be  appointed 
by  the  Governor  or  elected  by  the  Legislature.  This 
constitution  was  accepted  by  Congress  Dec.  30.  At 
that  time  Illinois  comprised  but  eleven  counties, 
namely,  Randolph,  Madison,  Gallatin,  Johnson, 
Pope,  Jackson,  Crawford,  Bond,  Union,  Washington 
and  Franklin,  the  northern  portion  of  the  State  be- 
ing mainly  in  Madison  County.  Thus  it  appears 
that  Mr.  Bond  was  honored  by  the  naming  of 


^fgKt 


SHADRACH  BOND. 


county  before  he  was  elected  Governor.  The  present 
county  of  Bond  is  of  small  limitations,  about  60  to  80 
miles  south  of  Springfield.  For  Lieutenant  Governor 
the  people  chose  Pierre  Menard,  a  prominent  and 
worthy  Frenchman,  after  whom  a  county  in  this  State 
is  named.  In  this  election  there  were  no  opposition 
candidates,  as  the  popularity  of  these  men  had  made 
their  promotion  to  the  chief  offices  of  the  State,  even 
before  the  constitution  was  drafted,  a  foregone  con- 
clusion. 

The  principal  points  that  excited  the  people  in 
reference  to  political  issues  at  this  period  were  local 
or  "internal  improvements,"  as  they  were  called, 
State  banks,  location  of  the  capital,  slavery  and  the 
personal  characteristics  of  the  proposed  candidates. 
Mr.  Bond  represented  the  "  Convention  party,"  for 
introducing  slavery  into  the  State,  supported  by  Elias 
Ke:it  Kane,  his  Secretary  of  State,  and  John  Mc- 
Lean, while  Nathaniel  Pope  and  John  P.  Cook  led 
the  anti-slavery  element.  The  people,  however,  did 
not  become  very  much  excited  over  this  issue  until 
1820,  when  the  famous  Missouri  Compromise  was 
adopted  by  Congress,  limiting  slavery  to  the  south 
of  the  parallel  of  36°  30'  except  in  Missouri.  While 
this  measure  settled  the  great  slavery  controversy, 
so  far  as  the  average  public  sentiment  was  tempor- 
arily concerned,  until  1854,  when  it  was  repealed 
under  the  leadership  of  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  the  issue 
as  considered  locally  in  this  State  was  not  decided 
until  1824,  after  a  most  furious  campaign.  (See 
sketch  of  Gov.  Coles.)  The  ticket  of  1818  was  a 
compromise  one,  Bond  representing  (moderately)  the 
pro-slavery  sentiment  and  Menard  the  anti-slavery. 

An  awkward  element  in  the  State  government 
under  Gov.  Bond's  administration,  was  the  imperfec- 
tion of  the  State  constitution.  The  Convention 
wished  to  have  Elijah  C.  Berry  for  the  first  Auditor 
of  Public  Accounts,  but,  as  it  was  believed  that  the 
new  Governor  would  not  appoint  him  to  the  office, 
the  Convention  declared  in  a  schedule  that  "  an 
auditor  of  public  accounts,  an  attorney  general  and 
such  other  officers  of  the  State  as  may  be  necessary, 
may  be  appointed  by  the  General  Assembly."  The 
Constitution,  as  it  stood,  vested  a  very  large  appoint- 
ing power  in  the  Governor ;  but  for  the  purpose  of 
getting  one  man  into  office,  a  total  change  was  made, 
and  the  power  vested  in  the  Legislature.  Of  this 
provision  the  Legislature  took  advantage,  and  de- 


clared  that  State's  attorneys,  canal  commissioners, 
bank  directors,  etc.,  were  all  "  officers  of  the  State  " 
and  must  therefore  be  appointed  by  itself  independ- 
ently of  the  Governor. 

During  Gov.  Bond's  administration  a  general  law 
was  passed  for  the  incorporation  of  academies  and 
towns,  and  one  authorizing  lotteries.  The  session  of 
1822  authorized  the  Governor  to  appoint  commis- 
sioners, to  act  in  conjunction  with  like  commissioners 
appointed  by  the  State  of  Indiana,  to  report  on  the 
practicability  and  expediency  of  improving  the  navi- 
gation of  the  Wabash  River ;  also  inland  navigation 
generally.  Many  improvements  were  recommended, 
some  of  which  have  been  feebly  worked  at  even  till 
the  present  day,  those  along  the  Wabash  being  of  no 
value.  Also,  during  Gov.  Bond's  term  of  office,  the 
capital  of  the  State  was  removed  from  Kaskaskia  to 
Vandalia.  In  1820  a  law  was  passed  by  Congress 
authorizing  this  State  to  open  a  canal  through  the 
public  lands.  The  State  appointed  commissioners 
lo  explore  the  route  and  prepare  the  necessary  sur- 
veys and  estimates,  preparatory  to  its  execution ; 
but,  being  unable  out  of  its  own  resources  to  defray 
the  expenses  of  the  undertaking,  it  was  abandoned 
until  some  time  after  Congress  made  the  grant  of 
land  for  the  purpose  of  its  construction. 

On  the  whole,  Gov.  Bond's  administration  was 
fairly  good,  not  being  open  to  severe  criticism  from 
any  party.  In  1824,  two  years  after  the  expiration 
of  his  term  of  office,  he  was  brought  out  as  a  candi- 
date for  Congress  against  the  formidable  John  P. 
Cook,  but  received  only  4,374  votes  to  7,460  for  the 
latter.  Gov.  Bond  was  no  orator,  but  had  made 
many  fast  friends  by  a  judicious  bestowment  of  his 
gubernatorial  patronage,  and  these  worked  zealously 
for  him  in  the  campaign. 

In  1827  ex-Gov.  Bond  was  appointed  by  the  Leg- 
islature, with  Wm.  P.  McKee  and  Dr.  Gershom 
Jayne,  as  Commissioners  to  locate  a  site  for  a  peni- 
tentiary on  the  Mississippi  at  or  near  Alton. 

Mr.  Bond  was  of  a  benevolent  and  convivial  dis- 
position, a  man  of  shrewd  observation  and  clear  ap- 
preciation of  events.  His  person  was  erect,  stand- 
ing six  feet  in  height,  and  after  middle  life  became 
portly,  weighing  200  pounds.  His  features  were 
strongly  masculine,  complexion  dark,  hair  jet  and 
eyes  hazel ;  was  a  favorite  with  the  ladies.  He  died 
April  i  r,  1830,  in  peace  and  contentment. 


••BBBB 


GO  VERNORS  OF  ILLINOIS. 


DWARD  COLES,  second 
Governor  of  Illinois,  1823- 
6,  was  born  Dec.  15,  1786, 
in  Albemarle  Co.,  Va.,  on 
the  old  family  estate  called 
"Enniscorthy,"  on  the 
"^  Green  Mountain.  His  fath- 
er, John  Coles,  was  a  Colonel  in  the 
Revolutionary  War.  Having  been  fit- 
ted for  college  by  private  tutors,  he 
was  sent  to  Hampden  Sidney,  where 
he  remained  until  the  autumn  of  1805, 
when  he  was  removed  to  William  and 
Mary  College,  at  Williamsburg,  Va. 
This  college  he  left  in  the  summer  of 
1807,  a  short  time  before  the  final  and  graduating 
examination.  Among  his  classmates  were  Lieut. 
Gen.  Scott,  President  John  Tyler,  Wm.  S.  Archer, 
United  States  Senator  from  Virginia,  and  Justice 
Baldwin,  of  the  United  States  Supreme  Court.  The 
President  of  the  latter  college,  Bishop  Madison,  was 
a  cousin  of  President  James  Madison,  and  that  cir- 
cumstance was  the  occasion  of  Mr.  Coles  becoming 
personally  acquainted  with  the  President  and  re- 
ceiving a  position  as  his  private  secretary,  1809-15. 
The  family  of  Coles  was  a  prominent  one  in  Vir- 
ginia, and  their  mansion  was  the  seat  of  the  old- 
fashioned  Virginian  hospitality.  It  was  visited  by 
such  notables  as  Patrick  Henry,  Jefferson,  Madison, 
Monroe,  the  Randolphs,  Tazewell,  Wirt,  etc.  At  the 
age  of  23,  young  Coles  found  himself  heir  to  a  plant- 
ation and  a  considerable  number  of  slaves.  Ever 
since  his  earlier  college  days  his  attention  had  been 
drawn  to  the  question  of  slavery.  He  read  every- 


thing on  the  subject  that  came  in  his  way,  and 
listened  to  lectures  on  the  rights  of  man.  The  more 
he  reflected  upon  the  subject,  the  more  impossible 
was  it  for  him  to  reconcile  the  immortal  declaration 
"that  all  men  are  born  free  and  equal"  with  the 
practice  of  slave-holding.  He  resolved,  therefore,  to 
free  his  slaves  the  first  opportunity,  and  even  remove 
his  residence  to  a  free  State.  One  reason  which  de- 
termined him  to  accept  the  appointment  as  private 
secretary  to  Mr.  Madison  was  because  he  believed 
that  through  the  acquaintances  he  could  make  at 
Washington  he  could  better  determine  in  what  part 
of  the  non-slaveholding  portion  of  the  Union  he  would 
prefer  to  settle. 

The  relations  between  Mr.  Coles  and  President 
Madison,  as  well  as  Jefferson  and  other  distinguished 
men,  were  of  a  very  friendly  character,  arising  from 
the  similarity  of  their  views  on  the  question  of  slavery 
and  their  sympathy  for  each  other  in  holding  doc- 
trines so  much  at  variance  with  the  prevailing  senti- 
ment in  their  own  State. 

In  1857,  he  resigned  his  secretaryship  and  spent  a 
portion  of  the  following  autumn  in  exploring  the 
Northwest  Territory,  for  the  purpose  of  finding  a  lo- 
cation and  purchasing  lands  on  which  to  settle  his 
negroes.  He  traveled  with  a  horse  and  buggy,  with 
an  extra  man  and  horse  for  emergencies,  through 
many  parts  of  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois  and  Missouri, 
determining  finally  to  settle  in  Illinois.  At  this  time, 
however,  a  misunderstanding  arose  between  our 
Government  and  Russia,  and  Mr.  Coles  was  selected 
to  repair  to  St.  Petersburg  on  a  .special  mission,  bear- 
ing important  papers  concerning  the  matter  at  issue. 
The  result  was  a  conviction  of  the  Emperor  (Alex- 

—  -«*&«& 


EDWARD  COLES. 


) 


ander)  of  the  error  committed  by  his  minister  at 
Washington,  and  the  consequent  withdrawal  of  the 
the  latter  from  the  post.  On  his  return,  Mr.  Coles 
visited  other  parts  of  Europe,  especially  Paris,  where 
he  was  introduced  to  Gen.  Lafayette. 

In  the  spring  of  1819,  he  removed  with  all  his 
negroes  from  Virginia  to  Edwardsville,  111.,  with  the 
intention  of  giving  them  their  liberty.  He  did  not 
make  known  to  them  his  intention  until  one  beautiful 
morning  in  April,  as  they  were  descending  the  Ohio 
River.  He  lashed  all  the  boats  together  and  called 
all  the  negroes  on  deck  and  made  them  a  short  ad- 
dress, concluding  his  remarks  by  so  expressing  him- 
self that  by  a  turn  of  a  sentence  he  proclaimed  in 
the  shortest  and  fullest  manner  that  they  were  no 
longer  slaves,  but  free  as  he  was  and  were  at  liberty 
to  proceed  with  him  or  go  ashore  at  their  pleas- 
ure. A  description  of  the  effect  upon  the  negroes  is 
best  desciibed  in  his  own  language  : 

"  The  effect  upon  them  was  electrical.  They  stared 
at  me  and  then  at  each  other,  as  if  doubting  the  ac- 
curacy or  reality  of  what  they  heard.  In  breathless 
silence  they  stood  before  me,  unable  to  utter  a  word, 
but  with  countenances  beaming  with  expression  which 
no  words  could  convey,  and  which  no  language 
can  describe.  As  they  began  to  see  the  truth  of 
what  they  had  heard,  and  realize  their  situation,  there 
came'On  a  kind  of  hysterical,  giggling  laugh.-  After 
a  pause  of  intense  and  unutterable  emotion,  bathed 
in  tears,  and  with  tremulous  voices,  they  gave  vent  to 
their  gratitude  and  implored  the  blessing  of  God 
on  me." 

Before  landing  he  gave  them  a  general  certificate 
of  freedom,  and  afterward  conformed  more  particu- 
larly with  the  law  of  this  State  requiring  that  each 
individual  should  have  a  certificate.  This  act  of 
Mr.  Coles,  all  the  more  noble  and  heroic  considering 
the  overwhelming  pro-slavery  influences  surrounding 
him,  has  challenged  the  admiration  of  every  philan- 
thropist of  modern  times. 

March  5,  1819,  President  Monroe  appointed  Mr. 
Coles  Registrar  of  the  Land  Office  at  Edwardsville, 
at  that  time  one  of  the  principal  land  offices  in  the 
State.  While  acting  in  this  capacity  and  gaining 
many  friends  by  his  politeness  and  general  intelli- 
gence, the  greatest  struggle  that  ever  occurred  in 
Illinois  on  the  slavery  question  culminated  in  the 
furious  contest  characterizing  the  campaigns  and 
elections  of  1822-4.  In  the  summer  of  1823,  when  a 
new  Governor  was  to  be  elected  to  succeed  Mr. 
Bond,  the  pro-slavery  element  divided  into  factions, 
putting  forward  for  the  executive  office  Joseph 
Phillips,  Chief  Justice  of  the  State,  Thomas  C. 
Browne  and  Gen.  James  B.  Moore,  of  the  State  Mil- 
itia. The  anti-slavery  element  united  upon  Mr. 
Coles,  and,  after  one  of  the  most  bitter  campaigns, 
succeeded  in  electing  him  as  Governor.  His  plural- 
ity over  Judge  Phillips  was  only  59  in  a  total  vote  of 


over  8,000.  The  Lieutenant  Governor  was  elected 
by  the  slavery  men.  Mr.  Coles' inauguration  speech 
was  marked  by  calmness,  deliberation  and  such  a 
wise  expression'  of  appropriate  suggestions  as  to 
elicit  the  sanction  of  all  judicious 'politicians.  But 
he  compromised  not  with  evil.  In  his  message  to 
the  Legislature,  the  seat  of  Government  being  then 
at  Vandalia,  he  strongly  urged  the  abrogation  of  the 
modified  form  of  slavery  which  then  existed  in  this 
State,  contrary  to  the  Ordinance  of  1787.  His  posi- 
tion on  this  subject  seems  the  more  remarkable,  when 
it  is  considered  that  he  was  a  minority  Governor,  the 
population  of  Illinois  being  at  that  time  almost  ex- 
clusively from  slave-holding  States  and  by  a  large 
majority  in  favor  of  the  perpetuation  of  that  old  relic 
of  barbarism.  The  Legislature  itself  was,  of  course, 
a  reflex  of  the  popular  sentiment,  and  a  majority  of 
them  were  led  on  by  fiery  men  in  denunciations  of 
the  conscientious  Governor,  and  in  curses  loud  and 
deep  upon  him  and  all  his  friends.  Some  of  the 
public  men,  indeed,  went  so  far  as  to  head  a  sort  of 
mob,  or  "  shiveree  "  party,  who  visited  the  residence 
of  the  Governor  and  others  at  Vandalia  and  yelled 
and  groaned  and  spat  fire. 

The  Constitution,  not  establishing  or  permitting 
slavery  in  this  State,  was  thought  therefore  to  be 
defective  by  the  slavery  politicians,  and  they  desired 
a  State  Convention  to  be  elected,  to  devise  and  sub- 
mit a  new  Constitution ;  and  the  dominant  politics 
of  the  day  was  "Convention"  and  "anti-Conven- 
tion." Both  parties  issued  addresses  to  the  people, 
Gov.  Coles  himself  being  the  author  of  the  address 
published  by  the  latter  party.  This  address  revealed 
the  schemes  of  the  conspirators  in  a  masterly  man- 
ner. It  is  difficult  for  us  at  this  distant  day  to  esti- 
mate the  critical  and  extremely  delicate  situation  in 
which  the  Governor  was  placed  at  that  time. 

Our  hero  maintained  himself  honorably  and  with 
supreme  dignity  throughout  his  administration,  and 
in  his  honor  a  county  in  this  State  is  named.  He 
was  truly  a  great  man,  and  those  who  lived  in 
this  State  during  his  sojourn  here,  like  those  who 
live  at  the  bas»of  the  mountain,  were  too  near  to  see 
and  recognize  the  greatness  that  overshadowed  them. 

Mr.  Coles  was  married  Nov.  28,  1833,  by  Bishop 
De  Lancey,  to  Miss  Sally  Logan  Roberts,  a  daughter 
of  Hugh  Roberts,  a  descendant  of  Welsh  ancestry, 
who  caini  to  this  country  with  Wm.  Penn  in  1682. 

After  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  service,  Gov. 
Coles  continued  his  residence  in  Edwardsville,  sup- 
erintending his  farm  in  the  vicinity.  He  was  fond 
of  agriculture,  and  was  the  founder  of  the  first  agri- 
cultural society  in  the  State.  On  account  of  ill 
health,  however,  and  having  no  family  to  tie  him 
down,  he  spent  much  of  his  time  in  Eastern  cities. 
About  1833)  he  changed  his  residence  to  Philadel- 
phia, where  he  died  July  ^  1868,  and  is  buried  at 
Woodland,  near  that  city. 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF  THE 
UNIVERSITY  OF  ILUHOIS 


GO  VERNORS  OF  ILLINOIS. 


,  INIAN  EDWARDS,  Governor 
from  1827  to  1830,  was  a  son 
of  Benjamin  Edwards,  and 
born  in  Montgomery 
_  County,  Maryland,  in  March, 
1775.  His  domestic  train- 
ing was  well  fitted  to  give 
his  mind  strength,  firmness  and 
honorable  principles,  and  a  good 
foundation  was  laid  for  the  elevated 
character  to  which  he  afterwards 
attained.  His  parents  were  Bap- 
tists, and  very  strict  in  their  moral 
principles.  His  education  in  early 
youth  was  in  company  with  and 
partly  under  the  tuition  of  Hon.  Wm. 
Wirt,  whom  his  father  patronized, 
and  who  was  more  than  two  years 
older.  An  intimacy  was  thus 
formed  between  them  which  was  lasting  for  life.  He 
was  further  educated  at  Dickinson  College,  at  Car- 
lisle, Pa.  He  next  commenced  the  study  of  law,  but 
before  completing  his  course  he  moved  to  Nelson 
County,  Ky.,  to  open  a  farm  for  his  father  and  to 
purchase  homes  and  locate  lands  for  his  brothers  and 
sisters.  Here  he  fell  in  the  company  of  dissolute 
companions,  and  for  several  years  led  the  life  of  a 
spendthrift.  He  was,  however,  elected  to  the  Legis- 
lature of  Kentucky  as  the  Representative  of  Nelson 
County  before  he  was  2 1  years  of  age,  and  was  re- 
elected  by  an  almost  unanimous  vote. 


In  1798  he  was  licensed  to  practice  law,  and  the 
following  year  was  admitted  to  the  Courts  of  Tennes- 
see. About  this  time  he  left  Nelson  County  for 
Russellville,  in  Logan  County,  broke  away  from  his 
dissolute  companions,  commenced  a  reformation  and 
devoted  himself  to  severe  and  laborious  study.  He 
then  began  to  rise  rapidly  in  his  profession,  and  soon 
became  an  eminent  lawyer,  and  inside  of  four  years 
he  filled  in  succession  the  offices  of  Presiding  Judge 
of  the  General  Court,  Circuit  Judge,  fourth  Judge  of 
the  Court  of  Appeals  and  Chief  Justice  of  the  State, 
— all  before  he  was  32  years  of  age!  In  addition,  in 
1802,  he  received  a  commission  as  Major  of  a  battal- 
ion of  Kentucky  militia,  and  in  1804  was  chosen  a 
Presidential  Elector,  on  the  Jefferson  and  Clinton 
ticket.  In  1806  he  was  a  candidate  for  Congress, 
but  withdrew  on  being  promoted  to  the  Court  of 
Appeals. 

Illinois  was  organized  as  a  separate  Territory  in 
the  spring  of  1809,  when  Mr.  Edwards,  then  Chief 
Justice  of  the  Court  of  Appeals  in  Kentuck^  received 
from  President  Madison  the  appointment  as  Gover- 
nor of  the  new  Territory,  his  commission  bearing  date 
April  24,  1809.  Edwards  arrived  at  Kaskaskia  in 
June,  and  on  the  i  ith  of  that  month  took  the  oath  of 
office.  At  the  same  time  lie  was  appointed  Superin- 
tendent of  the  United  States  Saline,  this  Government 
interest  then  developing  into  considerable  proportions 
in  Southern  Illinois.  Although  during  the  first  three 
years  of  his  administration  he  had  the  power  to  make 
new  counties  and  appoint  all  the  officers,  yet  he  always 
allowed  the  people  of  each  county,  by  an  informal 


NINIAN  EDWARDS. 


vote,  to  select  their  own  officers,  both  civil  and  mili- 
tary. The  noted  John  J.  Crittenden,  afterward 
United  States  Senator  from  Kentucky,  was  appointed 
by  Gev.  Edwards  to  the  office  of  Attorney  General  of 
the  Territory,  which  office  was  accepted  for  a  short 
time  only. 

The  Indians  in  1810  committing  sundry  depreda- 
tions in  the  Territory,  crossing  the  Mississippi  from 
the  Territory  of  Louisiana,  a  long  correspondence  fol- 
lowed between  the  respective  Governors  concerning 
the  remedies,  which  ended  in  a  council  with  the  sav- 
ages at  Peoria  in  1812,  and  a  fresh  interpretation -of 
the  treaties.  Peoria  was  depopulated  by  these  de- 
predations, and  was  not  re-settled  for  many  years 
afterward. 

As  Gov.  Edwards'  term  of  office  expired  by  law  in 
1812,  he  was  re-appointed  for  another  term  of  three 
years,  and  again  in  1815  for  a  third  term,  serving 
until  the  organization  of  the  State  in  the  fall  of  1818 
and  the  inauguration  of  Gov.  Bond.  At  this  time 
ex-Gov.  Edwards  was  sent  to  the  United  States 
Senate,  his  colleague  being  Jesse  B.  Thomas.  As 
Senator,  Mr.  Edwards  took  a  conspicuous  part,  and 
acquitted  himself  honorably  in  all  the  measures  that 
came  up  in  that  body,  being  well  posted,  an  able  de- 
bater and  a  conscientious  statesman.  He  thought 
seriously  of  resigning  this  situation  in  1821,  but  was 
persuaded  by  his  old  friend,  Wm.  Wirt,  and  others  to 
continue  in  office,  which  he  did  to  the  end  of  the 
term. 

He  was  then  appointed  Minister  to  Mexico  by 
President  Monroe.  About  this  time,  it  appears  that 
Mr.  Edwards  saw  suspicious  signs  in  the  conduct  of 
Wm.  H.  Crawford,  Secretary  of  the  United  States 
Treasury,  and  an  ambitious  candidate  for  the  Presi- 
dency, and  being  implicated  by  the  latter  in  some  of 
his  statements,  he  resigned  his  Mexican  mission  in 
order  fully  to  investigate  the  charges.  The  result 
was  the  exculpation  of  Mr.  Edwards. 

Pro-slavery  regulations,  often  termed  "Black  Laws," 
disgraced  the  statute  books  of  both  the  Territory  and 
the  State  of  Illinois  during  the  whole  of  his  career  in 
this  commonwealth,  and  Mr.  Edwards  always  main- 
tained the  doctrines  of  freedom,  and  was  an  important 
actor  in  the  great  struggle  which  ended  in  a  victory 
for  his  party  in  1824. 

In  1826-7  tne  Winnebago  and  other  Indians  com- 
mitted some  depredations  in  the  northern  part  of  the 


State,  and  the  white  settlers,  who  desired  the  lands 
and  wished  to  exasperate  the  savages  into  an  evacu- 
ation of  the  country,  magnified  the  misdemeanors  of 
the  aborigines  and  thereby  produced  a  hostility  be- 
tween the  races  so  great  as  to  precipitate  a  little  war, 
known  in  history  as  the  "Winnebago  War."  A  few 
chases  and  skirmishes  were  had,  when  Gen.  Atkinson 
succeeded  in  capturing  Red  Bird,  the  Indian  chief, 
and  putting  him  to  death,  thus  ending  the  contest,  at 
least  until  the  troubles  commenced  which  ended  in 
the  "  Black  Hawk  War  "  of  1832.  In  the  interpre- 
tation of  treaties  and  execution  of  their  provisions 
Gov.  Edwards  had  much  vexatious  work  to  do.  The 
Indians  kept  themselves  generally  within  the  juris- 
diction of  Michigan  Territory,  and  its  Governor, 
Lewis  Cass,  was  at  a  point  so  remote  that  ready  cor- 
respondence with  him  was  difficult  or  impossible. 
Gov.  Edwards'  administration,  however,  in  regard  to 
the  protection  of  the  Illinois  frontier,  seems  to  have 
been  very  efficient  and  satisfactory. 

For  a  considerable  portion  of  his  time  after  his  re- 
moval to  Illinois,  Gov.  Edwards  resided  upon  his 
farm  near  Kaskaskia,  which  he  had  well  stocked  with 
horses,  cattle  and  sheep  from  Kentucky,  also  with 
fruit-trees,  grape-vines  and  shrubbery.  He  estab- 
lished saw  and  grist-mills,  and  engaged  extensively 
in  mercantile  business,  having  no  less  than  eight  or  tep 
stores  in  this  State  and  Missouri.  Notwithstanding 
the  arduous  duties  of  his  office,  he  nearly  always  pur- 
chased the  goods  himself  with  which  to  supply  the 
stores.  Although  not  a  regular  practitioner  of  medi- 
cine, he  studied  the  healing  art  to  a  considerable  ex- 
tent, and  took  great  pleasure  in  prescribing  for,  and 
taking  care  of,  the  sick,  generally  without  charge. 
He  was  also  liberal  to  the  poor,  several  widows  and 
ministers  of  the  gospel  becoming  indebted  to  him 
even  for  their  homes. 

He  married  Miss  Elvira  Lane,  of  Maryland,  in 
1803,  and  they  became  the  affectionate  parents  of 
several  children,  one  of  whom,  especially,  is  well 
known  to  the  people  of  the  "  Prairie  State,"  namely, 
Ninian  Wirt  Edwards,  once  the  Superintendent  of 
Public  Instruction  and  still  a  resident  of  Springfield. 
Gov.  Edwards  resided  at  and  in  the  vicinity  of  Kas- 
kaskia from  1809  to  1818;  in  Edwardsville  (named 
after  him)  from  that  time  to  1824;  and  from  the  lat- 
ter date  at  Belleville,  St.  Clair  County,  until  his 
death,  July  20,  1833,  of  Asiatic  cholera.  Edwards 
County  is  also  named  in  his  honor. 

•e. aM»^ 


& 


e 


<& 


THF  UBfttRY 
OF  THE 


GO  VERNORS  OF  ILLINOIS. 


j:OHN  REYNOLDS,  Governor  1831- 
4,  was  born  in  Montgomery  Coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania,  Feb.  26,  1788. 
His  father,  Robert  Reynolds  and 
his  mother,  nee  Margaret  Moore, 
were  both  natives  of  Ireland,  from 
which  country  they  emigrated  to  j 
the  United  States  in  1785,  land- 
ing at  Philadelphia.  The  senior 
Reynolds  entertained  an  undying 
hostility  to  the  British  Govern- 
ment. When  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  about  six  months  old, 
his  parents  emigrated  with  him  to 
Tennessee,  where  many  of  their 
relatives  had  already  located,  at  the  base  of  the 
Copper  Ridge  Mountain,  about  14  miles  northeast  of 
the  present  city  of  Knoxville.  There  they  were  ex- 
posed to  Indian  depredations,  and  were  much  molest- 
ed by  them.  In  1794  they  moved  into  the  interior 
of  the  State.  They  were  poor,  and  brought  up  their 
children  to  habits  of  manual  industry. 

In  1800  the  family  removed  to  Kaskaskia,  111.,  with 
eight  horses  and  two  wagons,  encountering  many 
hardships  on  the  way.  Here  young  Reynolds  passed 
the  most  of  his  childhood,  while  his  character  began 
to  develop,  the  most  prominent  traits  of  which  were 
ambition  and  energy.  He  also  adopted  the  principle 
and  practice  of  total  abstinence  from  intoxicating 
liquors.  In  1807  the  family  made  another  removal, 


this  time  to  the  "  Goshen  Settlement,"  at  the  foot  of 
the  Mississippi  bluffs  three  or  four  miles  southwest 
of  Edwardsville. 

On  arriving  at  his  zoth  year,  Mr.  Reynolds,  seeing 
that  he  must  look  about  for  his  own  livelihood  and 
not  yet  having  determined  what  calling  to  pursue, 
concluded  first  to  attend  college,  and  he  accordingly 
went  to  such  an  institution  of  learning,  near  Knox- 
ville, Tenn.,  where  he  had  relatives.  Imagine  his 
diffidence,  when,  after  passing  the  first  20  years  of 
his  life  without  ever  having  seen  a  carpet,  a  papered 
wall  or  a  Windsor  chair,  and  never  having  lived  in  a 
shingle-roofed  house,  he  suddenly  ushered  himself 
into  the  society  of  the  wealthy  in  the  vicinity  of 
Knoxville!  He  attended  college  nearly  two  years, 
going  through  the  principal  Latin  authors;  but  it 
seems  that  he,  like  the  rest  of  the  world  in  modern 
times,  had  but  very  little  use  for  his  Latin  in  after 
life.  He  always  failed,  indeed,  to  exhibit  any  good 
degree  of  literary  discipline.  He  commenced  the 
study  of  law  in  Knoxville,  but  a  pulmonary  trouble 
came  on  and  compelled  him  to  change  his  mode 
of  life.  Accordingly  he  returned  home  and  re- 
cuperated, and  in  1812  resumed  his  college  and 
law  studies  at  Knoxville.  In  the  fall  of  1812  he  was 
admitted  to  the  Bar  at  Kaskaskia.  About  this  time 
he  also  learned  the  French  language,  which  he 
practiced  with  pleasure  in  conversation  with  his 
family  for  many  years.  He  regarded  this  language 
as  being  superior  to  all  others  for  social  intercourse. 


(&%&*& 

124 


JOHN  REYNOLDS. 


From  his  services  in  the  West,  in  the  war  of  181 2, 
he  obtained  the  sobriquet  of  the  "  Old  Ranger."  He 
was  Orderly  Sergeant,  then  Judge  Advocate. 

Mr.  Reynolds  opened  his  first  law  office  in  the 
winter  and  spring  of  1814,  in  the  French  village  of 
Cahokia,  then  the  capital  of  St.  Clair  County. 

In  the  fall  of  1818  he  was  elected  an  Associate 
Justice  upon  the  Supreme  Bench  by  the  General 
Assembly.  In  1825  he  entered  more  earnestly  than 
ever  into  the  practice  of  law,  and  the  very  next  year 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  Legislature,  where  he 
acted  independently  of  all  cliques  and  private  inter- 
ests. In  1828  the  Whigs  and  Democrats  were  for 
the  first  time  distinctively  organized  as  such  in  Illi- 
nois, and  the  usual  party  bitterness  grew  up  and 
raged  on  all  sides,  while  Mr.  Reynolds  preserved  a 
judicial  calmness  and  moderation.  The  real  animus 
of  the  campaign  was  "  Jackson  "  and  "  anti- Jackson," 
the  former  party  carrying  the  State. 

In  August,  1830,  Mr.  Reynolds  was  elected  Gov- 
ernor, amid  great  excitement.  Installed  in  office,  he 
did  all  within  his  power  to  advance  the  cause  of  edu- 
cation, internal  improvements,  the  Illinois  &  Mich- 
igan Canal,  the  harbor  at  Chicago,  settling  the  coun- 
try, etc.;  also  recommended  the  winding  up  of  the 
State  Bank,  as  its  affairs  had  become  dangerously 
complicated.  In  his  national  politics,  he  was  a 
moderate  supporter  of  General  Jackson.  But  the 
most  celebrated  event  of  his  gubernatorial  admin- 
istration  was  the  Black  Hawk  War,  which  occurred 
in  1832.  He  called  out  the  militia  and  prosecuted 
the  contest  with  commendable  diligence,  appearing 
in  person  on  the  battle-grounds  during  the  most 
critical  periods.  He  was  recognized  by  the  President 
as  Major-General,  and  authorized  by  him  to  make 
treaties  with  the  Indians.  By  the  assistance  of  the 
general  Government  the  war  was  terminated  without 
much  bloodshed,  but  after  many  serious  fights.  This 
war,  as  well  as  everything  else,  was  materially  re- 
tarded by  the  occurrence  of  Asiatic  cholera  in  the 
West.  This  was  its  first  appearance  here,  and  was 
the  next  event  in  prominence  during  Gov.  Reynolds' 
term. 

South  Carolina  nullification  coming  up  at  this  time, 
it  was  heartily  condemned  by  both  President  Jackson 
and  Gov.  Reynolds,  who  took  precisely  the  same 
grounds  as  the  Unionists  in  the  last  war. 

On  the  termination  of  his  gubernatorial  term  in 
1834,  Gov.  Reynolds  was  elected  a  Member  of  Con- 
gress, still  considering  himself  a  backwoodsman,  as 
he  had  scarcely  been  outside  of  the  State  since  he 
became  of  age,  and  had  spent  nearly  all  his  youthful 
days  in  the  wildest  region  of  the  frontier.  His  first 
move  in  Congress  was  to  adopt  a  resolution  that  in 
all  elections  made  by  the  House  for  officers  the  votes 
should  be  given  viva  voce,  each  member  in  his  place 
naming  aloud  the  person  for  whom  he  votes.  This 
created  considerable  heated  discussion,  but  was  es- 


sentially adopted,  and  remained  the  controlling  prin- 
ciple for  many  years.  The  ex-Governor  was  scarcely 
absent  from  his  seat  a  single  day,  during  eight  ses- 
sions of  Congress,  covering  a  period  of  seven  years, 
and  he  never  vacillated  in  a  party  vote;  but  he  failed 
to  get  the  Democratic  party  to  foster  his  "  National 
Road"  scheme.  He  says,  in  "  My  Own  Times  "  (a 
large  autobiography  he  published),  that  it  was  only 
by  rigid  economy  that  he  avoided  insolvency  while  in 
Washington.  During  his  sojourn  in  that  city  he  was 
married,  to  a  lady  of  the  place. 

In  1837,  while  out  of  Congress,  and  in  company 
with  a  few  others,  he  built  the  first  railroad  in  the 
Mississippi  Valley,  namely,  one  about  six  miles  long, 
leading  from  his  coal  mine  in  the  Mississippi  bluff  to 
.the  bank  of  the  river  opposite  St.  Louis.  Having  not 
the  means  to  purchase  a  locomotive,  they  operated  it 
by  horse-power.  The  next  spring,  however,  the  com- 
pany sold  out,  at  great  sacrifice. 

In  1839  the  ex-Governor  was  appointed  one  of  the 
Canal  Commissioners,  and  authorized  to  borrow 
money  to  prosecute  the  enterprise.  Accord'ngly,  he 
repaired  to  Philadelphia  and  succeeding  in  obtaining 
a  million  dollars,  which,  however,  was  only  a  fourth 
of  what  was  wanted.  The  same  year  he  and  his 
wife  made  at  our  of  Europe.  This  year,  also,  Mr. 
Reynolds  had  the  rather  awkward  little  responsibility 
of  introducing  to  President  Van  Buren  the  noted 
Mormon  Prophet,  Joseph  Smith,  as  a  "  Latter-Day 


Saint! 


In  1846  Gov.  Reynolds  was  elected  a  member  of 
the  Legislature  from  St.  Clair  County,  more  particu- 
larly for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  a  feasible  charter 
for  a  macadamized  road  from  Belleville  to  St.  Louis, 
a  distance  of  nearly  14  miles.  This  was  immediately 
built;  and  jvas  the  first  road  of  the  kind  in  the  State. 
He  was  again  elected  to  the  Legislature  in  1852,  when 
he  was  chosen  Speaker  of  the  House.  In  1860,  aged 
and  infirm,  he  attended  the  National  Democratic 
Convention  at  Charleston,  S.  C  ,  as  an  anti-Douglas 
Delegate,  where  he  received  more  attention  from  the 
Southern  Delegates  than  any  other  member.  He 
supported  Breckenridge  for  the  Presidency.  After 
the  October  elections  foreshadowed  the  success  of 
Lincoln,  he  published  an  address  urging  the  Demo- 
crats to  rally  to  the  support  of  Douglas.  Immedi- 
ately preceding  and  during  the  late  war,  his  corre- 
spondence evinced  a  clear  sympathy  for  the  Southern 
secession,  and  about  the  first  of  March,  1861,  he 
urged  upon  the  Buchanan  officials  the  seizure  of  the 
treasure  and  arms  in  the  custom-house  and  arsenal 
at  St.  Louis.  Mr.  Reynolds  was  a  rather  talkative 
man,  and  apt  in  all  the  Western  phrases  and  catch- 
words that  ever  gained  currency,  besides  many  cun- 
ning and  odd  ones  of  his  own  manufacture. 

He  was  married  twice,  but  had  no  children.  He 
died  in  Belleville,  in  May,  1865,  just  after  the  close 
of  the  war. 


THFUBBART 

OF  THE 
UHIVEflSITY  Of 


GO  VERMORS  OF  ILLINOIS. 


ILLIAM  LEE  D.  EWING, 
Governor  of  Illinois  Nov.  3 
to  17,  1834,  was  a  native 
of  Kentucky,  and  probably 
of  Scotch  ancestry.  He  had 
*;  a  fine  education,  was  a  gentle- 
man of  polished  manners  and 
refined  sentiment.  In  1830  John  Rey- 
nolds was  elected  Governor  of  the  State, 
and  Zadok  Casey  Lieutenant  Governor, 
and  for  the  principal  events  that  followed, 
and  the  characteristics  of  the  times,  see 
sketch  of  Gov.  Reynolds.  The  first  we 
see  in  history  concerning  Mr.  Ewing,  in- 
forms us  that  he  was  a  Receiver  of  Public 
Moneys  at  Vandalia  soon  after  the  organization  of 
this  State,  and  that  the  public  moneys  in  his  hands 
were  deposited  in  various  banks,  as  they  are  usually 
at  the  present  day.  In  1823  the  State  Bank  was 
robbed,  by  which  disaster  Mr.  Ewing  lost  a  thousand- 
dollar  deposit. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  had  a  commission  as 
Colonel  in  the  Black  Hawk  War,  and  in  emergencies 
he  acted  also  as  Major.  In  the  summer  of  1832, 
when  it  was  rumored  among  the  whites  that  Black 
Hawk  and  his  men  had  encamped  somewhere  on 
Rock  River,  Gen.  Henry  was  sent  on  a  tour  of 
reconnoisance,  and  with  orders  to  drive  the  Indians 
from  the  State.  After  some  opposition  from  his 
subordinate  officers,  Henry  resolved  to  proceed  up 
Rock  River  in  search  of  the  enemy.  On  the'  igth  of 
July,  early  in  the  morning,  five  baggage  wagons, 

,@X38$» s«^ @ 


camp  equipage  and  all  heavy  and  cumbersome  arti- 
cles were  piled  up  and  left,  so  that  the  army  might 
make  speedy  and  forced  marches.  For  some  miles 
the  travel  was  exceedingly  bad,  crossing  swamps 
and  the  worst  thickets ;  but  the  large,  fresh  trail 
gave  life  and  animation  to  the  Americans.  Gen. 
Dodge  and  Col.  Ewing  were  both  acting  as  Majors, 
and  composed  the  "  spy  corps  "  or  vanguard  of  the 
army.  It  is  supposed  the  army  marched  nearly  50 
miles  this  day,  and  the  Indian  trail  they  followed 
became  fresher,  and  was  strewed  with  much  property 
and  trinkets  of  the  red-skins  that  they  had  lost  or 
thrown  away  to  hasten  their  march.  During  the 
following  night  there  was  a  terrific  thunder-storm,  and 
the  soldiery,  with  all  their  appurtenances,  were  thor- 
oughly drenched. 

On  approaching  nearer  the  Indians  the  next  day. 
Gen.  Dodge  and  Major  Ewing,  each  commanding  a 
battalion  of  men,  were  placed  in  front  to  bring  on  the 
battle,  but  the  savages  were  not  overtaken  this  day 
Forced  marches  were  continued  until  they  reached. 
Wisconsin  River,  where  a  veritable  battle  ensued, 
resulting  in  the  death  of  about  68  of  Black  Hawk's 
men.  The  next  day  they  continued  the  chase,  and 
as  soon  as  he  discovered  the  trail  of  the  Indians 
leading  toward  the  Mississippi,  Maj.  Ewing  formed 
his  battalion  in  order  of  battle  and  awaited  the  order 
of  Gen.  Henry.  The  latter  soon  appeared  on  the 
ground  and  ordered  a  charge,  which  directly  resulted 
in  chasing  the  red  warriors  across  the  great  river. 
Maj.  Ewing  and  his  command  proved  particularly 
efficient  in  war,  as  it  seems  they  were  the  chief  actors 
in  driving  the  main  body  of  the  Sacs  and  Foxes, 

a-e S^MK «&@5&g@. 


WILLIAM  L.  D.  SWING. 


eluding  Black  Hawk  himself,  across  the  Mississippi, 
while  Gen.  Atkinson,  commander-in-chief  of  the  ex- 
pedition, with  a  body  of  the  army,  was  hunting  for 
them  in  another  direction. 

In  the  above  affair  Maj.  Ewing  is  often  referred  to 
as  a  "  General,"  which  title  he  had  derived  from  his 
connection  with  the  militia. 

It  was  in  the  latter  part  of  the  same  year  (1832) 
that  Lieutenant  Governor  Casey  was  elected  to  Con- 
gress and  Gen.  Ewing,  who  had  been  elected  to  the 
Senate,  was  chosen  to  preside  over  that  body.  At 
the  August  election  of  1834,  Gov.  Reynolds  was  also 
elected  to  Congress,  more  than  a  year  ahead  of  the 
time  at  which  he  could  actually  take  his  seat,  as  was 
then  the  law.  His  predecessor,  Charles  Slade,  had 
just  died  of  Asiatic  cholera,  soon  after  the  elec- 
tion, and  Gov.  Reynolds  was  chosen  to  serve  out  his 
unexpired  term.  Accordingly  he  set  out  for  Wash- 
ington in  November  of  that  year  to  take  his  seat  in 
Congress,  and  Gen.  Ewing,  by  virtue  of  his  office  as 
President  of  the  Senate,  became  Governor  of  the 
State  of  Illinois,  his  term  covering  only  a  period  of 
15  days,  namely,  from  the  3d  to  the  ryth  days,  in- 
clusive, of  November.  On  the  iyth  the  Legislature 
met,  and  Gov.  Ewing  transmitted  to  that  body  his 
message,  giving  a  statement  of  the  condition  of  the 
affairs  of  the  State  at  that  time,  and  urging  a  contin- 
uance of  the  policy  adopted  by  his  predecessor ;  and 
on  the  same  day  Governor  elect  Joseph  Duncan 
was  sworn  into  office,  thus  relieving  Mr.  Ewing  from 


the  responsible  situation.  This  is  the  only  time  tha 
such  a  juncture  has  happened  in  the  history  of  Illi- 
nois. 

On  the  29th-  of  December,  1835,  Gen.  Ewing  was 
elected  a  United  States  Senator  to  serve  out  the 
unexpired  term  of  Elias  Kent  Kane,  deceased.  The 
latter  gentleman  was  a  very  prominent  figure  in  the 
early  politics  of  Illinois,  and  a  county  in  this  State  is 
named  in  his  honor.  The  election  of  Gen.  Ewing  to 
the  Senate  was  a  protracted  struggle.  His  competi- 
tors were  James  Semple,  who  afterwards  held  several 
important  offices  in  this  State,  and  Richard  M. 
Young,  afterward  a  United  States  Senator  and  a 
Supreme  Judge  and  a  man  of  vast  influence.  On 
the  first  ballot  Mr.  Semple  had  25  votes,  Young  19 
and  Ewing  18.  On  the  eighth  ballot  Young  was 
dropped ;  the  ninth  and  tenth  stood  a  tie ;  but  on 
the  1 2th  Ewing  received  40,  to  Semple  37,  and  was 
accordingly  declared  elected.  In  1837  Mr.  Ewing 
received  some  votes  for  a  continuance  of  his  term  in 
Congress,  when  Mr.  Young,  just  referred  to,  was 
elected.  In  1842  Mr.  Ewing  was  elected  State 
Auditor  on  the  ticket  with  Gov.  Ford. 

Gen.  Ewing  was  a  gentleman  of  culture,  a  lawyer 
by  profession,  and  was  much  in  public  life.  In  person 
he  was  above  medium  height  and  of  heavy  build, 
with  auburn  hair,  blue  eyes,  large-sized  head  and 
short  face.  He  was  genial,  social,  friendly  and 
affable,  with  fair  talent,  though  of  no  high  degree  of 
originality.  He  died  March  25,  1846. 


Tiff  LIBRARY 

OF  IK 
IWIYERMTY  OF  ILUHOJS 


OSEPH  DUNCAN,  Governor 
1834-8,  was  born  at  Paris, 
Ky.,  Feb.  23,  1794.  At  the 
tender  age  of  1 9  years  he  en- 
listed in  the  war  against  Great 
Britain,  and  as  a  soldier  he 
acquitted  himself  with  credit.  He 
was  an  Ensign  under  the  daunt- 
less Croghan  at  Lower  Sandusky, 
or  Fort  Stephenson.  In  Illinois 
he  first  appeared  in  a  public  capa- 
city as  Major-General  of  the  Militia, 
a  position  which  his  military  fame 
had  procured  him.  Subsequently 
he  became  a  State  Senator  from 
Jackson  County,  and  is  honorably 
mentioned  for  introducing  the  first  bill  providing  for 
a  free-school  system.  In  1826,  when  the  redoubt- 
able John  P.  Cook,  who  had  previously  beaten  such 
men  as  John  McLean,  Elias  Kent  Kane  and  ex- 
Gov.  Bond,  came  up  for  the  fourth  time  for  Congress, 
Mr.  Duncan  was  brought  forward  against  him  by  his 
friends,  greatly  to  the  surprise  of  all  the  politicians. 
As  yet  he  was  but  little  known  in  the  State.  He  was 
an  original  Jackson  man  at  that  time,  being  attached 
to  his  political  fortune  in  admiration  of  the  glory  of 
his  military  achievements.  His  chances  of  success 
against  Cook  were  generally  regarded  as  hopeless, 
but  he  entered  upon  the  campaign  undaunted.  His 
speeches,  though  short  and  devoid  of  ornament,  were 
full  of  good  sense.  He  made  a  diligent  canvass  of 
the  State,  Mr.  Cook  being  hindered  by  the  condition  of 
his  health.  The  most  that  was  expected  of  Mr. 
Duncan,  under  the  circumstances,  was  that  he  would 


obtain  a  respectable  vote,  but  without  defeating  Mr. 
Cook.  The  result  of  the  campaign,  however,  was  a 
source  of  surprise  and  amazement  to  both  friends 
and  foes,  as  Mr.  Duncan  came  out  64 r  votes  ahead! 
He  received  6,32 r  votes,  and  Mr.  Cook  5,680.  Un- 
til this  denouement,  the  violence  of  party  feeling 
smoldering  in  the  breasts  of  the  people  on  account 
of  the  defeat  of  Jackson,  was  not  duly  appreciated. 
Aside  from  the  great  convention  struggle  of  1824,  no 
other  than  mere  local  and  personal  considerations 
had  ever  before  controlled  an  election  in  Illinois. 

From  the  above  date  Mr.  Duncan  retained  his 
seat  in  Congress  until  his  election  as  Governor  in 
August,  1834.  The  first  and  bloodless  year  of  the 
Black  Hawk  War  he  was  appointed  by  Gov.  Rey- 
nolds to  the  position  of  Brigadier-General  of  the  / 1 
volunteers,  and  he  conducted  his  brigade  to  Rock 
Island.  But  he  was  absent  from  the  State,  in  Wash- 
ington, during  the  gubernatorial  campaign,  and  did 
not  personally  participate  in  it,  but  addressed  circu- 
lars to  his  constituents.  His  election  was,  indeed, 
attributed  to  the  circumstance  of  his  absence,  be-  / 
cause  his  estrangement  from  Jackson,  formerly  his 
political  idol,  and  also  from  the  Democracy,  largely 
in  ascendency  in  the  State,  was  complete ;  but  while 
his  defection  was  well  known  to  his  Whig  friends, 
and  even  to  the  leading  Jackson  men  of  this  State, 
the  latter  were  unable  to  carry  conviction  of  that  fact 
to  the  masses,  as  mail  and  newspaper  facilities  at 
that  day  were  far  inferior  to  those  of  the  present  *:  '•« 
time.  Of  course  the  Governor  was  much  abused 
afterward  by  the  fossilized  Jackson  men  who  re- 
garded party  ties  and  affiliations  as  above  all 
other  issues  that  could  arise;  but  he  was  doubtless 


JOSEPH  DUNCAN. 


f 


sincere  in  his  opposition  to  the  old  hero,  as  the  latter 
had  vetoed  several  .important  western  measures 
which  were  dear  to  Mr.  Duncan.  In  his  inaugural 
message  he  threw  off  the  mask  and  took  a  bold  stand 
against  the  course  of  the  President.  The  measures 
he  recommended  in  his  message,  however,  were  so 
desirable  that  the  Legislature,  although  by  a  large 
majority  consisting  of  Jackson  men,  could  not  refrain 
from  endorsing  them.  These  measures  related 
mainly  to  banks  and  internal  improvements. 

It  was  while  Mr.  Duncan  was  Governor  that  the 
people  of  Illinois  went  whirling  on  with  bank  and  in- 
ternal improvement  schemes  that  well  nigh  bank- 
rupted the  State.  The  hard  times  of  1837  came  on, 
and  the  disasters  that  attended  the  inauguration  of 
these  plans  and  the  operation  of  the  banks  were  mu- 
tually charged  upon  the  two  political  parties.  Had 
any  one  man  autocratic  power  to  introduce  and 
carry  on  any  one  of  these  measures,  he  would  proba- 
bly have  succeeded  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  public ; 
but  as  many  jealous  men  had  hold  of  the  same  plow 
handle,  no  success  followed  and  each  blamed  the  other 
for  the  failure.  In  this  great  vortex  Gov.  Duncan 
was  carried  along,  suffering  the  like  derogation  of 
character  with  his  fellow  citizens. 

At  the  height  of  the  excitement  the  Legislature 
"  provided  for  "  railroads  from  Galena  to  Cairo,  Alton 
to  Shawneetown,  Alton  to  Mount  Carmel,  Alton  to  the 
eastern  boundary  of  the  State  in  the  direction  of 
Terre  Haute,  Quincy  via  Springfield  to  the  wlbash, 
Bloomington  to  Pekin,  and  Peoria  to  Warsaw, — in  all 
about  1,300  miles  of  road.  It  also  provided  for  the 
improvement  of  the  navigation  of  the  Kaskaskia, 
Illinois,  Great  and  Little  Wabash  and  Rock  Rivers  ; 
also  as  a  placebo,  $200,000  in  money  were  to  be  dis- 
tributed to  the  various  counties  wherein  no  improve- 
ments were  ordered  to  be  made  as  above.  The 
estimate  for  the  expenses  for  all  these  projects  was 
placed  at  a  little  over  $10,000,000,  which  was  not 
more  than  half  enough !  That  would  now  be  equal  to 
saddling  upon  the  State  a  debt  of  $225,000,000!  It 
was  sufficient  to  bankrupt  the  State  several  times 
over,  even  counting  all  the  possible  benefits. 

One  of  the  most  exciting  events  that  ever  occurred 
in  this  fair  State  was  the  murder  of  Elijah  P.  Love- 
joy  in  the  fall  of  1837,  at  Alton,  during  Mr.  Duncan's 
term  as  Governor.  Lovejoy  was  an  "  Abolitionist," 
editing  the  Observer  at  that  place,  and  the  pro- 
slavery  slums  there  formed  themselves  into  a  mob, 


and  after  destroying  successively  three  presses  be- 
longing to  Mr.  Lovejoy,  surrounded  the  warehouse 
where  the  fourth  press  was  stored  away,  endeavoring 
to  destroy  it,  and  where  Lovejoy  and  his  friends 
were  entrenching  themselves,  and  shot  and  killed  the 
brave  reformer ! 

About  this  time,  also,  the  question  of  removing  the 
State  capital  again  came  up,  as  the  20  years'  limit  for 
its  existence  at  Vandalia  was  drawing  to  a  close. 
There  was,  of  course,  considerable  excitement  over 
the  matter,  the  two  main  points  competing  for  it  be- 
ing Springfield  and  Peoria.  The  jealousy  of  the  lat- 
ter place  is  not  even  yet,  45  years  afterward,  fully 
allayed. 

Gov.  Duncan's  term  expired  in  1838.  In  1842 
he  was  again  proposed  as  a  candidate  for  the  Execu- 
tive chair,  this  time  by  the  Whig  party,  against  Adam 
W.  Snyder,  of  St.  Clair  County,  the  nominee  of  the 
Democrats.  Charles  W.  Hunter  was  a  third  candi- 
date for  the  same,position.  Mr.  Snyder,  however,  died 
before  the  campaign  had  advanced  very  far,  and  his 
party  substituted  Thomas  Ford,  who  was  elected, 
receiving  46,901  votes,  to  38,584  for  Duncan,  and 
909  for  Hunter.  The  cause  of  Democratic  success 
at  this  time  is  mainly  attributed  to  the  temporary 
support  of  the  Mormons  which  they  enjoyed,  and  the 
want  of  any  knowledge,  on  the  part  of  the  masses, 
that  Mr.  Ford  was  opposed  to  any  given  policy  en- 
tertained in  the  respective  localities. 

Gov.  Duncan  was  a  man  of  rather  limited  educa- 
tion, but  with  naturally  fine  abilities  he  profited 
greatly  by  his  various  public  services,  and  gathered 
a  store  of  knowledge  regarding  public  affairs  which 
served  him  a  ready  purpose.  He  possessed  a  clear 
judgment,  decision,  confidence  in  himself  and  moral 
courage  to  carry  out  his  convictions  of  right.  In  his 
deportment  he  was  well  adapted  to  gain  the  admira- 
tion of  the  people.  His  intercourse  with  them  was 
both  affable  and  dignified.  His  portrait  at  the  Gov- 
ernor's mansion,  from  which  the  accompanying  was 
made,  represents  him  as  having  a  swarthy  complex- 
ion, high  cheek  bones,  broad  forehead,  piercing  black 
eyes  and  straight  black  hair. 

He  was  a  liberal  patron  of  the  .Illinois  College  at 
Jacksonville,  a  member  of  its  Board  of  Trustees,  and 
died,  after  a  short  illness,  Jan.  15,  1844,  a  devoted 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  leaving  a  wife 
but  no  children.  Two  children,  born  to  them,  had 
died  in  infancy. 


THF  LIBRARY 
OF  THE 

wiYERsmr  OF  HUNOB 


^;»«| 


IHOMAS  CARLIN,  the  sixth 

Governor  of  the  State  of 
Illinois,  serving  from  1838 
to  1842,  was  also  a  Ken- 
tuckian,  being  born  near 
Frankfort,  that  State,  July 
18,  1789,  of  Irish  paternity. 
The  opportunities  for  an  education 
being  very  meager  in  his  native 
place,  he,  on  approaching  years  of 
judgment  and  maturity,  applied 
himself  to  those  branches  of  learn- 
ing that  seemed  most  important, 
and  thus  became  a  self-made  man  ; 
and  his  taste  for  reading  and 
study  remained  with  him  through 
life.  In  1803  his  father  removed 
to  Missouri,  then  a  part  of  "  New  Spain,"  where  he 
died  in  1810. 

In  1812  young  Carlin  came  to  Illinois  and  partici- 
pated in  all  the  "ranging"  service  incident  to  the 
war  of  that  period,  proving  himself  a  soldier  of  un- 
daunted bravery.  In  1814  he  married  Rebecca 
Huitt,  and  lived  for  four  years  on  the  bank  of  the 
Mississippi  River,  opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Mis- 
souri, where  he  followed  farming,  and  then  removed 
to  Greene  County.  He  located  the  town  site  of  Car- 
rollton,  in  that  county,  and  in  1825  made  a  liberal 
donation  of  land  for  county  building  purposes.  He 
was  the  first  Sheriff  of  that  county  after  its  separate 
organization,  and  afterward  was  twice  elected,  as  a 
Jackson  Democrat,  to  the  Illinois  Senate.  In  the 
Black  Hawk  War  he  commanded  a  spy  battalion,  a 
post  of  considerable  danger.  In  1834  he  was  ap- 
pointed by  President  Jackson  to  the  position  of 
Receiver  of  Public  Moneys,  and  to  fulfill  the  office 
-,/*_ '^mJf^^. /~\  /i 


more  conveniently  he  removed  to  the  city  of  Quincy. 

While,  in  1838,  the  unwieldy  internal  improvement 
system  of  the  State  was  in  full  operation,  with  all  its 
expensive  machinery,  amidst  bank  suspensions 
throughout  the  United  States,  a  great  stringency  in 
the  money  market  everywhere,  and  Illinois  bonds 
forced  to  sale  at  a  heavy  discount,  and  the  "  hardest 
times  "  existing  that  the  people  of  the  Prairie  State 
ever  saw,  the  general  election  of  State  officers  w'as 
approaching.  Discreet  men  who  had  cherished  the 
hope  of  a  speedy  subsidence  of  the  public  infatua- 
tion, met  with  disappointment.  A  Governor  and 
Legislature  were  to  be  elected,  and  these  were  now 
looked  forward  to  for  a  repeal  of  the  ruinous  State 
policy.  But  the  grand  scheme  had  not  yet  lost  its 
dazzling  influence  upon  the  minds  of  the  people. 
Time  and  experience  had  not  yet  fully  demonstrated 
its  utter  absurdity.  Hence  the  question  of  arresting 
its  career  of  profligate  expenditures  did  not  become 
a  leading  one  with  the  dominant  party  during  the 
campaign,  and  most  of  the  old  members  of  the  Leg- 
islature were  returned  at  this  election. 

Under  these  circumstances  the  Democrats,  in  State 
Convention  assembled,  nominated  Mr.  Carlin  for  the 
office  of  Governor,  and  S.  H.  Anderson  for  Lieuten- 
ant Governor,  while  the  Whigs  nominated  Cyrus  Ed- 
wards, brother  of  Ninian  Edwards,  formerly  Governor, 
and  W.  H.  Davidson.  Edwards  came  out  strongly 
for  a  continuance  of  the  State  policy,  while  Carlin 
remained  non-committal.  This  was  the  first  time 
that  the  two  main  political  parties  in  this  State  were 
unembarrassed  by  any  third  party  in  the  field.  The 
result  of  the  election  was:  Carlin,  35,573;  Ander- 
son, 30,335  ;  Edwards,  29,629 ;  and  Davidson,  28,- 
7!.S- 

Upon  the  meeting  of  the  subsequent  Legislature 
(1839),  the  retiring  Governor  (Duncan)  in  his  mes- 


c 


THOMAS  CARLIN. 


sage  spoke  in  emphatic  terms  of  the  impolicy  of  the 
internal  improvement  system,  presaging  the  evils 
threatened,  and  uiged  that  body  to  do  their  utmost 
to  correct  the  great  error;  yet,  on  the.  contrary,  the 
Legislature  not  only  decided  to  continue  the  policy 
but  also  added  to  its  burden  by  voting  more  appro- 
priations and  ordering  more  improvements.  Although 
the  money  market  was  still  stringent,  a  further  loan 
of  $4,000,000  was  ordered  for  the  Illinois  &  Mich- 
igan Canal  alone.  Chicago  at  that  time  began  to 
loom  up  and  promise  to  be  an  important  city,  even 
the  great  emporium  of  the  West,  as  it  has  since  in- 
deed came  to  be.  Ex-Gov.  Reynolds,  an  incompe- 
tent financier,  was  commissioned  to  effect  the  loan, 
and  accordingly  hastened  to  the  East  on  this  respons- 
ible errand,  and  negotiated  the  loans,  at  considera- 
ble sacrifice  to  the  State.  Besides  this  embarrassment 
to  Carlin's  administration,  the  Legislature  also  de- 
clared that  he  had  no  authority  to  appoint  a  Secretary 
of  State  until  a  vacancy  existed,  and  A.  P.  Field,  a 
Whig,  who  had  already  held  the  post  by  appointment 
through  three  administrations,  was  determined  to 
keep  the  place  a  while  longer,  in  spite  of  Gov.  Car- 
lin's preferences.  The  course  of  the  Legislature  in 
„  this  regard,  however,  was  finally  sustained  by  the 
Supreme  Court,  in  a  quo  warranto  case  brought  up 
before  it  by  John  A.  McClernand,  whom  the  Gov- 
ernor had  nominated  for  the  office.  Thereupon  that 
dignified  body  was  denounced  as  a  "Whig  Court!" 
endeavoring  to  establish  the  principle  of  life-tenure 
of  office. 

A  new  law  was  adopted  re-organizing  the  Judici- 
ary, and  under  it  five  additional  Supreme  Judges 
were  elected  by  the  Legislature,  namely,  Thomas 
Ford  (afterward  Governor),  Sidney  Breese,  Walter  B. 
Scales,  Samuel  H.  Treat  and  Stephen  A.  Douglas — 
all  Democrats. 

It  was  during  Cov.  Carlin's  administration  that  the 
noisy  campaign  of  "  Tippecanoe  and  Tyler  too  "  oc- 
curred, resulting  in  a  Whig  victory.  This,  however, 
did  not  affect  Illinois  politics  very  seriously. 

Another  prominent  event  in  the  West  during  Gov. 
Carlin's  term  of  office  was  the  excitement  caused  by 
the  Mormons  and  their  removal  from  Independence, 
Mo.,  to  Nauvoo,  111.,  in  1840.  At  the  same  time 
they  began  to  figure  somewhat  in  State  politics.  On 
account  of  their  believing — as  they  thought,  accord- 
to  the  New  Testament — that  they  should  have 


"all  things  common,"  and  that  consequently  "all 
the  earth  "  and  all  that  is  upon  it  were  the"  Lord's 
and  therefore  the  property  of  his  "  saints,"  they 
were  suspected,  and  correctly,  too,  of  committing 
many  of  the  deeds  of  larceny,  robbery,  etc.,  that 
were  so  rife  throughout  this  country  in  those  days. 
Hence  a  feeling  of  violence  grew  up  between  the 
Mormons  and  "anti-Mormons."  In  the  State  of 
Missouri  the  Mormons  always  supported  the  Dem- 
ocracy until  they  were  driven  out  by  the  Democratic 
government,  when  they  turned  their  support  to  the 
Whigs.  They  were  becoming  numerous,  and  in  the 
Legislature  of  1840-1,  therefore,  it  became  a  matter 
of  great  interest  with  both  parties  to  conciliate  these 
people.  Through  the  agency  of  one  John  C.  Ben- 
nett, a  scamp,  the  Mormons  succeeded  in  rushing 
through  the  Legislature  (both  parties  not  daring  to 
oppose)  a  charter  for  the  city  of  Nauvoo  which  vir- 
tually erected  a  hierarchy  co-ordinate  with  the  Fed- 
eral Government  itself.  In  the  fall  of  1841  the 
Governor  of  Missouri  made  a  demand  upon  Gov. 
Carlin  for  the  body  of  Joe  Smith,  the  Mormon  leader, 
as  a  fugitive  from  justice.  Gov.  Carlin  issued  the 
writ,  but  for  some  reason  it  was  returned  unserved. 
It  was  again  issued  in  1842,  and  Smith  was  arrested, 
but  was  either  rescued  by  his  followers  or  discharged 
by  the  municipal  court  on  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus. 

In  December,  1841,  the  Democratic  Convention 
nominated  Adam  W.  Snyder,  of  Belleville,  for  Gov- 
ernor. As  he  had  been,  as  a  member  of  the  Legisla- 
ture, rather  friendly  to  the  Mormons,  the  latter 
naturally  turned  their  support  to  the  Democratic 
party.  The  next  spring  the  Whigs  nominated  Ex- 
Gov.  Duncan  for  the  same  office.  In  the  meantime 
the  Mormons  began  to  grow  more  odious  to  the 
masses  of  the  people,  and  the  comparative  prospects 
of  the  respective  parties  for  success  became  very 
problematical.  Mr.  Snyder  died  in  May,  and 
Thomas  Ford,  a  Supreme  Judge,  was  substituted  as 
a  candidate,  and  was  elected. 

At  the  close  of  his  gubernatorial  term,  Mr.  Carlin 
removed  back  to  his  old  home  at  Carrollton,  where 
he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  as  before  his  ele- 
vation to  office,  in  agricultural  pursuits.  In  1849 
he  served  out  the  unexpired  term  of  J.  D.  Fry  in  the 
Illinois  House  of  Representatives,  and  died  Feb. 
1852,  at  his  residence  at  Carrollton,  leaving  a  wife 
and  seven  children. 


THEUWMY 
OF  THE 


GOVERNORS  OF  ILLINOIS. 


.-: '. -.--.     •.-.-. 


vg) 


JHOMAS  FORD,  Governor 
from  1842  to  1846,  and  au- 
thor of  a  very  interesting 
history  of  Illinois,  was' born 
at  Uniontown,  Pa.,  in  the 
year  1 800.  His  mother,  after 
the  death  of  her  first  hus- 
band (Mr.  Forquer),  married  Rob- 
ert Ford,  who  was  killed  in  1802, 
by  the  Indians  in  the  mountains 
of  Pennsylvania.  She  was  conse- 
quently left  in  indigent  circum- 
stances, with  a  large  family,  mostly 
girls.  With  a  view  to  better  her 
condition,  she,  in  1804,  removed  to 
Missouri,  where  it  had  been  cus- 
tomary by  the  Spanish  Govern- 
ment to  give  land  to  actual  settlers ;  but  upon  her 
arrival  at  St.  Louis  she  found  the  country  ceded  to 
the  United  States,  and  the  liberal  policy  toward  set- 
tlers changed  by  the  new  ownership.  After  some 
sickness  to  herself  and  family,  she  finally  removed  to 
Illinois,  and  settled  some  three  miles  south  of  Water- 
loo, but  the  following  year  moved  nearer  the  Missis- 
sippi bluffs.  Here  young  Ford  received  his  first 


schooling,  under  the  instructions  of  a  Mr.  Humphrey, 
for  which  he  had  to  walk  three  miles.  His  mother, 
though  lacking  a  thorough  education,  was  a  woman 
of  superior  mental  endowments,  joined  to  energy 
and  determination  of  character.  She  inculcated  in 
her  children  those  high-toned  principles  which  dis- 
tinguished her  sons  in  public  life.  She  exercised  a 
rigid  economy  to  provide  her  children  an  education ; 
but  George  Forquer,  her  oldest  son  (six  years  older 
than  Thomas  Ford),  at  an  early  age  had  to  quit 
school  to  aid  by  his  labor  in  the  support  of  the  family. 
He  afterward  became  an  eminent  man  in  Illinois 
affairs,  and  but  for  his  early  death  would  probably 
have  been  elected  to  the  United  States  Senate. 

Young  Ford,  with  somewhat  better  opportunities, 
received  a  better  education,  though  limited  to  the 
curriculum  of  the  common  school  of  those  pioneer 
times.  His  mind  gave  early  promise  of  superior  en- 
dowments, with  an  inclination  for  mathematics.  His 
proficiency  attracted  the  attention  of  Hon.  Daniel  P. 
Cook,  who  became  his  efficient  patron  and  friend. 
The  latter  gentleman  was  an  eminent  Illinois  states- 
man who,  as  a  Member  of  Congress,  obtained  a  grant 
of  300,000  acres  of  land  to  aid  in  completing  the 
Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal,  and  after  whom  the 
county  of  Cook  was  named.  Through  the  advice 


4x 


THOMAS  FORD. 


this  gentleman,  Mr.  Ford  turned  his  attention  to  the 
study  of  law;  but  Forquer,  then  merchandising,  re- 
garding his  education  defective,  sent  him  to  Transyl- 
vania University,  where,  however,  he  remained  but 
one  term,  owing  to  Forquer's  failure  in  business.  On 
his  return  he  alternated  his  law  reading  with  teach- 
ing school  for  support. 

In  1829  Gov.  Edwards  appointed  him  Prosecuting 
Attorney,  and  in  1831  he  was  re-appointed  by  Gov. 
Reynolds,  and  after  that  he  was  four  times  elected  a 
Judge  by  the  Legislature,  without  opposition,  twice  a 
Circuit  Judge,  once  a  Judge  of  Chicago,  and  as  As- 
sociate Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court,  when,  in  1841, 
the  latter  tribunal  was  re-organized  by  the  addition 
of  five  Judges,  all  Democrats.  Ford  was  assigned  to 
the  Ninth  Judicial  Circuit,  and  while  in  this  capacity 
he  was  holding  Court  in  Ogle  County  he  received  a 
notice  of  his  nomination  by  the  Democratic  Conven- 
tion for  the  office  of  Governor.  He  immediately  re- 
signed his  place  and  entered  upon  the  canvass.  In 
August,  1842,  he  was  elected,  and  on  the  8th  of  De- 
cember following  he  was  inaugurated. 

All  the  offices  which  he  had  held  were  unsolicited 
by  him.  He  received  them  upon  the  true  Jefferson- 
ian  principle, — Never  to  ask  and  never  to  refuse 
office.  Both  as  a  lawyer  and  as  a  Judge  he  stood 
deservedly  high,  but  his  cast  of  intellect  fitted  him 
rather  for  a  writer  upon  law  than  a  practicing  advo- 
cate in  the  courts.  In  the  latter  capacity  he  was  void 
of  the  moving  power  of  eloquence,  so  necessary  to 
success  with  juries.  As  a  Judge  his  opinions  were 
sound,  lucid  and  able  expositions  of  the  law.  In 
practice,  he  was  a  stranger  to  the  tact,  skill  and  in- 
sinuating address  of  the  politician,  but  he  saw  through 
the  arts  of  demagogues  as  well  as  any  man.  He  was 
plain  in  his  demeanor,  so  much  so,  indeed,  that  at 
one  time  after  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  office, 
during  a  session  of  the  Legislature,  he  was  taken  by 
a  stranger  to  be  a  seeker  for  the  position  of  door- 
keeper, and  was  waited  upon  at  his  hotel  near  mid- 
night by  a  knot  of  small  office-seekers  with  the  view 
of  effecting  a  "  combination !  " 

Mr.  Ford  had  not  the  "  brass  "  of  the  ordinary 
politician,  nor  that  impetuosity  which  characterizes  a 
political  leader.  He  cared  little  for  money,  and 
hardly  enough  for  a  decent  support.  In  person  he 
was  of  small  stature,  slender,  of  dark  complexion, 
with  black  hair,  sharp  features,  deep-set  eyes,  a 
pointed,  aquiline  nose  having  a  decided  twist  to  one 
side,  and  a  small  mouth. 

The  three  most  important  events  in  Gov.  Ford's 
administration  were  the  establishment  of  the  high 
financial  credit  of  the  State,  the  "  Mormon  War  "and 
the  Mexican  War. 

In  the  first  of  these  the  Governor  proved  himself 
to  be  eminently  wise.  On  coming  into  office  he  found 
the  State  badly  paralyzed  by  the  ruinous  effects  of 
the  notorious  "internal  improvement"  schemes  of 


the  preceding  decade,  with  scarcely  anything 
show  by  way  of  "improvement."  The  enterprise 
that  seemed  to  be  getting  ahead  more  than  all  the 
rest  was  the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal.  As  this 
promised  to  be  the  most  important  thoroughfare, 
feasible  to  the  people,  it  was  well  under  headway  in 
its  construction.  Therefore  the  State  policy  was 
almost  concentrated  upon  it,  in  order  to  rush  it  on  to 
completion.  The  bonded  indebtedness  of  the  State 
was  growing  so  large  as  to  frighten  the  people,  and 
they  were  about  ready  to  entertain  a  proposition  for 
repudiation.  But  the  Governor  had  the  foresight  to 
recommend  such  measures  as  would  maintain  the 
public  credit,  for  which  every  citizen  to-day  feels 
thankful. 

But  perhaps  the  Governor  is  remembered  more  for 
his  connection  with  the  Mormon  troubles  than  for 
anything  else;  for  it  was  during  his  term  of  office 
that  the  "  Latter-Day  Saints "  became  so  strong  at 
Nauvoo,  built  their  temple  there,  increased  their  num- 
bers throughout  the  country,  committed  misdemean- 
ors, taught  dangerous  doctrines,  suffered  the  loss  of 
theirleader,  Jo  Smith, by  a  violent  death,  were  driven 
out  of  Nauvoo  to  the  far  West,  etc.  Having  been  a 
Judge  for  so  many  years  previously,  Mr.  Ford  of 
course  was  non-committal  concerning  Mormon  affairs, 
and  was  therefore  claimed  by  both  parties  and  also 
accused  by  each  of  sympathizing  too  greatly  with  the 
other  side.  Mormonism  claiming  to  be  a  system  of 
religion,  the  Governor  no  doubt  was  "  between  two 
fires,"  and  felt  compelled  to  touch  the  matter  rather 
"  gingerly,"  and  doubtless  felt  greatly  relieved  when 
that  pestilential  people  left  the  State.  Such  compli- 
cated matters,  especially  when  religion  is  mixed  up 
with  them,  expose  every  person  participating  in 
them  to  criticism  from  all  parties. 

The  Mexican  War  was  begun  in  the  spring  of 
1845,  and  was  continued  into  the  gubernatorial  term 
of  Mr.  Ford's  successor.  The  Governor's  connection 
with  this  war,  however,  was  not  conspicuous,  as  it 
was  only  administrative,  commissioning  officers,  etc. 

Ford's  "  History  of  Illinois  "  is  a  very  readable  and 
entertaining  work,  of  450  small  octavo  pages,  and  is 
destined  to  increase  in  value  with  the  lapse  of  time. 
It  exhibits  a  natural  flow  of  compact  and  forcible 
thought,  never  failing  to  convey  the  nicest  sense.  In 
tracing  with  his  trenchant  pen  the  devious  operations 
of  the  professional  politician,  in  which  he  is  inimit- 
able, his  account  is  open,  perhaps,  to  the  objection 
that  all  his  contemporaries  are  treated  as  mere  place- 
seekers,  while  many  of  them  have  since  been  judged 
by  the  people  to  be  worthy  statesmen.  His  writings 
seem  slightly  open  to  the  criticism  that  they  exhibit 
a  little  splenetic  partiality  against  those  of  his  con- 
temporaries who  were  prominent  during  his  term  of 
office  as  Governor. 

The  death  of  Gov.  Ford  took  place  at  Peoria,  111., 
Nov.  2,  1850. 


& 


w 


& 


OF  TIE 


I 


AUGUSTUS  C.  FRENCH, 
Governor  of  Illinois  from 
1846  to  1852,  was  born  in 
the  town  of  Hill,  in  the 
State  of  New  Hampshire, 
Aug.  2,  1808.  He  was  a 
descendant  in  the  fourth 
generation  ot  Nathaniel 
French,  who  emigrated  from  England 
in  1687  and  settled  in  Saybury,  Mass. 
In  early  life  young  French  lost  his 
father,  but  continued  to  receive  in- 
struction from  an  exemplary  and 
Christian  mother  until  he  was  19  years 
old,  when  she  also  died,  confiding  to 
his  care  and  trust  four  younger  broth- 
ers and  one  sister.  He  discharged  his  trust  with 
parental  devotion.  His  education,  in  early  life  was 
such  mainly  as  a  common  school  afforded.  For  a 
brief  period  he  attended  Dartmouth  College,  but 
from  pecuniary  causes  and  the  care  of  his  brothers 
and  sister,  he  did  not  graduate.  He  subsequently 
read  law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  1831,  and 
shortly  afterward  removed  to  Illinois,  settling  first  at 
Albion,  Edwards  County,  where  he  established  him- 
self in  the  practice  of  law.  The  following  year  he 
removed  to  Paris,  Edgar  County.  Here  he  attained 
eminence  in  his  profession,  and  entered  public  life 
by  representing  that  county  in  the  Legislature.  A 
strong  attachment  sprang  up  between  him  and  Ste- 
phen A.  Douglas. 

In  1839,  Mr.  French  was  appointed  Receiver  of 
the  United  States  Land  Office  at  Palestine,  Craw- 
ford County,  at  which  place  he  was  a  resident  when 


elevated  to  the  gubernatorial  chair.  In  1844  he  was 
a  Presidential  Elector,  and  as  such  he  voted  for 
James  K.  Polk. 

The  Democratic  State  Convention  of  1846,  meet- 
ing at  Springfield  Feb.  10,  nominated  Mr.  French 
for  Governor.  Other  Democratic  candidates  were 
Lyman  Trumbull,  John  Calhoun  (subsequently  of 
Lecompton  Constitution  notoriety),  Walter  B.  Scales, 
Richard  M.  Young  and  A.  W.  Cavarly, — an  array  of 
very  able  and  prominent  names.  Trumbull  was  per- 
haps defeated  in  the  Convention  by  the  rumor  that 
he  was  opposed  to  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal, 
as  he  had  been  a  year  previously.  For  Lieutenant 
Governor  J.  B.  Wells  was  chosen,  while  other  candi- 
dates were  Lewis  Ross,  Wm.  McMurtry,  Newton 
Cloud,  J.  B.  Hamilton  and  W.  W.  Thompson.  The 
resolutions  declared  strongly  against  the  resuscita- 
tion of  the  old  State  Banks. 

The  Whigs,  who  were  in  a  hopeless  minority,  held 
their  convention  June  8,  at  Peoria,  and  selected 
Thomas  M.  Kilpatrick,  of  Scott  County,  for  Governor, 
and  Gen.  Nathaniel  G.  Wilcox,  of  Schuyler,  for 
Lieutenant  Governor. 

In  the  campaign  the  latter  exposed  Mr.  French's 
record  and  connection  with  the  passage  of  the  in- 
ternal improvement  system,  urging  it  against  his 
election ;  but  in  the  meantime  the  war  with  Mexico 
broke  out,  regarding  which  the  Whig  record  was  un- 
popular in  this  State.  The  war  was  the  absorbing 
and  dominating  question  of  the  period,  sweeping 
every  other  political  issue  in  its  course.  The  elec- 
tion in  August  gave  Mr.  French  58,700  votes,  and 
Kilpatrick  only  36,775.  Richard  Eells,  Abolitionist 
candidate  for  the  same  office,  received  5,152  votes. 


By  the  new  Constitution  of  1848,  a  new  election  for 
State  officers  was  ordered  in  November  of  that  year, 
before  Gov.  French's  term  was  half  out,  and  he  was 
re-elected  for  the  term  of  four  years.  He  was  there- 
fore the  incumbent  for  six  consecutive  years,  the 
only  Governor  of  this  State  who  has  ever  served  in 
that  capacity  so  long  at  one  time.  As  there  was  no 
organized  opposition  to  his  election,  he  received  67,- 
453  votes,  to  5,639  for  Pierre  Menard  (son  of  the 
first  Lieutenant  Governor),  4,748  for  Charles  V. 
Dyer,  3,834  for  W.  L.  D.  Morrison,  and  1,361  for 
James  L.  D.  Morrison.  But  Wm.  McMurtry,  of 
Knox  County,  was  elected  Lieutenant  Governor,  in 
place  of  Joseph  B.  Wells,  who  was  before  elected 
and  did  not  run  again. 

Governor  French  was  inaugurated  into  office  dur- 
ing the  progress  of  the  Mexican  War,  which  closed 
during  the  summer  of  1847,  although  the  treaty  of 
Guadalupe  Hidalgo  was  not  made  until  Feb.  2, 
1848.  The  policy  of  Gov.  French's  party  was  com- 
mitted to  that  war,  but  in  connection  with  that  affair 
he  was,  of  course,  only  an  administrative  officer. 
During  his  term  of  office,  Feb.  19,  1847,  the  Legisla- 
ture, by  special  permission  of  Congress,  declared  that 
all  Government  lands  sold  to  settlers  should  be  im- 
mediately subject  to  State  taxation ;  before  this  they 
were  exempt  for  five  years  after  sale.  By  this  ar- 
rangement the  revenue  was  materially  increased. 
About  the  same  time,  the  distribution  of  Government 
land  warrants  among  the  Mexican  soldiers  as  bounty 
threw  upon  the  market  a  great  quantity  of  good 
lands,  and  this  enhanced  the  settlement  of  the  State. 
The  same  Legislature  authorized,  with  the  recom- 
mendation of  the  Governor,  the  sale  of  the  Northern 
Cross  Railroad  (from  Springfield  to  Meredosia,  the 
first  in  the  State  and  now  a  section  of  the  Wabash, 
St.  Louis  &  Pacific)  It  sold  for  $100,000  in  bonds, 
although  it  had  cost  the  State  not  less  than  a  million. 
The  salt  wells  and  canal  lands  in  the  Saline  reserve 
in  Gallatin  County,  granted  by  the  general  Govern- 
ment to  the  State,  were  also  authorized  by  the 
Governor  to  be  sold,  to  apply  on  the  State  debt.  In 
1850,  for  the  first  time  since  1839,  the  accruing  State 
revenue,  exclusive  of  specific  appropriations,  was 
sufficient  to  meet  the  current  demands  upon  the 
treasury.  The  aggregate  taxable  property  of  the 
State  at  this  time  was  over  $100,000,000,  and  the 
population  851,470. 

g)Xi@(S" 


I. 


In  1849  the  Legislature  adopted  the  township  or-    v 
ganization   law,    which,   however,  proved  defective,    oj? 
and  was  properly  amended  in  1851.     At  its  session 
in  the  latter  year,  the  General  Assembly  also  passed 
a  law  to  exempt  homesteads  from  sale  on  executions. 
This  beneficent  measure  had  been  repeatedly  urged 
upon  that  body  by  Gov.  French. 

In  1850  some  business  men  in  St.  Louis  com- 
menced to  build  a  dike  opposite  the  lower  part  of 
their  city  on  the  Illinois  side,  to  keep  the  Mississippi 
in  its  channel  near  St.  Louis,  instead  of  breaking 
away  from  them  as  it  sometimes  threatened  to  do. 
This  they  undertook  without  permission  from  the 
Legislature  or  Executive  authority  of  this  State ;  and 
as  many  of  the  inhabitants  there  complained  that 
the  scheme  would  inundate  and  ruin  much  valuable 
land,  there  was  a  slight  conflict  of  jurisdictions,  re- 
sulting in  favor  of"  the  St.  Louis  project ;  and  since 
then  a  good  site  has  existed  there  for  a  city  (East  St. 
Louis),  and  now  a  score  of  railroads  center  there. 

It  was  in  September,  1850,  that  Congress  granted 
to  this  State  nearly  3,000,000  acres  of  land  in  aid  of 
the  completion  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad, 
which  constituted  the  most  important  epoch  in  the 
railroad — we  might  say  internal  improvement — his- 
tory of  the  State.  The  road  was  rushed  on  to  com- 
pletion, which  accelerated  the  settlement  of  the  in- 
terior of  the  State  by  a  good  class  of  industrious  citi- 
zens, and  by  the  charter  a  good  income  to  the  State 
Treasury  is  paid  in  from  the  earnings  of  the  road. 

In  1851  the  Legislature  passed  a  law  authorizing 
free  stock  banks,  which  was  the  source  of  much  leg- 
islative discussion  for  a  number  of  years. 

But  we  have  not  space  further  to  particularize 
concerning  legislation.  Gov.  French's  administra- 
tion was  not  marked  by  any  feature  to  be  criticised, 
while  the  country  was  settling  up  as  never  before. 

In  stature,  Gov.  French  was  of  medium   height, 
squarely  built,  light  complexioned,  with  ruddy  face 
and   pleasant   countenance.      In   manners    he   was 
plain  and  agreeable.     By  nature  he  was  somewhat 
diffident,  but  he  was  often  very  outspoken  in  his  con- 
victions of  duty.     In   public  speech   he  was  not  an 
orator,  but  was  chaste,  earnest  and  persuasive.     In  •$« 
business  Jie  was  accurate  and  methodical,  and  in  his  £ 
administration  he  kept  up  the  credit  of  the  State. 

He  died  in  1865,  at  his  home  in  Lebanon,  St. 
Clair  Co.,  111. 


OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  UHKB 


GO  VERNORS  OF  ILLINOIS. 


OEL    A.    MATTESON,    Governor 
1853-6,  was  born  Aug.  8,   1808, 
Jefferson  County,  New  York, 
which  place  his  father  had  re- 
moved from  Vermont  three  years 
before.     His  father  was  a  farmer 
in  fair  circumstances,  but  a  com- 
mon English  education  was  all 
that  his  only  son  received.  Young 

Joel   first  tempted  fortune  as  a, L"£ removed  to  Joliet"  .  In  l838  he  became  a  heavy 
small    tradesman     in     prescott)f«o^ctor  on  the  Ilhno.s  &  M.ch.gan  Canal.     Upon 
the  completion  of  his  job  in  1841,  when  hard  times 


Canada,  before  he  was  of  age. 
He  returned  from  that  place  to 
his  home,  entered  an  academy, 
taught  school,  visited  the  prin- 
cipal Eastern  cities,  improved  a  farm  his  father  had 
given  him,  made  a  tour  in  the  South,  worked  there 
in  building  railroads,  experienced  a  storm  on  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico,  visited  the  gold  diggings  of  Northern 
Georgia,  and  returned  via  Nashville  to  St.  Louis  and 
through  Illinois  to  his  father's  home,  when  he  mar- 
ried. In  r833,  having  sold  his  farm,  he  removed, 
with  his  wife  and  one  child,  to  Illinois,  and  entered 
a  claim  on  Government  land  near  the  head  of  Au 
Sable  River,  in  what  is  now  Kendall  County.  At 
that  time  there  were  not  more  than  two  neighbors 
within  a  range  of  ten  miles  of  his  place,  and  only 
three  or  four  houses  between  him  and  Chicago.  He 
opened  a  large  farm.  His  family  was  boarded  12 

&&&&> 


prevailed,  business  at  a  stand,  contracts  paid  in  State 
scrip;  when  all  the  public  works  except  the  canal 
were  abandoned,  the  State  offered  for  sale  700  tons 
of  railroad  iron,  which  was  purchased  by  Mr.  Mat- 
teson  at  a  bargain.  This  he  accepted,  shipped  and 
sold  at  Detroit,  realizing  a  very  handsome  profit, 
enough  to  pay  off  all  his  canal  debts  and  leave  him  a 
surplus  of  several  thousand  dollars.  His  enterprise 
next  prompted  him  to  start  a  woolen  mill  at  Joliet, 
in  which  he  prospered,  and  which,  after  successive 
enlargements,  became  an  enormous  establishment. 

In  1842  he  was  first  elected  a  State  Senator,  but, 
by  a  bungling  apportionment,  John  Pearson,  a  Senator 
holding  over,  was  found  to  be  in  the  same  district, 
and  decided  to  be  entitled  to  represent  it.  Mat- 
teson's  seat  was  declared  vacant.  Pearson,  however, 
with  a  nobleness  difficult  to  appreciate  in  this  day  of 


\ 

I ! 


miles  away  while  he  erected  a  house  on  his  claim, 
sleeping,  during  this  time,  under  a  rude  pole  shed.. 
Here  his  life  was  once  placed  in  imminent  peril  by 
a  huge  prairie  rattlesnake  sharing  his  bed. 

In  1835  he  bought  largely  at  the  Government  land 
sales.  During  the  speculative  real-estate  mania  which 
broke  out  in  Chicago  in  1836  and  spread  over  the  State, 
he  sold  his  lands  under  the  inflation  of  that  period 


'% 


greed  for  office,  unwilling  to  represent  his  district 
under  the  circumstances,  immediately  resigned  his 
unexpired  term  of  two  years.  A  bill  was  passed  in  a 
few  hours  ordering  a  new  election,  and  in  ten  days' 
time  Mr.  Matteson  was  returned  re-elected  and  took 
his  seat  as  Senator.  From  his  well-known  capacity 
as  a  business  man,  he  was  made  Chairman  of  the 
Committee  on  Finance,  a  position  he  held  during 
this  half  and  two  full  succeeding  Senatorial  terms, 
discharging  its  important  duties  with  ability  and  faith- 
fulness. Besides  his  extensive  woolen-mill  interest, 
when  work  was  resumed  on  the  canal  under  the  new 
loan  of  $1,600,000  he  again  became  a  heavy  con- 
tractor, and  also  subsequently  operated  largely  in 
building  railroads.  Thus  he  showed  himself  a  most 
energetic  and  thorough  business  man. 

He  was  nominated  for  Governor  by  the  Demo- 
cratic State  Convention  which  met  at  Springfield 
April  20,  1852.  Other  candidates  before  the  Con- 
vention were  D.  L.  Gregg  and  F.  C.  Sherman,  of 
Cook ;  John  Dement,  of  Lee  ;  Thomas  L.  Harris,  of 
'  Menard ;  Lewis  W.  Ross,  of  Fulton ;  and  D.  P.  Bush, 
of  Pike.  Gustavus  Koerner,  of  St.  Clair,  was  nom- 
inated for  Lieutenant  Governor.  For  the  same  offices 
the  Whigs  nominated  Edwin  B.  Webb  and  Dexter  A. 
Knowlton.  Mr.  Matteson  received  80,645  votes  at 
the  election,  while  Mr.  Webb  received  64,408.  Mat- 
teson's  forte  was  not  on  the  stump;  he  had  not  cul- 
tivated the  art  of  oily  flattery,  or  the  faculty  of  being 
all  things  to  all  men.  His  intellectual  qualities  took 
rather  the  direction  of  efficient  executive  ability.  His 
turn  consisted  not  so  much  in  the  adroit  manage- 
ment of  party,  or  the  powerful  advocacy  of  great  gov- 
ernmental principles,  as  in  those  more  solid  and 
enduring  operations  which  cause  the  physical  devel- 
opment and  advancement  of  a  State, — of  commerce 
and  business  enterprise,  into  which  he  labored  with 
success  to  lead  the  people.  As  a  politician  he  was 
just  and  liberal  in  his  views,  and  both  in  official  and 
private  life  he  then  stood  untainted  and  free  from 
blemish.  As  a  man,  in  active  benevolence,  socia 
virtues  and  all  the  amiable  qualities  of  neighbor  o 
citizen,  he  had  few  superiors.  His  messages  presen 
a  perspicuous  array  of  facts  as  to  the  condition  of  th 
State,  and  are  often  couched  in  forcible  and  elegan 
diction. 

The  greatest  excitement  during  his  term  of  office 
was  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compromise,  by  Con- 

®&g&$' 

-iri/X>V55T% 


gress,  under  the  leadership  of  Stephen  A.  Douglas  in 
1854,  when  the  bill  was  passed  organizing  the  Terri- 
tory of  Kansas  and  Nebraska.  A  large  portion  of 
the  Whig  party  of  the  North,  through  their  bitter  op- 
position to  the  Democratic  party,  naturally  drifted 
into  the  doctrine  of  anti-slavery,  and  thus  led  to  what 
was  temporarily  called  the  "  And- Nebraska  "  party, 
while  the  followers  of  Douglas  were  known  as  "  Ne- 
braska or  Douglas  Democrats."  It  was  during  this 
embryo  stage  of  the  Republican  party  that  Abraham 
Lincoln  was  brought  forward  as  the  "Anti-Nebraska" 
candidate  for  the  United  States  Senatorship,  while 
Gen.  James  Shields,  the  incumbent,  was  re-nom- 
inated by  the  Democrats.  But  after  a  few  ballotings 
in  the  Legislature  (1855),  these  men  were  dropped, 
and  Lyman  Trumbull,  an  Anti-Nebraska  Democrat, 
was  brought  up  by  the  former,  and  Mr.  Matteson, 
then  Governor,  by  the  latter.  On  the  nth  ballot 
Mr.  Trumbull  obtained  one  majority,  and  was  ac- 
cordingly declared  elected.  Before  Goy.  Matteson 's 
term  expired,  the  Republicans  were  fully  organized 
as  a  national  party,  and  in  1856  put  into  the  field  a 
full  national  and  State  ticket,  carrying  the  State,  but 
not  the  nation. 

The  Legislature  of  1855  passed  two  very  import- 
ant measures, — the  present  free-school  system  and  a 
submission  of  the  Maine  liquor  law  to  a  vote  of  the 
people.  The  latter  was  defeated  by  a.  small  majority 
of  the  popular  vote. 

During  the  four  years  of  Gov.  Matteson 's  admin- 
istration the  taxable  wealth  of  the  State  was  about 
trebled,  from  $137,818,079  to  $349,951,272;  the  pub- 
lic debt  was  reduced  from  $17,398,985  to  $12,843,- 
144;  taxation  was  at  the  same  time  reduced,  and  the 
State  resumed  paying  interest  on  its  debt  in  New 
York  as  fast  as  it  fell  due ;  railroads  were  increased 
in  their  mileage  from  something  less  than  4015  to 
about  3,000 ;  and  the  population  of  Chicago  was 
nearly  doubled,  and  its  commerce  more  than  quad- 
rupled. 

Before  closing  this  account, we  regret  that  we  have 
to  say  that  Mr.  Matteson,  in  all  other  respects  an 
upright  man  and  a  good  Governor,  was  implicated 
in  a  false  re-issue  of  redeemed  canal  scrip,  amount- 
ing to  $224,182.66.  By  a  suit  in  the  Sangamon  Cir- 
cuit Court  the  State  recovered  the  principal  and  all 
the  interest  excepting  $27,500. 

He  died  in   the  winter  of  1872-3,  at  Chicago. 

^ ^^ — |*i^£(® 


c 


THF UBRARY 

3FTHE 
UWERSITY  OF  ILUNOK 


GOVERNORS  OF  ILLINOIS. 


.,',". ',  •. ',  •.  'X1 ; •,' : ,' : ,' :  ,>  :v  :  .' :  .• : .' .' •' .'  <' .'  i1 .'  << .'  •' 


ILLIAM  H.  BISSELL,  Gov- 
ernpr  1857-60,  was  born 
April  25,  1811,  in  the 
State  of  New  York,  near 
Painted  Post,  Yates  County. 
His  parents  were  obscure, 
honest,  God-fearing  people, 
who  reared  their  children  under  the  daily 
example  of  industry  and  frugality,  accord- 
ing to  the  custom  of  that  class  of  Eastern 
society.  Mr.  Bissell  received  a  respecta- 
ble but  not  thorough  academical  education. 
By  assiduous  application  he  acquired  a 
knowledge  of  medicine,  and  in  his  early 
manhood  came  West  and  located  in  Mon- 
roe County,  this  State,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  that  profession.  But  he  was  not  enam- 
ored of  his  calling:  he  was  swayed  by  a  broader 
ambition,  to  such  an  extent  that  the  mysteries  of  the 
healing  art  and  its  arduous  duties  failed  to  yield  him 
further  any  charms.  In  a  few  years  he  discovered 
his  choice  of  a  profession  to  be  a  mistake,  and  when 
he  approached  the  age  of  30  he  sought  to  begin 
anew.  Dr.  Bissell,  no  doubt  unexpectedly  to  him- 
self, discovered  a  singular  facility  and  charm  of 
speech,  the  exercise  of  which  acquired  for  him  a 
ready  local  notoriety.  It  soon  came  to  be  under- 


stood  that  he  desired  to  abandon  his  profession  and 
take  up  that  of  the  law.  During  terms  of  Court  he 
would  spend  his  time  at  the  county  seat  among  the 
members  of  the  Bar,  who  extended  to  him  a  ready 
welcome. 

It  was  not  strange,  therefore,  that  he  should  drift 
into  public  life.     In  1840  he  was  elected  as  a   Dem- 
ocrat to  the  Legislature  from  Monroe  County,  and 
was  an  efficient  member  of  that  body.     On   his  re- 
turn home  he  qualified  himself  for  admission  to  the 
Bar  and  speedily  rose  to  the  front  rank  as  an   advo- 
cate. His  powers  of  oratory  were  captivating.  With  a 
pure    diction,    charming    and    inimitable   gestures,  | 
clearness  of  statement,  and  a  remarkable  vein  of  sly  5    > 
humor,  his  efforts  before  a  jury  told  with  irresistible   t 
effect.     He  was  chosen  by  the  Legislature  Prosecut- 
ing Attorney   for  the  Circuit  in  which  he  lived,  and 
in  that  position  he  fully  discharged   his  duty  to  the 
State,  gained  the  esteem  of  the   Bar,   and    seldom 
failed  to  convict  the  offender  of  the  law. 

In  stature  he  was  somewhat  tall  and  slender,  and  /*" 
with  a  straight,  military  bearing,  he  presented  a  dis 
tinguished  appearance.     His  complexion  was  dark,  gj. 
his  head  well  poised,  though  not  large,  his  address 
pleasant  and  manner  winning.     He  was  exemplary 
in  his  habits,  a  devoted  husband  and  kind   parent. 
He  was  twice  married,  the  first  time  to  Miss  James, 


WILLIAM  H.  BISSELL. 


® 


5 


of  Monroe  County,  by  whom  he  had  two  children, 
both  daughters.  She  died  soon  after  the  year  1840, 
and  Mr.  B.  married  for  his  second  wife  a  daughter 
of  Elias  K.  Kane,  previously  a  United  States  Senator 
from  this  State.  She  survived  him  but  a  short  time, 
and  died  without  issue. 

When  the  war  with  Mexico  was  declared  in  1846, 
Mr.  Bissell  enlisted  and  was  elected  Colonel  of  his 
regiment,  over  Hon.  Don  Morrison,  by  an  almost 
unanimous  vote,  —  807  to  6.  Considering  the  limited 
opportunities  he  had  had,  he  evinced  a  high  order  of 
military  talent.  On  the  bloody  field  of  Buena  Vista 
he  acquitted  himself  with  intrepid  and  distinguished 
ability,  contributing  with  his  regiment,  the  Second 
Illinois,  in  no  small  degree  toward  saving  the  waver- 
ing fortunes  of  our  arms  during  that  long  and  fiercely 
contested  battle. 

After  his  return  home,  at  the  close  of  the  war,  he 
was  elected  to  Congress,  his  opponents  being  the 
Hons.  P.  B.  Fouke  and  Joseph  Gillespie.  He  served 
two  terms  in  Congress.  He  was  an  ardent  politician. 
During  the  great  contest  of  1850  he  voted  in  favor 
of  the  adjustment  measures;  but  in  1854  he  opposed 
the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compromise  act  and 
therefore  the  Kansas-Nebraska  bill  of  Douglas,  and 
thus  became  identified  with  the  nascent  Republican 
party. 

During  his  first  Congressional  term,  while  the 
Southern  members  were  following  their  old  practice 
of  intimidating  the  North  by  bullying  language, 
and  claiming  most  of  the  credit  for  victories  in  the 
Mexican  War,  and  Jefferson  Davis  claiming  for  the 
Mississippi  troops  all  the  credit  for  success  at  Buena 
Vista,  Mr.  Bissell  bravely  defended  the  Northern 
troops  ;  whereupon  Davis  challenged  Bissell  to  a  duel, 
which  was  accepted.  This  matter  was  brought  up 
against  Bissell  when  he  was  candidate  for  Governor 
and  during  his  term  of  office,  as  the  Constitution  of 
this  State  forbade  any  duelist  from  olding  a  State 


In  1856,  when  the  Republican  party  first  put  forth 
a  candidate,  John  C.  Fremont,  for  President  of  the 
United  States,  the  same  party  nominated  Mr.  Bissell 
for  Governor  of  Illinois,  and  John  Wood,  of  Quincy, 
for  Lieutenant  Governor,  while  the  Democrats  nomi- 
nated Hon.  W.  A.  Richardson,  of  Adams  County, 
for  Governor,  and  Col.  R.  J.  Hamilton,  of  Cook 
County,  for  Lieutenant  Governor.  The  result  of  the 


election  was  a  plurality  of  4,729  votes  over  Richard- 
son. The  American,  or  Know-Nothing,  party  had  a 
ticket  in  the  field.  The  Legislature  was  nearly  bal- 
anced, but  was  politically  opposed  to  the  Governor. 
His  message  to  the  Legislature  was  short  and  rather 
ordinary,  and  was  criticised  for  expressing  the  sup- 
posed obligations  of  the  people  to  the  incorporators 
of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Company  and  for  re- 
opening the  slavery  question  by  allusions  to  the 
Kansas  troubles.  Late  in  the  session  an  apportion- 
ment bill,  based  upon  the  State  census  of  1855,  was 
passed,  amid  much  partisan  strife.  The  Governor 
at  first  signed  the  bill  and  then  vetoed  it.  A  furious 
debate  followed,  and  the  question  whether  the  Gov- 
ernor had  the  authority  to  recall  a  signature  was 
referred  to  the  Courts,  that  of  last  resort  deciding  in 
favor  of  the  Governor.  Two  years  afterward  another 
outrageous  attempt  was  made  for  a  re-apportionment 
and  to  gerrymander  the  State,  but  the  Legislature 
failed  to  pass  the  bill  over  the  veto  of  the  Governor. 

It  was  during  Gov.  Bissell's  administration  that 
the  notorious  canal  scrip  fraud  was  brought  to  light, 
implicating  ex-Gov.  Matteson  and  other  prominent 
State  officials.  The  principal  and  interest,  aggregat- 
ing $255,500,  was  all  recovered  by  the  State  except- 
ing $27,500.  (See  sketch  of  Gov.  Matteson.) 

In  1859  an  attempt  was  discovered  to  fraudu- 
lently refund  the.  Macalister  and  Stebbins  bonds  and 
thus  rob  the  State  Treasury  of  nearly  a  quarter  of  a 
million  dollars.  The  State  Government  was  impli- 
cated in  this  affair,  and  to  this  day  remains  unex- 
plained or  unatoned  for.  For  the  above,  and  other 
matters  previously  mentioned,  Gov.  Bissell  has  been 
severely  criticised,  and  he  has  also  been  most  shame- 
fully libelled  and  slandered. 

On  account  of  exposure  in  the  army,  the  remote 
cause  of  a  nervous  form  of  disease  gained  entrance 
into  his  system  and  eventually  developed  paraplegia, 
affecting  his  lower  extremities,  which,  while  it  left 
his  body  in  comparative  health,  deprived  him  of  loco- 
motion except  by  the  aid  of  crutches.  While  he  was 
generally  hopeful  of  ultimate  recovery,  this  myste- 
rious disease  pursued  him,  without  once  relaxing  its 
stealthy  hold,  to  the  close  of  his  life,  March  18, 
1860,  over  nine  months  before  the  expiration  of  his 
gubernatorial  term,  at  the  early  age  of  48  years.  He 
died  in  the  faith  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  of 
which  he  had  been  a  member  since  1854. 


Jf  INE 


• 


j:OHN  WOOD,  Governor  1860-1,  and 
the  first  settler  of  Quincy,  111., 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Sempro- 
nius  (now  Moravia),  Cayuga  Co., 
N.  Y.,  Dec.  20,  1798.  He  was 
the  second  child  and  only  son  of 
Dr.  Daniel  Wood.  His  mother, 
nee  Catherine  Crause,  was  of 
German  parentage,  and  died 
while  he  was  an  infant.  Dr. 
Wood  was  a  learned  and  skillful 
physician,  of  classical  attain- 
ments and  proficient  in  several 
modern  languages,  who,  after 
serving  throughout  the  Revolu- 
tionary War  as  a  Surgeon,  settled  on  the  land  granted 
him  by  the  Government,  and  resided  there  a  re- 
spected and  leading  influence  in  his  section  until  his 
death,  at  the  ripe  age  of  92  years. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  impelled  by  the  spirit 
of  Western  adventure  then  pervading  everywhere, 
left  his  home,  Nov.  2,  1818,  and  passed  the  succeed- 
ing winter  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  The  following  sum- 
mer he  pushed  on  to  Illinois,  landing  at  Shawneetown. 
and  spent  the  fall  and  following  winter  in  Calhoun 
County.  In  1820,  in  company  with  Willard  Keyes, 
he  settled  in  Pike  County,  about  30  miles  southeast  [ 
of  Quincy,  where  for  the  next  two  years  he  pursued 
farming.  In  1821  he  visited  "the  Bluffs"  (as  the 
present  site  of  Quincy  was  called,  then  uninhabited) 
and,  pleased  with  its  prospects,  soon  after  purchased 
a  quarter-section  of  land  near  by,  and  in  the  follow- 
ing fall  (1822)  erected  near  the  river  a  small  cabin, 
^©£^1*, >*UP^__  ^ 


18.  x  20  feet,  the  first  building  in  Quincy,  of  which 
he  then  became  the  first  and  for  some  months  the 
only  occupant. 

About  this  time  he  visited  his  old  friends  in  Pike 
County,  chief  of  whom  was  William  Ross,  the  lead- 
ing man  in  building  up  the  village  of  Atlas,  of  that 
county,  which  was  thought  then  to  be  the  possible  ^ 
commencement  of  a  city.  One  day  they  and  others  jr? 
were  traveling  together  over  the  country  between  the  *^ 
two  points  named,  making  observations  on  the  com-  == 
parative  merits  of  the  respective  localities.  On  ap- 
proaching the  Mississippi  near  Mr.  Wood's  place, 
the  latter  told  his  companions  to  follow  him  and  he 
would  show  them  where  he  was  going  to  build  a  city. 
They  went  about  a  mile  off  the  main  trail,  to  a  high 
point,  from  which  the  view  in  every  direction  was 
most  magnificent,  as  it  had  been  for  ages  and  as  yet 
untouched  by  the  hand  of  man.  Before  them  swept 
by  the  majestic  Father  of  Waters,  yet  unburdened  by 
navigation.  After  Mr.  Wood  had  expatiated  at  {f£ 
length  on  the  advantages  of  the  situation,  Mr.  Ross  f 
replied,  "  But  it's  too  near  Atlas  ever  to  amount  to 
anything!" 

Atlas  is  still  a  cultivated  farm,  and  Quincy  is  a 
city  of  over  30,000  population. 

In  1824  Mr.  Wood  gave  a  newspaper  notice, 
as  the  law  then  prescribed,  of  his  intention  to  apply  ' 
to  the  General  Assembly  for  the  formation  of  a  new 
county.  This  was  done  the  following  winter,  result-  »• 
ing  in  the  establishment  of  the  present  Adams  fi 
County.  During  the  next  summer  Quincy  was  se-  ^ 
lected  as  the  county  seat,  it  and  the  vicinity  then 
containing  but  four  adult  male  residents  and  halt 


that  number  of  females.  Sinoe  that  period  Mr. 
Wood  resided  at  the  place  of  his  early  adoption  un- 
til his  death,  and  far  more  than  any  other  man  was 
he  identified  with  every  measure  of  its  progress  and 
history,  and  almost  continuously  kept  in  public  posi- 
tions. 

He  was  one  of  the  early  town  Trustees,  and  after 
the  place  became  a  city  he  was  often  a  member  of 
the  City  Council,  many  times  elected  Mayor,  in  the 
face  of  a  constant  large  opposition  political  majority. 
In  1850  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate.  In  1856, 
3%  on  the  organization  of  the  Republican  party,  he  was 
^  chosen  Lieutenant  Governor  of  the  State,  on  the 
ticket  with  Wm.  H.  Bissell  for  Governor,  and  on  the 
death  of  the  latter,  March  18,  1860,  he  succeeded  to 
the  Chief  Executive  chair,  which  he  occupied  until 
Gov.  Yates  was  inaugurated  nearly  ten  months  after- 
ward. 

Nothing  very  marked  characterized  the  adminis- 
tration of  Gov.  Wood.  The  great  anti-slavery  Cam- 
paign of  1860,  resulting  in  the  election  of  the  honest 
Illinoisan,  Abraham  Lincoln,  to  the  Presidency  of  the 
United  States,  occurred  during  the  short  period 
while  Mr.  Wood  was  Governor,  and  the  excitement 
and  issues  of  that  struggle  dominated  over  every 
other  consideration, — indeed,  supplanted  them  in  a 
great  measure.  The  people  of  Illinois,  during  all 
that  time,  were  passing  the  comparatively  petty  strifes 
under  Bissell's  administration  to  the  overwhelming 
issue  of  preserving  the  whole  nation  from  destruction. 
In  186 r  ex-Gov.  Wood  was  one  of  the  five  Dele- 
gates from  Illinois  to  the  "  Peace  Convention  "  at 
Washington,  and  in  April  of  the  same  year,  on  the 
breaking  out  of  the  Rebellion,  he  was  appointed 


Quartermaster-General  of  the  State,  which  position 
he  held  throughout  the  war.  In  1864  he  took  com- 
mand as  Colonel  of  the  13710  111.  Vol.  Inf.,  with 
whom  he  served  until  the  period  of  enlistment  ex- 
pired. 

Politically,  Gov.  Wood  was  always  actively  identi- 
fied with  the  Whig  and  Republican  parties.  Few 
men  have  in  personal  experience  comprehended  so 
many  surprising  and  advancing  local  changes  as 
vested  in  the  more  than  half  century  recollections  of 
Gov.  Wood.  Sixty-four  years  ago  a  solitary  settler 
on  the  "Bluffs,"  with  no  family,  and  no  neighbor 
within  a  score  of  miles,  the  world  of  civilization  away 
behind  him,  and  the  strolling  red-man  almost  his 
only  visitant,  he  lived  to  see  growing  around  him, 
and  under  his  auspices  and  aid,  overspreading  the 
wild  hills  and  scraggy  forest  a  teaming  city,  second 
only  in  size  in  the  State,  and  surpassed  nowhere  in 
beauty,  prosperity  and  promise;  whose  people  recog- 
nize as  with  a  single  voice  the  proverbial  honor  and 
liberality  that  attach  to  the  name  and  lengthened 
life  of  their  pioneer  settler,  "the  old  Governor." 

Gov.  Wood  was  twice  married, — first  in  January, 
1826,  to  Ann  M.  Streeter,  daughter  of  Joshua  Streeter, 
formerly  of  Salem,  Washington  Co.,  N.  Y.  They  had 
eight  children.  Mrs.  W.  died  Oct.  8,  1863,  and  in 
June,  1865,  Gov.  Wood  married  Mrs.  Mary  A.,  widow 
of  Rev.  Joseph  T.  Holmes.  Gov.  Wood  died  June  4, 
1880,  at  his  residence  in  Quincy.  Four  of  his  eight 
children  are  now  living,  namely:  Ann  E.,  wife  of 
Gen.  John  Tillson;  Daniel  C.,  who  married  Mary  J. 
Abernethy ;  John,  Jr.,  who  married  Josephine  Skinner, 
and  Joshua  S.,  who  married  Annie  Bradley.  The 
last  mentioned  now  resides  at  Atchison,  Kansas,  and 
all  the  rest  are  still  at  Quincy. 


ICHARD  YATES,  the  "War 
Governor,"  1861-4,  was  born 
Jan.  18,  1818,  on  the  banks  of 
the  Ohio  River,  at  Warsaw, 
Gallatin  Co.,  Ky.  His  father 
moved  in  1831  to  Illinois,  and) 
after  stopping  for  a  time  in 
Springfield,  settled  at  Island 
Grove,  Sangamon  County.  "Here, 
after  attending  school,  Richard  joined 
the  family.  Subsequently  he  entered 
Illinois  College  at  Jacksonville, 
where,  in  1837,  he  graduated  with 
first  honors.  He  chose  for  his  pro- 
fession the  law,  the  Hon.  J.  J.  Har- 
din  being  his  instructor.  After  ad- 
mission to  the  Bar  he  soon  rose  to  distinction  as  an 
advocate. 

Gifted  with  a  fluent  and  ready  oratory,  he  soon 
appeared  in  the  political  hustings,  and,  being  a 
passionate  admirer  of  the  great  Whig  leader  of  the 
West,  Henry  Clay,  he  joined  his  political  fortunes  to 
the  party  of  his  idol.  In  1840  he  engaged  with  great 
ardor  in  the  exciting  "  hard  cider "  campaign  for 
Harrison.  Two  years  later  he  was  elected  to  the 
Legislature  from  Morgan  County,  a  Democratic 
stronghold.  He  served  three  or  four  terms  in  the 
Legislature,  and  such  was  the  fascination  of  his  ora- 
tory that  by  1850  his  large  Congressional  District, 
extending  from  Morgan  and  Sangamon  Counties 
north  to  include  LaSalle,  unanimously  tendered  him 
the  Whig  nomination  for  Congress.  His  Democratic 
opponent  was  Maj.  Thomas  L.  Harris,  a  very  pop- 
ular man  who  had  won  distinction  at  the  battle  of 
Cerro  Gordo,  in  the  Mexican  War,  and  who  had 
beaten  Hon.  Stephen  T.  Logan  for  the  same  position, 
*gs*&. '-^st&frZ e^ 


two  years  before,  by  a  large  majority.  Yates  was 
elected.  Two  years  later  he  was  re-elected,  over 
John  Calhoun. 

It  was  during  Yates'  second  term  in  Congress  that 
the  great  question  of  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Com- 
promise was  agitated,  and  the  bars  laid  down  for  re- 
opening the  dreaded  anti-slavery  question.  He  took 
strong  grounds  against  the  repeal,  and  thus  became 
identified  with  the  rising  Republican  party.  Conse- 
quently he  fell  into  the  minority  in  his  district,  which 
was  pro-slavery.  Even  then,  in  a  third  contest,  he 
fell  behind  Major  Harris  only  200  votes,  after  the 
district  had  two  years  before  given  Pie"rce  2,000 
majority  for  President. 

The  Republican  State  Convention  of  1860  met  at 
Decatur  May  9,  and  nominated  for  the  office  of  Gov- 
ernor Mr.  Yates,  in  preference  to  Hon.  Norman  B. 
Judd,  of  Chicago,  and  Leonard  Swett,  of  Blooming- 
ton,  two  of  the  ablest  men  of  the  State,  who  were 
also  candidates  before  the  Convention.  Francis  A. 
Hoffman,  of  DuPage  County,  was  nominated  for 
Lieutenant  Governor.  This  was  the  year  when  Mr. 
Lincoln  was  a  candidate  for  President,  a  period  re- 
membered as  characterized  by  the  great  whirlpool 
which  precipitated  the  bloody  War  of  the  Rebellion. 
The  Douglas  Democrats  nominated  J.  C.  Allen  of 
Crawford  County,  for  Governor,  and  Lewis  W.  Ross, 
of  Fulton  County,  for  Lieutenant  Governor.  The 
Breckenridge  Democrats  and  the  Bell-Everett  party 
had  also  full  tickets  in  the  field.  After  a  most  fear- 
ful campaign,  the  result  of  the  election  gave  Mr. 
Yates  172,196  votes,  and  Mr.  Allen  159,253.  Mr. 
Yates  received  over  a  thousand  more  votes  than  did 
Mr.  Lincoln  himself. 

Gov.  Yates  occupied  the  chair  of  State  during  th 


<7 


RICHARD    YATES. 


& 


most  critical  period  of  our  country's  history.  In  the 
fate  of  the  nation  was  involved  that  of  each  State. 
The  life  struggle  of  the  former  derived  its  sustenance 
from  the  loyalty  of  the  latter;  and  Gov.  Yates 
seemed  to  realize  the  situation,  and  proved  himself 
both  loyal  and  wise  in  upholding  the  Government. 
He  had  a  deep  hold  upon  the  affections  of  the 
people,  won  by  his  moving  eloquence  and  genial 
manners.  Erect  and  symmetrical  in  person,  of  pre- 
possessing appearance,  with  a  winning  address  and  a 
magnetic  power,  few  men  possessed  more  of  the  ele- 
ments of  popularity.  His  oratory  was  scholarly  and 
captivating,  his  hearers  hardly  knowing  why  they 
were  transported.  He  was  social  and  convivial.  In 
the  latter  respect  he  was  ultimately  carried  too  far. 

The  very  creditable  military  efforts  of  this  State 
during  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  in  putting  into  the 
field  the  enormous  number  of  about  200,000  soldiers, 
were  ever  promptly  an,d  ably  seconded  by  his  excel- 
lency ;  and  the  was  ambitious  to  deserve  the  title  of 
"the  soldier's  friend."  Immediately  after  the  battle  of 
Shiloh  he  repaired  to  the  field  of  carnage  to  look 
after  the  wounded,  and  his  appeals  for  aid  were 
promptly  responded  to  by  the  people.  His  procla- 
mations calling  for  volunteers  were  impassionate 
appeals,  urging  upon  the  people  the  duties  and  re- 
quirements of  patriotism ;  and  his  special  message 
in  1863  to  the  Democratic  Legislature  of  this  State 
pleading  for  material  aid  for  the  sick  and  wounded 
soldiers  of  Illinois  regiments,  breathes  a  deep  fervor 
of  noble,  sentiment  and  feeling  rarely  equaled  in 
beauty  or  felicity  of  expression.  Generally  his  mes- 
sages on  political  and  civil  affairs  were  able  and  com- 
prehensive. During  his  administration,  however, 
there  were  no  civil  events  of  an  engrossing  character, 
although  two  years  of  his  time  were  replete  with 
partisan  quarrels  of  great  bitterness.  Military  ar- 
rests, Knights  of  the  Golden  Circle,  riot  in  Fulton 
County,  attempted  suppression  of  the  Chicago  Times 
and  the  usurping  State  Constitutional  Convention  of 
1862,  were  the  chief  local  topics  that  were  exciting 
during  the  Governor's  term.  This  Convention  assem- 
bled Jan.  7,  and  at  once  took  the  high  position  that 
the  law  calling  it  was  no  longer  binding,  and  that  it 
had  supreme  power;  that  it  represented  a  virtual 
assemblage  of  the  whole  people  of  the  State,  and  was 
sovereign  in  the  exercise  of  all  power  necessary  to 
ffect  a  peaceable  revolution  of  the  State  Government 


and  to  the  re-establishment  of  one  for  the  "happiness, 
prosperity  and  freedom  of  the  citizens,"  limited  only 
by  the  Federal  Constitution.  Notwithstanding  the 
law  calling  the  Convention  required  its  members  to 
take  an  oath  to  support  the  Constitution  of  the  State 
as  well  as  that  of  the  general  Government,  they 
utterly  refused  to  take  such  oath.  They  also  as- 
sumed legislative  powers  and  passed  several  import- 
ant "laws!"  Interfering  with  the  (then)  present 
executive  duties,  Gov.  Yates  was  provoked  to  tell 
them  plainly  that  "  he  did  not  acknowledge  the  right 
of  the  Convention  to  instruct  him  in  the  performance 
of  his  duty." 

In  1863  the  Governor  astonished  the  Democrats 
by  "  proroguing  "  their  Legislature.  This  body,  after 
a  recess,  met  June  2,  that  year,  and  soon  began  to 
waste  time  upon  various  partisan  resolutions ;  and, 
while  the  two  houses  were  disagreeing  upon  the 
question  of  adjourning  sine  die,  the  Governor,  having 
the  authority  in  such  cases,  surprised  them  all  by 
adjourning  them  "  to  the  Saturday  next  preceding  the 
first  Monday  in  January,  1865  !  "  This  led  to  great 
excitement  and  confusion,  and  to  a  reference  of  the 
Governor's  act  to  the  Supreme  Court,  who  decided  in 
his  favor.  Then  it  was  the  Court's  turn  to  receive 
abuse  for  weeks  and  months  afterward. 

During  the  autumn  of  1864  a  conspiracy  was  de- 
tected at  Chicago  which  had  for  its  object  the  liber- 
ation of  the  prisoners  of  war  at  Camp  Douglas,  the 
burning  of  the  city  and  the  inauguration  of  rebellion 
in  the  North.  Gen.  Sweet,  who  had  charge  of  -the 
camp  at  the  time,  first  had  his  suspicions  of  danger 
aroused  by  a  number  of  enigmatically  worded  letters 
which  passed  through  the  Camp  postoffice.  A  de- 
tective afterward  discovered  that  the  rebel  Gen. 
Marmaduke  was  in  the  city,  under  an  assumed 
name,  and  he,  with  other  rebel  officers — Grenfell, 
Morgan,  Cantrell,  Buckner  Morris,  and  Charles 
Walsh — was  arrested,  most  of  whom  were  convicted 
by  a  court-martial  at  Cincinnati  and  sentenced  to 
imprisonment, — Grenfell  to  be  hung.  The  sentence 
of  the  latter  was  afterward  commuted  to  imprison- 
ment for  life,  and  all  the  others,  after  nine  months' 
imprisonment,  were  pardoned. 

In  March,  1873,  Gov.  Yates  was  appointed  a  Gov- 
ernment Director  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad,  in 
which  office  he  continued  until  his  decease,  at  St. 
Louis,  Mo.,  on  the  27th  of  November  following. 
^ *****_ »f^<® 


ICHARD  J.  OGLESBY,  Gov- 
ernor 1865-8,  and  re-elected 
in  1872  and  1884,  was  born 
July  25,  1824,  in  Oldham  Co., 
Ky., — the  State  which  might 
be  considered  the  "  mother  of 
Illinois  Governors."  Bereft  of 
his  parents  at  the  tender  age 
of  eight  years,  his  early  education 
was  neglected.  When  12  years  of 
age,  and  after  he  had  worked  a  year 
and  a  half  at  the  carpenter's  trade, 
he  removed  with  an  uncle,  Willis 
Oglesby,  into  whose  care  he  had 
been  committed,  to  Decatur,  this 
State,  where  he  continued  his  ap- 
prenticeship as  a  mechanic,  working  six  months  for 
Hon.  E.  O.  Smith. 

In  1844  he  commenced  studying  law  at  Spring- 
field, with  Judge  Silas  Robbins,  and  read  with  him 
one  year.  He  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  1845,  and 
commenced  the  practice  of  his  chosen  profession  at 
Sullivan,  the  county  seat  of  Moultrie  County. 

The  next  year  the  war  with  Mexico  was  com- 
menced, and  in  June,  1846,  Mr.  Oglesby  volunteered, 
was  elected  First  Lieutenant  of  Co.  C,  Fourth  Illinois 
Regiment  of  Volunteers,  and  participated  in  the  bat- 
tles of  Vera  Cruz  and  Cerro  Gordo. 

On  his  return  he  sought  to  perfect  his  law  studies 
by  attending  a  course  of  lectures  at  Louisville,  but 
on  the  breaking  out  of  the  California  "gold  fever  "  in 
1849,  he  crossed  the  plains  and  mountains  to  the 
new  Eldorado,  driving  a  six-mule  team,  with  a  com- 


pany of  eight  men,  Henry  Prather  being  the  leader. 

In  1852  he  returned  home  to  Macon  County,  and 
xwas  placed  that  year  by  the  Whig  party  on  the  ticket 
of  Presidential  Electors.  In  1856  he  visited  Europe, 
Asia  and  Africa,  being  absent  20  months.  On  his 
return  home  he  resumed  the  practice  of  law,  as  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Gallagher,  Wait  &  Oglesby. 
In  1858  he  was  the  Republican  nominee  for  the 
Lower  House  of  Congress,  but  was  defeated  by  the 
Hon.  James  C.  Robinson,  Democrat.  In  1860  he 
was  elected  to  the  Illinois  State  Senate ;  and  on  the 
evening  the  returns  of  this  election  were  coming  in, 
Mr.  Oglesby  had  a  fisticuff  encounter  with  "  Cerro 
Gordo  Williams,"  in  which  he  came  out  victorious, 
and  which  was  .regarded  as  "  the  first  fight  of  the 
Rebellion."  The  following  spring,  when  the  war 
had  commenced  in  earnest,  his  ardent  nature 
quickly  responded  to  the  demands  of  patriotism  and 
he  enlisted.  The  extra  session  of  the  Legislature 
elected  him  Colonel  of  the  Eighth  Illinois  Infantry, 
the  second  one  in  the  State  raised  to  suppress  the 
great  Rebellion. 

He  was  shortly  entrusted  with  important  com- 
mands. For  a  time  he  was  stationed  at  Bird's  Point 
and  Cairo ;  in  April  he  was  promoted  Brigadier  Gen- 
eral ;  at  Fort  Donelson  his  brigade  was  in  the  van, 
being  stationed  on  the  right  of  General  Grant's  army 
and  the  first  brigade  to  be  attacked.  He  lost  500 
men  before  re-inforcements  arrived.  Many  of  these 
men  were  from  Macon  County.  He  was  engaged  in 
the  battle  of  Corinth,  and,  in  a  brave  charge  at  this 
place,  was  shot  in  the  left  lung  with  an  ounce  ball, 
and  was  carried  from  the  field  in  expectation  of  im- 


mediate  death.  That  rebel  ball  he  carries  to  this 
day.  On  his  partial  recovery  he  was  promoted  as 
Major  General,  for  g.illantry,  his  commission  to  rank 
from  November,  1862.  In  the  spring  of  1863  he 
was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  i6th  Army 
Corps,  but,  owing  to  inability  froai  the  effects  of  his 
wound,  lie  relinquished  this  command  in  July,  that 
year.  Gen.  Grant,  however,  refused  to  accept  his 
resignation,  and  he  was  detailed,  in  December  follow- 
ing, to  court-martial  and  try  the  Surgeon  General  of 
the  Army  at  Washington,  where  he  remained  until 
May,  1864,  when  he  returned  home. 

The  Republican,  or  Union,  State  Convention  of 

1864  was  held  at  Springfield,   May   25,   when   Mr. 
Oglesby  was  nominated  for  the  office  of  Governor, 
while  other  candidates  before  the  Convention  were 
Allen  C.  Fuller,  of  Boone,  Jesse  K.  Dubois.of  Sanga- 
mon,   and    John    M.    Palmer,  of  Macoupin.     Wm. 
Bross,   of  Chicago,   was   nominated  for  Lieutenant 
Governor.      On  the  Democratic   State  ticket  were 
James  C.   Robinson,  of  Clark,  for  Governor,  and  S. 
Corning  Judd,  of  Fulton,  for  Lieutenant  Governor. 
The  general  election  gave  Gen.  Oglesby  a  majority 
of  about  31,000  votes.     The  Republicans  had  also  a 
majority  in  both  the  Legislature   and  in  the  repre- 
sentation in  Congress. 

Gov.  Oglesby  was  duly  inaugurated  Jan.  17,  1865. 
The  day  before  the  first  time  set  for  his  installation 
death  visited  his  home  at  Decatur,  and  took  from  it 
his  only  son,  an  intelligent  and  sprightly  lad  of  six 
years,  a  great  favorite  of  the  bereaved  parents.  This 
caused  the  inauguration  to  be  postponed  a  week. 

The  political  events  of  the  Legislative  session  of 

1865  were   the   election   of  ex-Gov.    Yates   to  the 
United  States  Senate,  and  the  ratification  of  the  131)1 
amendment  to  the  Constitution  of  thfe  United  States, 
abolishing  slavery.      This   session    also    signalized 
itself  by  repealing  the  notorious  "black  laws,"  part 
of  which,  although  a  dead  letter,  had  held  their  place 
upon  the  statute  books  since  1819.     Also,  laws  re- 
quiring the  registration  of  voters,  and  establishing  a 
State  Board  of  Equalization,  were  passed  by  this  Leg- 
islature.    But  the  same  body  evinced  that  it  was  cor- 
ruptly influenced  by  a  mercenary  lobby,  as  it  adopted 
some  bad  legislation,  over  the  Governor's  veto,  nota- 
bly an  amendment  to  a  charter  for  a  Chicago  horse 
railway,   granted    in    1859  for  25   years,   and   now 
sought  to  be  extended  99  years.     As  this  measure 
was  promptly  passed  over  his  veto  by  both  branches 
of  the  Legislature,  he  deemed  it   useless  further  to 
attempt   to   check  their  headlong  career.     At   this 
session  no  law  of  a  general  useful  character  or  public 
interest  was  perfected,  unless   we  count  such  the 
turning  over  of  the  canal  to  Chicago  to  be  deepened. 
The  session  of  1867   was   still  more   productive  of 
private  and  special  acts.     Many  omnibus  bills  were 
proposed,  and  some  passed.     The  contests  over  the 
location  of  the   Industrial  College,  the  Capital,  the 


Southern  Penitentiary,  and  the  canal  enlargement 
and  Illinois  River  improvement,  dominated  every 
thing  else. 

During  the  year  1872,  it  became  evident  that  if 
the  Republicans  could  re-elect  Mr.  Oglesby  to  the 
office  of  Governor,  they  could  also  elect  him  to  the 
United  States  Senate,  which  they  desired  to  do. 
Accordingly  they  re-nominated  him  for  the  Execu- 
tive chair,  and  placed  upon  the  ticket  with  him  for 
Lieutenant  Governor,  John  L.  Beveridge,  of  Cook 
County.  On  the  other  side  the  Democrats  put  into 
the  field  Gustavus  Koerner  for  Governor  and  John 
C.  Black  for  Lieutenant  Governor.  The  election 
gave  the  Republican  ticket  majorities  ranging  from 
35>334  to  56,174, — the  Democratic  defection  being 
caused  mainly  by  their  having  an  old-time  Whig  and 
Abolitionist,  Horace  Greeley,  on  the  national  ticket 
for  President.  According  to  the  general  understand- 
ing had  beforehand,  as  soon  as  the  Legislature  met 
it  elected  Gov.  Oglesby  to  the  United  States  Senate, 
whereupon  Mr.  Beveridge  became  Governor.  Sena- 
tor Oglesby 's  term  expired  March  4,  1879,  having 
served  his  party  faithfully  and  exhibited  an  order  of 
statesmanship  beyond  criticism. 

During  the  campaign  of  1884  Mr.  Oglesby  was 
nominated  for  a  "third  term"  as  Executive  of  the 
State  of  Illinois,  against  Carter  H.  Harrison,  Mayor 
of  Chicago,  nominated  by  the  Democrats.  Both 
gentlemen  "stumped  "  the  State,  and  while  the  peo- 
ple elected  a  Legislature  which  was  a  tie  on  a  joint 
ballot,  as  between  the  two  parties,  they  gave  the 
jovial  "  Dick"  Oglesby  a  majority  of  15,018  for  Gov- 
ernor, and  he  was  inaugurated  Jan.  30,  1885.  The 
Legislature  did  not  fully  organize  until  this  date,  on 
account  of  its  equal  division  between  the  two  main 
parties  and  the  consequent  desperate  tactics  of  each 
party  to  checkmate  the  latter  in  the  organization  of 
the  House. 

Gov.  Oglesby  is  a  fine-appearing,  affable  man,  with 
_regular,  well  defined  features  and  rotund  face.  In 
stature  he  is  a  little  above  medium  height,  of  a  large 
frame  and  somewhat  fleshy.  His  physical  appear- 
ance is  striking  and  prepossessing,  while  his  straight- 
out,  not  to  say  bluff,  manner  and  speech  are  well 
calculated  favorably  to  impress  the  average  masses. 
Ardent  in  feeling  and  strongly  committed  to  the  pol- 
icies of  his  party,  he  intensifies  Republicanism ' 
among  Republicans,  while  at  the  same  time  his  jovial 
and  liberal  manner  prevents  those  of  the  opposite 
party  from  hating  him. 

He  is  quite  an  effective  stump  orator.  With  vehe- 
ment, passionate  and  scornful  tone  and  gestures, 
tremendous  physical  power,  which  in  speaking  he 
exercises  to  the  utmost ;  with  frequent  descents  to 
the  grotesque;  and  with  abundant  homely  compari- 
sons or  frontier  figures,  expressed  in  the  broadesi 
vernacular  and  enforced  with  stentorian  emphasis, 
he  delights  a  promiscuous  audience  beyond  measure. 


;: 


TKUBKW 
QFTBE 

U«IVERSITY  OF  ILUMB 


.  'i  ,  'i  .  'i  .  'i  ._',  .  >,  . ',  .  ',  . ', .,'r.i'i  . '.  .  '.•;'  .Y  .  }'  .  Y  .i1  .-I1 .  Y  .  i1 .  i1 ;  i1 .  i1 .  i1 .  i1 .  j1.,  P 


j:OHN  Me  AULEY  PALMER,  Gov- 
ernor 1869-72,  was  born  on 
Eagle  Creek,  Scott  Co.,  Ky., 
Sept.  13,  1817.  During  his  in- 
fancy, his  father,  who  had  been 
a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  re- 
moved to  Christian  Co.,  Ky., 
where  lands  were  cheap.  Here 
the  future  Governor  of  the  great 
Prairie  State  spent  his  childhood 
and  received  such  meager  school- 
ing as  the  new  and  sparsely  set- 
tled country  afforded.  To  this 
he  added  materially  by  diligent 
reading,  for  which  he  evinced  an 
eatly  aptitude.  His  father,  an  ardent  Jackson  man, 
was  also  noted  for  his  anti-slavery  sentiments,  which 
he  thoroughly  impressed  upon  his  children.  In  1831 
he  emigrated  to  Illinois,  settling  in  Madison  County. 
Here  the  labor  of  improving  a  farm  was  pursued  for 
about  two  years,  when  the  death  of  Mr.  Palmer's 
mother  broke  up  the  family.  About  this  time  Alton 
College  was  opened,  on  the  "manual  labor  "  system, 
and  in  the  ^spring  of  1834  young  Palmer,  with  his 
elder  brotherf  Elihujfentered  this  school  and  remained 
1 8  months.  Nexryfor  over  three  years,  he  tried 
variously  coopering,  peddling  and  school-teaching. 

During   the   summer  of   1838  he  formed  the  ac- 
quaintance of  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  then  making  his 
gyVjy^/ft. 


first  canvass  for  Congress.  Young,  eloquent  and  in 
political  accord  with  Mr.  Palmer,  he  won  his  confi- 
dence, fired  his  ambition  and  fixed  his  purpose.  The 
following  winter,  while  teaching  near  Canton,  he  be- 
gan to  devote  his  spare  time  to  a  desultory  reading 
of  law,  and  in  the  spring  entered  a  law  office  at  Car- 
linville,  making  his  home  with  his  elder  brother, 
Elihu.  (The  latter  was  a  learned  clergyman,  of  con- 
siderable orginality  of  thought  and  doctrine.)  On 
the  next  meeting  of  the  Supreme  Court  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  Bar,  Douglas  being  one  of  his  examiners. 
He  was  not  immediately  successful  in  his  profession, 
and  would  have  located  elsewhere  than  Carlinville 
had  he  the  requisite  means.  Thus  his  early  poverty 
was  a  blessing  in  disguise,  for  to  it  he  now  attributes 
the  success  of  his  life. 

From  1839  on,  while  he  diligently  pursued  his 
profession,  he  participated  more  or  less  in  local 
politics.  In  1843  he  became  Probate  Judge.  In 
1847  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Constitutional  Con- 
vention, where  he  took  a  leading  part.  In  1852  he 
was  elected  to  the  State  Senate,  and  at  the  special 
session  of  February,  1854,  true  to  the  anti-slavery 
sentiments  bred  in  him,  he  took  a  firm  stand  in  op- 
position to  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compromise; 
and  when  the  Nebraska  question  became  a  party 
issue  he  refused  to  receive  a  re-nomination  for  the 
Senatorship  at  the  hands  of  the  Democracy,  issuing 
a  circular  to  that  effect.  A  few  weeks  afterward, 


168 


JOHN  MC  AULEY  PALMER. 


however,  hesitating  to  break  with  his  party,  he  par- 
ticipated in  a  Congressional  Convention  which  nomi- 
T.  L.  Harris  against  Richard  Yates,  and  which 
unqualifiedly  approved  the  principles  of  the  Kansas- 
x  Nebraska  act.  But  later  in  the  campaign  he  made 
•^  the  plunge,  ran  for  the  Senate  as  an  Anti-Nebraska 
Democrat,  and  was  elected.  The  following  winter 
he  put  in  nomination  for  the  ^United  States  Senate 
Mr.  Trumbull,  and  was  one  of  the  five  steadfast  men 
who  voted  for  him  until  all  the  Whigs  came  to  their 
support  and  elected  their  man. 

In  1856  he  was  Chairman  of  the  Republican  State 
Convention  at  Bloomington.  He  ran  for  Congress  in 
1859,  but  was  defeated.  In  1860  he  was  Republican 
Presidential  Elector  for  the  State  at  large.  In  1861 
he  was  appointed  one  of  the  five  Delegates  (all  Re- 
publicans) sent  by  Illinois  to  the  peace  congress  at 
Washington. 

When  the  civil  conflict  broke  out,  he  offered  his 
services  to  his  country,  and  was  elected  Colonel  of  the 
I4th  111.  Vol.  Inf.,  and  participated  in  the  engagements 
at  Island  No.  10  ;  at  Farmington,  where  he  skillfully 
extricated  his  command  from  a  dangerous  position  ; 
at  Stone  River,  where  his  division  for  several  hours, 
Dec.  31,  1862,  held  the  advance  and  stood  like  a 
rock,  and  for  his  gallantry  there  he  was  made  Major 
General;  at  Chickamauga,  where  his  and  Van  Cleve's 
divisions  for  two  hours  maintained  their  position 
when  they  were  cut  off  by  overpowering  numbers. 
Under  Gen.  Sherman,  he  was  assigned  to  the  i4lh 
Army  Corps  and  participated  in  the  Atlanta  campaign. 
At  Peach-Tree  Creek  his  prudence  did  much  to  avert 
disaster.  In  February,  1865,  Gen.  Palmer  was  as- 
4  signed  to  the  military  administration  of  Kentucky, 
which  was  a  delicate  post.  That  State  was  about 
^  half  rebel  and  half  Union,  and  those  of  the  latter 
-element  were  daily  fretted  by  the  loss  of  their  slaves. 
He,  who  had  been  bred  to  the  rules  of  common  law, 
trembled  at  the  contemplation  of  his  extraordinary 
power  over  the  persons  and  property  of  his  fellow 
men,  with  which*  he  was  vested  in  his  capacity  -as 
military  Governor ;  and  he  exhibited  great  caution  in 
the  execution  of  the  duties  of  his  post. 

Gen.  Palmer  was  nominated  for  Governor  of  Illi- 
nois by  the  Republican  State  Convention  which  met 
at  Peoria  May  6,  1868,  and  his  nomination  would 
probably  have  been  made  by  acclamation  had  he  not 
persistently  declared  that  he  could  not  accept  a  can- 


didature  for  the  office.  The  result  of  the  ensuing 
election  gave  Mr.  Palmer  a  majority  of  44,707  over 
John  R.  Eden,  the  Democratic  nominee. 

On  the  meeting  of  the  Legislature  in  January, 
1869,  the  first  thing  to  arrest  public  attention  was 
that  portion  of  the  Governor's  message  which  took 
broad  Slate's  rights  ground.  This  and  some  minor 
points,  which  were  more  in  keeping  with  the  Demo- 
cratic sentiment,  constituted  the  entering  wedge  f  jr 
the  criticisms  and  reproofs  he  afterward  received 
from  the  Republican  party,  and  ultimately  resulted 
in  his  entire  aleniation  from  the  latter  element.  The 
Legislature  just  referred  to  was  noted  for  the  intro- 
duction of  numerous  bills  in  the  interest  of  private 
parties,  which  were  embarrassing  to  the  Governor. 
Among  the  public  acts  passed  was  that  which  limited 
railroad  charges  for  passenger  travel  to  a  maximum 
of  three  cents  per  mile ;  and  it  was  passed  over  the 
Governor's  veto.  Also,  they  passed,  over  his  veto, 
the  "tax-grabbing  law"  to  pay  railroad  subscriptions, 
the  Chicago  Lake  Front  bill,  etc.  The  new  State 
Constitution  of  1870,  far  superior  to  the  old,  was  a 
peaceful  "  revolution"  which  took  place  during  Gov. 
Palmer's  term  of  office.  The  suffering  caused  by  the 
great  Chicago  Fire  of  October,  1871,  was  greatly 
alleviated  by  the  prompt  responses  of  his  excellency. 

Since  the  expiration  of  Gov.  Palmers 's  term,  he  has 
been  somewhat  prominent  in  Illinois  politics,  and 
has  been  talked  of  by  many,  especially  in  the  Dem- 
ocratic party,  as  the  best  man  in  the  State  for  a 
United  States  Senator.  His  business  during  life  has 
been  that  of  the  law.  Few  excel  him  in  an  accurate 
appreciation  of  the  depth  and  scope  of  its  principles- 
The  great  number  of  his  able  veto  messages  abun- 
dantly testify  not  only  this  but  also  a  rare  capacity  to 
point  them  out.  He  is  a  logical  and  cogent  reasoner 
and  an  interesting?,  forcible  and  convincing  speaker, 
though  not  fluent  or  ornate.  Without  brilliancy,  his 
dealings  are  rather  with  facts  and  ideas  than  with 
appeals  to  passions  and  prejudices.  He  is  a  patriot 
and  a  statesman  of  very  high  order.  Physically  he  is 
above  the  medium  height,  of  robust  frame,  ruddy 
complexion  and  sanguine-nervous  temperament.  He 
has  a  large  cranial  development,  is  vivacious,  social 
in  disposition,  easy  of  approach,  unostentatious  in  his 
habits  of  life,  democratic  in  his  habits  and  manners 
and  is  a  true  American  in  his  fundamental  principles 
of  statesmanship. 


beinj 
ciate 


OHN  LOWRIE  BEVER- 
IDGE, Governor  1 87  3-6,  was 
born  in  the  town  of  Green- 
wich, Washington  Co.,  N.  Y., 
July  6,  1824.  His  parents 
were  George  and  Ann  Bever- 
idge. His  father's  parents,  An- 
drew and  Isabel  Beveridge,  be- 
fore their  marriage  emigrated 
from  Scotland  just  before  the 
Revolutionary  War,  settling  in 
^*  Washington  County.  His  father 
was  the  eldest  of  eight  brothers,  the 
youngest  of  whom  was  60  years  of 
age  when  the  first  one  of  the  num- 
|  ber  died.  His  mother's  parents, 
James  and  Agnes  Hoy,  emigrated 
from  Scotland  at  the  close  of  the 
Revolutionary  War,  settling  also  in 
Washington  Co.,  N.  Y.,  with  their 
first-born,  whose  "  native  land  "was 
the  wild  ocean.  His  parents  and 
grandparents  lived  beyond  the  time 
allotted  to  man,  their  average  age 
over  80  years.  They  belonged  to  the  "  Asso- 
Church,"  a  seceding  Presbyterian  body  of 


America  from  the  old  Scotch  school ;  and  so  rigid 
was  the  training  of  young  Beveridge  that  he  never 
heard  a  sermon  from  any  other  minister  except  that 
of  his  own  denomination  until  he  was  in  his  igth 
year.  Later  in  life  he  became  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  which  relation  he  still 
holds. 

Mr.  Beveridge  received  a  good  common-school  ed- 
ucation, but  his  parents,  who  could  obtain  a  livelihood 
only  by  rigid  economy  and  industry,  could  not  send 
him  away  to  college.  He  was  raised  upon  a  farm, 
and  was  in  his  i8th  year  when  the  family  removed 
to  De  Kalb  County,  this  State,  when  that  section  was 
very  sparsely  settled.  Chicago  had  less  than  7,000 
inhabitants.  In  this  wild  West  he  continued  as  a 
farm  laborer,  teaching  school  during  the  winter 
months  to  supply  the  means  of  an  education.  In  the 
fall  of  1842  he  attended  one  term  at  the  academy  at 
Granville,  Putnam  Co.,  111.,  and  subsequently  several 
terms  at  the  Rock  River  Seminary  at  Mount  Morris, 
Ogle  Co.,  111.,  completing  the  academic  course.  At 
this  time,  the  fall  of  1845,  his  parents  and  brothers 
were  anxious  to  have  him  go  to  college,  even  though 
he  had  not  money  sufficient;  but,  njt  willing  to  bur- 
den the  family,  he  packed  his  trunk  and  with  onl 
$40  in  money  started  South  to  seek  his  fortune. 


r 


*mm 


JOHN  L.  BEVERIDGE. 


Poor,  alone,  without  friends  and  influence,  he  thus 
entered  upon  the  battle  of  life. 

First,  he  taught  school  in  Wilson,  Overton  and 
Jackson  Cos.,  Tenn.,  in  which  experience  he  under- 
went considerable  mental  drill,  both  in  book  studies 
and  in  the  ways  of  the  world.  He  read  law  and  was 
admitted  to  the  Bar,  in  the  South,  but  did  not  learn 
to  love  the  institution  of  slavery,  although  he  ad- 
mired many  features  of  Southern  character.  In  De- 
cember, 1847,  he  returned  North,  and  Jan.  20,  1848, 
he  married  Miss  Helen  M.  Judson,  in  the  old  Clark- 
Street  M.  E.  church  in  Chicago,  her  father  at  that 
time  being  Pastor  of  the  society  there.  In  the  spring 
of  1848  he  returned  with  his  wife  to  Tennessee, 
where  his  two  children,  Alia  May  and  Philo  Judson, 
were  born. 

In  the  fall  of  1849,  through  the  mismanagement 
of  an  associate,  he  lost  what  little  he  had  accumu- 
lated and  was  left  in  debt.  He  soon  managed  to 
earn  means  to  pay  his  debts,  returned  to  De  Kalb 
Co.,  111.,  and  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession at  Sycamore,  the  county  seat.  On  arrival 
from  the  South  he  had  but  one-quarter  of  a  dollar  in 
money,  and  scanty  clothing  and  bedding  for  himself 
and  family.  He  borrowed  a  little  money,  practiced 
law,  worked  in  public  offices,  kept  books  for  some  of 
the  business  men  of  the  town,  and  some  railroad  en- 
gineering, till  the  spring  of  1854,  when  he  removed 
to  Evanston,  12  miles  north  of  Chicago,  a  place  then 
but  recently  laid  out,  under  the  supervision  of  the 
Northwestern  .  University,  a  Methodist  institution. 
Of  the  latter  his  father-in-law  was  then  financial 
agent  and  business  manager.  Here  Mr.  Beveridge 
prospered,  and  the  next  year  (1855)  opened  a  law 
office  in  Chicago,  where  he  found  the  battle  some- 
what hard;  but  he  persevered  with  encouragement 
and  increasing  success. 

Aug.  12,  1861,  his  law  partner,  Gen.  John  F. 
Farnsworth,  secured  authority  to  raise  a  regiment  of 
cavalry,  and  authorized  Mr.  Beveridge  to  raise  a 
company  forit.  He  succeeded  in  a  few  days  in  rais- 
ing the  company,  of  course  enlisting  himself  along 
with  it.  The  regiment  rendezvoused  at  St.  Charles, 
111.,  was  mustered  in  Sept.  18,  and  on  its  organiza- 
tion Mr.  B.  was  elected  Second  Major.  It  was  at- 
tached, Oct.  n,  to  the  Eighth  Cavalry  and  to  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac.  He  served  with  the  regiment 
until  November,  1863,  participating  in  some  40  bat- 


tles and  skirmishes  :  was  at  Fair  Oaks,  the  seven  days' 
fight  around  Richmond,  Fredericksburg,  Chancellors- 
ville  and  Gettysburg.  He  commanded  the  regiment 
the  greater  part  of  the  summer  of  1863,  and  it  was  while 
lying  in  camp  this  year  that  he  originated  the  policy 
of  encouraging  recruits  as  well  as  the  fighting  capac- 
ity of  the  soldiery,  by  the  wholesale  furlough  system. 
It  worked  so  well  that  many  other  officers  adopted 
it.  In  the  fall  of  this  year  he  recruited  anothercom- 
pany,  against  heavy  odds,  in  January,  1864,  was 
commissioned  Colonel  of  the  i7th  111.  Cav.,  and 
skirmished  around  in  Missouri,  concluding  with  the 
reception  of  the  surrender  of  Gen.  Kirby  Smith's 
army  in  Arkansas.  In  1865  he  commanded  various 
sub-districts  in  the  Southwest.  He  was  mustered 
out  Feb.  6,  1866,  safe  from  the  casualties  of  war  and 
a  stouter  man  than  when  he  first  enlisted.  His  men 
idolized  him. 

He  then  returned  to  Chicago,  to  practice  law,  with 
no  library  and  no  clientage,  and  no  political  experi- 
ence except  to  help  others  into  office.  In  the  fall  of 
1866  he  was  elected  Sheriff  of  Cook  County,  serving 
one  term;  next,  until  November,  1870,  he  practiced 
law  and  closed  up  the  unfinished  business  of  his 
office.  He  was  then  elected  State  Senator ;  in  No- 
vember, 1871,  he  was  elected  Congressman  at  large ; 
in  November,  1872,  he  was  elected  Lieutenant  Gov- 
ernor on  the  ticket  with  Gov.  Oglesby  ;  the  latter  be- 
ing elected  to  the  U.  S.  Senate,  Mr.  Beveridge  became 
Governor,  Jan.  21,  1873.  Thus,  inside  of  a  few 
weeks,  he  was  Congressman  at  large,  Lieutenant 
Governor  and  Governor.  The  principal  events  oc- 
curring during  Gov.  Beveridge 's  administration  were: 
The  completion  of  the  revision  of  the  statutes,  begun 
in  1869;  the  partial  success  of  the  "farmers'  move- 
ment;" "  Haines'  Legislature  "  and  Illinois'  exhibit  at 
the  Centennial. 

Since  the  close  of  his  gubernatorial  term  ex-Gov. 
Beveridge  has  been  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Bever- 
idge &  Dewey,  bankers  and  dealers  in  commercial 
paper  at  7 1  Dearborn  Street  (McCormick  Block), 
Chicago,  and  since  November,  1881,  he  has  also  been 
Assistant  United  States  Treasurer :  office  in  the 
Government  Building.  His  residence  is  still  at  Ev- 
anston. 

He  has  a  brother  and  two  sisters  yet  residing  in 
De  Kalb  County — James  H.  Beveridge,  Mrs.  Jennet 
Henry  and  Mrs.  Isabel  French. 


Uii  UBHARY 

df  THE 
UMiVERSITY  OF  U.UU8S 


HELBY  M.  CULLOM,  Gover- 
nor 1877-83,15  the  sixth  child 
of  the  late  Richard  N.  Cullom, 
and  was  bom  Nov.  22,  1829,111 
Wayne  Co.,  Ky.,  where  his  fa- 
ther then  resided,  and  whence 
both  the  Illinois  and  Tennessee 
branches  of  the  family  originated.  In 
the  following  year  the  family  emi- 
grated to  the  vicinity  of  Washington, 
Tazewell  Co.,  111.,  when  that  section 
was  very  sparsely  settled.  They  lo- 
cated on  Deer  Creek,  in  a  grove  at 
the  time  occupied  by  a  party  of  In- 
dians, attracted  there  by  the  superior 
hunting  and  fishing  afforded  in  that 
vicinity.  The  following  winter  was 
known  as  the  "  hard  winter,"  the  snow  [being  very 
deep  and  lasting  and  the  weather  severely  cold ;  and 
the  family  had  to  subsist  mainly  on  boiled 'corn  or 
hominy,  and  some  wild  game,  for  several  weeks.  In 
the  course  of  time  Mr.  R.  N.  Cullom  became  a  prom- 
inent citizen  and  was  several  times  elected  to  the 
Legislature,  both  before  and  after  the  removal  of  the 
capital  from  Vandalia  to  Springfield.  He  died  about 
1873- 

Until  about  19  years  of  age  young  Cullom  grew  up 
to  agricultural  pursuits,  attending  school  as  he  had 
opportunity  during  the  winter.  Within  this  time, 
however,  he  spent  several  months  teaching  school, 


and  in  the  following  summer  he  "broke  prairie  "with 
an  ox  team  for  the  neighbors.  With  the  money  ob- 
tained by  these  various  ventures,  he  undertook  a 
course  of  study  at  the  Rock  River  Seminary,  a 
Methodist  institution  at  Mt.  Morris,  Ogle  County; 
but  the  sudden  change  to  the  in-door  life  of  a  stu- 
dent told  severely  upon  his  health,  and  he  was  taken 
home,  being  considered  in  a  hopeless  condition.  While 
at  Mt.  Morris  lie  heard  Hon.  E.  B.  Washburne  make 
his  first  speech. 

On  recovering  health,  Mr.  Cullom  concluded  to 
study  law,  under  the  instruction  of  Abraham  Lincoln, 
at  Springfield,  who  had  by  this  time  attained  some 
notoriety  as  an  able  lawyer;  but  the  latter,  being  ab- 
sent from  his.  office  most  of  the  time,  advised  Mr. 
Cullom  to  enter  the  office  of  Stuart  &  Edwards. 
After  about  a  year  of  study  there,  however,  his  health 
failed  again,  and  he  was  obliged  to  return  once  more 
to  out-door  life.  Accordingly  he  bought  hogs  for 
packing,  for  A.  G.  Tyng,  in  1'eoria,  and  while  he  re- 
gained his  health  he  gained  in  purse,  netting  $400  in 
a  few  weeks.  Having  been  admitted  to  the  Bar,  he 
went  to  Springfield,  where  he  was  soon  elected  City 
Attorney,  on  the  Anti-Nebraska  ticket. 

In  1856  he  ran  on  the  Fillmore  ticket  as  a  Presi- 
dential Elector,  and,  although  failing  to  be  elected  as 
such,  he  was  at  the  same  time  elected  a  Representa- 
tive in  the  Legislature  from  Sangamon  County,  by 
local  coalition  of  the  American  and  Republican  par- 
ties. On  the  organization  of  the  House,  he  received 
the  vote  of  the  Fillmore  men  for  Speaker.  Practicing 


• 


SHELB  Y  M.    CULLOM. 


\ 


J 


' 


law  until  1860,  he  was  again  elected  to  the  Legisla- 
ture, as  a  Republican,  while  the  county  went  Demo- 
cratic on  the  Presidential  ticket.  In  January  follow- 
ing he  was  elected  Speaker,  probably  the  youngest 
man  who  had  ever  presided  over  an  Illinois  Legis- 
lature. After  the  session  of  1 86 1,  he  was  a  candidate 
for  the  State  Constitutional  Convention  called  for 
that  year,  but  was  defeated,  and  thus  escaped  the 
disgrace  of  being  connected  with  that  abortive  party 
scheme  to  revolutionize  the  State  Government.  In 
1862  he  was  a  candidate  for  the  State  Senate,  but 
was  defeated.  The  same  year,  however,  he  was  ap- 
pointed by  President  Lincoln  on  a  Government 
Commission,  in  company  with  Gov.  Boutwell  of 
Massachusetts  and  Charles  A.  Dana,  since  of  the 
New  York  Sun,  to  investigate  the  affairs  of  the 
Quartermaster's  and  Commissary  Departments  at 
Cairo.  He  devoted  several  months  to  this  duty. 

In  1864  he  entered  upon  a  larger  political  field, 
being  nominated  as  the  Republican  candidate  for 
Congress  from  the  Eighth  (Springfield)  District,  in 
opposition  to  the  incumbent,  JohnT.  Stuart,  who  had 
been  elected  in  1862  by  about  1,500  majority  over 
Leonard  Swett,  then  of  Bloomington,  now  of  Chicago. 
The  result  was  the  election  of  Mr.  Cullom  in  Novem- 
ber following  by  a  majority  of  1,785.  In  1866  he 
was  re-elected  to  Congress,  over  Dr.  E.  S.  Fowler,  by 
the  magnificent  majority  of  4,103!  In  1868  he  was 
again  a  candidate,  defeating  the  Hon.  B.  S.  Edwards, 
another  of  his  old  preceptors,  by  2,884  votes. 

During  his  first  term  in  Congress  he  served  on  the 
Committee  on  Foreign  Affairs  and  Expenditures  in 
the  Treasury  Department;  in  his  second  term,  on 
the  Committees  on  Foreign  Affairs  and  on  Territories ; 
and  in  his  third  term  he  succeeded  Mr.  Ashley,  of 
Ohio,  to  the  Chairmanship  of  the  latter.  He  intro- 
duced a  bill  in  the  House,  to  aid  in  the  execution  of 
law  in  Utah,  which  caused  more  consternation  among 
the  Mormons  than  any  measure  had  previously,  but 
which,  though  it  passed  the  House,  failed  to  pass  the 
Senate. 

The  Republican  Convention  which  met  May  25, 
1876,  nominated  Mr.  Cullom  for  Governor,  while  the 
other  contestant  was  Gov.  Beveridge.  For  Lieuten- 
ant-Governor  they  nominated  Andrew  Shuman,  editor 
of  the  Chica'go  Journal.  For  the  same  offices  the 
Democrats,  combining  with  the  Anti-Monopolists, 
placed  in  nomination  Lewis  Steward,  a  wealthy 


farmer  and  manufacturer,  and  A.  A.  Glenn.  The 
result  of  the  election  was  rather  close,  Mr.  Cullom 
obtaining  only  6,800  majority.  He  was  inaugurated 
Jan.  8,  1877. 

Great  depression  prevailed  in  financial  circles  at 
this  time,  as  a  consequence  of  the  heavy  failures  of 
1873  and  afterward,  the  effect  of  which  had  seemed 
to  gather  force  from  that  time  to  the  end  of  Gov. 
Cullom 's  first  administration.  This  unspeculative 
period  was  not  calculated  to  call  forth  any  new 
issues,  but  the  Governor's  energies  were  at  one  time 
put  to  task  to  quell  a  spirit  of  insubordination  that 
had  been  begun  in  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  among  the  laboring 
classes,  and  transferred  to  Illinois  at  Chicago,  East 
St.  Louis  and  Braidwood,  at  which  places  laboring 
men  for  a  short  time  refused  to  work  or  allow  others 
to  work.  These  disturbances  were  soon  quelled  and 
the  wheels  of  industry  again  set  in  motion. 

In  May,  1880,  Gov.  Cullom  was  re-nominated  by 
the  Republicans,  against  Lyman  Trumbull,  by  the 
Democrats;  and  although  the  former  party  was  some- 
what handicapped  in  the  campaign  by  a  zealous 
faction  opposed  to  Grant  for  President  and  to  Grant 
men  for  office  generally,  Mr.  Cullom  was  re-elected 
by  about  314,565,  to  277,532  for  the  Democratic  State 
ticket.  The  Greenback  vote  at  the  same  time  was 
about  27,000.  Both  Houses  of  the  Legislature  again 
became  Republican,  and  no  representative  of  the 
Greenback  or  Socialist  parties  were  elected.  Gov. 
Cullom  was  inaugurated  Jan.  10,  1881.  In  his  mes- 
sage he  announced  that  the  last  dollar  of  the  State 
debt  had  been  provided  for. 

March  4,  1883,  the  term  of  David  Davis  as  United 
States  Senator  from  Illinois  expired,  and  Gov.  Cul- 
lom was  chosen  to  succeed  him.  This  promoted 
Lieutenant-Governor  John  M.  Hamilton  to  the  Gov- 
ernorship. Senator  Cullom 's  term  in  the  United 
States  Senate  will  expire  March  4,  1889. 

As  a  practitioner  oflaw  Mr.  C.  has  been  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  Cullom,  Scholes  &  Mather,  at  Spring- 
field ;  and  he  has  also  been  President  of  the  State 
National  Bank. 

He  has  been  married  twice, — the  first  time  Dec. 
12,  1855,  to  Miss  Hannah  Fisher,  by  whom  he  had 
two  daughters ;  and  the  second  time  May  5,  1863, 
to  Julia  Fisher.  Mrs.  C  is  a  member  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church,  with  which  religious  body  Mr. 
C.  is  also  in  sympathy. 


1W  UBHABY 
THE 


GO  VERNORS  OF  ILLINOIS. 


OHN  MARSHALL  HAMIL- 
TON, Governor  1883-5,  was 
born  May  28,  1847,  in  a  log 
house  upon  a  farm  about  two 
miles  from  Richwood,  Union 
County,  Ohio.  His  father  was 
Samuel  Hamilton,  the  eldest  son 
of  Rev.  Wm.  Hamilton,  who,  to- 
gether with  his  brother,  the  Rev. 
Samuel  Hamilton,  was  among  the 
early  pioneer  Methodist  preachers  in 
Ohio.  The  mother  of  the  subject  of 
this  ^ketch  was,  before  her  marriage, 
M^t^Nancy  McMorris,  who  was 
born  and  raised  in  Fauquier  or  Lou- 
doun  County,  Va.,  and  related  to  the 
two  large  families  of  Youngs  and  Marshalls,  well 
known  in  that  commonwealth ;  and  from  the  latter 
family  name  was  derived  the  middle  name  of  Gov. 
Hamilton. 

In  March,  1854,  Mr.  Hamilton's  father  sold  out 
his  little  pioneer  forest  home  in   Union  County,   O., 
and,  loading   his  few  household  effects  and  family 
(of  six  children)  into  two  emigrant  covered  wagons, 
moved  to  Roberts  Township,  Marshall  Co.,  111.,  being 
2 1  days  on  the  route.     Swamps,  unbridged  streams 
and  innumerable  hardships  and  privations  met  them   ! 
on  their  way.     Their  new  home  had  been  previously    | 
selected  by  the  father.     Here,  after  many  long  years    j 
of  toil,  they  succeeded  in  paying  for  the  land  and   j 
making  a  comfortable  home.     John  was,  of  course,   I 

A  (g^ag^L, 


brought  up  to  hard  manual  labor,  with  no  schooling 
except  three  or  four  months  in  the  year  at  a  common 
country  school.  However,  he  evinced  a  capacity 
and  taste  for  a  high  order  of  self-education,  by 
studying  or  reading  what  books  he  could  borrow,  as 
the  family  had  but  very  few  in  the  house.  Much  of 
his  study  he  prosecuted  by  the  light  of  a  log  fire  in 
the  old-fashioned  chimney  place.  The  financial 
panic  of  1857  caused  the  family  to  come  near  losing 
their  home,  to  pay  debts ;  but  the  father  and  two 
sons,  William  and  John,  "buckled  to"  and  perse- 
vered in  hard  labor  and  economy  until  they  redeemed 
their  place  from  the  mortgage. 

When  the  tremendous  excitement  of  the  political 
campaign  of  1860  reached  the  neighborhood  of  Rob- 
erts Township,  young  Hamilton,  who  had  been 
brought  up  in  the  doctrine  of  anti-slavery,  took  a  zeal- 
ous part  in  favor  of  Lincoln's  election.  Making  special 
efforts  to  procure  a  little  money  to  buy  a  uniform,  he 
joined  a  company  of  Lincoln  Wide-Awakes  at  Mag- 
nolia, a  village  not  far  away.  Directly  after  the 
ensuing  election  it  became  evident  that  trouble 
would  ensue  with  the  South,  and  this  Wide-Awake 
company,  like  many  others  throughout1  the  country, 
kept  up  its  organization  and  transformed  itself  into  a 
military  company.  During  the  ensuing  summer  they 
met  often  for  drill  and  became  proficient ;  but  when 
they  offered  themselves  for  the  war,  young  Hamilton 
was  rejected  on  account  of  his  youth,  he  being  then 
but  14  years  of  age.  During  the  winter  of  1863-4  he 
attended  an  academy  at  Henry,  Marshall  County, 


c 

«s 

< 

I 
r: 


JOHN  MARSHALL  HAMILTON. 


and  in  the  following  May  he  again  enlisted,  for  the 
fourth  time,  when  he  was  placed  in  trfe  141  st  111. 
Vol.  Inf.,  a  regiment  then  being  raised  at  Elgin,  111., 
for  the  too-day  service.  He  took  with  him  13  other 
lads  from  his  neighborhood,  for  enlistment  in  the 
service.  This  regiment  operated  in  Southwestern 
Kentucky,  for  about  five  months,  under  Gen.  Paine. 

The  following  winter,  1864-5,  Mr.  Hamilton  taught 
school,  and  during  the  two  college  years  1865-7,  he 
went  through  three  years  of  the  curriculum  of  the 
Ohio  Wesleyan  University  at  Delaware,  Ohio.  The 
third  year  he  graduated,  the  fourth  in  a  class  of  46, 
in  the  classical  department.  In  due  time  he  received 
the  degree  of  M.  A.  For  a  few  months  he  was  the 
Principal  of  Marshall  "  College  "  at  Henry,  an  acad- 
emy under  the  auspices  of  the  M.  E.  Church.  By 
this  time  he  had  commenced  the  study  of  law,  and 
after  earning  some  money  as  a  temporary  Professor 
of  Latin  at  the  Illinois  Wesleyan  University  at 
Bloomington,  he  entered  the  law  office  of  Weldon, 
Tipton  &  Benjamin,  of  that  city.  Each  member  of 
this  firm  has  since  been  distinguished  as  a  Judge. 
Admitted  to  the  Bar  in  May,  1870,  Mr.  Hamilton 
was  given  an  interest  in  the  same  firm,  Tipton  hav- 
ing been  elected  Judge.  In  October  following  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  J.  H.  Rowell,  at  that  time 
Prosecuting  Attorney.  Their  business  was  then 
small,  but  they  increased  it  to  very  large  proportions, 
practicing  in  all  grades  of  courts,  including  even  the 
U.  S.  Supreme  Court,  and  this  partnership  continued 
unbroken  until  Feb.  6,  1883,  when  Mr.  Hamilton 
was  sworn  in  as  Executive  of  Illinois.  On  the  4th 
of  March  following  Mr.  Rowell  took  his  seat  in  Con- 
gress. 

In  July,  1871,  Mr.  Hamilton  married  Miss  Helen 
M.  Williams,  the  daughter  of  Prof.  Win.  G.  Williams, 
Professor  of  Greek  in  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  have  two  daughters  and  one  son. 

In  1876  Mr.  Hamilton  was  nominated  by  the  Re- 
publicans for  the  State  Senate,  over  other  and  older 
competitors.  He  took  an  active  part  "  on  the  stump  " 
in  the  campaign,  for  the  success  of  his  party,  and  was 
elected  by  a  majority  of  1,640  over  his  Democratic- 
Greenback  opponent.  In  the  Senate  he  served  on 
the  Committees  on  Judiciary,  Revenue,  State  Insti- 
tutions, Appropriations,  Education,  and  on  Miscel- 
lany ;  and  during  the  contest  for  the  election  of  a 
U.  S.  Senator,  the  Republicans  endeavoring  to  re- 


elect  John  A.  Logan,  he  voted  for  the  war  chief  on 
every  ballot,  even  alone  when  all  the  other  Republi- 
cans had  gone  over  to  the  Hon.  E.  B.  Lawrence  and 
the  Democrats  and  Independents  elected  Judge 
David  Davis.  At  this  session,  also,  was  passed  the 
first  Board  of  Health  and  Medical  Practice  act,  of 
which  Mr.  Hamilton  was  a  champion,  against  so 
much  opposition  that  the  bill  was  several  times 
"  laid  on  the  table."  Also,  this  session  authorized 
the  location  and  establishment  of  a  southern  peni- 
tentiary, which  was  fixed  at  Chester.  In  the  session 
of  1879  Mr.  Hamilton  was  elected  President  pro  tern. 
of  the  Senate,  and  was  a  zealous  supporter  of  John 
A.  Logan  for  the  U.  S.  Senate,  who  was  this  time 
elected  without  any  trouble. 

In  May,  1880,  Mr.  Hamilton  was  nominated  on 
the  Republican  ticket  for  Lieutenant  Governor,  his 
principal  competitors  before  the  Convention  being 
Hon.  Wm.  A.  James,  ex-Speaker  of  the  House  of 
Representatives,  Judge  Robert  Bell,  of  Wabash 
County,  Hon.  T.  T.  Fountain,  of  Perry  County,  and 
Hon.  M.  M.  Saddler,  of  Marion  County.  He  engaged 
actively  in  the  campaign,  and  his  ticket  was  elected 
by  a  majority  of  41,200.  As  Lieutenant  Governor, 
he  presided  almost  continuously  over  the  Senate  in 
the  32d  General  Assembly  and  during  the  early  days 
of  the  33d,  until  he  succeeded  to  the  Governorship. 
When  the  Legislature  of  1883  elected  Gov.  Cullom 
to  the  United  States  Senate,  Lieut.  Gov.  Hamilton 
succeeded  him,  under  the  Constitution,  taking  the 
oath  of  office  Feb.  6,  1883.  He  bravely  met  all  the 
annoyances  and  embarrassments  incidental  upon 
taking  up  another's  administration.  The  principal 
events  with  which  Gov.  Hamilton  was  connected  as 
the  Chief  Executive  of  the  State  were,  the  mine  dis- 
aster at  Braidwood,  the  riots  in  St.  Clair  and  Madison 
Counties  in  May,  1883,  the  appropriations  for  the 
State  militia,  the  adoption  of  the  Harper  high-license 
liquor  law,  the  veto  of  a  dangerous  railroad  bill,  etc. 

The  Governor  was  a  Delegate  at  large  to  the 
National  Republican  Convention  at  Chicago  in  June, 

1884,  where  his  first  choice  for  President  was  John 
A.  Logan,  and  second  choice  Chester  A.  Arthur;  but 
he  afterward  zealously  worked  for  the  election  of  Mr. 
Blaine,  true  to  his  party. 

Mr.  Hamilton's  term  as  Governor  expired  Jan.  30, 

1885,  when  the  great  favorite  "Dick  "  Oglesby  was 
inaugurated. 


i 


' 


ILLINOIS. 


: 


A    r~v       •       •^mJdSL^' 


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^>5«6e^ 


v§) 


:-••' 


INTRODUCTORY. 


E  value  of  history  lies,  in  a 
great  degree,  in  the  biogra- 
phy of  the  personages  con- 
cerned therein.  The  annals 
of  the  settlers  delineate  the 
pioneer  period,  while  those 
of  the  later  residents  exhibit 
the  progress  of  the  country  and  the 
status"  of  the  present  generation. 
De  Kalb  County  gives  a  vivid  illus- 
tion  of  these  statements ;  but  its 
wonderful  pioneer  era  laps  upon 
its  present  period  in  a  manner  so 
gradual  that  there  is  really  no  dis- 
tinctive line  of  demarcation.  Many 
of  those  whose  efforts  gave  the 
country  its  earliest  impetus  may 
be  seen  upon  its  thorjugh fares ;  many  of  the 
haracters  in  the  day  of  its  first  things  are  still  on 
ie  stage,  and  watch  with  keen-eyed  alertness  the 
anipulations.  successes  and  reverses  of  the  present 
ly,  still  jealous  for  the  reputation  of  the  county  and 
agerly  solicitous  for  her  substantial  and  permanent 
progress. 

The  compilers  of  these  records  strive  to  establish 
eir  claim   for  biographical  integrity,  preparing  the 
flatter  from  the  stand-point  of  no  man's  prejudice, 
e  full  scope  of  the   personal   record   here  is   to 

>©X5»S- ^^ & 


demonstrate  the  exact  relation  of  every  individual 
represented  to  the  generations  of  the  past  and  of  the 
present. 

Succeeding  ages  sweep  away  the  debris  of  human 
errors  and  perpetuate  the  real  greatness  of  a  com- 
munity. Character  stands  out  statuesque,  and  events 
cluster  about  individuals,  forming  the  grandest  and 
truest  historical  structure  of  which  any  age  is  capa- 
ble. Only  biography  can  fitly  represent  the  founda- 
tion, progress  and  ultimatum  of  local  history,  and 
portray  with  perfect  justice  the  precise  attitude  and 
relation  of  men  to  events  and  conditions. 

This  County  is  justly  proud  of  her  pioneer  record, 
and,  so  far  as  possible,  the  publishers  have  endeav- 
ored to  honor  the  representatives  of  that  period  as 
well  as  those  of  to-day.  Labor  and  suffering,  under- 
gone in  the  light  of  hope  and  the  earnestness  of 
honest  effort  and  toil,  established  this  county  in  per- 
manent prosperity,  and  is  rounding  up  a  period  of 
glorious  completeness.  Her  villages  are  creditable, 
her  agricultural  community  is  composed  of  the  best 
class,  and  her  professional  men  are  of  marked  in- 
tegrity. 

In  collecting  the  following  sketches  the  purpose 
has  been  to  collect  the  main  points  of  personal 
record,  through  which  the  enterprise  of  decades  to 
follow  may  complete  a  perfect  and  continuous  his- 
torical outline  from  the  earliest  settlement  of  the 
county  to  the  present  time. 


OF  THE 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


REUBEN  ELLWOOD, 
Member  of  Congress  from 
the  Fifth  District  of  Illi- 
nois, resident  at  Sycamore, 
was  born  Feb.  17,  1821, 
in  Minden,  Montgomery 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  is  the  son 
of  Abraham  and  Sarah  (Delong)  Ell- 
wood.  He  was  a  boy  of  robust  phy- 
sique, active,  vigorous  and  energetic, 
and  possessing  ambitions  and  aspir- 
ations which  were  the  direct  out- 
growth of  his  temperament  and  were 
fostered  by  the  circumstances  which 
surrounded  him  and  the  period  in 
which  his  consciousness  awoke  to 
the  possibilities  before  him.  His  primary  education 
was  obtained  in  a  desultory  manner, — the  result, 
partly  of  a  boy's  restlessness  and  impatience  with 
deterring  conditions,  and  partly  arising  from  uncon- 
trollable causes. 

At  1 6  years  of  age  he  was  fully  imbued  with 
a  determination  to  get  on  in  the  world,  and  in  the 
summer  jf  1837  lie  came  to  De  Kalb  County,  in 
the  belief  that  he  should  find  the  requisite  opportu- 
nity, and  willing  to  confront  any  necessity  and  make 
any  effort  to  secure  the  desired  end.  '  He  entered  a 
claim  of  160  acres  of  land  in  the  vicinity  of  Sycamore 
and  continued  to  find  employment  among  the  farmers 
of  that  township  about  four  years,  when  he  was  com- 


pelled  to  return  to  his  father's  home  in  the  State  ot 
New  York,  his  health  having  become  materially  im- 
paired. His  experience  had  impressed  him  with  the 
necessity  of  a  broader  mental  culture,  and  after  a  rest 
of  six  months  he  became  a  student  of  Cherry  Valley 
Academy,  an  institution  which  was  even  then  famous 
and  exerting  a  sensible  influence  throughout  adjoin- 
ing districts.  Mr.  Ell  wood  studied  under  its  excel- 
lent regulations  with  resolution  and  purpose. 

He  was  a  youth  with  convictions.  Public  affairs 
in  his  native  State  and  national  conditions  shaped 
his  sentiments  and  guided  his  ideas  of  business  and 
politics  into  channels  in  which  he  has  moved  un- 
swervingly. In  those  good  old  days,  which  trained 
and  developed  the  element  upon  which  the  peerless 
West  planted  her  feet  with  audacious  courage  and 
rose  to  her  matchless  supremacy,  the  necessity  of 
achievement  incumbent  on  every  human  soul  was 
instilled  into  every  youth  who  was  moving  away 
from  boyish  things  and  toward  the  good  of  man- 
hood. 

Mr.  Ell  wood  early  resolved  on  a  career  of  business 
activity,  and  accordingly  embraced  the  first  oppor- 
tunity which  offered,  to  set  himself  about  doing  some- 
thing. He  went  to  Glenville,  Schenectady  County, 
which  adjoined  chat  of  his  nativity,  and  engaged  in 
raising  broom-corn  and  in  the  manufacture  of  brooms, 
operating  in  that  line  of  business  about  eight  years. 

In  1857  he  came  to  Illinois,  again  tempted  by  the 
example  of  others  who  had  come  hither  earlier  and 
made  satisfactory  tests  of  the  promise  of  the  State  so 


ii 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


2 

I 

f 

d 


rich  and  full  that  they  bore  with  them  the  impress  of 
fable,  and  also  impelled  by  the  craving  for  broader 
and  less  crowded  fields  for  action  and  advancement. 
He  became  associated  in  the  hardware  business  with 
his  brother,  Alonzo  Ellwood,  at  Sycamore,  and  at  the 
same  time  operated  in  real  estate. 

A  fundamental  principle  upon  which  Mr.  Ellwood 
has  always  based  any  scheme  of  business  is,  that 
general  progress  affords  substantial  foundation  for  the 
upbuilding  of  individual  interests,  and,  in  view  of 
this  opinion,  about  the  year  1870  he  embarked  in  the 
manufacture  of  agricultural  implements  at  Sycamore. 
In  1875  he  entered  upon  the  construction  of  the 
buildings  now  constituting  the  factory  of  the  R.  Ell- 
wood Manufacturing  Company,  in  which  he  invested 
$50,000,  and  which  were  completed'in  October  of  the 
same  year.  The  result  has  demonstrated  the  wisdom 
of  the  project,  as  the  enterprise  has  proved  most 
valuable  for  the  growth  and  prosperity  of  Sycamore. 
The  excellent  quality  of  the  products  and  the  judi- 
cious administration  of  the  business  relations  of  the 
incorporated  company,  have  established  its  repute  in 
point  of  importance  and  value  to  De  Kalb  County> 
and  as  second  to  none  of  similar  scope  in  Northern 
Illinois.  The  machinery  produced  acquired  speedy 
popularity  from  its  adaptability  to  the  needs  of  the 
farmers  and  the  period  in  which  it  was  introduced, 
agricultural  industries  being  at  the  acme  of  their  suc- 
cess. The  substantial  condition  of  the  business  and 
its  importance  to  the  section  in  which  it  is  located  is 
primarily  due  to  its  inceptor,  founder  and  promoter. 
The  mental  organism  peculiar  to  Mr.  Ellwood  gave 
him  an  early  impetus  toward  politics.  He  became 
"eager  for  the  fray,"  into  which  the  nation  was  hur- 
ried by  the  rapid  march  of  events,  precipitated  by  the 
agitations  which  took  on  alarming  proportions  during 
the  administration  of  Van  Buren  and  expanded  the 
innate  principles  of  the  Whig  party  to  a  completeness 
of  development  in  which  they  have  since  stood  forth 
with  statuesque  perspicuity.  The  manifest  candor  of 
Mr.  Ellwood's  attitude  in  political  affairs  gave  him 
prominence  from  the  outset,  and  his  activity  in  local 
matters  while  a  resident  of  Glenville,  where  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors,  brought  him  be- 
fore the  people  of  his  district  as  a  candidate  for  the 
State  Assembly,  whither  he  was  sent  as  a  Legislator 
n  1851.  He  identified  himself  with  the  issues  of 
the  Republican  party  in  the  same  energetic  spirit 
hich  had  hitherto  characterized  his  actions,  and  he 

— 


ididato 

Dnimak 

entien 


was  made  a  Delegate  to  the  Convention  at  Phi 
phia  which  nominated  Fremont  in  1856. 

Coming  to  Illinois,  he  developed  the  same  ac 
in  political  as  in  business  possibilities,  and  the  R 
publican  element  of  De  Kalb  County 
recognized  his  fitness  for  official  advancement. 
1868  he  was  the  unanimous  choice  of  the  Repub 
licans  of  De  Kalb  County  for  Representative  t 
the  42d  Congress  of  the  United  States  from  th 
Fourth  District  of  Illinois.  He  was  elected  to  tha 
position  in  1872,  scoring  a  success  over  the  Candida 
of  the  opposition  by  7,800  majority.  His  reno 
tion  in  1884  was  a  signal  triumph,  not  a  disse 
vote  in  either  town  caucus,  County  or  Congressionl 
Conventions  being  cast  against  him,  and  he  wa 
elected  by  11,076  majority.  The  facts  pertaining  t 
his  second  election  to  Congress  are  sufficient  ev 
dence  of  the  quality  of  the  services  he  rendered  h 
constituency  in  the  Legislative  halls  of  the  nation. 

Mr.  Ellwood  has  been  active  and  efficient  in  loca 
politics  and  was  the  first  Mayor  of  Sycamore  af«5 
the  incorporative   act  was  passed  which  made  th&£ 
municipality  a   city.      In    1866   he    was    appointaS! 
United  States  Assessor  of  Internal  Revenue,  and  o§£ 
cupied  the  position  until  it  was  abolished.      In  tE5 
various  public  projects  for  the  advancement  of  tl^  / 
.city,  Mr.  Ellwood  has  been  among  the  foremost,  an 
in  all  his  movements  is  controlled  by  consideraticf 
for  the  permanent   progress  and   prosperity  of  h 
town,  county  and  State.     He  is  the  heaviest  stock 
holder    in   the   manufacturing   company    which 
designated  by  .his  name,  and  is  also  its   presidin 
official.     He  was  one    of    the    organization    whic 
built  and  established  the  Sycamore  Preserving  W 
and  is  still  one  of  the  stock-holders.     He  also  hols 
the  same  relations  in  the  Marsh  Binder  Company 
Sycamore.     On  the  occasion  of  the  building  of 
Sycamore  &  Cortland    Railroad,   he   was    a     prim 
actor    in  securing  its  construction,    was  one  of  il 
chief  stock-holders  and  expended  a.  vast  deal  of  tim 
in  the  accomplishment  of  the  project. 

Mr.  Ellwood   is   the    proprietor   of   the    busing 
building  at  Sycamore  known  as  the  Georges  Block 
one  of  the  most  valuable  of  the  edifices  of  that  citj  ^ 
three  stories  high  and  built  of  brick.     His  residence 
located  on  State  Street  opposite  Ward's  Hotel,  ari 
the  grounds  attached,   cost  $28,000.     The  structu*  \ 
is  tasteful  and  elegant,  and  is  fitted  with  steam  heafe 
ing  apparatus  and  with  gas  for  lighting  purposes.! 

>~\          ^jm^-t^  ttAvgvX^/??) 

-^v^>^—  -  ^ynsgr^z 


y  j 

th 


KALB   COUNTY. 


Mrs.  Ellwood,  formerly  Miss  Eleanor  Vedder,  was 
born  in  Schenectady  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  became  the 
wife  of  Reuben  Ellwood  Aug.  8,  1849.  Six  children 
constitute  the  issue  of  their  union,  and  were  born  in 
the  following  order:  Abram,  Albert,  Frank,  Katie, 
Jennie  and  Alida.  The  second  and  third  sons  are 
deceased.  The  oldest  is  interested  in  the  R.  Ell- 
wood Manufacturing  Company  and  is  the  sole  pro- 
prietor of  the  department  for  the  manufacture  of 
Barbed  Wire  Stretchers.  Katie  married  Frank  All- 
port,  M.  D.,  of  Minneapolis.' 

Biography,  pure  and  simple,  is  an  exact  portrayal 
of  the  relations  a  man  bears  to  his  generation.  The 
definitive  traits  which  characterize  Mr.  Ellwood,  the 
spirit  of  enterprise  by  which  he  is  actuated,  his 
probity  and  rectitude,  his  tolerant  estimate  of  his 
fellow  men  and  his  capacity  to  recognize,  seize  and 
mold  opportunity  to  the  accomplishment  of  a  pur- 
pose, distinguish  him  in  all  his  associations,  public 
and  private.  His  thorough  identification  with  the 
people  of  whom  he  is  oire,  and  his  devotion  to  their 
paramount  interests  is  the  animating  cause  of  his 
oopularity  as  a  man  and  citizen  of  Sycamore,  in  which 
he  is  second  to  none. 

The  PORTRAIT  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  ALBUM  OF  DE 
KALB  COUNTY  presents  the  unique  feature  of  por- 
traying the  lineaments  of  the  six  members  of  the 
Ellwood  brothers  who  are  among  its  citizens.  That 
of  the  Hon.  Reuben  Ellwood,  M.  C.,  appears  on  a 
preceding  page,  and  will  be  warmly  received,  for 
obvious  reasons.  Like  the  others  of  the  Ellwood 
fraternity,  he  is  a  fine  sample  of  physical  develop- 
ment, and  the  value  of  his  portrait  as  an  addition  to 
the  collection  in  this  volume  is  commensurate  with 
his  public  and  private  character. 


pharles  H.  Chamberlain,  farmer  and  stock- 
man, located  on  sections  22  and  8,  Frank- 
lin Township,  was  born  March  18,  1849,  near 
Belvidere,  Boone  Co.,  111.  William  H.  Cham- 
berlain, his  father,  was  a  native  of  Massachu- 
setts and  of  Yankee  lineage.  He  married 
Sarah  Hart,  a  lady  of  the  same  nativity  and  similar 
descent.  They  located  in  Boone  County,  about  1840, 
the  father  becoming  an  extensive  landholder  and  a 
prominent  citizen.  His  death  occurred  in  Septem- 




ber,  1873,  when  he  was  55  years  of  age.  He  was  a  T 
Democrat  in  political  preferences.  The  mother  is 
67  years  of  age  (1885)  and  still  remains  at  Belvidere. 
Mr.  Chamberlan  obtained  a  district-school  educa- 
tion, and  was  a  pupil  in  that  variety  of  institution 
until  he  was  16  years  of  age,  when  he  began  his  ca- 
reer as  an  independent  farmer,  taking  possession  of  a 
farm  owned  by  his  father  in  Franklin  Township,  in 
whose  interest  he  conducted  his  operations  until  his 
father  died.  He  received  280  acres  from  the  division 
of  the  estate  and  has  since  engaged  without  intermis-  v 
sion  in  the  prosecution  of  his  agricultural  interests. 
He  rents  an  additional  120  acres,  and  makes  a  spe- 
cialty of  raising  sheep,  breeding  the  Merinos.  He  is 
the  eldest  of  six  children,  and  inherits  his  father's 
political  views. 


ames  Warner,  merchant  at  Sandwich, 
wa»  born  Aug.  7,  1833,  in  Jackson, 
Washington  Co.,  N.  Y.  His  parents,  Will- 
iam S.  and  Sarah  (Coulter)  Warner,  were  born 
in  the  State  of  New  York  and  died  in  Wash- 
ington County.  Mr.  Warner  is  the  second  of 
eight  children,  six  of  whom  are  living.  Mary  is  the 
wife  of  A.  Williams,  a  wholesale  grocer  of  Troy, 
N.  Y.  Elizabeth  is  a  widow,  and  is  a  resident  of 
Cambridge,  N.  Y.  Sylvester  is  a  farmer,  and  Sarah 
is  now  Mrs.  William  J.  Stevenson.  Both  live  in  their 
native  State.  Henry  and  Fannie  are  deceased  ;  Lilly 
is  the  wife  of  Henry  Billings. 

The  early  years  of  the  life  of  Mr.  Warner  were 
spent  on  the  farm  and  as  a  clerk  in  his  father's  store 
at  Cambridge.  He. had  just  passed  liis  majority, 
when,  in  1855,  he  came  to  Sandwich.  During  the 
four  years  ensuing  he  taught  four  terms  of  winter 
school  and  alternated  his  labors  as  a  pedagogue  by 
clerking.  When  the  Illinois  &  Mississippi  Telegraph 
Company  opened  an  office  at  Sandwhich,  Mr.  War- 
ner became  an  operator,  and  officiated  at  intervals 
in  that  capacity  several  years. 

In  1859  he  embarked  in  a  mercantile  enterprise 
with  an  associate  under  the  firm  style,  of  J.  Warner 
&  Co.,  and  engaged  in  the  sale  of  clothing  about 
five  years.  In  1865,  in  partnership  with  Robert 
Stewart,  he  established  a  local  trade  in  clothing, 
boots,  shoes  and  also  managing  a  tailor  shop,  and 


KALB   COUNTY. 


shop  for  the  manufacture  of  boots  and  shoes.  A  few 
years  later  Mr.  Stewart  sold  his  interest  to  George  W. 
Davis,  and  the  new  firm  continued  operative  about 
four  years.  Since  that  time  Mr.  Warner  has  prose- 
cuted his  business  interests  singly.  In  April,  1868, 
he  located  at  his  present  stand,  where  he  exhibits  a 
fine  line  of  goods  common  to  his  branch  of  trade 
and  is  doing  a  properous  business. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  at  Sandwich,  July  4, 
1861,  to  Charlotte  B.  Townsend.  Their  five  children 
were  born  in  Sandwich  in  the  following  order: 
Frankie,  James  Leroy,  Estella,  Bessie  and  Henry  S. 

Mr.  Warner  belongs  to  the  Masonic  fraternity. 


i  Ilia  in  L.  Pierce,  farmer,  section  16,  Ge- 
noa Township,  has  been  a  resident  of  De 
Kalb  County  since  he  was  21  years  of  age, 
He  was  born  Oct.  1 1, 1832,  in  Delaware  Co., 
N.  Y.,  and  is  the  eldest  of  seven  children. 
His  parents,  Martin  and  Mary  (Carpenter) 
Pierce,  were  born  in  the  State  of  New  York, 
married  and  settled  there  continuing  to  reside  in  the 
Empire  State  until  their  migration  to  Genoa  Town- 
ship, in  De  Kalb  County  in  1854.  In  1873  they 
transferred  their  residence  and  interests  into  Belvi- 
dere. The  mother  is  no  longer  living,  and  the 
father  has  since  been  twice  married.  The  brothers 
and  sisters  of  Mr.  Pierce  were  named,  William  L., 
Daniel  W.,  Emmeline,  Orrin,  Charles,  James  and 
Oliver.  James  is  deceased.  (See  sketch  of  Orrin 
Pierce.) 

Mr.  Pierce  spent  the  years  of  his  boyhood  and 
youth  in  obtaining  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  and  in  farm  labor  under  his  father's  instruc- 
tions. Soon  after  he  came  to  De  Kalb  County  he 
bought  40  acres  in  Genoa  Township.  He  has  in- 
creased his  estate  by  the  further  purchase  of  50  acres 
of  land,  and  of  the  whole,  60  acres  are  improved 
and  cultivated.  In  political  faith  Mr.  Pierce  is  a 
Republican,  and  he  has  held  several  township  offices. 
His  marriage  to  Sarah  Smith  occurred  Oct.  16, 
1857,  at  Sycamore,  and  they  have  been  the  parents 
of  three  children,  Maryetta,  Robert  J.  and  Arthur  E. 
The  first-born  son  was  killed  by  the  kick  of  a  horse 
when  he  was  five  years  of  age,  while  leading  the 
£&&>& *^ ^ 


animal  to  water.     Mrs.  Pierce  is  the  eldest  of  three 
children,  and  was  bom  Dec.  24,  1839,  in  New  Jersey. 

Her  parents,  Robert  and Smith  were  natives 

of  New  Jersey. 


acob  Seibert,  farmer,  in  Franklin  Town- 
ship, was  born  Sept.  12,  1825,  in  Hesse 
Darmstadt,  Germany.  His  parents  were 

born,  lived   and  died  in   that   country.       Mr. 

Seibert  was  educated  in  accordance  with  the 
'  laws  of  his  native  land  and  remained  there 
until  1854.  In  the  summer  of  that  year  he  emigrated 
to  the  New  World,  and  on  landing  in  this  continent 
made  his  way  to  Belvidere,  Boone  Co.,  111.,  where 
he  passed  some  time  as  a  general  laborer. 

He  was  married  Jan.  4,  1861,  at  Belvidere,  to 
Christina  Stenner.  She  was  born  Nov.  17,  1844,  in 
Hesse  Darmstadt,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Valentine 
and  Macalina  (Click)  Stenner.  The  family  look  a 
final  leave  of  the  old  country  in  1854,  coming  to 
Illinois  and  locating  in  Boone  County.  The  children 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Seibert  were  born  as  follows  :  Ade- 
lia,  Nov.  8.  1861  (married  Dec.  25,  1878,  to  William 
Adams,  a  farmer  of  Franklin  Township);  Fred,  born 
Jan.  23,  1866;  and  Reuben,  born  Feb.  26,  1873. 
After  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Seibert  settled  on 
a  farm  in  Boone  County,  where  they  resided  two  years, 
and  at  the  end  of  that  time  the  former  entered  the 
United  States  Army,  enlisting  Aug.  12,  1862,  in  Co. 
G,  95th  Reg.  Vol.  Inf.,  which  was  commanded  by 
Captain  Bush,  of  Belvidere.  The  regiment  wa.s  at- 
tached successively  to  the  corps  of  Generals  Logan 
and  Grant,  and  Mr.  Seibert  was  a  participant  in  1 1 
battles,  the  most  important  of  which  were :  Vicks:- 
burg,  Memphis,  Corinth  and  Mobile.  He  was  slight- 
ly wounded  at  Vicksburg,  and  sustained  serious  in- 
jury to  his  hearing,  from  an  explosion  on  the  field  at 
that  place.  At  Mobile  his  left  arm  was  shot  away 
by  a  mortar  shell  from  a  mortar  boat,  and  he  was  re- 
moved to  the  marine  hospital  at  New  Orleans.  On 
sufficiently  recovering  to  enable  him  to  travel,  he  was 
honorably  discharged,  obtaining  his  papers  June  23, 
1865.  On  returning  to  his  family  Mr.  Seibert  pur- 
chased 40  acres  of  land  in  Franklin  Township, 
which  he  has  added  a  similar  quantity  by  later  pur- 
chase, and  his  entire  farm  is  under  excellent 

— ^€^ 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


193 


& 


provements.  He  is  a  Republican  in  political  con- 
nection and  is  a  Steward  and  Trustee  in  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church,  of  which  Mrs.  Seibert  is  also 
a  member. 


a 


eorge  W.  Kirk,  marketman  at  Kirkland, 
was  born  May  8, 1850,  in  Franklin  Town- 
ship, De  Kalb  County.  He  is  the  son  of 
William  T.  and  Louisa  (Riddle)  Kirk,  whose 
biographical  narrative  may  be  found  elsewhere. 
'  Mr.  Kirk  was  brought  up  on  his  father's  farm 
and  obtained  his  elementary  education  at  the  com- 
mon schools,  after  which  he  entered  the  excellent 
schools  at  Rockford,  where  he  fitted  for  matriculation 
at  Beloit  College,  Wis.,  and  completed  a  course  of 
study  there  in  1870.  He  returned  to  De  Kalb  County 
and  located  as  a  practical  agriculturist  on  a  farm  of 
1 60  acres,  of  which  he  became  proprietor  by  an 
arrangement  with  his  father.  He  devoted  his  attention 
wholly  to  farming  and  raising  stock,  and  spent  some 
years  in  that  avenue  of  business,  finally  relinquish- 
ing farming  and  becoming  interested  in  shipping 
stock  for  the  Chicago  market.  After  operating  ex- 
clusively in  that  branch  for  some  years,  he  added  a 
meat  market  to  supply  local  trade  at  Kirkland,  and 
is  now  doing  an  extensive  business.  He  is  a  Repub- 
lican in  political  faith  and  action  and  has  held  the 
offices  of  Village  Treasurer  and  Road  Commissioner. 
He  was  married  March  n,  1880,  in  Kingston 
Township,  to  Betsey  Foster,  daughter  of  Thomas 
Foster.  Her  father  is  deceased  and  her  mother  is 
the  wife  of  H.  P.  Grout.  She  was  born  June  18, 
'857. 


herman    A.  Hall,  farmer,   on    section    r3, 
De   Kalb  Township,   was   born    Oct.    17, 
1829,  in  Watertown,    Jefferson   Co.,  N.  Y. 
He  was  reared  to  the  age  of  16  in  the  county 
where  he  was   born,  and  in   1845  he  came  to 
Kane  County,  where  he  was    a   resident  two 
years    previous  to  his  removal  to  De  Kalb  County. 
He  bought  160  acres  in  the  township  of  Clinton,  De 
Kalb  Co.,  wherein   he   was  engaged  in  farming  until 
,  and  in  that  year  sold  out  and  removed  to  De 


Kalb  Township,  where  he  is  now  the  owner  of  1 60 
acres  of  finely  cultivated  land,  situated  as  above 
stated.  Mr.  Hall  is  a  Democrat.  His  father,  Sher- 
man Hall,  was  born  in  Connecticut,  and  married 
Betsey  (Hutchins)  Hall,  who  was  born  in  New  York. 
They  came  in  1845  to  Illinois  and  lived  two  years  in 
Kane  County,  removing  thence  to  De  Kalb  County, 
where  they  resided  during  the  remainder  of  their 
lives.  The  mother  died  Nov.  19;  185 6,  and  the  death 
of  the  father  transpired  Oct.  3,  1863. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Hall  to  Percis  Lyon  took 
place  May  25,  1859,  and  they  have  had  three  chil- 
dren,— Harold  E.,  Asahel  S.  and  another  child  who 
died  in  infancy.  The  second  son  died  when  nearly 
five  years  of  age.  Mrs.  Hall  was  born  May  5,  1839, 
in  Essex  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Asahel 
and  Adaline  D.  (Woodruff)  Lyon.  The  latter  was  a 
native  of  Essex  Co.,  N.  Y.;  the  former  of  the  State 
of  Connecticut.  In  the  fall  of  18154  they  settled  in 
De  Kalb,  where  Mr.  Lyon  died,  March  9,  1874;  the 
mother  is  still  living. 


bhn  McDowell,  farmer,  resident  on  section 
i,  Franklin  Township,  is  a  pioneer  of  De 
Kalb  County  and  the  oldest  living  settler 
of  the  township  where  he  made  his  claim  Sept. 
16,  1833.  On  that  day,  in  company  with 
Robert  Stewart,  Reuben  Penwell  and  Leisier 
Carver,  Mr.  McDowell  came  to  Franklin  Township 
from  La  Porte,  Ind.  The  country  was  in  a  wholly 
wild  and  unbroken  condition,  and  the  Indians  still 
loitered  about  the  grove.  Mr.  McDowell  remained 
through  the  winter;  his  companions  returned  to 
their  homes.  He  was  then  23  years  of  age  and  un- 
married. 

He  was  born  in  York  Co.,  Pa.  His  father,  William 
McDowell,  descended  from  Scotch  parents  and  was 
.a  farmer,  in  moderate  circumstances.  The  mother 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  Sarah  (McLean)  Mc- 
Dowell, was  of  Irish  birth.  Both  parents  are  de- 
ceased. The  son  was  "  bound  out "  by  his  father 
when  quite  young,  and  when  he  was  18  he  was  ap- 
prenticed to  learn  the  trade  of  shoemaking.  During 
this  time  he  went  to  Bartholomew  Co.,  Ind.,  and  set- 
tled there  with  the  man  to  whom  he  was  indentured. 


£ 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


Later  they  went  to  La  Porte  Co.,  Ind.  In  the  year 
named  above  he  came,  as  stated,  to  De  Kalb  County, 
and  has  been  a  resident  on  the  claim  he  then  made. 
It  consisted  of  155  acres,  to  which  he  added  by  later 
purchase,  increasing  his  estate  to  213  acres  of  valua- 
ble land,  75  acres  of  which  is  still  covered  with  an 
original  growth  of  timber.  The  exact  point  of  the 
location  is  designated  Forest  Grove. 

Mr.  McDowell  is  a  Democrat  of  a  decided  and  in- 
flexible type. 

He  was  married  Jan.  31,  1839,  to  Martha  Riddle, 
at  the  farm  house  of  her  parents  situated  on  the 
Kishwaukee  River.  They  had  eight  children,  five  of 
whom  are  deceased.  The  parents  of  Mrs.  McDowell, 
John  and  Susan  (Anderson)  Riddle,  were  respectively 
of  English  and  Irish  descent,  the  father  being  a  na- 
tive of  Tennessee  and  the  mother  of  North  Carolina. 
Both  are  deceased.  They  belonged  while  in  the 
South  to  the  better  class  of  society,  and  while  there 
were  adherents  of  the  Christian  Church.  Later  they 
adopted  the  tenets  of  the  Seventh-Day  Adventists. 
The  daughter  was  born  April  2,  1822,  in  Jefferson 
Co.,  Tenn.,  and  came  with  her  parents  to  Illinois, 
the  family  locating  on  a  farm  in  Franklin  Township. 


homas  Dodge,  farmer,  section  27,  De  Kalb 
Township,  was  born  Feb.  2,  1809,  in  Dur- 
ham, Lower  Canada.  His  father,  Abraham 
Dodge,  and  his  mother,  Elcy  (Cook)  Dodge, 
were  born  respectively  in  New  York  and  Ver- 
mont. After  their  marriage  they  resided  a  few 
years  in  Canada,  going  thence  to  Vermont,  where 
they  passed  the  remaining  years  of  their  lives. 

Mr.  Dodge  was  about  the  age  of  two  years,  when 
his  parents  transferred  their  family  and  interests  to 
Vermont,  and  he  was  occupied  in  farming  there  until 
the  spring  of  1863,  the  date  of  his  removal  to  De 
Kalb  Co.,  111.  Previous  to  that  event,  he  had  in- 
vested to  a  considerable  extent  in  land,  and  on  re- 
moval hither  he  added  to  his  proprietorship,  and  has 
continued  in  that  line  of  operation  until  he  is  now  the 
owner  of  1,400  acres  of  improved  land  in  the  county, 
chiefly  under  the  management  of  renters.  His  herds 
.include  100  cattle,  84  swine  and  15  horses. 

Mr.  Dodge  was  married  Feb.  6,  1836,  in  Mt.  Holly, 
Rutland  Co  ,  Vt.  to  Eliza  Conant.  She  was  born 

•^n.jOXfrjr' S~\ 


Sept.  12,  1807,  in  Townsend,  Mass.,  also  the  birth- 
place of  her  parents,  Levi  and  Eunice  Conant. 
Three  children  were  born  of  this  union,  Thomas  W., 
Rollin  and  Lucien.  The  mother  died  March  23, 
1875,  in  De  Kalb  Township. 

In  political  views  and  connections  Mr.  Dodge  is  a 
Republican.  He  has  officiated  four  years  as  Justice 
of  the  Peace.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Vermont 
Legislature  in  1860-1 ;  and  is  a  member  of  the  Me- 
thodist Church. 

Mr.  Dodge  is  a  true  son  of  New  England  in  char- 
acter and  achievements,  bringing  hither  the  thrift, 
economy  and  industry  which  typify  the  best  elements 
of  the  eastern  section  of  the  United  States. 


rrin  Pierce,  farmer,  section  16,  Genoa  Town- 
ship, was  born  July  4,  1839,  'n  Otsego  Co., 
N.  Y.  His  parents,  Martin  and  Mary 
(Carpenter)  Pierce,  were  natives  of  the  Empire 
State,  where  they  married  and  settled,  remain- 
ig  until  1854,  when  they  located  in  Genoa 
Township.  In  the  fall  of  1873  they  removed  to  Bel- 
videre,  Boone  Co.,  111.,  where  the  mother  died  a  few 
days  later.  Their  family  consisted  of  seven  children, 
—William  L.,  Daniel  W.,  Emmeline,  Orrin,  Charles, 
James  and  Oliver.  James  died  from  an  injury  re- 
ceived while  leading  a  horse  to  water,  he  having  in 
some  way  become  entangled  in  the  halter. 

Mr.  Pierce  was  13  years  of  age  when  he  accom- 
panied his  parents,  to  Genoa  Township,  and  he  has 
continued  a  resident  of  that  section  of  De  Kalb 
County  since,  with  the  exception  of  five  years,  dur- 
ing which  he  was  a  resident  of  the  Territory  of  Mon- 
tana, engaged  in  mining  and  farming.  His  efforts 
there  met  with  only  moderate  success,  and  he  re- 
turned to  the  land  of  promise,  Genoa  Township.  He 
is  the  proprietor  of  130  acres  of  land,  which  is  all 
under  tillage  with  the  exception  of  about  10  acres. 
He  has  been  a  Republican  since  reaching  man's 
estate,  and  has  served  in  several  local  official  posi- 
tions. 

He  was  married  Jan.  2,  1871,  in  Madison  Co.,  N. 
Y.,  to  Mary  Pyne,  and  they  have  four  children, — 
Mary  L.,  John  M.,  Harvey  G.  and  Ruth  H.  Mrs. 
Pierce  was  born  Nov.  29,  1846,  in  Oneida  Co.,  N. 
^^%f^ ^££(a) 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


Y.,  and  is  the  daughter  of  John  and  Sarah  Pyne. 
She  is  the  second  in  order  of  birth  and  has  three  sis- 
ters,— Hannah,  Lucy  and  Sarah. 


ton.  Charles  Kellum,  Judge  of  the  Twelfth 
Judicial  O'rcuit  of  Illinois,  resident  at  Syca- 
more, was  born  in  the  (now)  township  of 
Dimock,  Susquehanna  Co.,  Pa.,  March  16, 
1821.  Samuel  Kellum,  Jr.,  his  father,  was  born 
in  New  London  Co.,  Conn.,  which  was  for  many 
years  the  home  of  his  paternal  grandsire,  Samuel 
Kellum,  Sr.  The  latter  was  prominent  in  the  affairs 
of  the  Nutmeg  State,  and  held  a  Captain's  commis- 
sion in  the  State  militia  after  the  close  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary War.  Samuel  Kellum,  Jr.,  followed  in  the 
traces  of  his  forefathers;  he  was  a  farmer  by  in- 
heritance and  adopted  the  principles  which  were 
promulgated  in  the  community  where  he  was  bred  to 
man's  estate  by  voice  and  deed ;  he  was  a  Whig  in 
politics,  and  when  the  issues  of  that  element  merged 
into  those  of  the  Republican  party  he  fell  into  line 
and  remained  the  stanch  adherent  of  the  organization 
while  he  lived. 

About  the  year  1832  he  became  interested  in  lum- 
bering in  the  forests  of  the  Keystone  State,  and 
operated  vigorously  in  that  line  of  business  for  a 
number  of  years.  Later,  he  became  a  Justice  of  the 
Peace.  His  death  occurred  Jan.  2,  1869,  at  Syca- 
more, at  the  residence  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
Lucretia  (Eldridge)  Kellum,  his  wife,  mother  of 
Judge  Kellum,  was  a  native  of  New  London  Co., 
Conn.,  and  died  at  Prophetstown,  111.,  Jan.  2,  1879, 
her  demise  occurring  on  the  same  day  of  the  same 
month,  ten  years  subsequent  to  that  of  her  husband, 
beside  whom  she  lies  buried  at  Sycamore. 

His  ancestry,  the  period  of  his  birth,  and  the  occu- 
pations of  his  father,  were  all  instrumental  in  forming 
the  character  and  shaping  the  career  of  Judge  Kel- 
lum. He  early  developed  the  positive  traits  of  his 
maternal  progenitors,  who  were  of  Scotch-Irish  line- 
age. It  is  an  established  fact  that  many  of  the  most 
prominent  characters  in  the  history  of  the  United 
States,  and  who  exercised  a  molding  influence  upon 
its  leading  institutions  in  law,  politics  and  religion, 


had  their  origin  in  the  class  who  inherited  traits  so 
distinctive  as  to  virtually  constitute  a  race.  In  men- 
tal organism  their  predominating  traits  partake  al- 
most invariably  of  the  same  characteristics.  They 
are,  as  a  rule,  industrious,  cautious,  persistent,  in- 
flexible in  morals  and  probity,  and  possess  inherently 
the  quality  which  leads  them  to  great  opportunities. 
Hardihood  in  effort  invariably  marks  every  step  of 
their  progress ;  and  young  Kellum  exemplified  this 
latter  trait  in  early  boyhood.  Previous  to  his  twelfth 
year  he  assisted  on  the  farm.  In  his  father's  venture 
as  a  lumberman  he  found  opportunity  for  effort,  and 
he  began  as  a  teamster,  later  becoming  a  saw-mill 
hand,  going  to  school  meanwhile  and  completing  his 
educational  course  at  the  academies  of  Montrose  and 
Mannington  in  his  native  county. 

When  he  was  about  18  years  of  age  he  was  con- 
nected with  an  engineering  corps,  employed  in  the 
construction  of  the  North  Branch  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Canal,  in  which  he  was  occupied  nearly  two  years. 
The  year  1841  he  passed  as  a  clerk  at  Towanda  and 
at  Troy  in  his  native  State,  and  in  the  year  following 
he  began  to  read  for  the  profession  of  law  in  the  office 
of  Lusk  &  Little,  of  Montrose,  where  he  passed  the 
time  to  good  advantage,  meanwhile  devoting  two 
winters  to  teaching.  In  August,  1844,  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  Bar,  and  obtained  employment  in  the 
office  where  he  had  been  a  student,  at  $10  a  month, 
remaining  there  between  one  and  two  years.  His 
health  became  impaired  and  he  passed  about  three 
years  in  a  desultory  manner,  praticing  law  occasion- 
ally, and  rafting  on  the  Susquehanna,  the  latter 
employment  affording  the  opportunity  he  needed  for 
relaxation  from  office  confinement  and  the  exercise 
required  to  prevent  a  condition  of  confirmed  dyspep- 
sia, with  which  he  was  menaced.  The  practice  of 
law  being  his  natural  element,  he  went  to  Towanda 
and  formed  a  partnership  with  Hon.  Henry  Booth, 
now  of  Chicago,  a  relation  which  existed  about  18 
months.  In  1854  he  went  to  La  Porte,  Ind.,  and 
passed  nine  months  as  assistant  cashier  of  the  In- 
diana (stock)  Bank,  with  his  brother,  Isaac  S.  Kellum. 

In  February,  1855,  he  came  to  Sycamore  and  en- 
tered into  a  partnership  with  William  Fordham. 
Their  connection  remained  operative  about  a  year 
and  was  dissolved  by  mutual  consent.  Since  that 
date  Judge  Kellum  has  been  temporarily  associated 
with  others,  but  has  operated  chiefly  alone,  and  has 

VQ      ^€^ ^^C<®. 


won  a  widely  merited  distinction  as  a  practitioner 
and  jurist. 

In  the  pursuit  of  his  profession  he  has  proceeded 
in  the  even,  equable  method  which  is  one  of  his 
characteristic  traits,  and  has  earned  a  wider  influence 
than  any  other  local  attorney,  never  failing  to  secure 
the  same  quality  of  respect  from  associates  and 
opponents  while  practicing  as  an  attorney.  The 
strongest  evidence  of  this  is  that  during  the  course  of 
his  legal  practice  he  was  retained  on  nearly  every 
case  of  importance  tried  in  the  courts  of  De  Kalb 
County,  and  his  local  popularity  obtained  for  him  a 
large  amount  of  business  in  other  counties.  His 
arguments  were  logical,  set  forth  in  clear-cut,  incisive 
terms  and  bearing  an  irresistible  influence,  to  which 
his  prestige  is  largely  due.  But  above  all  is  the  dis- 
criminating sense  of  honor  which  imbues  his  every 
word  and  act  concerning  his  fellow  men,  and  which 
commands  the  respect  and  esteem  of  his  friends  and 
also  of  his  antagonists  in  business,  for  he  has  no 
adversaries  in  the  exact  significance  of  the  term. 

The  records  of  the  Courts  in  which  he  practiced 
afford  abundant  proof  of  the  superior  forensic  quali- 
ties of  Judge  Kellum,  as  he  has  been  connected  with 
some  of  the  most  notable  cases  in  the  Judicial  his- 
tory of  Northern  Illinois.  His  executive  abilities 
have  been  recognized  in  Sycamore  from  the  outset, 
and  his  appreciative  townsmen  have  availed  them- 
selves of  his  eminent  powers  in  local  positions- 
He  was  early  made  President  of  the  Board  of  Trus- 
tees, when  that  city  was  a  village,  and  he  afterwards 
became  City  Attorney.  He  also  served  four  years 
as  State's  Attorney  of  his  Judicial  District. 

In  June,  1879,  he  was  elected  Circuit  Judge,  a 
position  he  has  since  occupied,  and  whose  obligations 
and  responsibilities  he  has  discharged  in  the  efficient 
manner  which  has  characterized  his  entire  public  and 
private  career. 

The  mental  caliber  of  Judge  Kellum  is  of  the 
quality  that  constitutes  leaders  in  the  profession  to 
which  he  belongs.  We  quote  from  the  United  States 
Biographical  Dictionary  for  Illinois,  r883  : 

"Judge  Kellum  was  endowed  by  nature  with  a 
judicial  mind ;  he  was  not  only  made  for  a  lawyer, 
but  for  a  Judge,  and  his  natural  endowments  have 
been  enlarged  by  a  liberal  education  and  long  prac- 
tice at  the  Bar.  His  mind  readily  grasps  the  most 
difficult  legal  problems,  and  his  decisions  are  not 

s®))«@f|aa zmxj^        Q 


only  generally  correct,  but  are  marked  universally  by 
the  utmost  fairness  and  impartiality.  Seldom  is  it 
that  any  error  creeps  into  the  record  of  a  cause  heard 
before  Judge  Kellum,  and  consequently  his  decisions 
are  not  often  reversed  by  the  higher  Courts.  On  the 
bench  he  is  urbane  and  gentlemanly,  and  is  universally 
esteemed  by  the  members  of  the  Bar  who  practice  in 
his  Court ;  he  is  especially  the  friend  of  the  young 
attorney  and,  whenever  possible,  smoothes  over  the 
rough  path  which  that  class  are  compelled  to  travel 
before  reaching  eminence  at  the  Bar.  These  quali- 
ties make  him  one  of  the  most  popular  Judges  in  the 
State,  and  his  friends  confidently  predict  that  he  will 
yet  be  called  to  sit  on  the  bench  of  the  Supreme 
Court." 

Politically,  he  was  a  Whig  in  the  days  of  his  early 
manhood.  The  portentous  events  from  the  date  of 
his  citizenship  could  have  but  one  significance  to  a 
mentality  like  his,  and,  true  to  his  unerring  instincts, 
he  became  a  Republican  on  the  inception  of  the 
party.  Previous  to  his  accession  to  his  position  as 
Judge,  he  was  a  zealous  worker  in  ils  ranks  and 
served  as  Delegate  in  the  District  and  State  Conven- 
tions. Locally,  he  wielded  a  powerful  influence, 
and  for  a  succession  of  years  officiated  as  Chairman 
of  the  Republican  County  Committee.  In  his  own 
county  he  was  second  to  none  in  ability,  and  in  1872 
was  its  unanimous  choice  for  Congress,  but  failed  in 
the  Convention.  When  candidate  for  Circuit  Judge 
the  next  year,  the  Judicial  Convention  was  ex- 
actly divided  between  him  and  his  competitor,  and 
the  conflict  between  the  opposing  elements  was 
maintained  through  one  entire  day,  through  the  suc- 
ceeding night  and  far  into  the  day  following.  There 
being  no  indications  of  yielding  from  any  quarter, 
the  assembly  broke  up  without  definite  action,  leav- 
ing the  people  to  settle  the  point.  He  experienced 
defeat  by  a  small  majority.  In  1878  a  nomination  to 
Congress  was  tendered  him,  and  the  District  urged 
his  preferment  for  the  position ;  but  in  view  of  his 
judicial  prospects  he  was  inflexible  in  his  adverse 
decision,  his  wisdom  and  judgment  in  the  matter  be- 
ing fully  sustained  by  succeeding  events. 

Judge  Kellum  has  recognized  and  discharged  his 
obligations  as  a  citizen  of  Sycamore  in  the  most  fit- 
ting manner,  and  has  lent  his  aid  and  influence  to 
the  furtherance  of  the  public  interests  of  the  place 
and  assisted  'personally  in  placing  them  on  a  sub- 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


stantial  basis.  He  has  been  a  prominent  factor  in 
the  maintenance  of  her  manufacturing  enterprises, 
and  was  a  stock-holder  in  the  Sycamore  &  Cortland 
Railroad,  in  the  Marsh  Harvester  Manufacturing 
Company  and,  later,  in  the  Marsh  Binder  Manufact- 
uring Company.  He  also  aided  materially  in  the 
earlier  enterprises.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity  and  of  the  Order  of  Knights  Templar. 

His  marriage  to  Chloe  Clement  occurred  March 
15<  T^55'  at  La  Porte,  Ind.,  and  two  children  were 
born  of  their  union.  William  C.  Kellum  was  born  at 
Sycamore,  Dec.  14,  1855,  and  is  an  attorney  in  the 
place  of  his  nativity,  promising,  by  his  application  to 
business,  to  wear  worthily  the  mantle  of  his  sire.  He 
married  Laura  A.  McKinnon,  and  they  have  one 
child— Charles  S.  Samuel  Kellum  was  born  Dec.  22, 
1857,  is  a  salesman  in  the  clothing  house  of  VVill- 
oughby,  Hill  &  Co.,  at  Chicago,  and  is  one  of  the 
most  exemplary  and  popular  young  men  that  Syca- 
more ever  produced.  Mrs,.  Kellum  was  born  at  La 
Porte,  Dec.  31,  1833,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Wm.  and 
Caroline  Clement.  She  is  a  lady  of  more  than  ordin- 
ary strength  of  character,  and  in  her  domestic  circle 
her  fine  womanly  traits  shine  pre-eminent.  To  her 
the  words,  "  Her  children  arise  up  and  call  her  bless- 
ed ;  her  husband  also,  and  he  praiseth  her,"  apply 
with  peculiar  force  and  truth. 

Judge  Kellum 's  portrait  appears  on  a  previous 
page.  The  reprint  of  his  features  in  this  work  will 
afford  a  general  satisfaction.  His  mobile  face  has 
been  for  many  years  one  of  the  most  welcome  on  the 
streets  of  Sycamore.  It  bears  the  impression  of  a  can- 
did, manly,  generous  character,  and  a  spirit  wholly 
untainted  by  selfishness.  The  photograph  from  which 
the  portrait  was  engraved  was  taken  in  1885. 


1  illiam  H.  Rowen,  farmer  and  stockman  on 
section  26,  Franklin  Township,  was  born 
on  the  farm  on  which  he  is  a  resident 
Sept.  25,  1858.  He  is  the  son  of  Wm.  H. 
and  Mercy  (Caswell)'  Rowen.  The  ,for- 
...er  was  born  December  3,  1799,  in  Hebron, 
Washington  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  came  to  De  Kalb  County 
in  June,  1843,  and  entered  the  farm  where  he  died 
April  4,  1880.  The  family  was  among  the  earliest 
settlers  of  the  township.  The  senior  Rowen  was 


twice  married.  Of  the  first  marriage,  to  Betsey  Gor- 
ham  (see  sketch  of  S.  G.  Rowen),  nine  children 
were  born,  and  after  the  death  of  the  first  wife  he 
was  married  Dec.  25,  1856,  to  Mrs.  Mercy  Caswell. 
She  was  born  Jan.  7,  1822,  in  Union,  Broome  Co., 
N.  Y.,  and  came  to  Illinois  with  her  grandparents 
when  she  was  13  years  old.  '  She  was  married  Aug. 

2,  1840,  to  Marcus  Caswell,  a  native  of  the  State  of 
New  York,  born  March  15,  1820.     He  was  killed  in 
California  in  July,  1855,  by  the  accidental   bursting 
of  a  gun.     Mr.  Caswell  is  survived  by  two  children, 
— Charles  H.,  born  Nov.  2,  1841,  a  resident  of  Bre- 
mer  Co.,  Iowa,  and  Josephine  L.,born  Nov.  30,  1849. 
She  married  Edward  Gorham  March    15,  1866,  and 
is  a  resident  of  Franklin  Township.     Of  her  marriage 
to  Mr.  Rowen  two  children  were  born,— W.   H.  and 
Samuel  P.  G.     The  birth  of  the  latter  occurred  Dec. 

3,  1863.     Mrs.  Rowen,  with  her  two  sons,  occupies 
the  family  homestead. 


id  D.  Brown,  Mayor  of  De  Kalb,  and  |{| 
member  of  the  lumber  and  real-estate  firm  =t 
of  Brown  &  Young,  was  born  Aug.  26,  £f£ 
845,  in  Belvidere,  N.  J.  His  parents,  C.  M. 
and  Catherine  A.  (De  Pue)  Brown,  were  natives  ,-  \ 
of  New  Jersey,  and  were  respectively  of  English 
and  French  origin.  The  family  came  to  Illinois  and 
settled  in  Sycamore,  where  the  father  established 
mercantile  interests  and  became  prominent  in  official 
positions,  among  which  were  those  of  Circuit  Clerk 
and  Recorder  of  De  Kalb  County.  The  family  in-  * 
eluded  three  sons,  of  whom  the  two  younger  were  ^^ 
Fred  C.  and  Marshall  L.,  and  were  the  issue  of  the  *& 
second  marriage  of  the  senior  Brown,  in  1850,  to 
Louisa  Jackman,  of  Sycamore.  She  was  born  in 
Vermont  and  is  still  living  in  Sycamore.  The  mother 
of  Mr  Brown  died  at  Sycamore  in  1849.  His  father 
died  there  March  14,  1872.  . 

Until  the  age  of  16  years  Mr.  Brown  was  a  pupil 
at  school,  and  in  i86r  obtained  a  position  as  captain 
of  a  steamboat  plying  on  the  Tennessee  River.  He 
was  employed  at  a  later  period  as  clerk  in  a  store  at 
Sycamore,  and  was  occupied  in  that  capacity  until 
1874.  In  the  spring  of  that  year  he  entered  into 
partnership  with  C.  A.  Tyndall,  of  De  Kalb,  under 
the  style  of  Tyndall  &  Brown,  and  established  a  mer- 

— -^k^r  ~**^3y?/Vv?i 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


candle  enterprise.  In  September,  1876,  Mr.  Brown 
became  sole  proprietor  of  the  business  by  purchase 
and  continued  its  management  until  April,  1883, 
when  he  sold  to  C.  A.  Reed  &  Co.  In  the  same 
month  his  present  business  relation  was  founded  for 
the  purpose  of  engaging  in  the  lumber  trade. 

Mr.  Brown  is  a  decided  Republican  and  has  been 
actively  interested  in  the  administration  of  the  mu- 
nicipal affairs  in  De  Kalb.  He  served  three  terms  as 
Councilman,  and  in  the  spring  of  1883  was  elected 
Mayor  for  a  biennial  term.  He  is  prominent  in  the 
Masonic  fraternity,  and  has  risen  to  the  32d  degree 
in  the  order. 

He  was  married  Feb.  8,  1872,10  Alice  J.,  daughter 
of  Hiram  and  Sarah  (Dygart)  Ell  wood,  and  they 
have  two  children.  Zaida  E.  was  born  July  29,  1878. 
Sarah  L.  was  born  Nov.  27,  1881. 


rley  B.  Bowen,  grocer  and  Deputy  Post- 
master at  Kirkland,  was  born  on  section  26, 
Franklin  Township,  May  29,  1861,  and  is 
the  son  of  Stephen  G.  and  Emmeline  (Baker) 
Rowen.  The  record  of  the  parents  appear  on 
another  page. 
Mr.  Rowen  grew  to  man's  estate  on  the  family 
homestead,  and  passed  the  winters  at  school  in  Kirk- 
land.  When  he  was  20  years  of  age  he  entered  up- 
on the  duties  of  clerk  of  the  Rowen  House  at  Kirk- 
land,  which,  was  under  the  management  of  his 
brother,  Frank  S.  Rowen,  and  occupied  that  position 
until  his  marriage.  Soon  after  that  event  he  estab- 
lished the  business  in  which  he  is  at  present  engaged, 
commencing  with  limited  means  in  an  unassuming 
way.  His  energy  and  popularity,  coupled  with  ex- 
cellent management,  has  greatly  increased  his  busi- 
ness relations,  and  he  is  fast  rising  to  a  position  of 
equality  with  older  firms  in  the  same  line  of  business. 
Mr.  Rowen  is  a  young  Republican  of  ardent  type 
and  has  been  the  deputy  of  his  father  several  years. 
He  represents  several  insurance  companies. 

His  marriage  to  Georgia  A.  Bell  occurred  Jan.  i , 
1883.  Mrs.  Rowen  was  born  Sept.  7,  1862,  on  the 
farm  of  her  father  in  Kingston  Township.  She  is 
the  daughter  of  George  M.  and  Sarah  M.  (Little) 


Bell.  Her  father  is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  was 
an  architect  and  builder  by  profession.  He  was  of 
mixed  German  and  Irish  descent.  The  mother  was 
born  in  the  State  of  New  York,  of  English  and 
French  parentage.  They  came  to  Illinois  before 
marriage  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Kingston  after  that 
event.  In  1867  they  removed  to  Belvidere,  Boone 
County,  and  thence  one  year  later  to  Sycamore.  Mrs. 
Rowen  was  educated  at  the  latter  place  and  in  Chi- 
cago, where  she  attended  school  about  18  months. 
She  began  teaching  when  she  was  17  years  of  age, 
and  continued  her  vocation  in  De  Kalb  County  until 
her  marriage.  With  her  husband,  she  attends  the 
Congregational  Church,  and  is  a  member  of  the  choir. 
Both  are  actively  interested  in  Sunday-school  work, 
and  are  valued  and  esteemed  members  of  society. 


TUS  B.  Hopkins,  farmer,  sections  34  and 
27,  Cortland  Township,  and  owning  in  all 
165  acres,  was  bom  in  Erie  Co.,  N.  Y., 
in  the  town  of  Clarence,  Aug.  7,  1812,  and  is 
the  son  of  Cyrus  and  Charlotte  (Bissell)  Hop- 
kins. His  mother,  who  was  born  Oct.  30, 
Rutland,  Vt.,  of  Puritan  stock,  is  still  living, 
near  Beloit,  Wis.  His  father,  also  of  Puritan  ances- 
try, was  born  in  June,  1784,  in  Great  Barrington, 
Berkshire  Co.,  Mass.,  and  died  at  Beloit,  Wis.,  at  the 
age  of  82  years. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  whose  portrait  ap- 
pears on  the  opposite  page,  lived  in  his  native 
county  until  he  was  26  iyears  of.age,  on  the  farm  with 
his  father,  in  the  meantime  obtaining  a  common- 
school  education.  He  then  came  to  Squaw  Grove 
Township,  this  county,  and  worked  as  a  common 
laborer  by  the  day  and  month  the  first  season.  The 
next  year  he  took  a  farm,  and  rented  farms  for  five 
years,  when  he  went  out  upon  the  "  raw  "  prairie, 
which  he  has  improved  and  since  made  his  home. 
He  first  built  a  log  house  upon  the  place  and  moved 
into  it  in  1844.  Fifteen  years  afterward  he  built  a 
frame  house,  east  of  where  he  is  now  living. 

Mr.  H.  has  held  the  office  of  Constable  in  Squaw, 
Grove,  Road  Commissioner  for  several  terms  and 


School  Director  a  number  of  years.  In  politics  he  is 
a  Republican,  and  in  religious  matters  he  was  for- 
merly a  Methodist. 

He  was  married  Dec.  6,  1836,  to  Fannie  Larkin, 
who  was  born  May  r,  1815,  in  Green  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and 
died  May  7,  1873,  on  the  old  homestead  in  this 
county.  She  was  a  Baptist.  The  second  marriage 
of  Mr.  Hopkins  occurred  July  3,  1877,  in  Blackberry, 
Kane  Co.,  111.,  to  Mary  J.  Gandy,  daughter  of  George 
W.  and  Mary  (Meacham)  Gandy.  Her  mother  was 
born  Aug.  13,  1800,  in  Woodstock,  Ct.,  and  died 
April  4,  1876,  in  this  township;  and  her  father  was 
born  Feb.  3,  1804,  in  New  Jersey,  and  is  deceased. 
By  his  first  wife  Mr.  Hopkins  had  eight  children,  as 
follows:  Cyrus  E.,  born  Oct.  n,  1837,  and  | was 
married  Feb.  22,1863  ;  Charles  H.  was  born  Aug.  6, 
1839,  and  married  Dec.  7,  1871;  William  J.,  born 
Nov.  29,  1840,  died  Dec.  27  following;  John  E., 
born  June  n,  1842,  married  June  14,  1870,  and  died 
'Aug.  i,  1884;  Sarah  J.,  born  Aug.  6,  1844,  was  mar- 
ried July  4,  1869;  Albert  J.,  born  Aug.  15, 1846,  was 
married  Sept.  3,  1873;  Phebe  A.,  born  Aug.  14, 
1848,  was  married  Dec.  6,  1870;  Fanny  A.,  born 
Dec.  27,  1850,  was  married  Oct.  n,  1870;  and  Mel- 
vin  M.,  born  Oct.  3,  1853,  was  married  Feb.  25, 
1879.  By  his  second  marriage  Mr.  H.  has  had  three 
children,  as  follows:  Pearl,  born  July  20,  1880, 
died  Aug.  14  following;  Ross,  born  July  9,  1882, 
died  Nov.  3  following;  and  Daisy  I.,  born  Jan.  3, 
1884. 


•ptain  Henry  C.  Whittemore,  senior 
member  of  the  firm  of  Whittemore,  Cham- 
berlain &  Co.,  dealers  in  hardware,  stoves, 
agricultural  implements,  wagons  and  carriages 
at  Sycamore,  was  born  Oct.  31,  1841,  at  Au- 
burn, N.  Y.  He  was  seven  years  of  age  when 
^  his  parents,  Lorenzo  and  Hannah  (Kelsey)  Whitte- 
more, removed  their  family  to  Sycamore.  His  father 
was  born  March  n,  1807,  in  Leicester,  Mass.,  and  is 
still  a  resident  of  Sycamore,  where  he  operated  as  a 
mechanic  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century.  The  Cap- 
tain's mother  was  born  Dec.  25,  1805,  in  Ulster  Co., 
N.  Y.,  and  died  in  March,  1879.  They  had  two 




children.  Floyd  K.,  the  younger,  is  a  banker  in 
Springfield,  111. 

Captain  Whittemore  passed  his  boyhood  and  youth 
in  the  acquisrtion  of  his  education,  and  about  the  age 
of  1 8  years  secured  the  position  of  Deputy  Circuit 
Clerk,  in  which  he  was  occupied  until  the  era  of 
1861,  which  tried  the  mettle  of  every  man  and  boy 
within  the  Federal  Union.  The  stuff  of  which  Cap- 
tain Whittemore  is  made  was  proven  early  in  that 
memorable  year  by  his  enlistment  as  a  private  soldier 
in  Company  G,  Second  Illinois  Light  Artillery.  He 
was  transferred,  a  few  weeks  later,  to  Company  H, 
which  was  detailed  for  service  in  the  Ordnance  De- 
partment of  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  the  office 
being  established  at  Cairo,  during  the  winter  of 
1861-2,  and  also  at  Columbus,  Ky. 

In  the  spring  of  1863  the  command  was  transferred 
to  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland.  In  December, 
1861,  young  Whittemore  was  made  Lieutenant,  and 
he  held  that  rank  until  July,  1863,  when  -he  was 
commissioned  Captain  of  Battery  H.  He  performed 
the  duties  of  the  position  until  February,  1865,  when 
he  was  detailed  as  Assistant  Adjutant  General  on 
the  staff  of  Gen.  L.  H.  Rousseau,  and  served  until 
the  termination  of  the  war. 

Captain  Whittemore  was  mustered  out  of  the 
military  service  of  the  United  Stales  July  29,  1865, 
and  entered  the  postal  service  of  the  Government, 
operating  in  South  Carolina.  In  the  spring  of  1867 
he  returned  to  Sycamore,  and  embarked  in  the  busi- 
ness of  tanning,  in  which  he  was  interested  about 
two  years ;  at  the  expiration  of  that  time  turning  his 
attention  to  insurance,  and  later,  entering  the  office 
of  the  County  Clerk  as  a  Deputy.  In  1873  he  formed 
a  partnership  with  John  B.  Harkness  and  his  brother 
F.  K.  Whittemore,  and  founded  the  business  in 
which  he^has  since  operated.  The  members  of  the 
present  firm  are  Captain  Whittemore,  W.  G.  Cham- 
berlain and  A.  W.  Brower.  Their  trade  and  business 
relations  in  their  line  of  traffic  is  the  leading  one  in 
the  county,  their  invested  capital  being  about  $15,000. 

Captain  Whittemore  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity  and  belongs  to  Lodge  No.  1 34,  at  Syca- 
more. He  is  a  Republican  in  political  convictions, 
and  has  served  his  township  several  years  as  Super- 
visor. In  the  fall  of  1884  he  was  elected  to  the 
State  Legislature,  receiving  a  gratifying  majority  of 
2,400  votes. 

His    marriage   to   Amelia  E.   Martin  occurred  at 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


Sycamore,  March  14,  1864.  Mrs.  Whittemore  was 
born  April  19,  1841,  in  the  place  where  she  has 
always  lived,  and  she  is  the  daughter  of  Harry  and 
Jane  Martin.  Four  of  five  children  botn  to  Captain 
and  Mrs.  Whittemore  are  living.  They  were  born  as 
follows:  Charles  F.,  Aug.  24,  1865,  died  Oct.  20, 
1871;  Mary,  Sept.  20,  1867;  Harry,  Sept.  25,  1869; 
Cora,  Jan.  19,  1872;  Floyd,  Dec.  8,  1874. 


"ames  M.  Elliott,  farmer,  having  132  acres 
on  sections  i  and  2,  Cortland  Township, 
was  born  in  Springfield,  Clark  Co.,  Ohio, 
March  27,  1820.  His  father  moved  to  Union 
Co.,  that  State,  whence  he,  when  1 6  years  of 
ag'e,  in  company  with  a  half  brother,  John, 
came  with  a  four-horse  team  to  this  county,  arriving 
Oct.  8,  1835.  John  entered  a  claim  east  of  Mr.  E.'s 
present  place,  but  the  climate  aggravating  his 
rheumatism,  he  returned  to  Union  Co.,  Ohio,  where 
he  now  lives. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  made  his  home  with 
his  half  brother  and  worked  around  by  the  month 
until  his  marriage,  Jan.  4,  1839,  to  Miss  Dilla  Perry, 
who  was  born  Sept.  21,  1822,  in  Yates  Co.,  N.  Y., 
in  Potter  Township,  and  was  13  years  old  when  her 
parents  emigrated  to  Illinois,  coming  all  the  way  by 
team  and  being  six  weeks  on  the  road.  Her  father, 
Matthew  H.  Perry,  was  born  in  Berkshire  Co.,  Mass., 
in  August,  r796,  of  American  ancestry,  and  is  now 
residing  temporarily  in  Iowa,  while  his  home  is  in 
Burlington  Township,  Kane  Co.,  111.  Her  mother, 
Pamelia,  nee  Briggs,  was  born  in  Providence,  R.  I., 
in  April,  1 80 1,  of  American  parentage.  Her  grand- 
father on  her  mother's  side,  Caleb  Briggs,  was  a 
Revolutionary  soldier.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Perry  moved 
to  Ottawa,  111.,  in  the  fall  of  1835,  and  the  next 
spring  to  Big  Rock  Township,  whence,  in  the  fall  of 
1837,  the^  removed  to  Burlington  Township,  Kane 
County,  where  they  have  since  lived,  although  Mr.  P. 
resided  a  short  time  in  this  (Cortland)  township, 
while  he  was  building  a  house  on  his  farm. 

Mr.  Elliott's  father,  Alexander  Elliott,  was  born  in 
Chenango  Co.,  Pa.,  and  died  in  r829,  in  Union  Co., 


Ohio,  of  milk-sickness,  while  he  was  building  a  house 
upon  a  tract  of  land  he  had  purchased  there,  and 
while  his  residence  was  in  Clark  Co.,  that  State.  He 
had  been  married  three  times.  He  first  married 
Jane  Chatfield,  and  she  died,  leaving  four  children. 
His  second  wife  was  the  mother  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  who  left  three  children,  all  sons,  James  being 
the  youngest.  His  third  wife  was  Sarah  Moore,  nee 
Custer.  Two  years  after  his  father's  death  the  re- 
mainder of  the  family  moved  to  their  new  home  in 
Union  County.  The  mother  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  Polly,  nee  Sweet,  was  a  native  of  Tennessee 
and  died  in  Clark  Co.,  Ohio,  in  1821,  when  he  was 
but  a  year  old. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Elliott  have  three  children,  viz.: 
Henry  M.,  born  Sept.  18,  1840;  Morris  M.,  Aug.  12, 
1842;  and  Clarence,  Jan.  4,  1850, — the  first  two  in 
Kane  County  and  the  last  in  this  township. 

Mr.  Elliott  is  a  Republican  in  his  political  views, 
and  has  held  the  office  of  School  Director.  Mr.  E. 
had  five  brothers  in  the  army  during  the  last  war. 
Two,  Hale  and  Samuel,  died  of  disease  in  the  hospi- 
tal, and  one — Oliver  H.  Perry — lost  an  arm  at  Savan- 
nah, Ga.,  when  Sherman  captured  the  city. 


lexander  H.  Durham,  farmer,  section  10, 
Genoa  Township,  has  been  a  resident  of 
that  municipality  most  of  the  time  since 
his  birth  within  its  borders,  which  event  oc- 
curred Aug.  26,  i84r.  Henry  and  Jane 
(Wager)  Durham,  his  parents,  were  natives  of 
the  State  of  New  York.  They  were  pioneers  in 
Genoa  Township  and  residents  of  the  village  of  that 
name,  where  they  died.  Their  deaths  occurred 
respectively  in  1854  and  in  1855.  They  were  the 
parents  of  10  children,  five  of  whom  are  still  living: 
Sarah,  Sabrina,  Ursula,  Ethan  A.  and  Alexander  H. 
Mr.  Durham  received  a  common-school  education, 
and  when  he  was  14  years  of  age  his  mother  died. 
Being  then  wholly  orphaned,  he  became  an  inmate  of 
the  family  of  his  brother-in-law,  Julius  Chipman,  ot 
Kingston  Township.  Eighteen  months  later  he  re- 
turned to  the  place  of  his  nativity  and  lived  about 
year  and  a  half  with  one  of  his  brothers.  On  the 


TRUMftff 
OF  IK 

UIIVERSin  OF  H.LHKBS 


COUNTY. 


death  of  the  latter  he  engaged  as  a  farm  assistant 
with  his  brother-in-law,  James  Merriman,  for  whom 
he  worked  two  years.  During  that  time  he  married 
and  located  on  a  farm  nearly  half  a  mile  east  of  the 
village  of  Genoa,  to  whose  ownership  he  succeeded 
by  the  provisions  of  his  father's  will.  He  occupied 
the  place  seven  successive  years,  when  he  sold  it 
and  bought  80  acres,  where  he  established  his  per- 
manent homestead.  He  already  having  160  acres  on 
section  15,  adjoining  that  which  was  left  him  by  the 
death  of  his  father,  he  now  owns  260  acres  in  all, 
170  acres  under  tillage,  and  20  acres  of  timber  on 
section  31.  Mr.  Durham  is  in  sympathy  with  the 
Democrat  element  in  political  sentiment. 

His  marriage  to  Jennie  Farr  took  place  in  Spring 
Township,  Boone  Co.,  111.,  Jan.  i,  1862,  and  they 
are  now  the  parents  of  four  children, — Elmer  E., 
born  Oct.  2,  1863;  Leonard  P.,  born  May  18,  1868; 
Amber  S.,  born  March  2,  1870;  and  Roy  H.,  born 
Dec.  30,  1883.  Mrs.  Durham  is  the  fourth  daughter 
and  child  of  Oliver  and  Roxana  Farr,  and  was  born 
Jan.  27,  1843,  in  Pennsylvania.  Her  brothers  and 
sisters  were  named  Nancy,  Mary,  Armina,  William, 
Millard,  Martha  and  Maynard. 


Joseph  F.  Glidden,  patentee  of  the  Glidden 
barb-wire  fence,  residing  at  De  Kalb,  was 
born  Jan.  18,  1813,  in  Charleston,  Sullivan 
Co.,  N.  H.  He  is  the  son  of  David  and  Polly 
(Hurd)  Glidden,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of 
the  Granite  State  and  were  there  married. 
About  the  year  1814  they  removed  their  family  and 
interests  to  Orleans  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  were  there  resi- 
dent until  1844,  when  they  came  to  Illinois.  They 
made  a  brief  stay  in  Ogle  County,  removing  thence 
to  the  home  of  their  eldest  son,  then  a  farmer  in 
De  Kalb  Township,  and  were  inmates  of  his  house- 
hold through  the  closing  years  of  their  lives.  They 
had  six  children, — Joseph  F.,  Betsey,  Eunice,  Wil- 
lard  J.,  Abigail  and  Stephen  H. 

Mr.  Glidden  was  in  the  second  year  of  his  life 

L® 


when  his  parents  settled  in  Clarendon,  Orleans  Co., 
N.  Y.,  and  entered  upon  agricultural  pursuits.  He 
was  brought  up  on  the  farm,  acquired  a  thorough  and 
practical  knowledge  of  its  details,  and  interspersed 
the  seasons  of  labor  by  attendance  at  school.  Pri- 
marily, he  was  a  pupil  in  the  ordinary  educational 
institutions  of  the  township,  and  later  became  a  stu- 
dent at  the  Middlebury  Academy  in  Genesee  County 
he  afterwards  attended  a  seminary  at  Lima,  Living- 
ston County,  in  the  same  State.  He  formed  educa- 
tional plans  with  reference  to  a  collegiate  course,  and 
taught  some  months ;  but,  being  of  a  practical  turn  of 
mind,  the  field  for  immediate  action,  to  which  he  was 
accustomed  by  training,  possessed  an  almost  irre- 
sistible attraction,  and  he  engaged  as  a  renter  of 
farms  for  some  years,  that  being  the  common  mode 
of  operation  adopted  by  those  who  had  their  way  to 
make  from  the  beginning.  The  figure  at  which  the 
acres  of  the  Empire  State  were  held  precluded  almost 
the  slightest  promise  of  the  advancement  of  a  laborer 
to  a  proprietorship,  and  Mr.  Glidden  began  to  con- 
sider the  feasibility  of  making  his  way  westward. 

In  the  fall  of  1842  he  proceeded  to  Detroit,  with 
two  threshing-machines,  of  the  primitive  construction, 
then  in  use,  and  spent  30  days  in  Michigan  on  the 
wheat  farms  of  that  State,  operating  his  threshers, 
assisted  by  his  brother  Willard  and  two  other  men. 
Finally  reaching  St.  Joseph,  on  the  east  side  of  Lake 
Michigan,  he  shipped  the  machines  to  Chicago  and 
proceeded  to  De  Kalb  County,  where  he  passed  two 
years  in  the  same  avenue  of  business.  During  the 
winter  of  1842-3  he  bought  600  acres  of  land  located 
on  section  22,  De  Kalb  Township,  of  his  cousin, 
Russell  Huntley,  and  which  he  still  owns.  He  resi- 
ded two  years  in  Ogle  County,  not  taking  possession 
of  his  property  until  1845. 

Mr.  Glidden's  first  marriage  took  place  in  Claren- 
don, Orleans  Co.,  N.  Y.,  in  1837,  when  he  formed  a 
matrimonial  union  with  Clarissa  Foster.  He  left  his 
wife  and  two  children  behind  him  when  he  started 
for  the  West  with  his  machines,  and  before  his  wife 
joined  him  in  Illinois  the  children  had  passed  to  the 
spirit  world.  She  came  to  Ogle  County  in  June, 
1843,  and  died  the  next  year  in  childbirth.  The  lit- 
tle daughter,  for  whom  her  own  life  was  given,  died 
in  early  infancy.  The  children  of  this  marriage  were 
named  Virgil,  Homer  and  Clarissa. 

The  second  marriage  of  Mr.  Glidden,  to  Lucinda 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


Warne,  took  place  in  Kane  County,  in  October,  1851, 
and  they  have  one  child — Elva  F. — now  the  wife  of 
W.  H.  Bush,  a  merchant  of  Chicago. 

In  1845  Mr.  Glidden  took  possession  of  his  farm, 
(§j'  remaining  its  resident  proprietor  until  1877,  adding 
to  its  extent  and  increasing  it  to  more  than  800  acres. 
It  is  a  fine  sample  of  the  perfection  of  attractions  and 
value  to  which  a  prairie  farm  may  be  brought.  In 
the  year  named  Mr.  Glidden  relinquished  the  per- 
sonal management  of  his  farm  and  removed  to  the 
city  of  De  Kalb,  where  he  became  an  inmate  of  the 
Glidden  House,  which  he  had  built  a  few  years 
before. 

The  summary  of  the  triumphs  of  American  inven- 
tive genius  present  a  splendid  array.  Their  relative 
importance  has  developed  a  saying,  which,  perhaps, 
in  general  significance,  cannot  be  gainsaid, — that 
"  those  who  add  to  the  material  wealth  of  nations  are 
greater  than  those  that  contribute  to  the  comfort  or 
convenience  of  mankind."  But  analysis  and  time 
must  weaken  the  force  of  the  statement.  The  man 
who  "  made  two  blades  of  grass  grow  where  one  grew 
before  "  may  be  a  benefactor,  but  the  beneficence  of 
his  achievement  becomes  a  question  if  the  extra  blade 
is  superfluous.  It  has  become  trite  that  the  "  inven- 
tion of  the  cotton-gin  advanced  the  South  50  years," 
and  the  progress  of  the  North  consequent  upon  the 
invention  of  the  reaping-machine  is  similarly  estima- 
ted. But  for  40  years  the  question  of  fencing  the 
broad,  beautiful  acres  of  the  prairie  section  of  the 
United  States  remained  unanswered,  and  hampered 
the  farmers  in  all  their  projects;  and  there  seemed 
for  years  no  remedy  for  the  existent  condition  but  in 
legislation, — a  forlorn  hope  in  view  of  the  fate  com- 
mon to  legal  provisions  in  the  hands  of  sagacious  and 
interested  interpreters  of  the  statutes.  Stone  walls 
were  utterly  impracticable;  the  raids  of  the  agents 
selling  Osage  orange  and  willow  cuttings,  which 
should  produce  self-perpetuating  fences  with  the 
celerity  of  Aladdin's  lamp,  were  profitable  to  none 
but  their  companies.  With  every  tree  that  fell  be- 
neath the  woodman's  devastating  ax,  receded  farther 
and  farther  the  hopes  for  fencing  material. 

Mr.  Glidden  solved  the  problem  which  had  been 
a  standing  perplexity  of  increasing  proportions  for 
almost  half  a  century,  and  by  his  invention  of  the 
barb-wire  fence  placed  his  name  on  the  list  of  en- 
during fame  with  those  of  Whitney,  Arkwright,  Howe 


and  McCormick  and  a  long  catalogue  of  others,  who 
will  move  through  the  records  and  traditions  of  the 
future  as  the  benefactors  of  the  world.  The  history 
of  the  invention  is  interesting  and  belongs  to  the  per- 
sonal biography  of  Mr.  Glidden  and  to  the  lasting  (' 
records  of  De  Kalb  County.  The  earliest  patents 
for  barb-wire  fencing  were  issued  in  1867,  but  the 
material  lacked  practical  merit  and  attracted  com- 
paratively little  notice.  Mr.  Glidden  interested  him- 
self in  it,  and,  recognizing  the  utility  and  profit  of  a 
saccessful  method  of  constructing  wire  fence,  pushed 
a  course  of  experiments  as  he  found  opportunity. 
He  cut  barbs  by  hand  and  extemporized  a  process 
by  which  they  could  be  twisted  about  the  wire.  A 
piece  30  feet  long  |was  armed  with  the  spiteful  ap- 
pearing prongs  and  twisted  with  a  piece  of  smooth 
wire  by  attaching  the  two  to  the  axle  of  a  grindstone, 
the  twist  being  obtained  by  turning  the  crank.  The 
fence  was  stretched  in  the  barn-yard  of  Mr.  Glidden 
and  proved  a  success.  The  result  of  the  experiment 
is  still  a  fixture  and  feature  of  the  barn-yard  where  it 
was  originally  placed,  and  is  demonstrating  the  prac- 
tical utility  of  the  device  as  thoroughly  as  at  first. 
The  gratified  inventor  applied  in  October,  1873,  for 
letters  patent,  which  he  received  in  the  spring  of 
1874. 

Meanwhile,   Isaac  L.  Ellwood,  a  hardware  mer- 
chant of  De  Kalb,  had  expended  considerable  time  ' 
and  money  in  experimenting  with  various  kinds  of 
fencing,  and  Mr.  Glidden  laid  before  him  the  results 
of  his  experiments,  and  they  formed  an  association 
for  the  purposes  of  manufacture.      They  rented  a 
small  building  and  employed   a  corps  of  laborers, 
consisting  chiefly  of  boys ;  but  the  speedy  increase 
of  their  business  necessitated  their  removal  to  more 
extensive  and  centrally  located  quarters,  and  in  the  f 
winter  of  1874-5  they  took  possession  of  their  factory 
at  De  Kalb.     In  the  spring  they  opened  business 
with   a   working  force  of  30   men.     Changes   were 
made  from  time  to  time,  which  were  protected  by  ad- 
ditional patents,  and  the  manufacture  of  barb-wire 
fence  was  continued  by  Messrs.  Glidden  &  Ellwood  f( 
until  March,  1876.     At  that  date,  the  Washburn  & 
Moen  Manufacturing  Company,  of  Worcester,  Mass., , 
purchased  the  half  interest  of  Mr.   Glidden   and  the  rt 
present  firm  of  I.  L.  Ellwood  &  Co.  was  established.  » 

Mr.  Glidden  received  $60,000  and  a  guarantee  of  (*) 
25  cents  on  every   100  pounds  of  fencing  material 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


constructed.  The  latter  rate  has  been  reduced  to 
five  cents  per  hundred  weight,  the  enormous  produc- 
tion of  the  barb-wire  fence  yielding  even  at  the  roy- 
alty of  one-fifth  the  original  stipulation  a  generous 
income  to  the  inventor. 

Since  1876  Mr.  Glidden  has  devoted  his  attention 
to  his  first  love — farming — and  superintends  the 
management  of  his  extensive  tracts  of  farming  land 
in  De  Kalb  County,  comprising  an  extent  of  1,500 
acres.  He  is  also  engaged  to  a  considerable  extent 
in  stock-raising,  and,  associated  with  H.  B.  Sanborn, 
is  the  owner  of  a  cattle  ranch  in  the  portion  of  coun- 
try known  as  the  Panhandle  of  Texas,  where  they 
are  herding  about  16,000  head  of  cattle.  They  own 
280  sections  of  land,  constituting  280  square  miles 
of  territory,  and  requiring  150  miles  of  fencing,  which 
was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $40,000.  Mr.  Glidden  owns 
also  a  half-interest  in  a  flour-mill  at  De  Kalb. 

He  has  also  been  active  in  the  duties  of  his  citi- 
zenship in  De  Kalb  County  and  Township,  and  in 
1852  was  elected  Sheriff.  He  possesses  the  distinc- 
tion of  being  the  last  Democratic  official  of  the 
county.  He  has  served  his  townsmen  as  Supervisor 
several  terms,  and  performed  the  duties  of  other  local 
offices  of  minor  importance.  Mr.  Glidden  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  fraternity. 

Of  his  character  and  prominence  a  reliable  esti- 
mate may  be  formed  by  the  sketch  given.  He  is 
essentially  a  member  of  the  class  descended  from 
the  "  grand  old  gardener,"  and  he  has  remained  true 
to  his  lineage,  which  may  be  regarded  as  closely 
akin  to  dignity  itself.  The  farmer  comes  of  a  descent 
whose  antitype  was  molded  in  the  freshness  of  God's 
plan  of  man,  and  found  fitting  to  inhabit  Paradise. 
The  man  who  spends  his  life  in  tilling  the  ground 
proves  his  birthright  in  the  inheritance  of  a  redeemed 
world.  Mr.  Glidden  has  found  no  allurement  in  the 
career  of  a  capitalist,  nor  availed  himself  of  the  op- 
portunity afforded  by  his  sudden  accession  to  wealth, 
which  has  since  flowed  with  a  lavish  tide  into  his 
coffers,  to  grasp  by  the  throat  men  of  less  fortunate 
hap  and  turn  their  disasters  to  his  own  profit.  He 
remembers  his  days  of  toil  and  struggle,  and  takes 
justifiable  pride  in  the  spreading  beneficence  of  his 
invention  and  in  the  well  earned  title  of  a  farmer  of 
De  Kalb  County,  pure  and  simple. 
The  portraits  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Glidden  are  pre- 

.© 


sented  on  other  pages.     Their  value  to  the  biograph- 
ical records  of  De  Kalb  County  is  manifest  without 

elaboration  of  statement.    • 


ames  P.  Seaman,  farmer  on  section  15, 
Cortland  Township,  has  land  also  on  sec- 
tions 14  and  1 6, — 120  acres  in  all.  He 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Bovina,  Delaware  Co., 
N.  Y.,  Aug.  21,  1830.  His  parents  were 
Ephraim  and  Naomi  (Carman)  Seaman,  both 
of  whom  have  long  since  deceased.  His  father,  who 
was  born  in  1805.  was  killed  Dec.  21,  1847,  in 
the  township  of  Preston,  Chenango  Co.,  N.  Y. 
While  cutting  down  a  tree  for  a  sick  neighbor,  it 
broke  in  two  about  16  feet  up,  and  in  chopping  it 
down  from  this  awkward  position  it  fell  upon  his 
neck  and  broke  it!  He  was  thus  found  by  James  P., 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and  by  a  man  who  after- 
ward became  his  brother-in-law.  The  senior  Seaman 
was  also  a  native  of  Bovina  Township. 

When  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  n  years  old, 
his  parents  emigrated  with  him  to  Chenango  Co.,  N. 
Y.,  where  he  lived  until  1854.  He  then  came  to 
Cortland  Township,  this  county,  and  worked  in 
company  with  Amos  Rogers  three  years,  when  his 
mother  purchased  the  present  homestead.  At  her 
death  it  was  divided  among  the  three  children  of  her 
first  marriage,  James  being  the  administrator.  Her 
second  marriage  was  to  Robert  Clark,  a  sea  captain. 
She  was  born  Feb.  19,  1810,  in  the  town  of  Bovina, 
N.  Y.  Both  her  parents  were  of  Yankee  ancestry. 
A  great-great-grandfather  was  a  seaman  in  the  Rev- 
olutionary War,  a  Major,  and  on  that  account  re- 
ceived a  large  tract  of  land,  which  he  sold  at  six  cents 
per  acre,  it  being  in  the  Southern  States. 

Mr.  Seaman  was  married  Nov.  15, 1857,  in  Oxford, 
Chenango  Co.,  N.  Y.,  to  Miss  Mary  A.,  daughter  of 
Levi  B.  and  Caroline  E.  (Olds)  Jackson.  Her  father 
was  born  Feb.  24,  1808,  was  a  shoemakerby  vocation, 
and  died  Sept.  2,  1876,  in  Oxford,  N.  Y.  Her  mother 
was  born  Feb.  24,  1 8 10,  in  Oxford  N.  Y.  Mrs.  S., 
the  second  child  in  the  above  family,  was  born  Dec. 
28,  1837,  in  Erie  Co.,  N.  Y.,and  was  a  year  old  when 
her  parents  moved  to  Oxford.  Of  the  six  children^ 
•^yag^  ««§)@\ 


i 


i 


DE  KALE  COUNTY. 


in  the  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Seaman,  three  are  de- 
ceased. The  record  stands:  Carrie  L.,  born  July  10, 
1860,  in  this  (Cortland)  Township;  Arthur  C.,  July 
8,  1865,  in  this  township,  and  died  March  16,  1876, 
and  is  buried  in  Ohio  Grove  Cemetery ;  Nonie  C., 
born  Feb.  n,  1868,  and  died  in  Cortland,  Jan.  16, 
i88r;  Frankie,  born  July  12,  1870,  died  Aug.  25, 
following,  and  is  also  buried  in  Ohio  Grove  Cem- 
etery; May  L.,  Aug.  4,  1871;  and  Lizzie  H., 
Aug.  28,  1875, — the  last  two  born  also  in  Cortland. 
Mr.  Seaman  is  a  Republican  in  his  political  views, 
and  both  himself  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Free- 
will-Baptist Church. 


a 


enry   N.    Olmstead,    farmer,    section     16, 
Genoa  Township,  is  a  native  of  the  place 
where  he  has  passed  his  entire  life  to  the 
present  date.     He  was  born    March  4,  1851, 
and  is  the  son  of  Caleb  and  Samantha  (Wager) 
Olmstead,  natives  of  the  State  of  New  York. 
(See  sketch  of  Caleb  Olmstead.) 

Mr.  Olmstead  obtained  a  fair  common-school  edu- 
cation, which  he  completed  by  attendance  at  the 
High  School  at  Sycamore.  When  he  was  22  years  of 
age  he  embarked  in  his  career  of  independent  man- 
hood, and  in  1884  purchased  the  family  homestead, 
which  included  160  acres  of  valuable  land,  nearly  all 
being  under  cultivation. 

Mr.  Olmstead  has  been  identified  throughout  his 
career  in  political  matters  with  the  Republican  party, 
and  has  officiated  in  the  discharge  of  the  duties  per- 
taining to  several  local  offices. 

His  marriage  to  Jane  Wright  took  place  at  Genoa, 
March  4,  1877.  They  have  had  four  children,  viz.: 
Caleb,  born  Oct.  23,  1878;  Olin  H.,  June  22,  1879; 
Nellie  and  Jay  G.  The  two  youngest  are  not  living. 
Mrs.  Olmstead  was  born  Aug.  9,  1857,  in  Sycamore, 
and  is  the  daughter  of  Royal  and  Mary  (Siglin) 
Wright,  the  former  a  native  of  New  York,  the  latter 
born  in  Pennsylvania.  Her  parents  located  at  Syca- 
more soon  after  marriage,  and  her  father  there  en- 
aged  in  farming.  He  died  March  i,  1872.  Her 

^§^ff. ^®^ 


mother  lives  in  Iowa.  Mrs.  Olmstead  is  the  eldest 
of  eight  children.  Her  brothers  and  sisters  were 
named  Frank,  Asa,  Charles,  Amos,  Jacob,  Flora  and 
Hiram. 


arles  D.  Carter,  M.  D.,  physician  and 
surgeon  at  De  Kalb,  is  a  native  of  De 
Kalb  County,  having  been  born  within  its 
limits  Nov.  19,  1858.  He  is  the  son  of  Or- 
lando and  Huldah  (White)  Carter.  (See 
sketch  of  O.  Carter.)  Mr.  Carter  passed  his 
early  life  in  the  manner  common  in  the  training  and 
rearing  of  farmers'  sons,  and  he  obtained  a  fair  edu- 
cation in  the  common  schools  which  he  attended  as 
opportunity  served,  until  he  was  19  years  of  age,  after 
which  he  began  the  study  of  medicine  with  the 
purpose  of  making  it  the  vocation  of  his  life.  He 
alternated  his  periods  of  study  with  farm  labor,  and 
studied  three  years  at  Rush  Medical  College  in 
Chicago,  receiving  the  authority  of  that  institution  to 
enter  upon  the  practice  of  medicine  in  1882.  He 
established  his  business  at  De  Kalb,  and  is  steadily 
gaining  a  substantial  repute  as  a  practitioner  and 
founding  a  successful  career  in  his  profession. 

Dr.  Carter  is  a  Democrat  in  his  political  convic- 
tion, and  is  one  of  the  foremost  in  character  and 
promise  of  the  young  men  of  De  Kalb  County  on 
whom  is  the  dependence  of  the  future  generation. 


rederick  S.  Crane,  farmer  and  stock-raiser, 
sections   15,    14,    22    and    23,    Cortland 
Township,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Mar- 
vin, Wayne  Co.,  N.  Y.,   June  6,  1833,  and  was 
only  two  years  old   when  the  family  moved  to 
Du  Page  Co.,  111.,  in   1835,  coming  in  a  two- 
horse  wagon,  and  settling  on  a  tract  of  land  before  it 
was  surveyed.     When  it  came  into  market  his  father 
purchased  it,  and  it  is  now  owned  by  his  brother. 


•5*  ,.  I  .- 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


He  was  brought  up  on  the  farm.  When  16  years 
old  his  father  died,  and  when  of  age  he  commenced 
to  establish  himself  near  his  father's  homestead, 
where  he  lived  until  the  spring  of  1869,  when  he 
purchased  225  acres  of  land  where  he  has  since  re- 
sided. To  this  purchase  he  has  since  added,  until 
he  now  has  a  total  of  400  acres.  He  received  a 
common-school  education  at  Naperville;  has  been 
School  Trustee  and  Director;  and  in  politics  he  is  a 
Republican.  Both  himself  and  wife  are  members  of 
the  Baptist  Church. 

He  was  married  Dec.  20,  1855,  at  Naperville,  111., 
to  Miss  Mary  A.  Bristol,  who  was  born  Feb.  18, 1834, 
in  Wethersfield,  N.  Y.,  and  was  brought  by  emigration 
of  her  parents  to  Naperville  in  1843,  where  they  have 
ever  since  lived,  excepting  the  last  few  years.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Crane  have  five  children,  as  follows : 
Hiram  D.,  born  Nov.  3,  1856;  Frank  H.,  May  13, 
1858;  Myron  F.,  March  7,  1860;  S.  Jennette,  April 
5,  1865;  and  Carrie  M.,  Feb.  5,  1869, — all  at  Naper- 
ville. 

Mr.  Crane's  father,  David  Crane,  was  a  farmer, 
and  died  in  Naperville  in  1849,  at  tne  aSe  of  42 
years.  His  mother,  Catherine  W.,  nee  Stolp,  was 
born  Jan.  21, 1814,  in  Pultneyville,  Wayne  Co.,  N.  Y., 
and  is  now  living  in  Merriain,  that  county.  Mrs. 
Crane's  father,  Hiram  Bristol,  was  born  March  22, 
1800,  in  Fairhaven,  Vt,  and  is  now  living  in  Aurora, 
111.  Her  mother,  Sarah,  nee  Spink,  was  born  June 
17,  1804,  in  Whitehall,  Washington  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and 
died  May  9,  1869,  at  Aurora,  111. 


/.enry  H.  Wagner,  merchant  at  De  Kalb, 
was  born  July  6,  1847,  in  La  Salle  Co.,  111. 
He  passed  the  years  of  his  early  life  on  the 
homestead  of  his  grandparents  in  De  Kalb 
County,  coming  to  De  Kalb  in  1863.  After 
operating  a  few  months  as  a  clerk,  he  entered 
the-  army  of  the  United  States,  enlisting  in  Co.  K, 
i32d  Regiment  of  Illinois  Infantry.  After  a  service 
of  five  months,  he  received  his  discharge  and  re- 
sumed his  former  occupation  of  salesman  for  Win- 
ship  Brothers,  of  De  Kalb,  operating  in  their  interests 
but  a  short  time,  the  business  of  the  firm  being  inter- 

/^NV^TY-^s.ft  '  ••'^BlllflP^1B^'  /"V- T^ 


rupted  by  the  death  of  the  senior  partner.  Mr. 
Wagner  entered  the  employment  of  R.  K.  Chandler, 
whose  death  in  1875  terminated  the  business,  and 
Mr.  Wagner  embarked  in  a  mercantile  enterprise  in 
his  own  behalf.  He  began  on  a  limited  scale,  pro- 
ceeded safely  and  secured  a  permanent  foundation 
for  his  present  extensive  relations.  He  is  the  lead- 
ing dealer  in  general  merchandise  at  De  Kalb. 
Politically  Mr.  Wagner  is  a  decided  Republican  and 
is  a  member  of  Merritt  Simonds  Post,  No.  283  j 
G.  A.  R. 

His  marriage  occurred  March  24,  1871,  to  Nancy 
E.  Waite,  a  lady  who  was  born  in  the  State  of  New 
York,  April  14,  1847.     Of  six  children  born  of  their    * 
union,  four  survive,  namely,  Eva  L.,  Cora  F.,  Elvin 
H.  and  Nina  L.     Those  deceased  died  in  infancy. 


dolph  Elten,  of  the  firm  of  Deily  &  Elten, 
builders  and  dealers  in  coal  at  Sycamore, 
was  born  Dec.  15,  i84r,  in  Germany.  His 
parents,  August  and  Bertha  Elten,  were  born 
in  Germany  and  died  there.  They  had  three 
children, — Adolph,  August  and  Gustave.  The 
latter  is  a  builder  in  Chicago.  The  second  son  is 
deceased. 

Mr.  Elten  was  instructed  in  his  business  by  his 
father,  who  pursued  the  trade  of  builder  through  his 
life.  He  came  to  the  United  States  in  March,  1865, 
and  embarked  in  his  business  in  Chicago.  He  was 
occupied  three  years  in  that  city  as  foreman  in  the 
.sash  and  door  factory  of  Frederick  Schroeder,  who 
tranferred  his  business  from  the  Garden  City  to 
Sycamore,  whither  Mr.  Elten  accompanied  and  offi- 
ciated three  years  in  the  same  capacity.  In  the 
spring  of  1878  the  latter  formed  an  association  with 
Jacob  Deily  for  the  prosecution  of  a  joint  relation  as 
builders,  and  a  year  later  began  to  deal  in  coal. 
They  employ  about  half  a  dozen  men  commonly  and 
have  erected  a  number  of  prominent  buildings  at 
Sycamore  and  vicinity. 

Mr.  Elten  was  married  June  27,  1869,  in  Chicago, 
to  Caroline  Evers,  and  they  have  had  four  children  : 
Hermann  was  born  May  2,  1870,  and  died  Sept.  19, 
1871;  Julia  was  born  Feb.  9,  1872;  Charles,  April 


I 

I 


.r  •• 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


19,  1875;  George,  Aug.  31,  1877.  The  latter  was 
born  in  Sycamore  and  died  Nov.  14,  1880.  The 
others  were  born  in  Chicago.  Mrs.  Elten  was  born 
in  Baltimore,  Md.,  and  is  the  daughter  of  John  and 
Hermine  (Buttner)  Evers.  The  family  attend  the 
Congregational  Church. 


> 
^ 


hubal  T.  Armstrong,  Deputy  Clerk  of 
De  Kalb  County,  resident  at  Sycamore, 
was  born  Dec.  14,  1834,  in  Chautauqua 
Co.,  N.  Y.  His  parents,  Dr.  Thomas  and 
Joanna  (Terry)  Armstrong,  were  natives  of 
Washington  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  in  1831  removed 
thence  to  Chautauqua  County.  When  the  son,  who 
is  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  nine  months  old, 
the  family  transferred  their  residence  to  Erie  Co., 
N.  Y.,  settling  in  Evans  Township.  In  1840  they 
went  to  Wisconsin  and  settled  in  Union,  Rock 
County,  where  they  were  pioneer  settlers.  The 
lather  practiced  his  profession  there  12  years,  re- 
moving with  his  family  thence  to  Sandwich,  De  Kalb 
County,  where 'he  established  his  business  and  has 
since  continued  its  prosecution. 

Mr.  Armstrong  accompanied  his  parents  in  their 
varied  migrations,  and  was  an  inmate  of  the  parental 
household  until  1861.  When  he  was  16  years  of  age 
he  became  interested  in  civil  engineering  and  began 
the  practical  pursuit  of  the  business  of  operating  as 
flagman.  While  in  Wisconsin  in  1852-5,  he  was 
employed  at  intervals  in  the  Government  survey. 
In  the  year  named  he  set  out  for  an  overland  journey 
to  California.  He  prospected  on  the  route  and 
arrived  in  the  Golden  State  in  February,  1862.  He 
had  acquired  a  thorough  knowledge  of  civil  engineer- 
ing and  entered  into  the  prosecution  of  that  business, 
in  which  he  operated  until  1865.  In  that  year  he 
returned  to  Wisconsin  and  engaged  in  farming  in 
Rock  County,  in  which  he  was  engaged  three  years, 
coming  to  De  Kalb  County  in  1868.  He  interested 
himself  in  agricultural  operations  in  Milan  Township, 
in  whieh  pursuit  he  passed  three  years,  removing  at 
the  expiration  of  that  period  to  Sycamore. 

In  1871  Mr.  Armstrong  was  elected  County  Sur- 
eyor  and  continued  to  discharge  the  duties  of  the 


incumbency  until  1884.  During  four  years  of  the 
included  period  he  operated  in  the  interests  of  the 
Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railroad,  surveying  lands  in 
Iowa  and  Dakota.  In  1884  he  was  appointed  to 
the  position  whose  duties  he  is  discharging  with 
entire  satisfaction  to  all  concerned. 

His  marriage  to  Eunice  Richardson  took  place  in 
1855.  She  is  a  native  of  Chautauqua  Co.,  N.  Y., 
Seven  children  have  been  born  of  their  union — 
Hattie,  May,  Annie,  Elizabeth,  Carlotta,  Nevada  and 
Arthur. 


avid  Wood,  deceased,  formerly  a  farmer 
on  the  south  half  of  section  i,  Cortland 
Township,  was  born  April  21,  1808,  prob- 
ably in  Connecticut.  His  parents  were  John 
and  Phebe  (Bradford)  Wood,  both  of  whom 
died  in  Union  Co.,  Ohio.  His  father  was  a 
farmer. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  spent  his  early,  life  in 
Union  Co.,  Ohio,  and  emigrated  thence  to  the  place 
in  this  county  where  his  widow  now  lives,  and  whsre 
he  died,  March  24,  1861;  he  was  buried  in  Ohio 
Grove  Cemetery.  Having  been  brought  up  on  a 
farm  and  received  a  common-school  education,  he 
continued  working  his  father's  farm  on  shares  for  a 
time,  and  in  September,  1835,  in  company  with 
George  Gandy  and  four  or  five  others,  came  to  this 
county.  He  made  a  claim  on  section  i ,  township 
40  north,  of  range  5  east,  now  known  as  Cortland ;  he 
erected  a  log  house  and  lived  here  until  i84T,  when 
he  returned  to  Ohio,  where  he  was  married.  He  re- 
turned to  this  county  in  the  fall  of  1843,  at  which 
time  the  land  came  into  market,  and  he  entered  it. 
In  1855  he  built  a  frame  residence,  which  his  family 
is  still  occupying. 

Once  in  early  day,  he  went  to  St.  Charles  with  an 
ox  team  to  get  provisions,  and  on  his  return  his  team 
gave  out.  He  remained  over  night  under  an  oak 
tree,  but  could  get  no  sleep,  as  he  had  to  stir  around 
continually  to  keep  from  freezing.  He  had  some 
beef  with  him  in  the  wagon,  and  the  wolves  were  near 
by,  howling  around,  all  night.  The  next  morning  he 
had  to  break  the  ice  to  get  his  team  over. 


*C 


•  -x  •> 


'•"'  ' 


OF  THE 
MHVERSfff  OF  HLHIfflS 


He  was  married  Oct.  27,  1842,  in  Union  Co., 
Ohio,  to  Miss  Ruth  Cary,  daughter  of  Ephraim  and 
Matilda  (Gandy)  Cary,  both  of  whom  died  in  that 
county,  the  former  Dec.  12,  1878,  and  the  latter  July 
21,  1855.  Mr.  Cary,  a  farmer,  was  born  April  9, 
1790,  in  Pennsylvania,  and  Mrs.  C.  Dec.  15,  1801. 
Mrs.  Wood  was  born  Sept.  24,  1825,  in  Madison  Co., 
Ohio,  and  was  two  years  old  when  her  parents 
moved  with  her  to  Marvin  Township,  Union  County, 
where  she  lived  until  her  marriage.  In  her  younger 
days  she  attained  great  skill  in  the  art  of  spinning, — 
flax  in  winter  and  wool  in  summer.  Would  often  do 
two  day's  work  in  one,  without  becoming  veiy  tired. 
Indeed,  she  followed  this[business  more  than  ordinary 
house-work. 

Of  her  seven  children,  only  one  is  deceased.  The 
names  of  all  and  dates  of  birth  are  as  follows :  John, 
Jan.  9,  1844;  Matilda  J.,  Dec.  5,  (845;  Phebe, 
April  21,  1848;  Mary  A.,  March  25,  1850,  and  died 
Dec.  23,  1880;  Elizabeth,  May  14,  1852;  Rhoda, 
Nov.  3,  1854;  and  Malinda  E.,  May  i,  1859. 

Mrs.  W.  is  a  member  of  the  Church  of  the  United 
Brethren,  as  was  also  her  husband,  and  in  his 
political  views  he  was  a  Republican.  The  landed 
estate  now  comprises  134  acres. 


.  orman  Preston,  farmer,  section  29,  Genoa 
Township,  is  a  native  citizen  of  the  place 
of  which  he  is  a  resident,  and  was  born 
Oct.  12,  1840.  His  parents,  Justus  and  Sina 
(Hall)  Preston,  were  natives  of  Connecticut  and 
became  pioneer  citizens  of  De  Kalb  County  in 
1836,  settling  in  Genoa  Township.  The  father  died 
there  June  2,  1847,  aged  53  years,  5  months  and  4 
days;  and  the  mother's  demise  took  place  Feb.  25, 
1869,  in  that  township.  She  was  aged  67  years  and 
and  26  days.  Their  children  were  named  Henry. 
Augustus,  Charles,  George,  Norman  and  Julia  E. 

Mr.  Preston  acquired  a  common-school  education 
and  remained  a  member  of  the  parental  household 
until  he  was  25  years  of  age,  when  he  was  married 
and  became  the  head  of  a  family,  settling  in  inde- 
pendent life  in  Genoa  Township.  Mrs.  Preston, 
formerly  Mary  A.  Hathaway,  was  born  in  the  State 


of  New  York,  March  4,  1846,  and  is  the  daughter  of 
Edwin  and  Millicent  (Rowley)  Hathaway,  who  had  /£ 
seven  children,  viz.:  Alonzo,  Lydia  J.,  Nathan  R.,  $ 
Mary  A.,  Alonzo  E.  and  Joel  B.  One  child  died  in  *f ' 
extreme  infancy,  and  also  Alonzo,  the  eldest  child,  is  . 
deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Preston  were  married  at  W- 
Sycamore,  Jan.  i,  1866.  They  have  one  child,  Sina 
M.,  born  Aug.  3r,  1872,  in  Genoa  Township.  Mr. 
Preston  is  identified  with  the  Republican  party  in 
political  views  and  connections. 

t 

& 


nry  H.  Gandy,  farmer,  section  10,  Cort- 
and  Township,  occupying  115  acres  on  the 
southwest  quarter,  was  born  in  Trumbull 
Co.,  Ohio,  April  16,  1810.  Both  his  parents 
were  natives  of  New  Jersey.  His  father,  H.  H., 
was  born  Feb.  24,  1768,  and  died  March  27, 
1849,  in  Union  Co.,  Ohio;  and  his  mother,  Sally, nee 
Harris,  was  born  Feb.  7,  1785,  and  died  Sept.  i, 
1846,  in  Union  Co.,  Ohio.  Mr.  G.'s  paternal  grand- 
father died  in  the  service  of  his  country  during  the 
Revolutionary  War,  in  a  hospital  at  Valley  Forge, 
and  his  maternal  grandfather  was  also  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary Army. 

When  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  only  two  years 
of  age  his  parents  removed  with  him  to  Madison  Co^ 
Ohio,  where  they  lived  18  or  19  years,  when  his  father 
bought  land  in  Union  County,  same  State,  moved  his 
family  there  and  lived  five  or  six  years.  Mr.  Gandy, 
of  this  sketch,  moved  to  this  township  when  he  was 
27  years  of  age,  arriving  on  the  very  anniversary  of 
his  birth-day,  in  the  spring  of  1837,  and  has  lived 
here  ever  since.  To  this  place  his  brother  George 
W.  had  preceded  him  in  the  fall  of  1835,  and  also 
his  brother-in-law,  Henry  Smith.  Isaac  Gandy,  a 
nephew,  was  also  here  :  he  has  since  died.  Only 
one  man  is  now  living  who  was  a  member  of  this  first 
settlement  on  this  side  of  the  Grove.  All  the  other 
settlements  at  that  time  were  in  the  timber. 

Mr.  Gandy  was  married  Sept.  12,  1833,  to  Lucinda 
Meacham,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Elizabeth  (Snow) 
Meacham.  Her  mother  was  born  in  1808,  and  died 
in  Windham  Co.,  Conn.  Mrs.  G.'s  father  was  born 
about  1772,  and  died  in  April,  1857,  also  in  Windham 


J 


County.  Mrs.  G.  was  born  Sept.  5,  1806,  in  the 
above  county,  probably  of  Puritan  English  descent. 
Of  the  seven  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gandy,  all  are 
living,  namely:  Joseph,  born  Nov.  i,  1834,  in  Union 
Co.,  Ohio;  Julia  A.,  Oct.  7,  1836,  same  county; 
Marcus,  March  8,  1839;  Jerusha,  Feb.  15,  1841; 
Matilda,  June  4,  1843;  Francis  M.,  June  27,  1845  ; 
and  Andrew  J.,  March  15,  1848.  The  last  five  were 
born  in  this  county. 

Mr.  G.  has  been  Assessor  tor  many  years,  and  has 
been  School  Director.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat. 

The  portrait  of  Mr.  Gandy,  accompanying  this 
sketch,  will  doubtless  be  welcomed  in  this  ALBUM  by 
the  people  of  De  Kalb  County,  and  accordingly  it  is 
with  great  pleasure  that  the  publishers  insert  it  in 
this  connection. 


<,enry  Lamson  Boies,  editor  of  the  True 
Republican,  published  at  Sycamore,  was 
born  July  5,  1830,  at  South  Hadley,  Mass  , 
and  is  the  son  of  Artemas  and  Susan  (Lamson) 
Boies.  In  the  paternal  line  of  descent  he  comes 
of  Huguenot  ancestry.  His  patronymic  also 
unmistakably  proclaims  his  French  origin  and  refers 
to  the  estates  which  his  earliest  progenitors  received 
•from  the  sovereigns  of  France.  By  the  persecution 
of  the  Huguenots  under  Cardinal  Richelieu  they 
were  driven  to  Scotland,  and,  enlisting  under  Crom- 
well, were  sent  to  Northern  Ireland,  from  which  as 
Scotch-Irish  they  emigrated  to  Massachusetts  about 
\  1680. 

\  Artemas  Boies,  the  father,  was  born  in  1792,  in 
Blandford,  Mass.  His  natural  abilities  and  educa- 
tion fitted  him  for  a  high  sphere  of  usefulness  and 
activity  and  he  became  a  clergyman  of  the  Congre- 
gational Church,  attaining  distinction  in  his  profes- 
sion and,  dying,  left  his  sons  the  heritage  of  the  name 
he  bore,  ennobled  by  a  life  of  stainless  integrity  and 
eminent  devotion  to  the  trusts  imposed  by  the  obli- 
gations of  his  ministry.  In  1835  he  moved  his 
family  and  interests  to  Boston,  and  five  years  later 
made  another  transfer  to  New  London,  Conn.,  where 
he  died  Sept.  20,  1845.  The  mother  was  born  in 
the  year  1800,  in  Keene,  N.  H.  In  her  widowhood 


she  returned  to  the  place  of  her  nativity  and  there 
passed  a  score  and  a  half  of  years,  dying  in  Septem- 
ber, 1876.  Mr.  Boies  was  the  parent  of  seven  chil- 
dren, four  of  whom  have  passed  to  the  mystic  realms 
of  the  life  beyond.  The  oldest  surviving  son,  Will- 
iam E.  Boies,  is  his  father's  mantle-bearer,  and  has 
been  a  clergyman  of  the  Congregational  Church  for 
a  period  of  years  extending  nearly  to  the  time  of  his 
father's  demise.  He  resides  at  Long  Meadow,  Mass. 
Lauretta  M.  is  the  youngest  living  child,  and  resides 
at  Rye,  N.  Y. 

Mr.  Boies  of  this  sketch  inherited  the  consumptive 
tendencies  of  his  family.  He  had  been  trained  in- 
tellectually with  much  care  in  his  boyhood  and 
youth,  and  at  20  was  seized  with  pulmonary  hemor- 
rhage. Change  from  the  severe  climate  of  New  En- 
gland was  necessary,  and  he  passed  the  winter  of 
1850  in  the  Azores,  receiving  benefit  in  more  than 
one  respect,  and  returning  to  America  by  the  way  of 
Liverpool  and  London.  He  went  to  Charleston,  S. 
C.,  to  pass  the  winter  following  and  taught  school  a 
year  in  the  Palmetto  State.  His  health  had  improved 
so  much  that  he  returned  North  with  renewed  cour- 
age to  engage  in  business.  In  1852  he  bought  an 
interest  in  a  gunpowder  factory  at  Catskill,  N.  Y. 
Three  months  later  he  was  again  in  the  toils  of  his 
former  disease,  and  he -decided  on  a  change  of  cli- 
mate and  a  career  which  would  give  him  the  benefit 
of  open  air.  With  this  view  he  came  to  De  Kalb 
Co.,  111.,  in  1854,  and  became  the  proprietor  of  a 
farm  situated  in  the  town  of  South  Grove.  In  1858 
he  located  at  Sycamore.  He  now  owns  20  acres  of 
land  within  the  corporation  of  Sycamore,  and  also  a 
farm  of  320  acres  in  Hand  Co.,  Dak.  He  platted 
Boies' First  Addition  to  Sycamore  in  1865.  In  1871 
he  laid  out  a  second  addition,  and  a  third  in  1876. 
In  1858,  associated  with  John  R.  Hamlin,  he  initi- 
ated the  project  which  resulted  in  the  construction  of 
the  Sycamore  &  Cortland  Railroad,  connecting  with 
one  of  the  main  routes  of  the  Chicago  &  North- 
western Railway  and  now  the  property  of  that  cor- 
poration. In  1863  Mr.  Boies  became  connected  with 
the  True  Republican,  and  in  1865  became  its  editor. 
It  is  one  of  the  leading  journals  of  the  county.  He 
is  also  the  author  of  "Boies'  History  of  De  Kalb 
County,"  a  valuable  compilation  for  purposes  of  sta- 
tistical reference,  which  was  published  in  r 

Mr.  Boies  has  been  a  valuable  and  important  fac- 


k 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


tor  in  the  development  of  Sycamore.  His  enterprise 
and  public  spirit  have  added  greatly  to  the  rate  of 
progress  of  this  section,  and  he  is  widely  known  and 
justly  esteemed  in  all  his  private  and  public  rela- 
tions. He  obtained  the  appointment  of  Postmaster 
at  Sycamore  and  officiated  four  years.  His  latest 
public  service  was  in  1870,  when  he  was  appointed 
Secretary  of  the  Illinois  State  Senate. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Boies  to  Harriet  S.  Holmes 
took  place  Feb.  9,  1858,  at  Springfield,  Mass.  Mrs. 
Boies  is  the  daughter  of  Alexander  and  Margaret 
(Rumrill)  Holmes,  and  is  a  native  of  Sherburne,  N. 
Y.  Edward  Irving,  oldest  son,  was  born  Feb.  20, 
1860,  and  is  assistant  editor  of  the  True  Republican. 
Charles  Artemas  was  born  Jan.  3,  1863,  and  is  a 
farmer  in  Hand  Co.,  Dak.  Lucy  M.  was  born  Feb. 
3,  1865. 


^rasmus  D.  Walrod,  a  pioneer  of  De  Kalb 
County,  was  born  June  16,  1816,  at  Oak 
Hill,  Montgomery  Co.,  N.  Y.  His  parents, 
Peter  W.  and  Mary  (Wayt)  Walrod,  as  well  as 
his  grandparents,  were  born  in  the  State  of 
New  York,  but  the  stock  from    which  they  de- 
scended originated  in  Germany. 

The  parents  of  Mr.  Walrod  removed  to  Wyoming 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  when  he  was  seven  years  of  age,  his 
father  buying  a  farm  in  Eagle  Township.  (The 
municipality  was  then  Allegany  County,  which  was 
afterward  divided  and  Wyoming  County  formed.)  In 
1835  the  family  set  out  for  Illinois,  bringing  with 
them  all  their  household  effects  in  two  wagons  drawn 
by  horses.  Mr.  Walrod  was  then  19  years  of  age 
and  drove  three  horses  attached  to  a  heavy  wagon. 
In  crossing  the  Black  Swamp  in  Ohio,  they  were 
obliged  to  double  teams  with  other -immigrants  in 
order  to  ford  the  mud  into  which  the  wagon  wheels 
sunk  to  their  hflbs.  The  transit  consumed  six  weeks. 
On  arrival  in  De  Kalb  County  the  father  and  older 
brother  located  at  Union  Grove  in  De  Kalb  Town- 
ship, or  what  is  now  thus  designated,  the  date  of 
their  location  preceding  the  Government  survey. 
The  father  and  two  oldest  sons  each  secured  a 
claim  on  which  log  cabins  had  been  erected,  which 


they  occupied,  and  made  puncheon  for  doors,  floors 
and  tables.  The  senior  Walrod  retained  ownership 
of  his  claim  about  three  years,  when  he  sold  and  ob- 
tained one  in  what  is  now  the  township  of  Sycamore. 
He  built  a  log  house,  entered  vigorously  upon  the 
improvement  of  the  property,  and  died  upon  his 
homestead,  in  1844.  The  mother  died  in  1856. 
They  were  the  parents  of  nine  children. 

Mr.  Walrod  is  next  to  the  youngest  in  order  of 
birth.  As  soon  as  he  arrived  in  De  Kalb  County  he 
made  a  claim  in  Mayfield  Township,  which  was 
"jumped"  from  him,  and  he  secured  another  by 
purchase  from  his  brother  in  the  same  township, 
built  a  log  house  and  took  possession.  In  1839  he 
sold  the  property  for  $1,050  and  bought  a  claim  of 
L.  D.  Walrod  situated  on  section  32  in  Sycamore 
Township,  a  part  of  which  is  now  included  within  the 
limits  of  the  city.  This  was  previous  to  its  coming 
into  market,  and  when  the  opportunity  for  securing 
his  patent  arrived  he  borrowed  money  and  made  the 
entry  according  to  the  regulations  made  and  pro- 
vided. With  the  exception  of  a  period  of  seven  years 
this  estate  has  since  been  his  residence.  In  1850 
Mr.  Walrod  made  an  overland  journey  to  California, 
which  occupied  four  months  and  three  days.  The 
party  were  well  provisioned  and  spent  their  nights  in 
camp.  The  route  would  have  been  made  in  entire 
comfort  but  for  having  overtaken  three  men  without 
provisions,  with  whom  they  divided,  which  necessi- 
tated rationing  the  entire  party.  Mr.  Walrod  re- 
mained two  years  in  the  Golden  State  and  returned 
by  the  isthmus  route  to  New  York,  coming  again  to 
Sycamore,  where  his  family  had  remained  during  his 
absence. 

Mr.  Walrod  was  married  Aug.  i,  1839,  to  Melintha 
Powell,  a  daughter  of  Rachel  and  Ruth  (Pierce) 
Powell.  Her  father  was  born  in  England  and  was 
married  after  his  emigration  to  America,  her  mother 
being  of  Massachusetts  origin.  Mrs.  Walrod  was 
born  in  the  township  of  Perinton,  Monroe  Co.,  N.  Y., 
Nov.  9,  1817.  Her  father  died  while  she  was  an 
infant,  and  her  mother  afterwards  became  the  wife  of 
James  Cartwright.  The  family  migrated  in  1837  to 
Illinois  and  located  at  Union  Grove  in  De  Kalb 
County.  The  land  included  in  the  claim  which  Mr. 
Cartwright  entered  is  now  the  county  poor  farm  and 
under  the  finest  class  of  improvements.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Walrod  have  but  one  surviving  child,  Walter 


D.,  born  March  13,  1843.  He  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  Sycamore,  and  has  been  twice  mar- 
ried. Mary  (Wntkins)  Walrod  died  three  years  after 
marriage,  leaving  one  child,  Willie  E.  W.  D.  Wal- 
rod married  Amanda  Denmark  for  his  second  wife, 
and  they  have  four  children, — Malintha,  George, 
Lewis  and  Walter.  Ransom  G.,  the  eldest  child  of 
E.  D.  Walrod,  was  born  Oct.  30,  1840.  He  was  ed- 
ucated at  Princeton,  Bureau  Co.,  111.,  his  health  fail- 
ing while  at  school,  and  he  died  Aug.  15,  1857. 
Edward  died  in  infancy.  George  C.  was  born  Aug. 
23,  1849.  He  attained  to  a  fine  degree  of  scholarly 
advancement  and  was  graduated  at  a  commercial 
college  in  Chicago,  and'afterward  engaged  in  teach- 
ing. He  died  Feb.  9, 1875.  James  R.  died  in  infancy. 


'lea  C.  Pond,  member  of  the  firm  of 
Warren  &  Pond,  dealers  in  watches,  clocks, 
jewelry,  plated  ware  and  musical  instru- 
ments, at  Sycamore,  was  born  Dec.  24,  1856, 
in  the  towi.ship  of  Sycamore.  His  father, 
Americus  H.  Pond,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania, 
and  came  to  Sycamore  abo.it  1850,  where  he  married 
Amy  Hollenbeck.  They  have  five  children  :  Emily 
E.  is  the  wife  of  D.  S.  Brown,  a  banker  at  Genoa ;  C. 
C.  was  born  next  in  order;  William  L.  is -an  attorney 
at  De  Kalb;  Harry  A.  is  a  farmer  on  the  family 
homestead!;  and  Lizzie  is  the  youngest. 

Mr.  Pond  became  a  teacher  at  the  age  of  20  years, 
and  continued  in  the  pursuit  of  that  vocation  until 
the  spring  of  1882,  operating  in  this  county  continu- 
ously, with  the  exception  of  one  term,  when  he 
taught  at  Laddonia,  Audrain  Co.,  Mo.  In  April  of 
the  year  named,  he  entered  into  the  partnership 
known  as  Pond  &  Bacon,  in  the  sale  of  jewelry,  the 
business  of  that  firm  continuing  until  March  3,  when 
he  purchased  Mr.  Bacon's  interest,  and  on  the  2oth 
of  March,  1884,  Mr.  Pond  consolidated  his  business 
relations  with  those  of  George  O.  Warren.  They  are 
managing  a  prosperous  enterprise,  one  of  the  largest 
in  the  line  in  the  county.  Mr.  Pond  belongs  to  the 
order  known  as  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 

He  was  married  Sept.  30,  1880,  at  Sycamore,  to 
Etta,  daughter  of  Edmond  B.  and  Susan  Sivwright 


Harned,  and  they  have  one  child,  Ethel  C.,  born  2? 
Jan.  30,  1883.  Mrs.  Pond  was  born  Dec.  7,  1858,  <f 
in  the  township  of  Mayfield. 


ndrew  H.   Olmstead,  farmer,   section    17  > 
Genoa  Township,  is  the  son  of  Caleb  and 
imantha  (Wager)  Olmstead,  whose  biograph-   I 
ical  notice  appears  on  another  page.     He  was  (5 
born  Jan.    12,   1836,  in   Delaware  Co  ,  N.  Y.  / 
His  parents  came  to  De  Kalb  County  in  1846, 
and  he  has  been  a  resident  of   Genoa    Township 
since  he  was  10  years  of  age,  with  the  exception  of 
several  months  in  1874,  which  he  spent  in  travel  in 
Colorado  and  California  for  the  benefit  of  his  health. 
He  is  one  of  the  leading  agriculturists  of  his  town-  ( 
ship,  where  he  owns  nearly  1,000  acres  of  land,  all  ^ 
under  improvements.    His  stock  includes  an  average  ^ 
of  150  head  of  cattle,  10  horses,  and  he  fattens  for  r= 
market  about  75  hogs  yearly. 

He  was  married  Dec.  29,  1859,  in  Genoa  Town-  e= 
ship  to  Rebecca  J.  Eiklor,  and   they  have  been  the  5 
parents  of  three  children, — Cora  M.,  born   June  6,  < 
1866;    Ada  M.,  Sept.  13,  1869;    and  Effie  R.,  Jan. 
15,  1879.     The  latter  died  when  two  years  and  four 
months  old.     Mrs.  Olmstead  was  born  Aug.  30, 1844, 
in  Erie  Co.,  Ohio.     She  is  the  daughter  of  Frederick 
and  Jeannette  Eiklor,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of 
Ohio.     Mr.   Olmstead  is  a  Republican   by  principle 
and  inheritance  and  has  held  several  local  offices. 


ells  G.  Chamberlain,  of  the  firm  of  Whit- 
temore,  Chamberlain  &  Co  ,  at  Sycamore, 
was  born  July  27,  1837,  in  Williamstown, 
Mass.  Emery  Chamberlain,  his  father,  was 
fanner  and  was  born  in  Connecticut,  Dec. 
791.  His  death  occurred  Feb.  u,  1876. 
The  mother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  Mary 
(Brownell)  Chamberlain,  was  born  in  May,  1794,  in 
Vermont,  and  died  Feb.  T3,  1871.  Their  marriage 
took  place  in  1810,  and  the  period  of  their  lives 
gether  embraced  60  years  and  10  months.  Eight  of^ 
their  13  children  are  now  living  (r884).  Mary,  tli 


..-'  i    V><.  / 


COUNTY. 


wife  of  R.  Starkus  Buckley,  died  in  Little  Rock,  Ark. 
Betsey  died  in  youth.  Laura  married  Charles  Gard- 
ner, and  they  went  to  the  Indian  Territory,  where 
Mr.  Gardner  was  a  teacher  among  the  Choctaw  In- 
dians, in  the  employment  of  the  United  States  Gov- 
ernment. William  Gardner,  their  son,  was  the  first 
white  child  born  in  the  Territory.  Mr.  Gardner  is  now 
teacher  in  the  city  of  New  York,  where  his  wife  died. 
Porter  E.  is  a  retired  farmer,  resident  at  Rockford, 
111.  Emmeline  is  the  widow  of  Dr.  Sherwood,  of 
Chicago.  Thomas  M.  is  a  retired  farmer  living  at 
Belvidere,  111.  Lucy  is  the  wife  of  F.  Sanderson,  a 
merchant  tailor  of  Beloit,  Wis.  Henry  M.  entered 
the  Union  army  and  returned  thence  to  Madison, 
Wis.,  where  he  died.  Warner  E.  is  a  farmer  in  Ash- 
land, Minn.  Jane  S.  married  L.  M.  Van  Buren,  M. 
D.,  of  Spirit  Lake,  Iowa.  Kate  died  at  Williams- 
town,  Mass.,  when  she  was  19  years  old. 

Mr.  Chamberlain  is  the  next  in  order  of  birth. 
When  he  was  16  years  of  age  his  father's  family  re- 
moved to  Beloit,  Wis.,  and  he  was  placed  at  the 
Mills  Boarding  School  for  boys  at  South  Williams- 
town,  where  he  was  a  student  two  years.  He  went 
to  Beloit  and  became  a  clerk  in  the  hardware  store  of 
A.  P.  Waterman  and  continued  in  that  employment 
two  years,  after  which  he  was  occupied  as  an  as- 
sistant on  his  father's  farm  until  he  reached  his 
majority. 

Mr.  Chamberlain  celebrated  his  attaining  to  man's 
estate  by  his  marriage  Aug.  19,  1858,  to  Emily  A., 
daughter  of  Clark  and  Sally  Giles.  She  was  born 
Nov.  1 6, 1841,  in  Farmersville,  CattaraugusCo.,N.  Y. 
Six  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cham- 
berlain, five  of  whom  are  still  living.  Mark  was  born 
Oct.  29,  1861,  and  is  a  carpenter  and  machinist, 
resident  at  Sycamore.  Clark  was  born  Aug.  30, 
1864,  and  died  April  5,  1865.  Myrtie  was  born  Dec. 
25,  1865;  Mary,  Aug.  23,  1870;  Grace,  Nov.  17, 
1874;  Fenton,  Dec.  7,  1877. 

In  the  fall  of  1866  Mr.  Chamberlain  bought  a  farm 
in  the  township  of  South  Grove,  De  Kalb  County, 
consisting  of  80  acres  situated  on  section  16,  where 
the  family  resided  six  years,  the  proprietor  being  oc- 
cupied in  the  improvement  and  cultivation  of  his 
property.  In  1872  he  rented  the  farm  and  removed 
to  Sycamore.  In  1875  he  sold  the  place  and  entered 
the  hardware  store  of  Warren  &  Ellwood  as  a  sales- 
man. A  year  later  the  proprietors  sold  their  inter- 
ests to  Harkness  &  Whittemore,  who  conducted  the 


establishment  until  1878,  when  Mr.  Chamberlain 
became  a  partner  by  the  purchase  of  an  interest, 
and  the  firm  style  became  Whittemore,  Chamberlain 
&  Co.  Their  establishment  is  one  of  the  largest  in 
the  line  of  hardware,  and  all  branches  commonly 
connected  therewith,  in  the  county,  and  they  also 
have  a  jobbing  department.  Their  business  requires 
one  general  assistant  and  two  tinners. 


obert   Holland,   farmer  on  the  southeast 


quarter  of  section  32,  and  north  half  of  the 
northeast   quarter  of  section  33,  Cortland 
Township,  was  born  in  Fermanagh,  Ireland, 
March  26,  1815.     His  parents,  Thomas  and 
Ellen  (Graham)  Holland,  passed  all  their  life 
in  their  native  land,  Ireland.     At  the  age  of  23  or  24 
Mr.  Robert  Holland  left  his  native  land,  where  he 
was  brought  up  on  a  farm  and  obtained  a  limited 
education  in  a  boys'  school,  and  came  to  the  "land  *^- 
of  opportunity,"  in  a  sail  vessel,  landing  at  New  York  5? 
in  May,  1839.     He  first  labored  for  three  months  in  •&• 
a  brick-yard  at  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.,  then  a  year  for  = 
a    hotel-keeper   in    the   country  near   by  (Dutchess^' 
County) ;    next,  he  followed    manual  labor   for  five 
years,  farming  and  gardening,  in  the  town  of  Rich- 
field, Fairfield  Co.,  Conn.;  then  for  nine  years  more 
he  worked  by  the  day  and  followed  ox-teaming,  in 
the  same  town;    and  finally,  in   1854,  he  came  to 
Kaneville,  this  State,  purchased  80  acres  of  land, 
and  began  to  make  a  home.     Finding  a  few  tempor- 
ary improvements  on   the  place,  he   extended  theml 
and  rendered  the  place  more  valuable  for  ten  years, |  X 
when  he  sold  it  and  bought  his   present  farm  of  240! 
acres.     It  also  was  partly  improved  when  he  took 
possession  of  it,  and  he  has  raised  its  value  from  $30 
to  $65  per  acre.     He  lias  enlarged  the  dwelling,  and 
now  has  a  good  frame  house ;  also  a  good  grain   and 
stock  barn  and  all  the  necessary  out-buildings. 

Mr.  Holland  was  married  June  28,  1843,  in  Ridge-i 
field,  Conn.,  to  Miss  Grace,  daughter  of  Thomas  S. 
and  Emily  (Gilbert)  Keeler.     Mrs.  H.'s  parents  died.  8 
in  Connecticut,  her  father  a  little  over  40  years  of/j 
age  and  her  mother  at  the  age  of  62.     One  of  her* 
grandfathers  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier, 
dren  have  been  born  in  the  family  of  Mr.  Holland 
viz.:  Thomas,  April  28,  1846;  George,  May  31,  184 

— s^^r: *»|)@S^ 


2«»^ 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


X£  Nathan  G.,  Aug.  8,  1852;  Elizabeth  J.,  April  22, 1859; 

'A  and  Ellen,  July  28,  1844,  who  died  Oct.  24,  1867,011 

$  '9  the  homestead.  Elizabeth  was  born  in  Kaneville, 
1  111.,  the  rest  in  Ridgefield,  Conn. 

A.  Mr.  H.  is  a  Republican  and  has  been  Road  Over- 
seer, and  Mrs.  H.  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church. 


eorge  O.  Warren,  of  the  firm  of  Warren  & 
Pond,  jewelers,  at  Sycamore,  was  born  July 
2,  1853,  in  Allegany  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  is  the 
son  of  Luke  A.  and  Ursula  (Foster)  Warren. 
He  is  one  of  a  family  of  eight  children,  seven 
of  whom  are  living.  William  H.  is  a  gauger 
by  profession,  and  resides  in  Dakota.  Mary  L.  is 
the  wife  of  J.  E.  Southworth  and  lives  at  Santa 
Clara,  Cal.  Sarah  E.  married  Arthur  E.  Wilbur, 
of  Clinton,  Iowa.  Alta  R.  is  the  wife  of  William 
Campbell,  a  farmer  near  Mason,  Michigan.  Michael 
F.  is  a  jeweler  in  De  Kalb.  John  F.  is  a  dealer  in 
fruits  and  vegetables  at  Galveston,  Texas.  George 
O.  was  born  next  in  order.  Abi  died  Feb.  2,  1858, 
aged  21  months.  In  1864  the  family  settled  in  Ful- 
ton, Whiteside  Co.,  111.,  and  resided  there  about  two 
years,  going  thence  to  Ogle  Co.,  111.,  where  they 
lived  until  the  spring  of  1871.  At  that  date  the 
father  bought  50  acres  of  land  in  Cortland  Township, 
De  Kalb  County,  of  which  he  retained  possession  10 
years.  In  1882  he  sold  the  farm  and  the  parents 
removed  to  Sycamore. 

Mr.  Warren  began  the  acquisition  of  the  details  of 
his  profession  when  he  was  18  years  of  age,  at  Buda, 
111.,  continuing  there  about  a  year,  when  he  came  to 
Sycamore  and  entered  the  jewelry  establishment  of 
his  brother,  Michael  F.,  and  operated  under  his  su- 
pervision until  the  fall  of  1874,  when,  associated  with 
his  brother-in-law,  J.  E.  Southworth,  he  opened  a 
jewelry  store  in  a  part  of  the  building  now  occupied 
by  Ellwood  &  Sivwright.  Mr.  Southworth  became 
sole  proprietor  of  the  business  nearly  two  years  later, 
and  Mr.  Warren  purchased  another  stock  of  goods 
and  founded  a  business  in  the  same  line,  which  he 
conducted  about  eight  years.  March  20,  1884,  he 
and  his  present  partner,  C.  C.  Pond,  consolidated 
their  stocks  and  have  since  conducted  a  joint  busi-' 


a 


ness,  which  they  are  rriai. aging  with  success  and  sat- 
isfaction to  the  public.  They  trade  in  watches,  clocks 
jewelry,  table  and  pocket  cutlery,  optical  goods  and 
musical  instruments.  Mr.  Warren  is  a  member  of 
the  order  of  Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 

Hrs  wife  was  formerly  Jennie  C.  Smith,  to  whom 
he  was  married  Jan.  13,  1875.  She  was  born  March 
6,  1854,  near  Detroit,  and  is  the  adopted  daughter  of 
Spafford  and  Eliza  Smith,  of  Sycamore.  One  son, 
SpafFord  S.,  has  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Warren. 
They  are  members  of  the  Baptist  Church. 


emuel  C.  Harris,  farmer,  section  27,  Genoa 
Township,  was  born  May  26,  1832,  in 
Genesee  Co.,  N.  Y.  His  father,  John 
Harris,  was  also  born  in  the  same  State,  Jan. 
13,  1784,  and  married  Irena  Curtis,  a  native  of 
Vermont.  After  their  marriage  they  settled  in 
the  Empire  State,  coming  West  later  in  life  and  set- 
tling in  Oakland  Co.,  Mich.  The  father  died  there 
Dec.  29,  1839.  The  mother  died  in  Genoa  Town- 
ship in  the  fall  of  1865.  They  had  four  children,— 
Paulina,  Philo,  Sina  and  Lemuel  C. 

Mr.  Harris  came  to  Michigan  with  his  parents 
when  he  was  but  two  years  of  age.  In  1844  he  came 
to  Boone  Co.,  111.,  and  lived  with  his  uncle,  Philo 
Curtis,  under  whose  charge  he  remained  four  years. 
He  then  opened  an  independent  career  for  himself, 
engaging  as  a  farm  assistant  and  working  by  the 
month  seven  years.  He  came  to  De  Kalb  County 
in  1851  and  bought  a  farm  in  Genoa  Township, 
where  he  settled  and  resided  two  years.  He  then 
exchanged  his  estate  for  a  farm  of  120  acres  in  the 
same  Township,  where  he  established  his  homestead. 
The  place  is  wholly  under  improvements.  Mr. 
Harris  is  a  Republican  in  political  bias  and  supports 
the  issues  of  the  party.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 

The  first  marriage  of  Mr.  Harris  occurred  at  Syca- 
more, Jan.  i,  1855,  when  Caroline  C.  Durham  be- 
came his  wife,  and  of  their  union  three  children  were 
born:  Edgar  D.,  May  14,  1857;  Edna  C.,  Dec.  31, 
1860;  and  Caroline,  Oct.  28,  1864.  The  latter  died 
when  six  weeks  old.  The  decease  of  the  mother 


DE  KALE   COUNTY. 


occurred  Nov.  21,  1864.  Nov.  24,  1868,  Mr.  Harris 
was  a  second  time  married,  to  Mary  E.  Stark,  at 
Belviderc.  She  was  born  in  the  township  of  Syca- 
more, Jan.  i,  1845.  Her  parents,  Marshall  and 
Louisa  (Tyler)  Stark,  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania 
and  in  1835  settled  in  the  township  of  Sycamore, 
where  her  father  died  Dec.  26,  1882.  Their  ten  chil- 
dren were  named  Herman,  Martha,  Mary,  Jefferson, 
Henry,  Theron,  Ada,  Ella,  Emma  and  Hattie.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Harris  have  one  child,  Jefferson  S.,  born 
March  3,  1870. 


liel  T.  Lane,  farmer  on  the  southwest 
quarter  of  section  21,  Cortland  Township, 
where  he  has  40  acres,  was  born  in  San- 
bornton,  Belknap  Co.,  N.  H.,  June  6,  1825. 
His  father,  Simeon  Lane,  was  a  farmer,  and  died 
in  New  Hampshire,  aged  75  years.  His  mother, 
Huldah,  nee  Robinson,  died  also  in  that  State,  at  the 
age  of  59  years. 

The  latter  lived  in  his  native  State  until  25  years 
of  age,  on  a  farm,  working  by  the  month  the  several 
years  of  this  period.  In  1850  he  came  West  and  lo- 
cated in  St.  Charles,  Kane  Co.,  111.,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  manual  labor  by  the  day  for  seven  years  or 
more.  He  then  went  to  Warrenville,  Du  Page  Co., 
111.,  and  rented  a  farm  two  or  three  years;  then 
rented  a  farm  near  St.  Charles  for  a  year.  By  this 
time  the  need  of  the  nation  for  soldiers  became  so 
great  that  Mr.  Lane  concluded  to  risk  his  life  in  the 
Union  cause.'  In  August,  r862,  therefore,  he  en- 
listed, in  Co.  E,  1 27th  111.  Vol.  Inf.,  Captain  Gillett, 
Colonel  Van  Arman,  in  the  I5th  Army  Corps,  under 
Gen.  John  A.  Logan.  He  took  part  in  five  battles, 
— two  at  Vicksburg,  and  one  each  at  Little  Rock, 
Resaca  and  Dallas  (Ga.), — in  which  last  he  was 
wounded,  May  7,  1864,  by  a  minie  ball  that  grazed 
the  top  of  his  "head.  He  then  went  into  the  conva- 
lescent camp  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  where  he  did  duty 
until  he  was  discharged. 

Returning  to  Warrenville,  he  was  on  a  farm  for 
three  years,  when  he  sold  the  place  and  took  posses- 
sion of  his  present  farm.  Here  he  first  had  80  acres, 
but  has  since  sold  half  the  place.  He  is  a  Republi- 
can in  his  political  views,  but  neither  he  nor  Mrs.  L. 
is  a  member  of  any  Church. 


He  was  first  married  June  i,  1853,  to  Sarah  Per- 
vere.  Her  parents,  George  and  Hannah  Pervere, 
both  died  in  the  Old  Granite  State.  She  was  born 
Sept.  24,  1830,  and  died  April  12,  1856,  leaving  one 
child,  Luella,  who  was  born  July  31,  1854,  in  St. 
Charles,  111.  Mr.  Lane  was  married  a  second  time 
Sept.  19,  1858,  in  Warrenville,  111.,  to  Miss  Helen 
Pelham,  daughter  of  George  and  Louisa  (Hovenden) 
Pelham,  natives  of  England.  Her  father  was  born 
March  19,  1809,  and  died  Jan.  27,  1884;  her  mother, 
born  Dec.  28,  1809,  is  still  living,  in  Warrenville, 
with  a  son.  They,  with  a  family  of  six  children, 
emigrated  to  Huron  Co.,  Ohio,  in  the  winter  of  1841, 
just  after  the  death  of  one  of  their  children.  After 
residing  in  the  latter  place  three  years  they  came  to 
Warrenville,  locating  upon  a  farm  he  purchased  in 
the  vicinity.  Mrs.  Lane  was  born  July  29,  1833,  in 
England,  and  was  eight  years  old  when  the  family 
emigrated  to  this  country.  Her  parents  came  here 
poor,  but  by  frugality  they  in  time  accumulated  a 
handsome  amount  of  property.  Mr.  Pelham,  by  his 
death,  left  a  large  circle  of  mourning  friends.  He 
had  led  a  noble  Christian  life. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lane's  children  are  the  following  : 
George  S.,  born  Jan.  7,  1860;  Albert  M.,  Aug.  26, 
1861  ;  Huldah  L.,  Feb.  14,  1863,  died  March  21, 
following,  and  was  buried  in  her  grandfather's  door- 
yard  in  Warrenville;  Lillian  B.,  Sept.  4,  1866;  and 
Henry  I.,  Aug.  28,  1870.  The  first  two  and  the 
fourth  were  born  in  Warrenville;  Huldah  L.  was 
born  in  Wheaton,  111.,  and  the  last  in  Cortland  Town- 
ship, at  the  present  place  of  residence. 


arry  Ewing,  photographer  at  Sycamore,  was 
born  Jan.  31,  1858,  in  New  Brighton,  Beaver 
Co.,  Pa.,  and  is  the  son  of  Ebenezer  and  Sarah 
C.  (Bechtel)  Ewing.  His  parents  were  natives 
of  Pennsylvania,  and  later  in  life  removed  to 
Galesburg,  111.,  where  his  father  died,  in  1880. 
His  (Harry's)  mother  is  still  living  there.  Their  four 
children  are  living:  Ella  married  Leon  Simon,  a 
druggist  of  Chicago ;  Frances  and  Mattie  are  the  two 
youngest. 

Mr.  Ewing  is  the  eldest.     He  passed  his  youth  in 
the  common  schools,  and  in  1876  began  to  fit  himself_ 
A    r^,  >m^M>.<ii!^ 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


ffor  his  business  at  Galesburg,  with  Z.  P.  McMillen. 
under  whose  instructions  he  operated  two  years,  and 
^  afterward  was  connected  two  years  with  C.  A.  Winsor 
of  the  same  place.  Going  thence  to  Marshalltown, 
he  operated  two  years  and' came  thence  to  Sycamore 
in  May,  1881.  He  became  an  employee  of  G.  W. 
Taylor,  photographer, and  after  six  months  purchased 
the  establishment  where  he  had  been  employed  and 
is  still  engaged  in  its  management.  Many  of  the 
portraits  in  this  ALBUM  are  reproduced  from  photo- 
graphs taken  by  him. 

He  was  married  at  Sycamore,  March  15,    1883,  to 
Nellie,  daughter  of  Azel  and  Mary  (Shurtleff)  Stone. 


l\ 


I  She  was  born  June  22,  1859,  at  Kenosha,  Wis.  They 
have  one  child,  Arthur  Stone,  born  Dec.  18,  1884, 
at  Sycamore. 


h 


ilium  King,  farmer,  section  34,  Genoa 
Township,  was  born  June  5,  1817,  in 
Essex  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  is  the  son  of  Reuben 
and  Roxana  (De  Wolf)  King.  His  parents 
were  natives  of  Massachusetts,  where  they 
resided  some  years  after  their  marriage,  and 
subsequently  removed  to  the  State  of  New  York. 
On  their  emigration  to  De  Kalb  County  they  located 
in  Genoa  Township,  going  later  to  pass  the  last 
years  of  their  lives  with  a  daughter  in  Kane  Co.,  111., 
and  there  died. 

Mr.  King  is  next  the  youngest  in  order  of  birth  of 
ii  children  born  to  his  parents.  He  lived  in  his 
native  county  until  he  was  19  years  of  age,  when  he 
went  to  Trumbull  Co.,  Ohio,  and  there  he  maintained 
a  residence  until  1849,  the  date  of  his  removal  to 
the  State  of  Illinois.  He  settled  in  Genoa  Township, 
where  he  has  been  a  citizen  since,  with  the  exception 
of  two  years  which  he  passed  in  Nebraska.  He  is  a 
Republican  in  political  connection  and  accepts  the 
tenets  of  the  party.  He  has  held  several  of  the 
minor  local  official  positions. 

He  was  first  married  to  Hannah  (Dowd)  Miller, 
widow  of  William  Miller,  in  Trumbull  Co.,  Ohio. 
She  bore  him  five  children, — Nelson,  Alva  D.,  Alfred, 
Melvin  and  Emma.  The  mother  was  a  native  of 
New  York,  and  died  in  the  township  of  Sycamore, 
2,  1877.  Mr.  King  was  married  the  second 


time  June  3,  1877,  in  Genoa  Township,  to  Harriet  L., 
daughter  of  Joseph  and  Julia  A.  (Haskins)  Dano. 
Herbert,  Keuben  and  Justin  are  the  names  of  the 
children  born  of  the  second  marriage.  Mrs.  King 
was  born  Jan.  3,  1856,  in  Leeds  Co.,  Ont.  Her  par- 
ents were  born  in  the  State  of  New  York,  and  after 
their  marriage  settled  in  the  Dominion  of  Canada, 
where  her  father  died.  Her  mother  lives  at  Syca- 
more. 


eorge  M.  Sivwright,  of  the  firm  of  Ell- 
wood  &  Sivwright,  grocers,  etc.,  at  Syca- 
more, was  born  Dec.  2,  1837,  in  Cornwallis, 
Kings  Co.,  N.  S.,  and  is  the  son  of  James  M. 
and  Prudence  (Eaton)  Sivwright.  His  father 
was  born  in  Windsor,  N.  S.,  Feb.  20, 1804,  and 
began  his  business  life  as  a  tanner  and  boot  and  shoe 
manufacturer  at  Cornwallis,  where  he  operated  until 
he  removed  his  family  to  Sycamore  in  1844.  He 
became  a  landholder  in  the  township  of  Mayfield, 
De  Kalb  County,  and  died  on  the  homestead,  Dec. 
24,  1878.  George's  mother  was  born  in  1807,  in 
Cornwallis,  N.  S.,  and  died  at  the  home  of  her 
youngest  son  in  Sycamore,  Nov.  25,  1881.  Five  of 
their  seven  children  are  living.  David  L.  resides  in 
Hutchinson,  Me  Leod  Co.,  Minn.,  is  a  farmer  and 
farrier  and  ex-Sheriff  of  the  county  where  he  resides, 
is  a  man  of  wealth  and  position  and  a  decided  Re- 
publican. Susan  H.  married  E.  B.  Harned,  a  farmer 
in  the  township  of  Sycamore  and  owning  an  extensive 
tract  of  land.  Eunice  died  in  the  i7th  year  of  her 
life.  George  M.  is  the  next  in  order  of  birth.  Alex- 
ander is  a  traveling  salesman  in  the  interests  of  the 
Marsh-Whitney  Binder  Company.  Wentworth  E. 
is  a  clerk  'in  a  hardware  store  at  Sycamore.  James 
L.  resides  on  the  homestead  in  Mayfield  Township. 
William  Wells  is  deceased. 

Mr.  Sivwright  was  seven  years  of  age  when  his 
parents  located  in  De  Kalb  County,  and  he  was 
brought  up  on  the  farm.  On  arriving  at  man's  estate 
he  became  the  proprietor  of  120  acres  of  land  in  the 
township  of  Mayfield,  and  was  actively  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits  until  1872.  In  that  year  he 
accepted  a  position  as  conductor  on  the  Sycamore  & 
Cortland  Railroad  and  officiated  six  years.  On  the 
termination  of  that  engagement  he  traveled  some 

-^g^ 


DE  KALJ3  COUNTY. 


months  as  collector  of  the  R.  Ellwood  Manufacturing 
Company.  He  acceded  to  a  half  interest  in  the 
business  in  which  he  is  engaged  in  March,  1881, 
purchasing  his  claim  of  the  senior  member  of  the 
firm.  The  business  is  extensive  and  popular,  and 
represents  an  estimated  investment  of  $to,ooo.  Their 
stock  includes  full  lines  of  groceries,  drugs,  oils,  paints, 
crockery,  etc.,  and  they  utilize  nearly  the  entire  space 
of  the  three-story  building  which  they  occupy. 

Mr.  Sivwright  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  and  has  filled  successively  all  the 
chairs  of  the  Subordinate  Lodge  and  Encampment. 

He  was  married  Dec.  26,  1860,  in  Kingston,  De 
Kalb  County,  to  Maria  L.,  daughter  of  Thomas  and 
Temperance  Fairclo.  Mrs.  Sivwright  was  born  Dec. 
22,  1840,  at  Morristown,  N.  J. 

Guy  T.  Sivwright,  only  child,  was  boui  Aug.  30, 
1861,  in  Mayfield  Township.  He  grew  to  manhood 
the  idol  of  his  parents,  his  succeeding  years  develop- 
ing the  fulfillment  of  the  promises  of  his  childhood 
and  youth.  He  was  carefully  educated,  and  finished 
his  studies  at  Valparaiso,  Ind.,  College,  where  he 
was  graduated  and  afterwards  was  an  assistant  in  his 
father's  business  about  one  year.  He  possessed  an 
admirable  character  and  won  the  esteem  of  young 
and  old.  He  was  fitted  for  a  life  of  usefulness,  but 
all  he  might  have  been  on  earth  and  the  hopes  of 
those  who  loved  him  were  blotted  out  by  the  dark- 
winged  destroyer.  In  the  fall  of  1883,  he  sustained 
an  injury  from  a  fall  in  the  skating-rink,  which  re- 
sulted in  spinal  abscess,  and  from  which  he  died  June 
15,  1884. 


orace  Haskins,  farmer,  section  34,  Genoa 
Township,  is  the  son  of  John  and  Mary 
(Talman)  Haskins,  both  of  whom  were  natives 
of  the  State  of  New  York,  where  the  father  was 
born  Feb.  13,  1781,  and  died  March  17,  1856. 
The  mother  of  Horace  was  born  Aug.  28,  1783, 
and  died  March  22,  1825.  Her  ancestors  came  over 
in  the  Mayflower.  Mr.  Haskins  was  again  married 
Nov.  3,  1825,  to  Mrs.  Mary  Winters.  She  had  five 
children  by  her  first  husband. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  tenth  in  order  of 
birth  of  a  family  of  13  children,  and  was  born  Nov. 
17,  1820,  in  Jefferson  Co.,  N.  Y.  When  he  was  23 

^x^g"       .  "^y^    o^ 


years  of  age,  he  came  to  Illinois  by  the  lake  route, 
making  his  way  to  Chicago  on  board  a  sail-boat, 
which  he  assisted  in  building.  He  came  from  the 
Garden  City  directly  to  St.  Charles,  in  Kane  County, 
where  he  made  a  brief  stay,  and  later  proceeded  to 
Genoa  Township  and  engaged  in  the  cultivation  and 
improvement  of  80  acres  of  land,  of  which  he  became 
the  proprietor  by  purchase.  To  this  he  has  added 
until  he  now  owns  262  acres  in  De  Kalb  County, 
besides  valuable  farming  tracts  in  the  States  of  Ne- 
braska, Michigan  and  Iowa.  His  stock  on  his  home 
farm  comprises  about  50  head  of  cattle,  seven  horses 
and  a  quantity  of  stock  of  other  varieties. 

Mr.  Haskins  is  one  of  the  solid  and  influential 
citizens  of  De  Kalb  County.  He  was  the  possessor 
of  $5-37  V*  wr»en  he  arrived  in  Chicago,  and  is  now 
the  proprietor  of  an  estate  worth  $50,000.  He 
brought  the  first  scouring  plow  into  De  Kalb  County. 
In  character  he  is  justly  rated  as  a  generous,  liberal 
and  public-spirited  man,  enlisting  warmly  in  all  en- 
terprises which  promise  general  benefit  to  the  com- 
munity. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Haskins  to  Mariah  Bebee 
occurred  March  n,  1841,  in  Lorraine,  Jefferson  Co., 
N.  Y.  She  was  born  in  that  place  June  19,  1820, 
and  is  the  daughter  of  John  and  Sarah  (Clark)  Bebee,- 
who  had  a  family  of  10  children.  The  family  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Haskins  has  included  seven  children, 
two  of  whom  are  living:  M*ary  E.,  born  May  19, 1846, 
is  the-  wife  of  John  Haines  and  resides  in  Syca- 
more Township;  Martha  M.,  born  Nov.  22,  1852, 
and  married  to  a  farmer  of  Cortland  Township,  of 
the  name  of  Daniel  Beebe  (not  Bebee).  Four  chil- 
dren died  in  infancy,  and  one,  the  oldest,  died  on  the 
lakes  while  the  family  were  en  route  for  Illinois,  and 
was  buried  at  Milwaukee.  The  adopted  son  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Haskins  was  received  into  the  family  July 
27,  1870,  and  named  Horace  Clarence  Haskins. 

The  portrait  of  Mr.  Haskins,  accompanying  this 
sketch,  presents  the  features  of  a  physiognomy  indi- 
cating a  solid  man,  a  substantial  citizen  and  a  reliable 
support  of  all  enterprises  and  principles  that  com- 
mend themselves  to  his  intuition  of  right.  He  has 
ever  distinguished  himself  for  his  energy  in  pushing 
forward  every  enterprise  inaugurated  for  the  good  of 
his  community.  None  are  more  generous  in  aiding 
every  such  undertaking,  and  none  more  unselfi 
in  their  devotion  to  the  general  welfare  and  progres 

o      ^^r' «&i@^tei 

\><r  :•       A 


* 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


%*  of  his  people  than  is  Mr.  Haskins.  While  he  has  de- 
(^  voted  much  time  and  money  for  the  good  of  others, 
he  has  by  rare  good  business  sagacity  been  able  to 
accumulate  a  goodly  fortune  since  he  came  to  this 
county.  The  portrait  of  Mr.  Haskins  is  engraved 
from  a  photograph  taken  in  1 884. 


J 


I 


ames  S.  Russell,  Police  Magistrate^esident 
at  De  Kalb,  was  born  Sept.  25,  1834,  in 
Warren  Co.,  Ind.  His  parents,  John  and 
Mary  A.  (Fleming)  Russell,  were  natives  of 
Ohio  and  settled  in  De  Kalb  County  •  in  the 
spring  of  1848.  They  located  on  a  farm  in 
Kingston  Township,  where  the  mother  died  Dec.  28, 
1879.  Their  seven  children  were  named  James  S., 
Westly  D.,  Robert  W.,  Sylvester  S.,  David  F.,  Milton 
D.,  Reuben  A.  and  Sarah  J. 

At  the  date  of  the  removal  of  the  family  to  De 
Kalb  County,  Mr.  Russell  was  14  years  old.  The 
first  19  years  of  his  life  were  devoted  to  labor  on  his 
father's  farm  and  in  securing  his  education  at  the 
common  schools.  From  that  period  until  he  was  22 
he  attended  Mount  Morris  Seminary,  in  Ogle  County. 
On  completing  his  studies  he  went  to  Wyoming, 
Iowa,  and  was  occupied  through  the  following  year  as 
a  book-keeper.  Returning  to  Kingston,  he  engaged 
in  the  management  of  a  part  of  the  homestead  farm, 
which  he  worked  on  shares  for  nine  years. 

In  August,  1867,  he  came  to  De  Kalb  and  pur- 
chased a  half  interest  in  the  livery  establishment  of 
S.  Duffy,  succeeding  to  the  sole  proprietorship  in  the 
spring  of  1868.  In  1881  he  sold  the  livery  with  its 
equipments  to  Orlando  Carter.  He  next  engaged  as 
traveling  salesman  in  the  interests  of  the  Superior 
Barb  Wire  Company  and  occupied  that  position  six 
months.  In  the  fall  of  1881  he  became  an  owner  by 
purchase  of  an  interest  in  a  hardware  house,  the 
property  of  a  body  of  stockholders,  of  whom  Mr. 
Russell  was  President.  At  the  end  of  four  months 
he  terminated  his  connection  with  the  company.  In 
the  spring  of  1884  he  was  elected  to  the  office  of 
Police  Magistrate  of  De  Kalb,  which  position  has 
since  monopolized  his  time  and  attention. 

Mr.  Russell  is  prominent  as  an  agriculturist  and 
owns  160  acres  of  improved  land  in  Afton  Township. 
He  has  officiated  as  President,  Secretary  and  Treas- 

^^ &~ 


urer  of  De  Kalb  County  Agricultural  Society,  and  has 
discharged  the  duties  of  several  local  official  posi- 
tions. He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Edu- 
cation through  several  terms,  and  occupied  the 
position  of  President  of  that  body.  He  has  been 
active  and  influential  in  educational  matters  since  he 
has  resided  in  the  county.  He  officiated  one  year  as 
President  of  the  City  Council  and  was  by  virtue  of 
that  office  Supervisor  of  his  township.  He  was  Clerk 
of  Kingston  Township  during  his  residence  there. 
Politically  Mr.  Russell  is  a  Republican.  He  has 
been  a  sufferer  from  the  results  of  a  severe  attack  of 
rheumatism  since  1860.  He  was  violently  ill  during 
35  days,  and  has  been  seriously  disabled  since. 

He  was  married  June  14,  1858,  to  Margaret, 
daughter  of  William  and  Ellison  Cooper.  The 
family  of  Mcs.  Russell  were  at  that  date  residents  of 
De  Kalb  County,  but  in  1880  sold  the  homestead  in 
Kingston  Township  and  removed  to  their  present 
location  in  Belvidere,  Boone  County.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Russell  have  three  children.  J.  Alva  was  born  Dec. 
28,  1862;  R.  Arthur,  April  24,  1870;  Mabel  C.,Sept. 
14,  1872. 

Four  brothers  of  Mr.  Russell  entered  the  military 
service  of  the  United  States  during  the  war  of  the 
Rebellion,  three  of  whom  lost  their  lives.  Westly 
D.  enlisted  in  the  I3th  111.  Vol.  Inf.,  and  died  in 
Kingston  Township,  from  the  consequences  of 
disease  contracted  in  the  army.  Robert  W.  became 
a  soldier  in  the  42d  Regt.  111.  Vol.  Inf.  He  was 
killed  in  a  charge  on  a  rebel' battery  in  the  battle  of 
Stone  River.  David  F.  belonged  to  the  951)1  III. 
Inf.,  and  died  in  the  hospital  at  Vicksbury;. 


eander  P.  Kellogg,  farmer,  section  3,  Genoa 
Township,  was  born  Aug.  4,  1826,  in  Es- 
sex, Vt.  His  parents,  Orlando  and  Mary 
A.  (Place)  Kellogg  were  natives  of  Massachu- 
setts and  had  10  children.  Mr.  Kellogg  is  the 
eldest  child  of  his  father  and  mother,  and  was 
a  resident  of  his  native  State  until  he  was  18  years 
of  age,  when,  in  1844,  he  removed  to  McHenry  Co., 
111.  He  passed  a  winter  there,  and  in  the  spring  of 
the  year  following  came  to  De  Kalb  County,  locating 
in  Genoa  Township.  He  operated  the  greater  por- 
tion of  the  time  for  20  years  as  a  teamster  between 


Chicago  and  De  Kalb  County  and  other  portions  of 
the  State  of  Illinois. 

In  1  846  he  pre-empted  80  acres  of  land  on  section 
3,  where  he  has  since  maintained  his  homestead,  and 
has  doubled  his  acreage.  His  entire  landed  pro- 
perty is  under  cultivation.  He  is  a  Republican  in 
political  conviction  and  principle.  Though  often 
urged  to  accept  local  official  positions  he  has  per- 
sistently declined.  In  1852  he  was  appointed  Post- 
master of  Ney,  in  which  position  he  served  continu- 
ously eight  years.  He  has  since  officiated  as  Assistant 
Postmaster. 

He  was  married  Jan.  20,  1847,  in  Sycamore,  to 
Harriet  M.  Hutchason,  and  they  have  seven  children, 
—Clarke  O.,  Harriet  J.,  Leslie  VV.,  Hutchason  A., 
Harlow  O.,  Edward  E.  and  L.  D.  The  parents  of 
Mrs.  Kellogg,  Clarke  and  Elizabeth  (Bradley)  Hutch- 
ason, were  natives  of  New  York.  The  father  died 
there  and  the  mother  married  Ira  Manning.  They 
came  to  De  Kalb  County  in  1846,  and  later  in  life 
settled  in  Michigan,  where  they  died.  Mrs.  Kellogg 
is  the  third  of  a  family  of  six  children,  and  was  born 
Sept.  21,  1827,  in  Niagara  Co.,  N.  Y.  She  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Free  Methodist  Church,  and  Mr.  Kellogg 
is  a  true  Christian  man. 


eorge  E.  Stafford,  of  the  firm  of  Dayton  & 
Stafford,  stock  dealers  at  Sycamore,  was 
born  Sept.  22,  1831,  in  Preston,  Chenango 
Co.,  N.  Y.  Isaac  Stafford,  his  father,  was 
born  in  Vermont  and  married  Lucy  Seymour, 
f  a  native  of  the  State  of  New  York,  after  his  re- 
moval there.  Later  they  came  to  Cortland  Town- 
ship, De  Kalb  County,  where  the  mother  died  Feb. 
16,  1876.  The  father  died  there  July  21,  1883. 
Three  of  their  five  children  are  now  living:  Saxa 
is  a  farmer  in  Cortland  Township  ;  and  Isaac  is  a 
physician  in  Harrison,  Madison  Co.,  Montana. 

Mr.  Stafford  was  reared  to  the  pursuit  of  agricul- 
ture, and  came  to  De  Kalb  County  in  1857.  He  was 
about  24  years  of  age  when  he  became  the  proprietor 
of  27  acres  of  land  in  Cortland  Township,  situated  on 
sections  15  and  22.  From  this  beginning  he  has  in- 
creased his  possessions  until  he  is  the  sole  owner  of 
205  acres  of  land  in  that  township,  a  half  interest  in 
444  acres,  and  a  third  interest  in  160  acres,  all  lying 


within  the  same  township.  He^remained  there  resi- 
dent until  the  spring  of  1884,  the  date  of  his  removal 
to  Sycamore.  In  November  of  the  same  year  he 
formed  his  present  business  relation  with  James 
Dayton  and  entered  upon  the  purchase  and  shipment 
of  stock  to  Chicago. 

Mr.  Stafford  was  married  Nov.  17,  1858,  in  the 
township  of  Cortland,  to  Christina,  daughter  of  Peter 
and  Isabel  Youngs.  Two  children  resulted  from  this 
union,  namely,  Emily,  who  is  the  wife  of  Charles 
A.  Lattin,  and  Frank  G.,  who  is  a  dealer  in  live  stock 
in  Sycamore. 


ohn  Gould,  farmer,  section  22,  Cortland 
f  Township,  having  34  acres  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  section  and  120  acres  in  all, 
was  born  in  town  of  Harmon,  Kennebec  Co., 
Maine,  Oct.  8,  1814.  His  parents,  Abel  and 
Mary  (Kelly)  Gould,  are  deceased  and  buried 
at  Ohio  Grove  Church.  They  were  probably  natives 
of  Maine,  and  moved  to  the  State  of  New  York  when 
John  was  a  babe,  and  soon  to  Meigs  Co.,  Ohio, 
where  a  farm  had  been  purchased  and  where  they 
lived  seven  years  or  more;  they  then  sold  out  and 
removed  to  Jefferson  Co.,  Ind.,  rented  a  farm  for  a 
number  of  years,  then  lived  in  Dearborn  County,  in 
the  southeastern  corner  of  that  State,  until  1840, 
when  they  came  to  this  county,  with  horse  teams,  ar- 
riving Nov.  15,  not  more  than  three  miles  from  Mr. 
G.'s  present  residence.  He  died  Dec.  7,  1858,  aged 
about  77  years.  John's  mother  was  an  orphan, 
brought  up  by  Judge  North  in  her  native  State 
(Maine),  and  died  in  September,  1865,  at  the  age  of 
83  years. 

Mr.  John  Gould,  whose  name  heads  this  sketch, 
was  first  married  Feb.  4,  1838,  in  Dearborn  Co.,  Ind., 
to  Mary  Ann  Johnson,  who  was  born  in  that  State  in 

1818,  the  daughter  of and  Elizabeth  (Hinds) 

Johnson.  She  died  in  this  (Cortland)  township,  in 
the  spring  of  1845,  and  is  buried  in  the  Ohio  Grove 
(or  Baptist  Church)  Cemetery.  Her  three  children 
are:  George  H.,  born  April  25,  1839,  and  died  Nov. 
4,  1863,  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  and  was  a  member  of 
Co.  C,  ioSth  111.  Vol.  Inf.,  and  died  in  the  service; 
Mary  E.,  born  May  15,  1841,  married  Wm.  Black- 
man,  Dec.  23,  1866,  and  lives  in  Dakota;  and  SB- 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


brina  A.,  born  July  5,  1843,  married  Luther  Wheeler, 
March  5,  1860,  and  is  residing  in  this  township. 
Oct.  i,  1848,  Mr.  Gould  married  Miss  Caroline, 
daughter  of  James  and  Hannah  (Merrow)  Wheeler. 
Her  father  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts  and  died 
in  February,  186 1  (or  thereabout),  in  Maine;  and 
her  mother,  born  in  Winthrop,  Me.,  died  in  the  same 
State,  in  1867,  at  the  age  of  about  7 8  years.  Mrs. 
G.  was  also  born  in  Winthrop,  Jan.  29,  181  r,  and  she 
has  two  daughters,  namely :  Elvira  R.,  born  April 
18. 1850,  and  married  Joseph  Snyder,  Dec.  24,  1868; 
and  Clotilda  Jane,  born  Aug.  5,  1852,  married  John 
I.  Simons,  Nov.  20,  1873,  and  lives  in  Dakota. 

Mr.  Gould  had  a  very  limited  school  education  in 
his  youth,  especially  in  mathematics,  as  that  seemed 
peculiarly  difficult  to  him;  but  he  has  nevertheless 
battled  successfully  with  the  world.  He  is  a  vener- 
ble  old  settler  here,  having  occupied  his  present 
farm  ever  since  the  year  1847.  In  his  political  prin- 
ciples he  votes  with  the  Republican  party,  and  he, 
as  well  as  Mrs.  G.,  is  a  member  of  the  Free-will 
Baptist  Church  at  Ohio  Grove,  having  been  one  of 
the  first  members  of  that  congregation  and  has  been 
an  officer  in  the  Church. 


eorge  H.  Kesler,  farmer,  section  1 6,  Genoa 
Township,  has  been  a  resident  of  De  Kalb 
County  since  1859,  with  the  exception  of 
two  years,  which  he  passed  in  Burlington,  Kane 
Co.,  111.,  the  date  of  his  parents' removal  hither. 
He  was  born  Aug.  7,  1839,  in  Orleans  Co., 
N.  Y.,  and  is  next  the  youngest  in  birth  of  10  chil- 
dren. His  brothers  and  sisters  were  Abraham, 
Phebe,  Mary,  Eliza,  Andrew,  James,  Lyman,  Horace 
and  John.  His  parents,  Philip  and  Betsey  (House) 
Kesler,  were  natives  respectively  of  Germany  and 
the  State  of  New  York.  The  father  died  in  the 
township  of  Genoa  Oct.  22,  1880;  the  mother's  de- 
mise occurred  July  3,  1864. 

Mr.  Kesler  is  one  of  the  substantial  farmers  of  his 
township  and  county,  and  is  the  owner  of  325  acres 
of  valuable  farming  land,  which  is  nearly  all  under 
cultivation.  He  is  a  Republican  in  political  faith 
and  relations,  and  has  held  various  local  offices. 

His  marriage  to  Mary  A.  Smith  occurred  at  Kings- 
ton July  4,  1861,  and  they  have  been  the  parents  of 

=)-±& 


eight  children,  four  of  whom  are  still  living,  namely: 
Lillie  M.,  who  married  F.  B.  Fieste,  Sept.  4,  1884; 
George  G.,  Luella  and  Elinor  S.  Those  deceased 
were  named  Ira  J.,  Adaline,  Robert  S.  and  Em.nett. 
The  parents  of  Mrs.  Kesler,  Robert  and  Susanna' 
(Rutti)  Smith,  were  natives  respectively  of  New  Jer- 
sey and  Pennsylvania.  She  is  the  second  of  four 
children,  and  was  born  Oct.  12,  1841,  in  New  Jersey. 


dolphus  W.  Brower,  resident  at  Sycamore, 
was  born  Aug.  13,  1845,  ijj  Kenosha  Co., 
Wis.  In  paternal  descent  he  is  a  repre- 
sentative of  the  Hollanders  who  settled  the 
State  of  New  York  in  1620.  His  paternal 
great-grandfather  came  from  the  Netherlands, 
in  a  vessel  commanded  by  Hendrick  Hudson  and 
called  "  Die  Guten  Fraii "  (the  good  woman),  and, 
with  his  wife,  Jemima  (Quackenboss)  Brower,  settled 
at  Nyack  on  the  Jersey  shore.  Later  he  went  to  the 
State  of  New  York,  where  he  was  a  pioneer  settler, 
and  was  identified  with  the  class  distinguished  as 
"  Knickerbockers." 

Adolphus  Brower,  son  of  the  above,  was  born  July 
31,  1777,  and  married  Elizabeth  Baker.  She  was 
born  Feb.  25,  1775,  and  became  the  mother  of  three 
sons  and  four  daughters.  The  husband  was  fife- 
major  in  the  war  of  1812.  The  threatened  invasion 
of  the  British  aroused  the  latent  indignation  of  the 
people,  and  men  and  women  alike  devoted  them- 
selves to  the  labor  of  erecting  intrenchments.  The 
chorus  of  a  song  which  was  then  popular  and  mani- 
fested the  quality  of  the  prevailing  spirit,  ran  as  fol-* 
lows : 

•'  Pickaxe,  shovel,  spade; 

Crowbar,  lioo  and  barrow; 
You'd  better  not  invade; 
Yankees  got  the  marrow.'' 

Adolphus  Brower  and  his  wife  died  at  the  age  of 
78  years. 

William  B.  Brower,  their  youngest  son,  was  born 
Oct.  6,  1803,  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  He  was  married 
March  20,  1825,  to  Paulina  Broadway.  Her  father, 
Frasier  Broadway,  was  born  April  16,  1778,  and  in 
1800  was  married  to  Hannah  Weed.  She  was  born 
Sept.  i,  1777,  and  died  aged  84  years.  Their  family 
comprised  four  daughters  and  four  sons.  All  the 
latter,  in  later  life,  pursued  the  calling  of  their  father, 
who  was  a  butcher.  T.  E.  and  Alfred'  Broadway, 


COUJVTY. 


became  prominent  in  their  business  and  were  located 
at  844  Broadway,  New  York,  for  many  years.  W.  B. 
Brower  went  to  Wisconsin  in  1837,  and  was  among 
the  earliest  pioneers  of  Salem,  afterwards  called 
Wheatland,  and  now  known  as  Randall,  the  original 
township  being  now  divided  into  three  distinct  towns. 
He  left  New  York  Aug.  7,  of  the  year  named,  and 
arrived  at  what  is  now  Kenosha  on  the  first  day  of 
September  following.  At  the  date  of  his  location  the 
Menomonee  or  Black  Hawk  Indians  were  numerous 
in  the  vicinity.  On  the  admission  of  Wisconsin  as  a 
Slate,  in  1848,  he  was  one  of  the  first  appointees  to 
the  position  of  Justice  of  the  Peace  by  the  Governor. 
Paulina  (Broadway)  Brower  was  born  June  30,  1805, 
in  Vermont,  and  became  the  mother  of  eight  chil- 
dren. Elizabeth  was  born  May  12,  1828,  and  is  the 
wife  of  Henry  Parrnelee,  of  Geneva,  Wis.  John  H. 
was  born  May  8,  1832,  and  is  engaged  in  speculat- 
ing at  Kenosha,  Wis.  William  B.,  born  May  20, 
1834,  is  the  manager  of  the  homestead.  Hannah- 
born  May  5,  1839,  is  the  wife  of  V.  C.  Reynolds, 
and  resides  on  the  home  farm.  Anna,  born  May  i, 
1843,  is  the  wife  of  M.  L.  Hoffman,  a  stock  dealer 
in  Kenosha  County.  A.  W.  is  the  next  in  order  of 
birth.  Emmeline,  born  Aug.  27,  1849,  married  Will- 
iam Wilcox,  of  Geneva,  Wis.  One  child  died  in  in- 
fancy. 

Mr.  Brower  was  brought  up  at  home  in  the  Badger 
State  until  he  was  15  years  of  age,  when  he  was 
placed  at  a  business  college  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.  He 
made  a  special  study  of  penmanship,  and  devoted 
six  months  to  the  acquisition  of  a  complete  knowl- 
edge of  telegraphy.  Soon  after  returning  home  he 
went  to  the  city  of  New  York,  and  a  few  months 
later  became  interested  in  travel.  He  came  to  Syca- 
more in  1872,  and,  associated  with  Marshall  Stark 
(deceased),  engaged  in  the  sale  of  lumber,  pursuing 
that  enterprise  about  two  years.  He  formed  his 
present  business  connection  May  i,  1877,  by  the 
purchase  of  an  interest  in  the  firm  relations  of 
Whittemore  &  Chamberlain,  the  copartnership  now 
comprising  three  members.  They  carry  an  average 
stock  of  $[3,500,  including  all  the  lines  of  goods 
common  to  such  establishments  and  suited  to  their 
patronage.  Their  business  embraces,  besides  the 
ordinary  trade  in  hardware,  a  large  amount  of  re- 
pairing. 

Mr.  Brower  was   married    May    20,   1874,  to  Ella 

®5«3®f&. **$$*£ ft. 


Stark.     She  is  the  daughter  of  Marshall  and  Louisa    ^f 
Stark,  and  was  born  at  Sycamore,  Feb.  10,  1857.  Mr.    *jj 
and    Mrs.   Brower  have    two  children :     Anna   was 
was   born  Feb.  24,   1878;  and  Floyd  E.   was  born 
Aug.  4,  1880.     Their  first  child,  Marshall  William, 
was  born  Aug.   25,   1876,  and  died  when  about  10 
weeks  old. 


ester  P.  Wood,  Sheriff  of  De  Kalb  County, 
resident  at  Sycamore,  was  born  March  27, 
1839,  in  Erie,  Pa.  His  parents,  George  L. 
and  Margaret  (Conrad)  Wood,  belonged  to  the 
agricultural  class.  The  former  was  born  in  the 
city  of  Hartford,  Conn.,  and  died  on  his  farm 
in  the  township  of  Kingston,  De  Kalb  County,  Jan. 
23,  1864.  The  mother  of  Lester  P.  was  born  in  Erie, 
Pa.,  and  died  on  the  homestead  Aug.  2,  1880.  Of 
their  children,!  Elizabeth  and  Roxy,  the  oldest  in  date 
of  birth,  are  deceased ;  Abigail  E.  married  John  D. 
Dyer,  marketman  at  Sycamore ;  George  E.  is  a  resi- 
dent of  Laporte,  Ind.,  and  is  in  the  Unked  States 
mail  service ;  and  Jane  M.  is  deceased. 

Mr.  Wood  is  the  oldest  son  and  third  child.  He 
was  reared  on  his  father's  farm,  where  he  was  in- 
structed in  agricultural  labor  during  the  farming 
seasons  and  attended  school  winters.  He  passed 
his  boyhood  and  youth  in  this  manner  until  he  was 
19  years  of  age,  when  he  went  to  the  seminary  at 
Wheaton,  DuPage  Co.,  111.,  and  completed  his  edu- 
cation. On  coming  of  age  he  became  proprietary 
owner  of  360  acres  of  valuable  land  in  the  township 
of  Spring,  Boone  Co.,  111.,  twelve  miles  nortn  of  Syca- 
more, of  which  he  took  possession  in  1860  and  con- 
tinued its  management  until  1874.  In  that  year  he 
sold  the  property  and  returned  to  Erie,  where  he 
maintained  his  residence  two  years,  and  was  occu- 
pied in  the  purchase  and  shipment  of  stock  from 
Chicago  to  Eastern  markets.  He  pursued  the  same 
line  of  business  until  the  fall  of  1879,  coming  at  that 
time  to  Sycamore. 

After  a  residence  of  a  single  year  he  secured,  in 
the  autumn  of  1880,  the  election  of  Sheriff  of  De  Kalb 
County  on  the  Republican  ticket,  and  in  1882  was 
re-elected  without  opposition  to  the  same  incum- 
bency. The  quality  of  the  services  rendered  to  the 
interests  of  De  Kalb  County  by  Mr.  Wood  are 

•^fflgLar'  „ .•S.v^-N^//??) 

-*^^ "ftfgig?^. 


r 


j 


fi 


attested  by  his  re-election,  a  procedure  which  reflects 
much  credit  on  his  supporters,  and  proves  that  the 
voting  community  of  De  Kalb  County  are  not  delin- 
quent in  the  matter  of  recognizing  and  rewarding 
efficiency  and  merit.  Mr.  Wood  belongs  to  the 
Order  of  Knights  Templars  and  other  Masonic 
bodies. 

His  marriage  to  Ellen  C.  Zimmerman  occurred 
Aug.  28,  1858,  at  Erie,  Pa.  Mrs.  Wood  is  the 
daughter  of  Frederick  Zimmerman,  and  was  born 
Oct.  6,  1842,  at  Erie.  The  three  children  born  of 
this  union  are  as  follows:  Jane  M.  was  born  Aug.  18, 
iS6o,  and  is  the  wife  of  W.  F.  Sell,  marketman  of 
Sycamore.  Addie  Z.  is  the  second  child;  George 
F.,  only  son  and  youngest  child,  is  Deputy  Sheriff 
under  his  father.  The  children  were  born  in  Spring 
Township,  Boone  County. 


ohn  B.  Whalen,  real-estate,  abstract  and 
insurance  agent,  at  Sycamore,  was  born 
Aug.  5,  1850,  in  Penfield,  Monroe  Co.,  N. 
Y.  Harvey  Whalen,  his  father,  was  born  Dec. 
22,  1809,  in  Milton,  Saratoga  Co.,  N.  Y.;  and 
has  been  a  farmer  throughout  the  course  of  his 
long  life,  being  now  •}$  years  of  age.  He  was  also  a 
local  politician  of  prominence  and  influence,  and  is 
still  living  in  Penfield,  N.  Y.  John  B.'s  mother, 
Lucinda  (Watson)  Whalen,  was  born  in  Monroe  Co., 
N.  Y.,  and  died  in  1854.  Their  five  children  are  liv- 
ing. Mr.  Whalen  is  the  second  in  order  of  birth. 
The  oldest,  Henry  V.,  is  an  engineer  and  lives  in 
Michigan.  Charles  H.,  Wilson  and  Howard  live  in 
Penfield  with  their  father. 

Mr.  Whalen  was  reared  in  the  varied  occupations 
incident  to  the  life  of  a  farmer's  son,  and  when  about 
1 8  years  of  age  became  a  traveler  in  the  Eastern 
States,  engaging  in  that  occupation  one  year.  In 
iS-jo  he  came  to  Braidwood,  111.,  and  remained  there 
eight  months,  acting  as  accountant  in  the  mercantile 
establishment  of  L.  H.  Goodrich.  He  went  sub- 
sequently to  Gardner,  111.,  where  he  operated  a  year 
in  the  same  capacity.  In  1872  he  became  a  resident 
of  De  Kalb  County,  his  first  engagement  in  business 
being  as  book-keeper  for  J.  H.  Rogers  at  Sycamore, 
where  he  was  occupied  nine  months.  He  relin- 


quished the  position  to  accept  an  appointment  as 
Deputy  Circuit  Clerk  under  E.  F.  Dutton.  He  filled 
the  position  three  years  and  in  iSj6  bought  the  ab- 
stract office  of  De  Kalb  County,  which  he  has  since 
conducted  and  is  the  owner  of  the  only  complete  set 
of  abstracts  in  the  county.  He  does  a  considerable 
business  in  real  estate  and  represents  eight  fire  in- 
surance companies  and  one  life  insurance,  viz.:  Royal, 
London,  Liverpool  &  Globe,  also  the  Lancashire  of 
England.  Hartford,  Continental,  National  of  Hartford, 
Westchester  &  Northwestern  National  and  the  Con- 
necticut Mutual  Life  Association. 

Mr.  Whalen  officiated  as  Alderman  of  Sycamore 
from  1879  to  1883.  He  is  President  of  the  Sycamore 
Athenaeum,  and  is  President  and  General  Manager 
of  the  Russell  Manufacturing  Company,  at  that  place, 
an  association  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  paints 
and  varnishes.  He  is  the  owner  of  his  place  of  resi- 
dence and  of  a  considerable  amount  of  real  estate 
variously  located. 

Mr.  Whalen  was  married  April  25,  1876,  in  Syca- 
more, to  Nellie  Farndon.  Wallace  W.,  only  child  of 
this  union,  was  born  May  5,  1877.  Mrs.  Whalen 
was  born  Nov.  10,  1852,  in  Troy,  N.  Y.  She  has 
been  a  resident  of  Sycamore  since  four  years  of  age, 
and  was  brought  up  in  the  family  of  the  late  James 
S.  Waterman. 


eter  N.  Corson,  a  retired  farmer,  resident  at 
Genoa,  was  born  Oct.  6,  1819,  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, of  which  State  his  mother,  Elizabeth 
(Buck)  Corson,  was  a  native,  his   father,  John    a— 
Corson,  having  been  born  in  New  Jersey.  The    <y> 
family  of   n  children  were  born  as  follows: 
Hannah,  Catherine  A.,  Peter  N.,  Sarah,  Susan,  Henry, 
Lavina,  Daniel,  Alfred,  Harriet  and  Lucretia. 

Mr.  Corson  was  a  farmer  in  his  native  State  until 
1869.  In  the  spring  of  that  year  he  bought  160  acres 
of  land  in  Genoa  Township  in  De  Kalb  County,  of 
which  he  took  possession  and  occupied  it  about  eight 
years,  selling  a  portion  of  his  acreage  in  1877,  and  re- 
moving in  that  year  to  the  village  of  which  he  has  *  * 
since  been  a  resident.  In  political  faith  he  is  a 
Republican. 

His  first  marriage  occurred  in   Pennsylvania,  Jan. 
29,  1843,  to  Sarah  Newman,  and  of  their  union  eight 


It 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


'    children   were  born, — Teresa,  Lloyd  V.,  Henry  M., 

|    Emily,  Ursaline  and  Amanda.     Two  children  of  that 

i    marriage  are  deceased  :  Teresa  died  when  three  years 

old  and  one  child  died  in    extreme  infancy.     The 

mother  died  Dec.  27;  1875,111  Genoa  Township.    Mr. 

Corson  was  again  married   March  7,  1878,  to  Amelia 

(Godding),  widow  of  William  Rochester  Durham,  who 

died  Oct.  7,  1873,  in  Genoa  Township,  and  by  whom 

she  had  eight  children, — Rochester  H.,  Sarah  J.  and 

Emily  J.  (twins),  Francis  M.,  Caroline  A.,  Lillie  Y., 

f    Fannie  M.  and  Olive  M.  Three  children — Rochester 

>    H.,  Emily   J.  and  Francis  M. — are  deceased.     Mrs. 

Corson  was  born  July  17,  1827,  in  England. 


enry  Pooler,  farmer,  having  325  acres  on 
section  i$,  Cortland  Township,  was  born 
July  24,  1804,  in  Dutchess  Co.,  N.  Y. 
When  a  year  old  his  parents,  Jacob  and  Betsy 
(Price)  Pooler,  moved  to  the  town  of  Schuyle^ 
Herkimer  County,  that  State,  and  a  year  later  to 
Warren  Township,  same  county,  then  back  to  Schuy- 
ler, then  to  Warren  a  second  time,  and  finally  bought 
a  farm  in  German  Flats.  The  mother  died  in  that 
county ;  the  father  died  in  Montgomery  Co.,  N.  Y., 
and  was  buried  in  his  son  Joseph's  burying-ground 
at  Warren. 

Henry  remained  in  Herkimer  County  most  of  the 
time  until  he  was  of  age,  then  worked  out  by  the 
year  or  month  for  about  three  years  ;  next,  for  three 
years  he  labored  upon  his  father-in-law's  farm  for  a 
consideration  of  50  acres  of  land;  then  he  bought  a 
farm  of  65  acres,  to  which  he  subsequently  added 
until  he  had  an  aggregate  of  151  acres,  in  German 
Flats.  In  1 86 1  he  came  to  this  county  on  a  visit  to 
his  daughter,  when  he  made  a  purchase  of  150  acres, 
to  which  he  has  since  added  by  further  purchases 
until  he  has  a  total  of  325  acres.  He  now  has  a  fine 
farm  and  a  splendid  home,  all  earned  by  his  own 
industry  and  wise  economy,  and  without  speculation. 
On  the  sth  of  March,  1828,  he  married  Miss 
Margaret,  a  daughter  of  Nicholas  and  Lana  (Passage) 
Shoemaker,  and  of  German  ancestry.  She  was  born 
June  7,  1802,  in  German  Flats,  N.  Y.  Of  the  five 
children  born  in  the  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pooler, 
three  are  living:  Almira,  born  March  22,  1829,  and 
married  John  Christman  Sept.  10,  1852,  in  German 


Flats,  N.  Y.,  and  died  December  16,  following,  in 
De  Kalb  County;  Henry,  born  April  22,  1833,  in 
Herkimer  Co.,  N.  Y.,  died  in  the  same  county  Oct. 
28,  1834;  Philany,  bom  July  19,  1835,  married  John 
Christman  in  October,  1857;  he  died  Oct.  9,  1863, 
from  injuries  received  from  a  threshing-machine; 
Louisa,  born  Feb.  6,  1837,  married  Henry  Christ- 
man,  Dec.  28,  1854,  who  died  Jan.  4,  1883;  William 
F.  was  born  April  26,  1840,  and  is  now  living  near 
Lake  City,  Iowa.  The  foregoing  births  all  took 
place  in  Herkimer  Co.,  N.  Y.  Mr.  Pooler's  grand- 
mother was  of  Low  Dutch  ancestry,  and  died  in 
Schuyler  Township,  Herkimer  Co.,  N.  Y.  His  grand- 
father was  of  New  England  ancestry,  and  was  killed 
in  Schuyler  Township  by  being  thrown  from  a  wagon. 
Mrs.  Pooler's  mother  died  at  the  age  of  59,  and 
her  father,  a  farmer,  died  at  the  age  of  87. 

Mr.  Pooler  has  a  good,  large  frame  residence,  a 
large  frame  barn,  and  his  farm  is  estimated  at  $65 
per  acre.  He  is  a  Republican  in  his  political  sen- 
timents. 

A  portrait  is  given  of  Mr.  Pooler  on  the  opposite 
page,  which  is  a  valuable  addition  to  the  portrait 
gallery  of  this  ALBUM. 


\[ 


ineca  H.  Willis,  farmer,  section  36,  Genoa 
Township,  has  been  a  resident  of  De  Kalb 
County  since  1852,  and  has  belonged  to  its 
agricultural  element  since  1860,  when  he  be- 
gan his  independent  operations  by  working  his 
father's  farm  on  shares  one  year.  He  engaged 
with  his  father  as  an  assistant  and  continued  to 
operate  in  that  capacity  seven  years.  In  1868  he 
bought  a  farm  in  Genoa  Township,  containing  117 
acres.  He  now  owns  120  acres  additional,  and  of 
the  entire  tract  has  placed  150  acres  under  improve- 
ment. In  political  faith  he  is  a  Republican. 

Mr.  Willis  was  born  Aug.  5,  1841,  in  Warren  Co., 
N.  Y.  He  was  10  years  of  .age  when  his  parents, 
David  W.  and  Laura  M.  (Halladay)  Willis,  removed 
to  De  Kalb  County.  They  are  natives  of  Vermont, 
and  after  marriage  settled  in  the  State  of  New  York, 
whence  they  removed  to  Illinois,  settling  in  the  town- 
ship of  Sycamore,  where  they  have  since  resided. 
Their  children  were  named  Seneca  H.,  Morgan, 
A  r^  -^g^uir-  •»lj@^f( 


f 


234 


.£>£  .Ar.4Z.tf  COUNT*. 


Harry  B.  and   Angelia.     The  second   and  fourth  in 
order  of  birth  are  deceased. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Willis  took  place  in  Genoa 
Township,  Dec.  24,  1865,  to  Mary  M.,  daughter  of 
Alonzo  and  Rhoda  (Rogers)  Hedger.  The  parents 
of  Mrs.  Willis  are  natives  of  New  York,  and  had 
three  children,  namely,  Ann  E.,  Mary  M.  and  Enoch 
O.  The  daughter  was  born  Nov.  30,  1844,  in  Hamp- 
shire, Kane  Co.,  111.  Of  her  marriage  to  Mr.  Willis 
three  children  have  been  born — Lizzie  A.,  Laura  R. 
and  Stella  B.  The  latter  died  in  infancy. 


1'ohn  Waterbury,  farmer  on  the  northwest 
quarter  of  section  8,  Cortland  Township, 
was  born  in  North  Castle,  Westchester  Co., 
N.  Y.,  May  12,  1830;  was  brought  up  on  a 
farm  in  his  native  place,  living  there  until  Sep- 
tember, 1858,  and  learned  the  shoemaker's 
trade  before  he  was  21.  Commencing  this  trade  at 
the  age  of  19,  he  followed  it  for  six  years,  then  went, 
at  the  above  date,  to  the  city  of  New  York,  where  he 
spent  three  years  in  draying.  He  then  came  to  this 
county  and  for  ten  years  resided  in  the  township  of 
Pierce,  and  in  1868  came  to  his  present  place  of  resi- 
dence. It  was  then  but  partially  improved,  but  Mr. 
W.  has  since  made  it  one  of  the  best  farms  in  the 
township,  having  upon  it  a.  first-class  frame  residence, 
barns,  etc.  In  his  political  views  Mr.  W.  is  a  Re- 
publican, and  he  stands  high  in  the  estimation  of  his 
fellow  citizens. 

He  was  married  Dec.  25,  1855,  to  Miss  Rebecca 
A.  Brundage,  and  they  have 'had  five  children,  all  of 
whom  are  living,  viz.:  George  I.,  born  Nov.  6,  1857, 
in  New  York  city,  in  December,  r88i,  married  Flor- 
ence Rathbun  and  is  living  in  Iowa;  Charles,  born 
Oct.  27,  1861,  in  Pierce  Township,  this  county,  is 
living  at  home;  Harvey  C.,  born  June  T7,  1865,  in 
same  township;  Mary  F.,  Nov.  5,  1867,  in  same 
township;  and  John  A.,  Oct.  23,  1880,  in  Cortland 
Township. 

Mr.  W.'s  father,  John  Waterbury,  was  a  carpenter 
by  occupation,  and  died  in  March,  1878,  at  the  age 
of8i  years,  on  the  old  homestead;  and  his  mother, 
Sarah  H.,  nee  Palmer,  died  in  June,  1880,  at  the  age 
of  79  years,  also  on  the  old  homestead.  Mr.  Water- 
bury 's  paternal  grandfather  was  a  guard  in  the 


Revolutionary  War,  but  was  never  in  action  on  the 
battle-field.  Mrs.  W.  was  born  Jan.  20,  1838,  in 
North  Castle,  Westchester  Co.,  N.  Y.,  of  which  county 
her  parents  were  also  natives.  Her  father,  Allen 
Brundage,  was  a  farmer,  and  her  mother's  maiden 
name  was  Fanny  Smith.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 


enjamin  Nilson,  Clerk  of  the  City  of  Syca- 
more, and  member  of  the  grocery  and  pro- 
vision house  of  Nilson  Bros.,  was  born 
July  31,  1850,  in  Sweden.  Pehr  Nilson,  his 
father,  was  a  farmer  and  prominent  in  politics 
and  public  life.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Legislature  of  Sweden  in  1865-6  and  held  the  posi- 
tion of  State  Juryman  14  years  by  election,  eventually 
resigning. 

Mr.  Nilson  was  a  pupil  at  school  until  he  was  14 
years  of  age  and  passed  three  years  subsequently  on 
the  farm  where  he  was  born.  At  17  he  entered  the 
High  School  to  complete  his  education,  remaining  a 
student  there  until  19  years  old.  He  came  to 
America  in  1871,  and  on  landing  proceeded  at  once 
to  Sycamore,  where  he  had  friends.  He  obtained 
employment  as  a  farm  assistant,  in  which  he  was 
occupied  three  months.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he 
went  to  Chicago  and  was  employed  in  the  Rock 
Island  car-shops  until  Jan.  i,  1872.  At  that  date 
he  returned  to  Sycamore  and  attended  school  to  learn 
the  English  lanuguage.  In  the  fall  following  he 
entered  the  grocery  of  Rowe  &  Shurtliff,  where  he 
was  a  clerk  four  years.  In  1876  he  became  an  as- 
sistant of  C.  Brown  &  Son,  druggists  and  grocers. 
July  12,  1880,  associated  with  his  brother,  Knut  P.. 
Nilson,  he  founded  the  business  which  they  have 
since  conducted.  Their  stock  comprises  lines  of 
goods  suited  to  their  patronage  and  represents  a  cash 
value  of  about  $6,000.  The  proprietors  are  enter- 
prising men  and  citizens  of  the  best  type,  who  have 
secured  the  confidence  of  the  community.  Mr.  Nil- 
son  of  this  sketch  is  a  stock-holder  in  the  Cornwall 
Silver  Mining  Company  of  Colorado,  a  corporation  of 
seven  members  who  own  several  mining  claims.  In 
the  spring  of  1879  he  was  elected  Clerk  of  Sycamore, 


and  has  been  twice  re-elected.     He  is  a  member  of 
the  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Nilson  to  Betsey  Swanson 
occurred  at  Sycamore,  Oct.  3,  1873.  Their  family 
now  (1884)  includes  three  children, — Bertha  Edusa, 
born  Jan.  14,  1875;  Elsa  Urania,  July  24,  1881; 
Edward  Pehr,  Nov.  17,  1883.  Mrs.  Nilson  was  born 
in  Sweden  in  1846,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Swen  and 
Elsa  Paulson,  who  are  well-to-do  farmers  and  own  a 
large  flouring-mill  near  the  city  of  Sawesborg  in 
Blikings  Lan. 


3nry  Martin,  general  merchant  at  Cortland, 
was  born  in  Chelsea,  Orange  Co.,  Vt,  Oct. 
10,  1840.  His  father,  John  Martin,  was 
born  Dec.  20,  1804,  in  Chelsea,  was  afarmerin 
his  native  State  until  1855,  then  real-estate 
dealer  here  in  Cortland  until  his  death,  in 
March,  1880.  His  mother,  Sarah,  nee  Percival,  was 
born  Dec.  15,  1803,  and  died  Feb.  19,  1875,  in  Syca- 
more, this  county. 

Henry  passed  the  first  15  years  of  his  life  in  his 
native  county,  and  came  with  the  family  in  1865  to 
Sycamore,  was  educated  in  common  and  graded 
schools  and  at  an  academy;  and  in  1862  he  enlisted 
in  the  army  for  the  cause  of  the  Government.  He 
was  first  employed  for  about  eight  months  as  chief 
clerk  in  the  ordnance  department  at  Columbus,  Ky., 
furnishing  ordnance  to  Grant's  army  at  Corinth  ;  was 
then  transferred  to  Memphis,  Tenn.,  in  the  same  de- 
partment ;  next  to  Huntsville,  Ala. ;  then  into  Mc- 
Pherson's  army,  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee;  followed 
Sherman's  army  from  Chattanooga  to  Atlanta ;  or- 
dered back  to  Nashville,  Tenn.,  where  he  awaited 
orders  from  November  to  February;  then  was  at 
Chattanooga  until  1865;  next,  at  the  Macon  (Ga.) 
Arsenal  until  the  fall  of  1866,  when  he  was  appointed 
Clerk  for  the  Sub-Commissioner  of  the  Freedmen's 
Bureau.  He  was  thus  stationed  still  at  Macon  until 
1868,  and  finally  at  Augusta,  Ga.,  until  the  Bureau 
was  abolished.  Then,  in  1869,  he  was  appointed 
Deputy  Marshal  for  the  District  of  Georgia,  in  which 
relation  he  served  until  1876,  when  he  returned  to 
Sycamore. 

Here  he  engaged  in  the  produce  business  for  a 
year,  and  then  established  a  general  merchandise 

JL 


store  in  partnership  with  Mr.  Matteson,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Martin  &  Matteson  ;  but  soon  they  dis- 
solved and  then  he  started  alone.  Was  in  Mr. 
Jordan's  store  for  a  time,  then  removed  back  to  the 
old  store,  which  he  occupied  until  he  built  the  new 
store,  in  the  fall  of  1883.  This  is  the  best  building 
in  the  town,  where  Mr.  Martin  carries  the  largest 
stock  in  the  place. 

In  politics  Mr.  M.  is  a  Republican. 

He  was  married  March  3,  1870,  to  Miss  Florence 
J.  ,  daughter  of  George  and  Martha  Flewellyn;  she 
was  born  in  Georgia,  and  is  now  37  years  of-  age. 
The  two  living  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  M.  are 
Sadie  B.,  born  Dec.  6,  1870,  in  Atlanta,  Ga.,  and 
Bessie,  May,  6,  1880;  three  were  lost  in  infancy. 
"  Johnnie  "  was  born  in  1875  and  died  when  a  month 
old,  and  Florence  was  born  in  1877,  and  died  in 
1879;  the  remaining  one  died  at  birth. 

Mrs.  M.  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
Church. 


.vin  Shurtleff,  druggist  at  De  Kalb,  is  a  * 
native  of  the  Province  of  Quebec,  where  s 
he  was  born  March  22,  1830.  His  parents 
md  grandparents  are  natives  of  Massachu-  ( 
setts.     He  was  reared  in  the  Dominion  with 
the  exception  of  a  period  of  four  years  spent 
at  Derby  Academy  in  that  town,  just  across  the  Can- 
adian border  in  Vermont.     After  the  completion  of 
his  educational  course  he  engaged  in  teaching    in 
Canada,  and  was  occupied  three  years  in  that  voca-  v 
tion  in  his  native  province.     In  1851  he  decided  on 
a  change  of  base  and  came  to  Illinois,  teaching  two 
years  at  Rock  Island.     In  1853  he  went  to  Ottawa, 
111.,  and  passed  about  the  same  length  of  time  simi- 
larly occupied.    At  the  end  of  that  time  (about  1855) 
he  bought  a  farm  in  Kane  Co.,  111.,  on  which  he  set- 
tled and  held  his  residence  about  eight  years,  en- 
gaging meanwhile  in  teaching.     In  1863  he  sold  his  f 
farm,  and,  going  to  Sycamore,  passed  three  years  in 
the  business  of  a  lumber  dealer,  and  afterwards  de- 
voted his  time  and   attention  for   several   years   to    .* 
traffic  in  stock  and  produce.     Making  another  ven-  & 
ture,  he  engaged  in  a  mercantile  enterprise  at  Syca- 
more, in  which  he  was  interested  three  years. 

In  1875  Mr.  Shurtleff  came  to  De  Kalb  and  estab- 

\Q        ^^^ ^^^ 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


) 


\\ 


lished  his  present  business,  which  includes  the  sale 
of  drugs,  groceries  and  crockery.  His  place  of 
business  is  of  extensive  proportions,  beiftg  120  feet 
deep. 

In  politics  Mr.  Shurtleff  is  a  Republican.  He  has 
officiated  as  Township  Assessor  and  taken  an  active 
interest  in  all  matters  pertaining  to  education  within 
his  sphere.  He  has  been  connected  with  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  for  30  years  ;  is  present  Dis- 
trict Steward  and  President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees. 
His  family  are  also  members  of  the  same  religious 
body. 

Mr.  Shurtleff  was  married  in  Kane  County  to 
Sarah  J.  Arnold,  their  union  taking  place  Oct.  22, 
1857.  Their  children  were  born  as  follows :  Willis, 
who  died  when  nine  months  old,  Wilfred  C.,  Jessie 
B.,  Elmer  K.  and  Alice  F. 


arnum  V.  Viner,  farmer  in  Cortland  Town- 
ship, having  55  acres  on  sections  15  and  16, 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Parishville,  St. 
Lawrence  Co.,  N.  Y.,  May  23, 1824.  His  father, 
Charles  Viner,  was  born  May  6,  1797,  in  Bris- 
tol, England,  and  was  killed  by  a  cyclone  in 
Mazon,  Grundy  Co.,  111.,  April  18,  1861.  Mr.  V.'s 
mother,  Sarah,  nee  Banister,  was  born  in  Rutland, 
Vt.,  May  4,  1797,  and  died  in  January,  1868,  in 
Grundy 'County.  Mr.  Charles  Viner  was  a  farmer, 
and  came  to  America  in  1812  as  a  British  soldier. 
He  afterward  left  the  army,  when  Corporal  of  the 
Guard,  and  with  six  others  crossed  the  St.  Lawrence 
into  the  States.  He  married  in  1815,  and  had  four 
sons  and  four  daughters. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  third  child  in  the 
order  of  birth  in  the  above  family.  His  parents 
moved,  with  him,  when  he  was  four  or  five  years  of 
age,  to  Madrid,  then  to  Pierpont,  then  to  Canton, 
and  when  he  was  20  years  old  they  emigrated  West, 
locating  in  the  town  of  Seneca,  McHenry  Co.,  111. 
After  living  there  eight  years  with  his  father,  he  was 
married,  Jan.  i,  1847,  to  Miss  Mary  T.,  daughter  of 
David  S.  and  Catherine  (Marshall)  Wickes.  Dr. 
Wickes  was  born  in  Troy,  N.  Y-,  Nov.  29,  1800,  and 
died  Oct.  15,  1844,  in  Meed's  Creek,  Steuben  Co., 
N.  Y. ;  and  Mrs.  W.  was  born  May  21,  1800,  in 
Hyde  Park,  Dutchess  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  died  Sept.  15, 


1876,  in  Elliottville,  Fillmore  Co.,  Minn.  Mrs,  V. 
was  born  in  Dundee,  Yates  Co.,  N.  Y.,  July  30, 
1829.  She  suffered  a  paralytic  stroke  in  1876,  losing 
the  use  of  her  left  hand.  Dr.  W.  was  a  successful 
physician  of  the  old  school,  and  died  from  the  effects  ii 
of  overwork. 

Mr.  Viner  lived  nine  years  at  Seneca,  McHenry 
County,  and  then  moved  to  the  township  of  Mazon, 
Grundy  Co.,  111.,  purchasing  a  farm  of  80  acres,  then 
a  wild   place,  where  he  first  attempted  to  make  a 
home ;  but  he  soon  afterward  sold  it  to  his  brother   ) 
and  returned  to  McHenry  County  and  bought   122    % 
acres  of  improved  land.     After  living  there  three  or    I 
four  years  he  sold  out  and  moved  again  to  Grundy 
County  and  purchased  an  improved  farm  of  80  acres, 
but  a  year  afterward  he  sold  this  and  removed  to 
Portage  Co.,  Wis.,  where  he  bought  new  land,  built 
upon  it  and  improved  it  some,  and  in  four  months 
went  back  to  Grundy  County  again,   purchased  80   /• 
acres,  built  a  house  upon  it  and  dwelt  there  a  little 
more  than  a  year.     He   sold   again  and  moved   to  > 
this  (Cortland)  township,  bought  a  farm  of  86  acres  i 
and  lived  upon  it  for  20  years.     He  then  rented  this   * 
farm  and  moved  to  Morris,  Grundy  County,  lived  ^ 
there  a  year,  relumed  here  and  sold  his  farm  on  sec-  * 
tions  26  and  27,  and  finally   purchased  his  present 
place,  in  1882. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Viner  is  a  Democrat, 
and  in  an  official  capacity  he  has  been  for  several 
years  a  School  Director. 

The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Viner  are :  Sarah 
C.,  born  May  10,  1849,  in  Mazon,  Grundy  Co.,  111., 
and  married  March  5,  1868,  Emery  Willmarth,  and 
lives  in  Cortland  village  ;  Charles  D.,  born  in  Seneca 
Township,  McHenry  Co.,  111.,  Feb.  4,  1853,  and 
March  2,  1876,  married  Ada  Brown,  and  now  living 
in  this  (Cortland)  township;  Thomas  D.,  born  also 
in  Seneca  Township,  Sept.  i,  1855,  married  March 
28,  1883,  Alice  Smith, and  is  now  living  in  Nebraska; 
Alva  V.,  born  in  Mazon,  III".,  Dec.  21,  1857,  married 
Maggie  Ellis  Jan.  31,  1883,  and  is  now  a  merchant 
in  Waverly,  Iowa;  William  E.,  born  in  Cortland 
Township,  this  county,  Aug.  16,  1860,  is  now  a  clerk 
in  Morris,  Grundy  County;  Frank  L.,  born  in  this  -, 
township,  Feb.  26,  1867,  lives  in  Nebraska;  Joseph  £ 
C.,  born  May  25,  1869,  also  in  this  township,  died 
Aug.  6  following;  and  Ellis  F.,  born  Dec.  23,  1871, 
in  Cortland  Township,  is  living  at  home. 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


Win.  L.  Viner,  oldest  brother  of  Varnum  V.,  while 
on  a  visit,  by  permission  of  his  father,  to  an  uncle  in 
Pennsylvania,  Jonathan  Banister  by  name,  taught 
school  there  during  the  winter  of  1841-2,  worked  on 
a  farm  the  next  spring  near  his  uncle's,  then  went 
down  the  Ohio  River  on  a  raft  of  lumber,  and  thence 
up  the  Mississippi  River  to  Galena,  from  which  point 
his  family  received  a  letter  from  him,  and  since  that 
time  he  has  never  been  heard  from.  His  father  went 
to  Galena  and  spent  three  weeks  in  search  of  him. 


obert  D.  Lord,  resident  at  Genoa,  has  been 
a  citizen  of  the  township  since  1845.  He 
was  born  Sept.  9,  1817,  in  Saratoga  Co., 
N.  Y.,  and  is  the  son  of  Ebenezer  and  Mary 
(Morris)  Lord.  His  parents  were  natives  re- 
1  spectively  of  Connecticut  and  New  Jersey,  and 
settled  in  Saratoga  County,  where  they  resided  many 
years,  removing  thence  to  Yates  County,  in  the  Em- 
pire State,  and  there  died.  Of  ten  children  born  to 
them  nine  grew  to  mature  years. 

Mr.  Lord  accompanied  his  parents  at  the  age  of 
eight  years' to  Yates  County,  and  he  was  a  member 
of  the  parental  household  until  his  marriage.  After 
that  event  he  managed  his  father's  farm  three  years, 
when  he  came  to  Illinois  and  bought  80  acres  of  land 
in  Genoa  Township,  became  resident  thereon  and 
continued  its  management  until  the  summer  of  1862- 
He  enlisted  at  Sycamore  in  the  losth  111.  Vol.  Inf., 
and  was  elected  and  commissioned  Second  Lieuten- 
ant. After  three  months'  service  he  resigned  on 
account  of  ill  health.  On  returning  to  De  Kalb 
County,  his  medical  adviser  recommended  change  of 
climate  and  he  went  to  California,  returning  nine 
months  later  for  his  family,  and  set  out  with  them  in 
the  spring  following,  crossing  the  plains  in  wagons. 
They  remained  in  Calirornia  six  years,  Mr.  Lord  en- 
gaging in  various  occupations.  He  returned  in  1869 
to  De  Kalb  County  and  resumed  the  calling  of  a 
farmer  on  his  farm  in  Genoa  Township.  At  the  end 
of  five  years  he  removed  with  his  family  to  the  vil- 
lage of  Genoa,  where  he  interested  himself  in  butcher- 
ing and  in  dealing  in  butter,  cheese  and  other  farm 
produce.  After  a  period  of  three  years  he  closed  his 
business  in  those  avenues  and  returned  to  his  farm. 
In  1883  he  determined  to  retire  and  erected  a  fine  resi- 


dence  in  the  village  of  Genoa,  to  which  he  removed 
in  the  winter  of  1884.  Mr.  Lord  retains  the  owner- 
ship of  80  acres  of  valuable  land  in  Genoa  Township 
and  also  of  160  acres  in  Iowa.  He  is  a  Republican 
in  politics.  While  a  resident  of  Genoa  Township  he 
was  Postmaster  at  New  Lebanon  one  year,  resigning 
the  position  at  the  expiration  of  that  time.  He  was 
Justice  of  the  Peace  for  a  long  term  of  years. 

He  was  married  March  17,  1840,  in  Yates  Co., 
N.  Y.,  to  Olive  Hogeboom,  and  they  have  been  the 
parents  of  nine  children,  but  three  of  whom  survive 
—Julia,  Joseph  and  David.  Mrs.  Lord  was  born 
April  24,  1820,  in  the  State  of  New  York,  and  is  the 
daughter  of  Andrew  and  Julia  Hogeboom.  Her 
father  was  of  Dutch  descent  and  was  born  in  the 
Empire  State.  The  mother  was  a  native  of  Connect- 
icut. The  family  located  in  Genoa  Township  in 
1845.  The  fatherdied  there  about  1855;  the  mother 
is  living  and  is  88  years  of  age. 


enjamin  P.  Whipple,  farmer  on  the  north- 
east quarter  of  section  9,  Cortland  Town- 
ship, was  born  in  Muncie,  Lycoming  Co., 
Pa.,  Oct.  25,  1857.  Both  his  parents  were 
also  born  in  that  county,  and  are  now  living 
three  miles  north  of  Sycamore,  this  county. 
His  father,  James  Whipple,  was  born  March  4, 1831, 
of  American  ancestry,  and  his  mother,  Mary,  nee 
Warner,  was  born  1833.  They  came  to  this  county 
in  1870,  arriving  March  18,  locating  upon  a  farm 
which  he  had  purchased  the  year  before  of  Arnold 
Brown,  and  which  is  now  occupied  by  a  brother  of 
Benjamin. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  lived  with  his  father 
until  he  was  23  years  of  age,  when  he  bought  a 
threshing-machine,  in  company  with  his  brother, 
which  they  ran  for  seven  seasons,  ending  with  that 
of  1883.  At  that  business  they  were  very  successful. 
He  purchased  his  present  farm  in  1879,  of  Mr. 
Meeker,  who  had  the  use  of  it  for  a  year  afterward. 
In  March,  1880,  Mr.  Whipple  moved  upon  the  place. 
In  1883  he  bought  80  acres  of  Joseph  Gandy,  ad- 
joining on  the  south. 

Mr.  Whipple  was  married  Dec.  r6,  1879,  to  Miss 
Mary  A.,  daughter  of  Moses  and  Rachel  (Evans) 
Dean.  Mr.  Dean  was  born  in  Hasbrouck,  Sullivan 


\\ 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


^Co.,  N.  Y.,  Jan.  26,  1815,  engaged  in  a  grist  or  saw 
T)  mill  or  other  enterprises,  and  since  he  came  West  in 
>  1857  he  has  followed  banking  in  Sycamore  and 
farming.  Mrs.  Dean  was  born  in  Fallsburg,  Sullivan 
5 1  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Jan.  26,  1816,  was  married  June  13,  1840, 
and  had  seven  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Whipple  is 
the  fourth  in  order  of  birth.  Mrs.  D.  died  April  26, 
1884,  in  Sycamore,  greatly  respected  by  the  com- 
munity, as  indeed  are  the  whole  family  yet  living. 
Mrs.  Whipple  was  born  Sept.  19, 1854,  in  Hasbrouck, 
^  N.  Y.,  and  was  carefully  educated  and  disciplined  in 
^  )  an  affectionate  family.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Whipple  have 
had  two  children,  namely  :  Warner  D.,  born  Dec.  23, 
'  1880,  in  Sycamore,  111.,  and  Le  Roy  J.,  Dec.  ir, 
1882,  in  Cortland  Township. 
In  politics  Mr.  W.  is  a  Republican. 


.Ithorn  Rogers,  of  the  firm  of  Hoyt  & 
Rogers,  general  merchants  at  Sycamore, 
was  born  Sept.  13,  1848,  at  Ballston 
Springs,  Saratoga  Co.,  N.  Y.  His  father,  Elam 
Rogers,  was  born  in  1800  and  commenced  life 
as  a  farmer,  afterwards  in  the  employment  of 
the  Scythe  Manufacturing  Company  at  Ballston, 
where  he  is  now  living  in  retirement.  The  mother, 
Caroline  M.  (Prentiss)  Rogers,  was  born  in  Worcester, 
Mass.,  and  is  still  living.  The  family  circle  is  yet 
intact.  Their  nine  children  were  born  in  the  follow- 
ing order:  Rachel  P.  married  W.  H.  Dodge,  a  lum- 
ber, dealer  at  Rochester,  Minn.  Caroline  M.  is  the 
widow  of  John  C.  Waterman,  formerly  a  prominent 
capitalist  of  Sycamore.  Elvira  is  the  wife  of  C.  R. 
Bassett,  a  wholesale  notion  dealer  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 
Amelia  married  T.  W.  Stebbins,  a  hardware  merchant 
at  Rochester,  Minn.  Emily  is  an  invalid,  and  is  a 
member  of  her  sister's  family  at  Rochester.  Melissa 
married  M.  Pinner,  real-estate  broker  in  the  city  of 
New  York.  Ethan,  twin  brother  oi  Mr.  Rogers  of 
this  sketch,  is  an  ax  manufacturer  at  Cohoes,  N.  Y. 
Jennie  is  the  widow  of  H.  H.  Hurst,  a  former  drug- 
gist of  Ballston,  N.  Y. 

Mr.  Rogers  obtained  a  good  education  at  the  ex- 
cellent schools  of  the  several  grades  in  his  native 
county,  completed  by  an  academic  course  of  study. 
About  the  age  of  18  years  he  entered  the  factory  with 
his  father,  where  he  remained  a  few  months  and 


afterwards  became  a  clerk  in  a  dry-goods  store  at 
Ballston,  where  he  was  employed  until  1871,  the  year 
of  his  removal  to  the  West.  He  continued  his  former 
occupation  at  Rochester,  Minn.,  until  his  health,  be- 
came affected  through  confinement,  and  in  1875  he 
went  to  the  Atlantic  coast.  In  the  year  following  he 
came  to  Sycamore  to  take  a  position  as  salesman  in 
the  mercantile  establishment  in  which  he  is  now  a 
proprietor,  then  owned  and  managed  by  Waterman 
&  Hoyt.  In  1878  the  firm  became  Hoyt,  Rogers  & 
Co.,  by  the  admission  of  the  latter  as  a  member,  and 
its  affairs  were  conducted  under  that  style  until  t88o, 
when  the  business  and  its  relations  became  the 
property  of  the  present  proprietors  by  the  purchase 
of  the  interest  of  Mr.  Waterman.  The  invested 
capital  of  Messrs.  Hoyt  &  Rogers  is  estimated  at 
$18,000,  and  they  are  doing  a  satisfactory  business 
in  the  sale  of  general  merchandise.  They  are  also 
interested  in  the  Marsh  Harvester  Company  as  stock- 
holders. 

Mr.  Rogers  was  married  May  6,  1880,  in  Sycamore, 
to  Jennie  L.  Byran,  and  they  have  two  children : 
Martin  L.,  born  Oct.  7,  1881,  and  Urania  B.,  born 
Nov.  8,  1883.  Mrs!  Rogers  was  born  Feb.  24,  1857, 
in  Sycamore,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Dr.  O.  M.  and 
Jane  L.  Byran,  of  Sycamore.  She  is  a  graduate  of 
Wellesey  College. 


Ibert  A.  Olmstead,  farmer,  section  16, 
Genoa  Township,  was  born  Jan.  19,  1838, 
in  Delaware  Co.,  N.  Y.  He  is  the  son  of 
Caleb  andSamantha  (Wager)  Olmstead,  whose 
biography  is  given  on  another  page.  He  was 
still  in  childhood  when  his  parents  removed  to  ' 
De  Kalb  County,  and  he  remained  at  home  until 
about  22  years  of  age,  having  been  engaged  for  nearly 
three  years  previous  in  farming  on  shares.  He  pros- 
pected some  time  for  a  satisfactory  location,  and  event- 
ually located  on  r2o  acres  in  the  township  where  he 
has  since  been  a  citizen.  His  estate  now  comprises 
440  acres  of  land,  nearly  all  under  improvement. 
His  farm  stock  includes  about  100  head  of  cattle  and 
20  horses,  and  he  sends  to  market  annually  an  aver- 
age of  50  hogs.  Mr.  Olmstead  has  been  identified 
with  the  interests  and  issues  of  the  Republican  party 
since  he  became  eligible  to  the  privileges  of  citizen- 


Z>JS  KALB   COUNTY. 


f  ship,  and  he  has  officiated  in  several  local  positions. 

5       His  marriage   to  Susan  E.  Siglin  took  place  Jan. 

i  15,  1868,  in  Elgin,  Kane  Co.,  111.  She  was  born 
Feb.  7,  1843,  in  Pennsylvania,  and  is  .the  fourth  in 

\f  order  of  birth  of  10  children  born  to  her  parents, 
Jacob  and  Hannah  J.  (Setzer)  Siglin.  Her  brothers 
and  sisters  were  named  Rachel,  Mary,  Jacob,  John, 
Josiah,  Tayler,  Michael,  Jennie  and  Ella.  Her  par- 
ents were  pioneers  of  De  Kalb  County  and  still  re- 
side at  Sycamore. 


£.on.  Chauncey  Ellwood,  Mayor  of  Sycamore 
(1885).  The  portrait  of  this  gentleman, 
which  appears  on  the  opposite  page,  is  a 
most  fitting  accompaniment  to  the  PORTRAIT 
AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  ALBUM  OF  DE  KALB  COUN- 
TY, from  the  relations  he  sustains  to  its  citizens 
and  from  the  fact  that  he  has  been  a  resident  within 
its  borders  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century.  He 
has  been  a  landholder  at  Sycamore  since  1837,  when 
he  entered  a  claim  to  80  acres  of  Government  land, 
receiving  his  patent  for  the  same  dated  the  loth 
day  of  July,  1844,  and  signed  by  the  President,  John 
Tyler.  His  residence  is  located  on  a  portion 
.  of  this  land  now  included  within  the  incorporated 
limits  of  Sycamore.  The  comparative  condition  of 
the  now  beautiful  city  with  those  primitive  days  may 
'be  estimated  from  the  fact  that,  when  Mr.  Ellwood 
removed  hither  in  1858,  a  broad  field  of  wheat 
fronted  on  what  is  now  one  of  the  main  thoroughfares 
of  Sycamore. 

Mr.  Ellwood  was  born  Dec.  24,  1816,  in  Minden, 
Montgomery  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  is  the  son  of  Abraham 
and  Sarah  (Delong)  Ellwood.  The  former  was  born 
Nov.  7,  1792,  in  Montgomery  County,  and  was  a 
farmer  in  the  early  years  of  his  life  ;  a  respected  citi- 
zen, having  filled  various  town  offices  in  the  town 
where  he  resided  in  New  York  State ;  an  active  busi- 
ness man,  having  constructed  several  sections  upon 
the  New  York  Central  Railroad  and  also  upon  the 
enlargement  of  the  Erie  Canal,  and  in  the  latter 
years  of  his  life  carried  on  the  cooperage  busi- 
ness. He  died  at  Sycamore,  whither  he  and  wife  re- 
moved in  1856,  his  demise  occurring  August  24, 
1872.  The  mother  died  at  Sycamore  Jan.  18, 
She  was  born  in  Montgomery  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Feb. 


23,  1795.  Both  parents  belonged  to  hardy  races, 
tenacious  of  life  and  of  robust  physical  development, 
all  of  which  characteristics  are  perpetuated  in  the 
present  generation.  The  mediate  ancestral  stock 
had  its  origin  in  the  sturdy,  stalwart  inhabitants  that 
settled  the  valley  of  the  Mohawk  in  the  State  of  New 
York.  Of  eleven  children  born  to  Abraham  Ellwood 
and  his  wife  ten  survive.  Nancy,  the  oldest  child, 
was  married  in  Montgomery  County,  her  native  State, 
to  Livingston  D.  Walrod,  and  removed  to  Sycamore 
after  the  birth  of  her  first  child,  Joseph,  in  the  fall 
of  1836.  Her  second  son,  James  W.  Walrod,  now  de- 
ceased, was  the  first  white  boy  born  at  Sycamore 
in  1838.  Malinda  is  the  widow  of  Joseph  Sixbury, 
and  resides  at  the  home  of  Mr.  Ellwood,  of  this 
sketch,  who  is  her  immediate  successor  in  the  order 
of  birth.  A  sketch  of  herself  and  husband  will  ap- 
pear upon  another  page  in  this  volume.  Eliza  mar- 
ried Aaron  Barringer,  and,  after  his  death,  became 
the  wife  of  O.  Bowman.  She  is  now  a  widow  and  a 
resident  of  Cherry  Valley,  Otsego  County,  N.  Y. 
Chauncey,  Reuben,  Alonzo,  Livingston,  Hiram, 
James  E.  and  Isaac  L.  were  born  in  the  order 
named.  Chauncey,  Reuben,  Alonzo,  James  E.,  all  re- 
side at  Sycamore,  and  are  represented  in  this  work. 
Livingston  is  a  physician  in  Schenectady,  N.  Y. 
Hiram  and  Isaac  L.,both  prominent  business  men  at 
the  city  of  De  Kalb,  are  the  subjects  of  biographical 
sketches  in  the  ALBUM  of  this  county.  Alida,  young- 
est child,  married  E.  P.  Young  (deceased),  the  record 
of  whose  life  may  be  found  on  another  page. 

Mr.  Ellwood  acquired  an  academic  education  at 
Amsterdam,  N.  Y.,  carving  out  his  educational  course 
by  his  own  exertions.  While  pursuing  his  studies, 
he  conducted  classes  in  mathematics,  philosophy  and 
the  rudiments  of  Latin  in  the  same  institution,  there- 
by paying  his  board  and  tuition.  He  went  to  the  village 
of  Frankfort,  where  his  active  temperament  brought 
him  into  prominence  through  his  interest  in  general 
and  local  political  affairs.  He  was  an  ardent  Whig,  and 
in  1849  he  secured  the  appointment  of  Postmaster  at 
Frankfort  under  President  Taylor,  and  remained  in 
the  position  through  the  administration  of  Millard 
Fillmore.  He  was  elected  Superintendent  of  Com- 
mon Schools  at  Frankfort  for  a  number  of  years.  He 
entered  the  law  office  of  Judd  &  Cleland  in  the  same 
village  and  read  under  their  instructions  until  his  ad- 
mission to  the  Bar  of  the  Empire  State,  when  he 
formed  a  business  association  with  his  junior  pre- 


ft 


\\ 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


ceptor,  and  they  established  a  legal  practice  at 
Frankfort,  under  the  style  of  Cleland  &  Ellwood, 
their  connection  existing  three  years.  Mr.  Ellwood's 
wide-awake,  alert,  mental  organization  kept  him 
always,  so  to  speak,  "  on  deck,"  and  his  readiness  for 
any  amount  or  quality  of  hard  work  pushed  him  into 
places  of  responsibility  and  effort,  and  during  the 
years  1854-6  officiated  as  Superintendent  of  section 
No.  5  on  the  Erie  Canal,  including  a  distance  of  25 
miles,  and  extending  from  Little  Falls  to  Whitesboro, 
one  of  importance  on  the  line  of  the  canal,  extend- 
ing through  the  city  of  Utica;  and  its  gradual  de- 
scent along  the  hanks  of  the  Mohawk  to  Little  Falls 
necessitated  numerous  locks  and  created  an  enor- 
mous amount  of  labor  every  year. 

Mr.  Ellwood's  connection  with  the  political  his- 
tory of  his  native  State  was  during,  the  period  in 
which  the  Republican  Party  was  organized.  Mr. 
Ellwood  frequently  represented  his  district  in  the 
Congressional  Conventions  during  the  existence  of 
the  old  Whig  party  as  well  as  since  the  organi- 
zation of  the  Republican  party.  On  the  isth  of 
September,  1855,  the  last  Whig  District  Conven- 
tion of  Herkimer  County  convened  in  the  village 
of  Mohawk,  which  was  attended  by  Mr.  Ellwood  in 
the  capacity  of  Delegate  from  Frankfort,  and  he  was 
unanimously  chosen  Delegate  to  the  Whig  State 
Convention  to  be  held  at  Syracuse  on  the  26th  day 
of  the  same  month. 

Sept.  13,  two  days  before  the  meeting  above  re- 
ferred to,  the  Republican  element  of  Herkimer 
County  issued  a  call  for  a  cpunty  convention  to  be 
held  at  Herkimer,  Sept.  22,  to  appoint  delegates  to  a 
Republican  Convention  to  be  held  at  Syracuse  on 
the  same  day,  which  had  been  fixed  for  the  conven- 
ing of  the  Whigs  in  that  city.  The  Whig  Convention 
of  Sept.  26,  1855,  which  met  at  Syracuse  pursuant  to 
the  call,  was  the  last  assembly  under  the  banners  of 
the  old  regime  in  the  Empire  State.  The  party  in 
New  York  practically  expired  in  1854,  and  the  deler- 
gates  who  went  up  to  Syracuse  in  September,  1855, 
went  there  to  pay  a  last  melancholy  tribute  to  a  de- 
funct organization.  A  feeble  attempt  to  re-galvanize 
the  Whig  party  took  place,  but  the  delegates,  fair- 
minded,  conscientious,  reflective  men,  revolved  in 
their  thoughts  the  principles  set  forth  in  the  pream- 
ble to  the  call,  pursuant  to  which  call  another  body 
was  in  session  in  another  quarter  of  the  same  city. 

The    friends   of  Freedom    without   distinction    of 


party,  and  such  as  are  opposed  to  the  repeal  of  the 
Missouri  Compromise,  and  hostile  to  the  further  ex- 
tention  of  slavery  in  sentiment,  and  determined  to 
exercise  their  rights  of  suffrage  in  such  a  man- 
ner as  to  carry  out  their  views  in  future  political 
action,"  were  words  which  rang  in  their  ears  and  re- 
echoed in  their  consciousness,  while  the  old-liners 
affirmed  that  Whiggery  and  Republicanism  were  es- 
sentially identical,  and  that  the  latter,  being  a  tem- 
porary offshoot,  would  die  early,  unless  safely  gath- 
ered into  the  sheltering  bosom  of  the  former.  Before 
the  day  closed  the  Whigs  marched  from  their  cham- 
ber of  assembly  to  that  of  the  Republican  convention. 

Oct.  1 8  following,  22  days  later,  Chauncey  Ell- 
wood was  a  Delegate  from  Frankfort  to  a  Republican 
Convention  called  for  the  purpose  of  nominating 
county  officers.  One  of  the  distinctive  actions  of  the 
Convention  was  an  endorsement  of  the  resolutions 
and  nominations  of  the  Republican  State  Convention 
at  Syracuse.  To  the  sentiments  and  principles, 
which  he  adopted  without  qualification  or  reservation, 
Mr.  Ellwood  has  since  consistently  and  inflexibly 
adhered. 

He  came  to  Sycamore  in  the  spring  of  1858,  and 
on  the  7th  of  May  following  he  was  admitted  to 
practice  in  the  State  Courts  of  Illinois.  He  formed  a 
business  relation  with  a  law  association  already  es- 
tablished at  Sycamore,  which  conducted  a  successful 
enterprise  covering  a  period  of  two  years,  under  the 
style  of  James,  Lowell  &  Ellwood.  On  its  termina-. 
tion  the  relation  of  Owen  &  Ellwood  was  formed, 
which  existed  two  years  and  was  ended  by  the  with- 
drawal of  the  junior  partner. 

In  April,  1861,  Mr.  Ellwood  was  appointed  Post- 
master at  Sycamore  by  President  Lincoln,  and 
retained  the  position  until  November,  1866.  Mean- 
while he  figured  in  local  and  State  politics,  having 
represented  his  county  several  times  in  State  Con- 
ventions, his  career  being  a  continuation  of  the 
line  of  action  he  had  pursued  in  the  State  of 
New  York,  and  the  records  attest  the  vigor  and 
persistency  of  his  public  attitude.  In  the  25111 
General  Assembly  of  Illinois,  from  1866  to  1868, 
he  was  elected  First  Assistant  Secretary  of  the 
Senate  under  Gen.  Chas.  E.  Lippincott,  and  on  the 
resignation  of  his  chief  became  his  successor.  In 
the  next  sessions  (1868-1870)  he  was  elected  Secre- 
tary of  the  Senate.  In  the  fall  of  1869  he  was 
nominated  for  State  Senator  from  his  District,  but 


,,T7X, 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


failed  of  election  on  account  of  dissension  in  the  Con- 
vention. In  the  fall  of  1877,  without  solicitation,  he 
was  made  the  candidate  of  the  National  Greenback 
Labor  element  for  State  Senator  and  made  a  gratify- 
ing run  in  his  District,  which  is  strongly  Republican. 
His  own  town,  which  was  Republican  by  a  majority 
of  more  than  300,  gave  him  235  majority  and  he 
came  very  near  an  election.  In  1879  he  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education.  He  served  as 
its  Secretary  in  1880  and  1881,  and  was  re-elected  in 

1882,  became  its   President,  and  is  still  the  incum- 
bent of  that  position  (1885). 

Mr.  Ellwood  has  operated  in  the  general  business 
interests  of  Sycamore  with  the  same  alertness,  energy, 
persistency  and  industry  that  have  characterized  his 
entire  career.  In  1866  the  Sycamore  Bank  sus- 
pended, with  heavy  liabilities,  and  Mr.  Ellwood 
closed  its  affairs  with  the  creditors.  In  1867,  asso- 
ciated with  Dr.  O.  M.  Bryan  and  Alonzo  Ellwood, 
he  started  a  flax-mill,  which  is  still  in  existence  and 
operated  under  the  ownership  and  management  of 
Messrs.  Loomis  &  Luther.  In  1874  he  engaged  in 
the  boot  and  shoe  business  at  Sycamore,  which  he 
conducted  until  his  promotion  to  the  place  of  chief 
executive  of  the  city.  He  is  a  Director  in  the  R. 
Ellwood  Manufacturing  Company,  and  one  of  the 
managers  and  President  of  Elm  wood  Cemetery.  On 
the  organization  of  the  Marsh  Binder  Manufacturing 
Company,  he  became  a  stock-holder,  and  was  elected  a 
Director.  In  the  year  following  he  declined  a  re-elec- 
tion from  press  of  other  business.  From  1875  to  July, 

1883,  when  the  road  passed  into  the  ownership  of 
the   Chicago  &   Northwestern   corporation,    he    was 
Vice- President  and  General  Manager  of  the  Syca- 
more  &   Cortland  Railroad.     One   of  the  achieve- 
ments of  his  administration  was  the  erection  of  the 
fine  brick  depot  at  Sycamore.     The  kindly  nature  of 
Mr.  Ellwood  is  as  clearly  shown  by  his  consideration 
for  the  residents  of  Sycamore  during  the  period  of 
his  management,  as  in  any  other  phase  of  his  career, 
many  being  granted  the  favors  of  magic  slips  signed 
"  C.  Ellwood,"  which  secured  to  them  the  privileges 
of  the   road.     Many  a  boy  will  bear  in  lasting  re- 
membrance the  man  who  sent  him  to  the  conductor 
with  a  chalk  mark  on  his  back,  bearing  a  significance 
most   gratifying   to    the  wearer  of  the  brand  which 
passed  him  over  the  road. 

In   1883  he  was  elected  Vice-President  of  the  De 


Kalb  County  Agricultural  Association  and  re-elected  ^' 
to  the  same  position  in  1884  and  1885. ' 

Though  not  a  subscriber  to  the  tenets  of  any  ec- 
clesiastical denomination,  Mr.  Ellwood  lends  counte- 
nance and  substantial  aid  to  the  maintenance  and  V~) 
furtherance  of  religious  influence.     He  attends  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  is  characteristically 
liberal  and  generous  in  its  support.  His  interest  in  its 
welfare  was  most  appropriately  recognized  by  his  selec- 
tion as  an  eminently  proper  person  to  pronounce  the 
address  of  welcome  in  behalf  of  the  local  society  on 
the  occasion  of  the  convening  of  the  42d  Session  of  jj 
the  Rock  River  Annual  Conference  held  at  Syca-  I 
more,  in  October,  '88r.    His  remarks  were  published 
in  full  in  the  City    Weekly  and  were  made  in   the 
genial  vein  and  liberal  spirit  of  their  author.    A  reso- 
lution was  presented  and  adopted  by  the  Conference 
expressing  the  thanks  of  the  organization  for  the  ad- 
dress, and  also  for  the  courtesy  extended  by  Mr.  r 
Ellwood  to   its  members  in   passing   them   on    the 
Sycamore   &    Cortland    Railroad,  of  which  he  was  >->, 
Manager.     The  appreciation  of  his  efforts  was  em-  ^— 
phasized  by  additional  mention  in  the  general  reso-  £+ 
lutions  adopted  at  the  close  of  the  Conference.  ££ 

Mr.  Ellwood  has  been  twice  married.     He  formed  -jv 
a  matrimonial  alliance  with  Jane  E.  Budlong  in  1846,  . 
in  Frankfort,  N.  Y.     She  was  the  daughter  of  Dr. 
Caleb  and  Susan  Budlong.     Murray,  only  child  of 
this  union,  was  born  in  1847,  and  died  before  he  was 
six  months  old,  after  a  brief  illness  of  less  than  24 
hours'  duration.   The  young  mother,  in  the  weariness 
of  broken  health  and  hopes  baffled  by  the  sudden 
death  of  her  blooming,  beautiful  babe,  did  not  rally  . 
from  her  depression,  and  on  the  i4th  of  April,  1848,  ] 
she  sank  away  to  eternal  rest.     She  belonged  to 
prominent  family,  and  her  untimely  death  was  the  ' 
subject  of  much  comment  in  the  local  press.     The 
order  of  Odd  Fellows,  to  which   her  husband  and 
father  belonged,   passed  resolutions  of  condolence 
and   attended    her  funeral  in  a   body,  wearing   the 
badge  of  mourning.     She  has  been  in  the   realm  of 
the  blessed  nearly  37  years,  but  on  earth  her  memory  *Q) 
is  still  fresh  and  green,  and  is  perpetuated  by  the 
copy  of  the  action  of  Oneontha  Lodge,  bearing  under  * 
its  official  seal  the  expressions  of  sympathy  passed 
at  a  special  meeting  April  15,  1848. 

Mr.    Ellwood   was  again    married   in    November,  ® 
1857,  in  Ionia,  Mich.,  to  Helen  E.,  daughter  of  Sam- 

.Q Stf^C «i&$&® 

,  .  ..•  -.  /     .  >^     _ 


244 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


uel  and  Anna  Dexter.  Three  children  were  born  of 
this  marriage:  Florence  was  born  Nov.  14,  1858, 
and  died  Sept.  30,  1859;  John  D.  was  born  Feb.  9, 
1860,  and  is  now  a  resident  of  De  Kalb.  He  mar- 
ried Emma,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Eleanor  Combs, 
of  the  city  of  De  Kalb.  Anna  was  born  Sept.  n,  1864. 
Their  mother  died  March  5,  1866,  at  Sycamore.  She 
was  a  lady  of  finely  disciplined  mind  and  possessed 
unusual  earnestness  and  decision  of  character.  Her 
married  life  was  passed  in  the  conscientious  discharge 
of  every  duty  as  wife  and  mother  The  qualities 
she  exercised  as  a  friend  and  neighbor  built  for  her 
a  memorial  more  enduring  than  marble,  and  she  is 
still  mentioned  with  admiration  and  appreciation  by 
those  who  were  the  objects  of  her  consideration  and 
esteem. 

The  residence  of  Mr.  Ellwood  at  Sycamore  is  lo- 
cated on  a  plat  of  ground  containing  12  acres,  be- 
longing to  his  original  claim,  of  which  he  became  the 
possessor  in  1837.  The  spot  where  the  house  stands 
is  in  the  same  state  in  which  it  was  when  its  owner 
first  selected  it,  its  soil  having  never  been  broken  by 
the  plow.  In  the  rear  of  the  residence  is  a  small 
artificial  lake,  of  a  half-acre  in  extent,  and  stocked 
with  fish. 

Mr.  Ellwood  was  a  charter  member  of  Oneontha 
Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  No.  215,  at  Frankfort,  in  which  he 
was  prominent  and  passed  all  the  chairs.  He  was 
also  made  a  Mason  in  Olive  Branch  Lodge  there, 
and  passed  the  various  offices,  including  that  of 
Master  of  the  Lodge ;  and  on  removal  to  Sycamore 
he  transferred  his  membership  by  demit  to  Blue 
Lodge  No.  134.  He  is  now  a  Royal  Arch  Mason  at 
Sycamore. 

Oae  of  the  most  notable  occasions  in  the  history 
of  Mr.  Ellwood's  connection  with  the  home  of  his 
adoption  was  the  event  of  the  presentation  of  an 
elegant  gold-headed  cane  by  his  friends  at  Sycamore. 
The  cane  cost  $100.  The  engraving  embraces  an 
appropriate  inscription,  and  the  design  of  a  locomo- 
tive with  tender  and  passenger  coach  attached.  But 
over  and  above  the  value  and  beauty  of  the  gift  was 
the  abounding  enthusiasm  which  characterized  the 
arrangement  and  consummation  of  the  presentation 
ceremonies.  It  was  a  perfect  ovation  and  the  assem- 
blage was  gratifying  in  point  of  numbers  and  en- 
thusiasm. The  militia  and  the  fire  companies, 
embracing  the  members  of  four  organizations  and 


led  by  the  Band,  made  a  most  imposing  parade,  after 
which  the  concourse  gathered  m  Wilkins  Hall  and 
were  called  to  order  by  the  President  of  the  occasion, 
Judge  Charles  Kellum.  The  leading  addresses  are 
presented  intact.  Mayor  Nathan  Lattin  spoke  as  fol- 
lows: 

"  Mr .  President : — We  have  met  on  this  occasion 
and  in  this  hall  in  a  different  capacity  and  for  a 
different  purpose  than  we  have  been  wont  to  meet 
here.  Sometimes  we  have  met  here  for  pleasure, 
sometimes  as  political  factions,  and  sometimes  we 
have  met  when  excitement  and  passion  have  largely 
predominated  in  our  deliberations ;  but  on  this  occa- 
sion we  meet  much  differently.  The  war-club  and 
the  tomahawk  are,  for  the  time  being,  buried  deep 
out  of  sight,  and  all  meet  to x show  respect  to  and 
good  will  toward  one  of  our  active,  enterprising  and 
public-spirited  fellow  townsmen,  one  whose  interests 
have  been  largely  identified  with  the  interests  and 
prosperity  of  Sycamore  for  the  past  20  years — not 
only  have  been  but  still  are.  We  have  also  met  to 
present  him  a  slight  token  of  our  appreciation.  I 
need  hardly  say  that  the  citizen  referred  to  is  HON. 
CHAUNCEY  ELLWOOD. 

"  He  came  to  Sycamore  about  20  years  ago,  when 
the  place  was  but  a  village  of  a  few  hundred /Inhabi- 
tants,— no  buildings  of  very  large  pretensions,  either 
for  business,  residences,  hotels  or  places  for  religious 
worship;  no  large  manufacturing  establishments,  or 
machine  shops  ;.  no  flax  or  grist  mill ;  no  railroad  ; 
Mill's  stage  coach  was  the  only  public  conveyance 
by  which  to  communicate  with  the  outer  world ;  the 
steam  whistle  had  scarcely  broken  upon  the  primeval 
stillness.  He  identified  himself  with  the  interests  of 
the  place  of  his  adoption  and  has  been  identified 
with  them  up  to  the  present  time,  and,  I  may  say, 
is  more  closely  identified  with  them  now  than  at  any 
time  in  the  past.  He  has  seen  the  village  of  20 
years  ago  grow  to  be  one  of  the  most  beautiful  cities 
of  the  present  and  still  in  the  height  of  her  ambition  ; 
the  unpretentious  buildings  disappear  and  in  their 
place's  appear  substantial  business  blocks,  handsome 
residences,  beautiful  churches,  mills,  machine  shops 
and  manufacturing  establishments;  in  place  of  the 
stage  coach,  the  railroad;  the  shrill  whistle  of  engines 
is  heard  morning,  noon  and  evening.  The  surround- 
ing country  has  had  to  contribute  new  territory  f< 
its  growth.  He  has  not  only  witnessed  these  changes 
f~\  ^m^j^ef  geJkVS^-^^Vf?) 

""^•cxT^""  •"'-.,•••'.  /v  __ 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


I 


./ 


but  has  been  largely  identified  with  the  efforts  that 
have  brought  them  about. 

"  But  more  particularly  has  his  efficiency  been 
demonstrated  in  the  capacity  of  General  Manager  of 
the  Sycamore  &  Cortland  Railroad.  To-day  our  lit- 
tle railroad  commands  the  respect  of  not  only  in- 
dividuals, but  also  of  other  railroad  corporations,  and 
by  it  Sycamore  is  made  one  of  the  principal  railroad 
points  of  Illinois,  and  its  importance  is  appreciated 
by  all  the  commercial  centers  east  and  west.  It  is 
but  justice  to  say  that  to  Chauncey  Ellwood  belongs 
the  credit  largely  of  our  enviable  position,  and  also  a 
fair  share  of  the  credit  of  other  improvements  of  the 
past  years.  And  when  years  have  passed  away,  and 
with  them  he  and  ourselves,  then  his  name  will  shine 
bright  on  the  roll  of  honor  among  those  who  stood 
faithful  and  true  to  the  interests,  welfare,  growth  and 
prosperity  of  this,  the  most  beautiful  little  city  in  the 
world,  with  this  sentiment  ever  before  him  :  '  Syca- 
more :  may  she  ever  be  right ;  but,  right  or  wrong, 
nevertheless,  Sycamore ! ' 

"  For  his  fidelity  to  the  interests  of  the  city,  his 
friends  have  met  on  this  occasion  to  present  to  him, 
in  the  name  of  the  citizens  of  Sycamore,  a  token  of 
their  appreciation,  and  I  may  say,  all  join  in  approv- 
ing. 

"  Mr.  Ellwood,  in  the  name  of  your  friends,  in  the 
name  of  the  citizens  of  Sycamore,  I  have  the  honor 
of  presenting  to  you  this  cane  as  a  token  of  their  ap- 
preciation of  your  fidelity  to  the  interests  of  this  city. 
Take  it  and  use  it,  and  by  its  use  may  you  be  able  to 
lengthen  out  the  span  of  life  a  little  at  least ;  and 
when  you  are  through  with  it,  and  your  work  done, 
may  your  posterity  preserve  it  as  an  heirloom  to  your 
remembrance ;  and  may  it  be  an  incentive  to  them 
to  serve  their  town,  county,  State  and  country  well 
and  faithfully." 

In  response,  Mr.  Ellwood  said  : 

"  Mr.  Mayor,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen :  I  have  often 
been  called  upon  to  express  my  views  upon  the  vari- 
ous matters  pertaining  to  the  general  welfare  of  our 
city's  prosperity ;  but  never  with  the  same  emotions 
as  at  the  present  time,  as  I  see  before  me  so  many  of 
the  professional  and  business  men,  the  militia  com- 
panies, the  elements  of  our  city's  prosperity,  the 
laboring  men,  also  the  elements  of  its  preservation, 
the  fire  companies,  to  respond  to  the  kind  sentiment 
you  have  expressed — to  be  the  recipient  of  a  testi- 

/-s    \ 


monial  so  beautiful  and  valuable  as  this  cane.  I 
frankly  admit  that  I  do  not  know  how  to  express  my 
feelings  and  thanks. 

"  You  have  so  kindly  referred  to  my  long  residence 
in  this  place  that  I  may  be  pardoned  in  saying  that  I 
have  witnessed  its  prosperity  and  growth,  that  I  have 
seen  it  gathering  strength  year  by  year,  by  the  united 
and  energetic  efforts  of  her  business  men,  until  it  has 
grown  from  a  mere  hamlet  to  a  beautiful  and  pros- 
perous city  of  some  four  or  five  thousand  inhabitants, 
unsurpassed  by  any  city  in  the  State  for  the  high 
moral  standing  of  her  business  men,  whose  energetic 
aid  has  never  been  wanting  to  further  any  enterprise 
that  would  tend  to  the  advancement  of  the  city's 
prosperity. 

"  As  to  the  management  of  the  railroad,  it  is  due 
from  me  to  say  that  I  have  ever  received  th'e  hearty 
co-operation  of  the  president,  officers  and  directors 
for  all  the  changes  and  improvements  that  have  been 
made  upon  it.  It  is  also  due  from  me  to  say  that 
our  business  relations  with  the  general  officers  of  the 
Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad  Company  have 
been  and  are  of  the  most  friendly  character,  and  to 
them  is  due  much  of  the  success  which  our  road  has 
obtained,  never  having  asked  them  for  a  reasonable 
favor  in  behalf  of  our  road,  or  for  the  business  men, 
which  has  not  been  readily  and  cheerfully  granted. 

"  I  accept  this  beautiful  cane,  not  so  much  on  ac- 
count of  its  intrinsic  value,  nor  for  its  beauty,  but  as 
coming  from  my  old  friends  and  neighbors,  as  a 
memento  of  their  friendship  and  esteem.  I  shall 
keep  and  prize  it  as  long  as  I  live ;  and,  as  the  ever 
changing  years  roll  round,  the  sweet  memories  and 
recollections  of  this  hour  will  ever  grow  brighter  and 
brighter,  dearer  and  dearer  to  me.  Again  I  thank 
you,  my  friends,  with  the  assurance  that  this  occasion 
will  ever  be  treasured  and  remembered  by  me  as  one 
of  the  happiest  events  of  my  life." 

Judge  Kellum  responded  to  repeated  calls  as 
follows : 

"•Ladies  and  Gentlemen  :  It  is  gratifying  to  me.  as 
doubtless  it  is  to  all  of  the  citizens  of  Sycamore,  to 
participate  in  an  assemblage  of  this  character.  We 
have  met  to  show  our  appreciation  of  the  business 
ability,  zeal  and  fidelity  of  one  of  Sycamore's  oldest 
citizens,  Hon.  Chauncey  Ellwood.  He  has  witnessed 
and  been  a  part  of  the  city's  growth,  and  has  been 
largely  identified  with  its  prosperity  and  success  as  a 


II 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


T5 


business  center,  but  has  more  particularly  dis- 
tinguished himself  in  his  management  of  the  Syca- 
more &  Cortland  Railroad.  Amid  the  manifold 
perplexities  incident  to  the  railroad  business,  his 
uniform  courtesy  and  obliging  manners,  his  civility 
and  complaisance,  have  reflected  honor  upon  his 
management.  This  occasion  is  worthy  of  Sycamore, 
whose  citizens  are  always  willing  to  do  honor  to  the 
men  who  do  most  to  promote  her  material  interests. 
All  asperities,  bickerings  and  heart-burnings,  growing 
out  of  political  or  other  interests,  are  forgotten  and 

'  made  subordinate  to  the  spirit  of  the  occasion. 

'      "  Mr.   Ellwood,  when   with  enfeebled  frame   and 

*  tottering  step  you  walk  the  down  hill  of  life,  you  will 
find   more   support   and   comfort   in    the    cheering 
memories  of  this  scene  than  in  leaning  on  this  staff, 
carrying  with  you,  as  you  will,  to  your  life's  end  the 
assurance  of  the  esteem  and  approbation  of  your  fel- 
low-citizens." 

R.  L.  Devine,  Esq.,  made  the  following  speech: 
"I  am  much  pleased  and  gratified  over  this  de- 

•  monstration   of   respect  towards    one  of  the  oldest 

*  residents  of  Sycamore.     Mr.  Ellwood  has   claims  to 

•  be   considered   one   of  the    pioneers    of   the   place. 
J  More  than  a  third  of  a  century  ago  he  purchased  of 

the  United  States  the  land  where  his  homestead  is 
now  located,  in  the  limits  of  Sycamore.  He  has  been 
identified  with  many  and  perhaps  most  of  the  lead- 
ing business  enterprises  of  the  town  for  years.  He 
has  given  a  good  word  and  a  helping  hand  to  many  a 
man  who  stood  in  need  of  them.  It  is  quite  impos- 
sible for  a  man  to  lead  an  active  public  or  business 
life  without  often  meeting  with  harsh  criticism  and 
unjust  opposition.  Our  friend  here  has  had  his  full 
^  \  share  of  that  kind  of  experience ;  but  it  is  better  to 

[  appreciate  and  to  commend  and  reward  the  good 
deeds  of  those  with  whom  we  associate  than  to 
magnify  the  errors  such  as  all  men  are  liable  to  com- 
mit. I  am  all  the  more  pleased  with  this  demonstra- 
tion, as  it  shows  a  disposition  on  the  part  of  the 
people  to  stand  by  one  another  and  by  the  town. 

^  Our  city  is  prosperous  and  we  are  all  proud  of  it;  but 
its  prosperity  can  only  be  maintained  in  the  future, 
as  it  has  been  in  the  past,  by  harmony  and  unison 
among  its  business  men  and  citizens  generally.  Let 

f  us  always  bear  in  mind  that  old  motto,  'United  we 

j\  stand,  divided  we  fall.' 

Messrs.  ].  S.  Waterman,  Hon.  VV.  M.  Byers,  David 


Syme,  W.  M.  Loomis,  R.  Ellwood  and  G.  M.  Siv- 
wright  made  brief  and  appropriate  speeches,  and  after 
the  closing  ceremonies  the  assemblage  dispersed, 
bearing  away  with  them  the  remembrance  and  in- 
spiration of  one  of  the  most  enjoyable  occasions  in 
the  history  of  Sycamore.  It  reflects  quite  as  much, 
however,  on  the  hearts  that  instigated  such  an 
affair  as  on  the  man  who  was  its  distinguished 
object.  In  January,  1883,  Mr.  Ellwood  set  out  fora 
Southern  tour  and  traveled  leisurely  via  Louisville, 
Nashville  and  Montgomery,  visiting  prominent  places 
in  Florida  and  shipping  from  Cedar  Keys  for  Havana, 
Cuba.  All  along  the  route  he  wrote  his  impressions 
and  observations  in  the  form  of  keen,  breezy,  de- 
scriptive letters,  which  he  sent  for  publication  to  the 
City  Weekly  at  Sycamore.  They  were  characterized 
by  the  vein  that  runs  through  all  his  acts, — earnest 
devotion  to  and  solicitude  for  the  people  and  interests 
of  Sycamore. 

It  has  been  the  lot  of  Chauncey  Ellwood  to  live  in 
the  most  important  period  of  the  history  of  the  Re- 
public, and  to  share  in  its  chances.  His  early  life 
was  filled  with  the  struggles  that  were  his  only  in- 
heritance. By  diligence  and  the  display  of  his  good 
judgment  and  business  ability  he  has  accumulated  a 
competency,  although  beginning  active  life  with  no 
advantages. 


,enry  H.  Slater,  merchant  at  Genoa,  was 
born  Oct.  31,  1838,  in  New  Jersey.  He 
was  reared  to  the  age  of  17  years  on  his 
father's  farm,  attending  the  common  school  in 
boyhood,  and  at  the  age  named  accompanied 
his  parents  to  Genoa  Township,  where  they 
joined  the  community  of  farmers.  On  reaching  the 
period  of  his  majority,  he  returned  to  the  East  for  a 
visit  and  remained  one  year.  He  came  back  to  De 
Kalb  County,  and  in  August  following  his  return  he 
enlisted  in  the  iosth  111.  Vol.  Inf.,  enrolling  in  Co. 
A,  and  shared  the  fortunes  of  the  regiment  until  the 
close  of  the  war.  He  advanced  to  the  grade  of  Ser- 
geant, and  was  afterwards  promoted  as  First  Lieu- 
tenant. He  received  his  discharge  at  Washington, 
D.  C. 

On  his  return  to  De  Kalb  County  he  entered  into 
the  prosecution  of  a  mercantile  enterprise  at  Genoa, 


OFTKE 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


forming  a  partnership  with  Henry  Perkins,  and  they 
prosecuted  their  joint  interests  in  that  direction  three 
years.  Mr.  Slater  sold  his  claim  and  bought  a  farm 
in  the  township  of  Genoa,  and  conducted  an  agricul- 
tural enterprise  two  years.  Again  selling  out,  he 
went  to  Grundy  County,  where  he  engaged  in  busi- 
ness with  A.  K.  Stiles.  Eighteen  months  later  he 
disposed  of  his  interest  to  Mr.  Stiles  and  returned  to 
Genoa,  embarking  in  a,  mercantile  enterprise.  In 
1876  he  erected  the  fine  brick  building  where  he  has 
managed  his  business  since.  His  yearly  traffic 
amounts  to  about  $30,000. 

Mr.  Slater  is  a  Republican  in  political  connection 
and  has  discharged  the  duties  of  several  local  offices. 
He  is  a  member  of  Lodge  No.  288,  F.  &  A.  M.,  at 
Genoa. 

He  was  married  to  Anna  B.  Stiles,  and  they  have 
two  children — Samuel  A.,  born  April  16,  1868,  and 
Margaret  A.,  born  Sept.  2,  1870.  Mrs.  Slater 'is  the 
daughter  of  A.  K.  and  Fanny  (Smith)  Stiles,  the 
former  a  native  of  Vermont,  the  latter  of  Canada. 
They  came  to  Genoa  Township,  where  they  lived 
during  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Their  family  in- 
cluded four  daughters  and  two  sons. 


Joseph  Gandy,  farmer,  section  10,  Cortland 
Township,  was  born  in  Leesburg,  Union  Co., 
Ohio,  Nov.  i,  1834,  and  when  he  was 
three  years  of  age  his  parents  moved  with  their 
family  to  this  county,  where  they  have  since 
lived.  Mr.  G.  never  learned  a  trade,  but,  being 
naturally  a  good  mechanic,  he  can  build  any  com- 
mon farmer's  house  or  barn  as  well  as  anybody.  He 
has  been  a  school  officer  in  his  township,  and  in  his 
political  views  is  a  Democrat. 

He  was  married  Oct.  9,  1859,  to  Mary  Jane  Parker, 
who  was  born  Dec.  10,  1839,  in  Camden  Township, 
Hillsdale  Co.,  Mich.  They  have  five  children, 
namely:  S.  Douglas,  born  July  18,  1860;  Sarah  E., 
July  24,1862,  was  married  Nov.  16,  1882,  to  Fred 
W.  Snow,  and  is  a  resident  of  Cortland  village ;  Ada, 
born  Jan.  29,  1864;  Vida,Sept.  10,  1865;  and  Henry 
Harris,  April  9,  1874, — all  on  section  9,  this  town- 
ship. Mr.  G.'s  father  was  Henry  H.  Gandy.  (See 
sketch  of  H.  H.  Gandy.)  Mrs.  G.'s  father,  Abel 
Parker,  was  torn  in  the  State  of  New  York,  Dec.  14, 

^&&*& **^ %* 


i8oo,  and  died  in  1851,  in  Camden,  Hillsdale  Co.,  f\ 
Mich.  Her  mother,  Climena,  nee  Pease,  was  also  4P 
born  in  New  York  State,  July  4,  1813,  and  died  Dec. 
13>  I879,  in  California  Township,  Branch  Co.,  Mich. 
Her  maternal  grandfather  was  a  Revolutionary  sol-  V& 
dier. 


ramont  N.  Hollembeak,  retired  farmer,  re- 
siding at  Genoa,  was  born  Feb.  5,  1816,  in 
Genesee  Co.,  N.  Y.  Ruluff  Hollembeak, 
his  father,  was  a  native  of  New  York,  and 
married  Electa  Ames,  who  was  born  in  Ver- 
I  mont.  After  their  marriage  they  became  resi- 
dents of  Genasee  County,  afterwards  removing  to 
Pennsylvania,  where  the  father  died.  The  mother 
came  to  De  Kalb  County,  and  after  a  residence  of 
nearly  30  years  returned  to  Pennsylvania,  where  she 
died.  Their  children  were  named  Electa,  Betsey, 
Aramont  N.,  Alfred  A.,  Abram,  William  and  Amy. 

Mr.  Hollembeak  is  the  oldest  son  of  the  children 
born  to  his  parents,  and  accompanied  them  while 
yet  in  extreme  youth  to  Crawford  Co.,  Pa.  He  was 
13  when  his  father  died,  and  he  continued  to  .reside 
with  his  mother  three  years  after  that  event,  aiding 
her  in  the  support  of  the  family.  In  1832  he  began 
an  apprenticeship  to  learn  the  business  of  a  wagon- 
maker,  remaining  until  the  year  preceding  his  ma- 
jority, after  which  he  pursued  his  trade  as  a  vocation 
at  different  points  until  the  date  of  his  removal  to 
De  Kalb  County,  and  afterwards  for  a  season.  Among 
other  places  where  he  carried  on  his  business  may 
be  named  Conneaut,  Ohio,  where  he  operated  three 
years. 

In  1839  he  became  a  citizen  of  De  Kalb  County 
and  entered  a  claim  of  160  acres  of  land  in  the 
township  of  Genoa,  of  which  he  afterwards  obtained 
the  patent  from  the  Government.  On  this  he  lo- 
cated and  was  an  occupant  until  Nov.,  1877,  when  he 
built  his  present  residence,  and  of  which  he  took  pos- 
session on  its  completion.  His  fine  and  valuable  farm 
is  managed  by  a  tenant.  , 

Politically,  Mr.  Hollembeak  is  an  out-and-out  Re- 
publican, and  he  has  been  an  important  factor  in  the 
general  interests  of  his  township.  He  has  been  Su- 
pervisor two  terms,  has  served  several  terms 
Assessor,  School  Trustee  and  Road  Commissioner, 

— ^€^ -*«m 


£ 


Iff— 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


and  has  discharged  the  duties  of  a  Police  Magistrate 
six  years.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity. 

Jan.  12,  1838,  he  was  married,  in  Crawford  Co., 
Pa.,  to  Pamelia,  daughter  of  Frederick  and  Amy 
Decker.  Her  parents  were  residents  of  Genesee  Co., 
N.  Y.,  where  her  father  died.  The  mother  went  to 
Pennsylvania  and  later  to  Michigan,  to  live  with  her 
children,  and  died  at  Cassopolis  in  that  State.  Their 
daughters  were  Betsey,  Catherine,  Hannah,  Amy, 
Jane  and  Pamelia,  and  sons,  Barney,  Grant  and 
(  Stacey.  Mrs.  Hollembeak  was  born  May  7, 1817,  in 
Cj  Genesee  Co.,  N.  Y.  The  children  born  to  her  and 
her  husband  are  Adelia  A.,  Alfred,  Henry,  Emily, 
Ruluff  and  Ralph. 

A  fine  lithographic  portrait  of  Mr.  H.  accompanies 
this  sketch. 


\\ 


ohn  E.  Atwood,  merchant  at  De  Kalb,  and 
senior  member  of  the  firm  of  Atwood  & 
Burnside,  was  born  Aug.  26,  1828,  in  the 
town  of  Washington,  Berkshire  Co.,  Mass.  He 
remained  in  the  Bay  State  until  1 1  years  old 
and  spent  the  succeeding  four  years  in  Jeffer- 
son and  Lewis  Counties,  N.  Y.  In  1844  he  came  to 
Illinois  and  settled  in  Rockford,  finding  employment 
as  a  farm  laborer.  When  he  reached  the  age  of  22 
years  he  entered  a  dry-goods  store  in  that  city,  where 
he  acted  in  the  capacity  of  salesman.  He  ceased  his 
connection  with  his  employers  at  the  end  of  four 
years,  during  which  he  had  spent  about  one  year  in 
his  native  State. 

He  came  thence  to  De  Kalb  County  and  engaged 
in  business  in  the  township  of  Malta,  operating  there 
three  years  and  coming  to  De  Kalb  in  1862.  He 
formed  his  present  business  relation  with  A.  W. 
Burnside  in  1877,  previous  to  which  date  he  was 
connected  with  his  brother.  The  annual  aggregate 
of  the  business  transactions  of  the  firm  are  estimated 
at  $40,000,  and  they  rank  among  the  leading  com- 
mercial houses  of  this  section  of  Illinois.  Mr.  At- 
wood adopts  the  principles  of  the  prohibition  element 
in  politics.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity. 

He  was  first  married  in  Belvidere,  111.,  to  Angelita 
Harrington,  a  native  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.  They  had 


two  children:  Clara  A.  resides  at  Colorado  Springs, 
and  J.  Harie  is  in  the  employment  of  John  V.  Far- 
.well  &  Co.,  of  Chicago.  Their  mother  died  in  Malta 
and  Mr.  Atwood  was  again  married  in  that  place 
March  n,  1861,  to  Annie  E.  Fuller.  One  child — 
Walter  B. — has  been  born  to  them.  Mrs.  Atwood  is 
a  native  of  Pennsylvania. 


ififerson  O.  Stark,  of  the  firm  of  Stark  Bros., 
dealers  in  stock  and  pressed  hay,  at  Syca- 
more, was  born  April  4,  1847,  in  the  town- 
£  ship  of  the  same  name,  in  this  county.  His 
father,  Marshal  Stark,  was  born  Aug.  12,  1813, 
in  Luzerne  Co.,  Pa.,  and  became  a  resident  of 
De  Kalb  County  Sept.  14,  1835.  Louisa  (Tyler) 
Stark  was  born  in  Susquehanna  Co.,  Pa.  The  senior 
Stark  located  a  large  tract  of  land  on  section  31, 
Sycamore  Township,  which  was  deeded  to  him  on 
its  coming  into  market,  and  is  still  in  the  family.  At 
one  time  he  was  the  proprietor  of  a  place  of  public 
entertainment  at  Sycamore,  known  as  the  Stark 
House,  a  part  of  which  is  still  standing  contiguous 
to  the  Ward  House.  He  was  Sheriff  of  De  Kalb 
County  one  term  and  officiated  in  other  positions  of 
trust  and  importance.  His  death  occurred  Dec.  26, 
1882,  and  his  widow  is  still  a  resident  of  the  home- 
stead. Their  ten  children  are  all  living.  Harmon 
M.  resides  on  360  acres  in  Kingston  Township  in 
this  county,  which  is  a  portion  of  the  unsettled  es- 
tate. Martha  is  the  wife  of  Hosea  Atwood,  a  farmer 
in  Jasper  Co.,  Iowa.  Mary  married  Curtis  Harris, 
of  the  township  of  Genoa.  Jefferson  O.  is  the  fourth 
in  order  of  birth,  and  is  in  company  with  Henry,  his 
junior  brother.  Theron  resides  in  Sycamore  and  is 
administrator  of  his  father's  estate.  Ada  married 
James  Maitland,  and  resides  on  the  homestead.  Ella 
is  the  wife  of  A.  W.  Brower,  a  hardware  merchant  of 
Sycamore.  Emma  married  Charles  Wiggins,  a  farmer 
in  Storey  Co.,  Iowa.  Hattie  is  the  wife  of  Burt  Lee, 
a  resident  of  Sycamore. 

Mr.  Stark  was  reared  to  the  legal  age  of  manhood 
on  the  paternal  estate,  and  on  reaching  a  period  of 
independence  he  engaged  in  buying  and  shipping 
stock.  Three  years  after  he  established  his  business 
he  admitted  his  brother  to  an  interest,  and  they  have 
since  been  heavily  engaged  in  transactions  in  the 

•^\.A    /-s •^nJSxrL.i^'  «vsx> 


DE  KALB 
) 

'  avenues  named.  They  buy  and  ship  stock  to  Chicago 
nd  press  hay  for  mark-it,  having  the  requisite  facili- 
*.  »  ties  at  Sycamore  and  also  at  Kirkland. 

Mr.  Stark  is  the  owner  of  his  residence  and  a 
i  second  dwelling,  which  is  rented.  He  was  married 
Nov.  13,  1875,  to  Lydia  Carver,  a  native  of  Luzerne 
Co.,  Pa.,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Jabez  and  Ellen 
(Jackson)  Carver.  She  was  born  in  Lemon  Town- 
ship, Luzerne  Co.,  Pa.,  Aug.  i,  1850. 


ayne  Holdridge,  farmer  on  the  northwest 
quarter  of  section  28,  Cortland  Township, 
was  born  in  Smithville,  Chenango  Co., 
N.  Y.,  Nov.  22,  1825,  and  is  a  son  of  Ira 
and  Anna  (Howell)  Holdridge.  His  father 
was  born  in  1786,  in  Pownell,  Vt,  and  died  Jan. 
13,  1869;  and  his  mother  was  born  on  Long  Island, 
N.  Y.,  Sept.  26,  1792,  and  died  Dec.  28,  1869,  in 
Chenango  Co.,  N.  Y.  They  had  a  family  of  ten 
children. 

Mr.  Holdridge,  the  eighth  in  the  above  family, 
was  brought  up  on  a  farm  and  received  a  practical 
school  education.  At  the  age  of  28  he  came  to  this 
county,  arriving  in  June,  1853,  and  locating  on  his 
present  farm  of  67  acres,  lying  just  north  of  the  rail- 
road. For  1 1  years  he  lived  in  the  village  of  Cort- 
land, where  he  owned  a  house  and  lot  and  followed 
painting,  and  bought  his  farm  in  1864,  since  which 
time  he  has  occupied  it.  In  1864  it  had  only  an  old 
house,  but  he  has  placed  upon  it  a  good  residence, 
barn,  outbuildings,  etc.  In  politics  Mr.  Holdridge  is 
a  Republican. 

He  was  married  Sept.  27,  1857,  to  Miss  Clara  L., 
daughter  and  youngest  child  of  Job  and  Anna 
(Sprague)  Densmore,  of  Puritan  English  stock.  She 
was  born  Oct.  24,  1834,  in  McDonough,  Chenango 
Co.,  N.  Y.  Her  father,  a  Methodist  minister,  was 
born  March  25,  1790,  in  Reading,  Vt,  and  died  Sept. 
9,  1845  ;  and  her  mother  was  born  May  24,  1791,  in 
Vermont,  and  died  March  23,  1880.  Her  grand- 
father Densmore  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary 
War.  Mrs.  Holdridge  has  a  Continental  eight- 
dollar  bill  which  he  received  in  pay.  Her  grand- 
father Sprague  was  a  Captain  of  a  stationary  com- 
pany at  Castleton,  in  the  Revolutionary  War.  Her 
oldest  brother,  H.  B.  Densmore,  came  to  Kane  Co., 


COUNTY. 


111.,  in  1837,  and  located  at  Sugar  Grove,  where  he 
still  resides. 

Mrs.  H.  came  to  this  county  with  her  mother  in 
1845,  they  leaving  New  York  State  the  day  after  Mr. 
Densmore  was  buried.  There  were  21  in  the  party, 
and  they  came  West  by  team.  Among  them  were 
Mrs.  D.,  two  children,  and  a  sister  named  Cornelia  N 
Breed,  who  has  married  and  is  now  living  in  New 
Bedford,  Bureau  Co.,  111.  A  brother,  Joseph,  is  now 
living  in  Shell  Rock,  Butler  Co.,  Iowa. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Holdridge  have  had  one  child, 
Ethelbert  by  name,  who  was  born  July  25,  1861,  in 
Cortland  Township,  and  is  now  living  in  Cortland 
village. 

Mr.  H.  is  a  Republican  in  his  political  views. 


illiam  Wallace  Bryant,  M.  D.,  practicing 
physician  and  surgeon  at  Sycamore,  was 
born  Oct.  31, 1832,  at  Chesterfield,  Hamp- 
shire Co.,  Mass.  His  father,  Martin  M. 
Bryant,  was  born  in  the  same  place,  and 
JJ  married  Nancy  A.  Skiff,  a  native  of  Williams- 
burg,  Mass.  He  was  a  physician  of  the  "  new 
school,"  and  in  1838  settled  at  North  Adams,  where 
he  pursued  his  profession  until  his  death  in  1844. 

Dr.  Bryant  was  a  child  of  six  years  when  his  par- 
ents went  to  the  town  of  Adams,  and  was  12  years  old 
when  his  father  died.  He  remained  with  his  mother 
and  attended  Drury  Academy  in  Adams,  and  subse- 
quently became  a  student  at  Marlow,  Cheshire  Co., 
N.  H.  He  began  to  read  medicine  under  the  in- 
structions of  Dr.  W.  W.  Gardner,  at  Pittsfield,  Mass., 
and  supplemented  the  knowledge  there  obtained  by 
attending  lectures  at  the  Medical  College  at  Worces- 
ter in  his  native  State,  where  he  was  graduated  in 
June,  1856. 

In  October  of  the  same  year,  Dr.  Bryant  came  to 
Sycamore,  then  in  its  days  of  incipiency,  and  has 
since  been  engaged  as  a  practitioner  at  this  point. 
He  has  built  a  substantial  and  popular  business,  and 
has  discharged  the  duties  of  his  profession  with  little 
intermission. 

Dr.  Bryant  was  married  in  September,  1856,  to 
Cordelia  Sheldon.  She  was  born  in  Monroe,  Frank- 
lin Co.,  Mass.,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Hiram  G.  and 
Lydia  (Ballou)  Sheldon.  Their  children  are  Charle 

*»4a 


DE  KALE  COUNTY. 


J 


H.,  Austin  B.,  William  M.  and  Nellie.  The  oldest 
son  was  born  in  Sycamore,  April  24,  1857,  and  was 
primarily  educated  in  the  schools  of  his  native  city. 
He  studied  medicine  under  his  father's  instructions, 
and  at  the  age  of  18  years  commenced  to  attend 
lectures  at  the  Chicago  Medical  College,  where  he 
was  graduated  in  March,  1879,  after  a  thorough 
preparatory  course  covering  a  peiiod  of  four  terms. 
He  was  married  in  March,  1877,  to  Lottie  V.  Har- 
rington, who  was  born  in  Iowa.  They  have  one 
child. 

Dr.  W.  W.  Bryant  has  been  a  Universalist  in 
religious  principles  for  a  quarter  of  a  century.  He 
is  a  Democrat  of  the  Douglas  school. 


enry  Patterson,  carpenter  and  joiner  at 
Genoa,  was  born  Dec.  20,  1829,  in  Mead- 
ville,  Pa.,  and  is  the  son  of  Joseph  and 
Eleanor  (Compton)  Patterson.  He  came  from 
his  native  State  to  McHenry  Co.,  111.,  in  1845, 
when  he  was  16  years  of  age,  and  was  a  mem- 
ber of  his  father's  family  four  years  after  their  loca- 
tion in  Illinois. 

In  1850  he  went  to  Chicago  for  the  purpose  of  ac- 
quiring a  knowledge  of  the  business  of  a  carpenter 
and  joiner,  in  which  he  was  occupied  three  years. 
He  came  to  Genoa  in  1854  and  established  himself 
in  the  business  in  which  he  has  since  operated. 

He  was  the  owner  of  45  acres  of  land  in  the  cor- 
poration of  Genoa,  ten  acres  of  which  was  laid  out 
in  lots,  now  known  as  Patterson's  Addition  to  Genoa. 

Mr.  Patterson  is  a  Republican  in  political  faith, 
and  has  officiated  as  School  Director  and  Village 
Trustee. 

He  was  married  Feb.  16,  1854,  in  Genoa  Town- 
ship, to  Adelia  Crocker,  and  they  are  the  parents  of 
six  children,  —  Charles  F.,  Edward  J.  A.,  Hermon  H., 
Mary  E.  and  Clayton  A.  One  child  died  in  infancy, 
and  Edward  died  Feb.  2,  1862,  in  Genoa,  when  four 
and  a  half  years  of  age. 

Mrs.  Patterson  is  the  daughter  of  Elder  Allen  and 
Sophronia  (Tackles)  Crocker.  Her  father  was  a  na- 
tive of  Massachusetts  and  a  soldier  in  the  war  of 
1812.  Commenced  preaching  when  22  years  of  age, 
and  continued  in  the  ministry  56  years,  preaching  in 
the  States  of  New  York,  Ohio  and  Illinois.  He  died 


in  Genoa,  Feb.  7,  187  r.  Her  mother  was  a  native  of 
New  York.  She  received  her  education  at  Wyoming 
Academy  in  the  same  State,  and  died  in  Genoa, 
Nov.  30,  1874.  They  came  from  New  York  in  1846, 
and  located  in  Genoa  Township.  Their  children  ^ 
were  born  in  the  following  order:  Alvaro,  Mary  A., 
Philenia,  Elvira,  Adelia  and  Angeline.  Mrs.  Patter- 
son was  born  Jan.  16,  1836,  in  South  Leroy,  Genesee 
Co,  N.  Y. 


obert  H.  Roberts,  merchant  at  De  Kalb, 
senior  member  of  the  firm  of  Roberts  & 
Tyler,  was  born  July  28,  1836,  in  Oneida 
Co,  N.  Y.  His  father  died  when  he  was  12 
years  of  age,  and  during  the  year  following  he 
was  wholly  orphaned  by  the  death  of  his 
mother.  Thrown  entirely  upon  his  own  efforts  for 
maintenance,  he  availed  himself  of  the  first  oppor- 
tunity that  presented  for  honorable,  remunerative  la- 
bor, and  engaged  in  farm  work  by  the  month,  also 
operating  as  a  salesman  in  a  store,  being  occupied  in 
these  two  callings  for  a  period  of  seven  years. 

In  1855  he  cafae  to  De  Kalb  County,  where  he 
rented  a  farm  for  a  time,  which  he  worked  on  shares. 
He  proceeded  next  to  Kansas,  bat  the  State  being  in 
a  disturbed  condition  from  the  strife  engendered  by 
the  slave  element,  he  remained  there  but  a  year. 
However,  he  entered  a  claim  of  160  acres  of  land, 
espoused  the  Free-Soil  cause  and  enlisted  under  the 
banner  and  principles  of  "  Jim  Lane,"  serving  as 
need  required.  He  afterwards  sold  his  daim.  Re- 
turning to  De  Kalb  County,  "he  obtained  a  situation 
as  a  clerk  at  Sycamore,  where  he  was  occupied  three 
years.  In  1861  he  started  a  grocery  business  at  De 
Kalb,  associated  with  his  brother  Richard.  After  a 
connection  of  four  years  the  latter  sold  his  interest  to 
S.  A.  Tyler,  the  firm  assuming  its  present  style. 
They  are  engaged  in  the  provision  trade,  and  also  do 
an  extensive  business  in  live  stock. 

Mr.  Roberts  is  a  stanch  Republican  and  enjoys 
the  confidence  of  his  townsmen.  He  held  the  posi- 
tion of  County  Treasurer  from  1875  to  1882,  and  has 
discharged  the  duties  of  Village  Trustee. 

He  was  married  Oct.  20,  1863,  in  Herkimer  Co, 
N.  Y,  to  S.  Emma,  daughter  of  R.  H.  and  M.  L. 
Smith,  and  they  have  had  two  children.  Wallace  A. 


as  born  Oct.  24,  1868.     The  other  child  died  in  in- 
|    fancy. 

William  T.    and    Mary   (Williams)    Roberts,   the 

parents  of  Mr.  Roberts  of  this  sketch,  were  natives 

of  North   Wales.     They  emigrated  to  the  State  of 

t   New   York    and    were    married    in   Oneida   County, 

vhere  they  remained  until  their  death. 


eorge  M.  Kinyon,  farmer  on  the  northeast 
quarter  of  section  8,  Cortland  Township, 
was  born  in  Onondaga  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Aug.  $, 
1827.  His  father,  John  Kinyon,  was  born 
Nov.  13,  1796,  and  is  still  living,  with  a  son  in 
the  town  of  Ridgeway,  Orleans  Co.,  N.  Y. 
George's  mother,  Lydia,  nee  Post,  was  born  Nov.  28, 
1800,  and  died  in  March,  1883,  in  Hartland  Town- 
ship, Niagara  Co.,  N.  Y. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  moved  with  his  parents 
from  his  native  place  to  Ridgeway  when  a  lad,  where 
his  father  bought  a  farm,  which  he  still  owns.  At  the 
age  of  19  young  George  arrived  in  this  county,  May 
15,  1847,  and  purchased  the  farm  which  he  still  owns 
and  occupies.  It  consisted  of  130  acres  of  prairie 
and  17  acres  of  timber.  He  and  Mr.  H.  H.  Gandy 
are  the  only  men  in  this  settlement  who  still  own  the 
land  they  bought  in  pioneer  times  when  they  first 
arrived  here.  On  his  place,  when  he  purchased  it, 
was  a  double  log  house,  the  farm  was  fenced  and  a 
large  portion  of  it  "  broken  "  by  the  plow.  Since  then 
he  has  erected  a  fine  frame  residence,  barn,  outbuild- 
ings, etc.,  and  kept  the  farm  in  a  good  agricultural 
condition. 

By  his  first  marriage,  Nov.  12,  1848,  Mr.  Kinyon 
wedded  Miss  Marilla  Churchill,  in  Sycamore  Town- 
ship, this  county.  She  was  a  daughter  of  David  and 
Maria  (Parker)  Churchill,  and  died  March  26  follow- 
ing, and  now  lies  buried  near  the  Baptist  church  in 
Ohio  Grove  Cemetery.  She  was  not  taken  up  and 
buried  "  under  her  mother's  window,"  as  Boies'  his- 
tory says,  but  was  taken  to  St.  Charles  and  brought 
back.  There  was  a  second  funeral,  when  she  was 
buried  in  the  same  coffin,  with  the  exception  of  a  new 
lid,  in  the  same  grave.  Her  father  was  drowned  in 
1854, in  Virgin  Bay,on  his  way  home  from  California, 
and  her  mother  is  still  living  in  Iowa,  the  wife  of  Mr. 
Armstrong.  For  his  second  wife  Mr.  K.  was  wedded, 


Oct.  22,  1849,  to  Mrs.  Nancy  P.,  widow  of  John  Ad- 
kinson,  who  died  Feb.  19,  1847,  in  Dearborn  Co., 
Ind.  He  was  born  in  Switzerland  County,  that  State, 
in  1823.  His  daughter,  Vesta  A.,  who  was  born  three 
weeks  after  his  death,  was  his  only  child,  and  now 
lives  in  Washington  Co.,  Kan.  Mrs.  Kinyon  was 
born  April  14,  1827,  in  the  town  of  Philips,  Franklin 
Co.,  Maine,  the  daughter  of  William  Peace  Whitney, 
— her  father  having  been  so  named  because  he  was 
born  on  the  day  peace  was  declared  at  the  close  of 
the  Revolutionary  War.  He  was  born  in  Cumber- 
land Co.,  Mass  ,  and  died  Dec.  29,  1863,  at  Cort- 
land. Her  mother,  Nancy  J.,  nee  Carlton,  is  living  in 
Washington  Co.,  Kan.,  with  her  son  George,  a  farmer. 
She  was  born  Nov.  30,  1806,  in  Cumberland  Co., 
Mass. 

By  the  second  marriage  of  Mr.  Kinyon  there  have 
been  three  children,  as  follows  :  John  William,  born 
Aug.  31,  1850;  Dexter  D.,  Oct.  8,  1854;  and  Lydia 
G.,  May  18,  1857. 

Mr.  K.  is  a  Republican,  and  both  himself  and  wife 
are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 


W.  Morris,  editor  and  proprietor  of  the 
Malta  Mail,  was  born  at  Danbury,  Conn., 
in  the  year  1822,  and  there  resided  for  40 
years.  He  learned  the  woolen  business,  serv- 
ing his  time  with  Dick  &  Sanford,  at  Sandy 
Hook,  about  ten  miles  from  his  native  place. 
He  was  married  in  1844,  and  at  that  time  was  carry- 
ing on  the  manufacture  of  cloths  in  his  native  town, 
and  continued  to  do  so  until  1848,  when  he  sold  out 
and  was  appointed  Deputy  Sheriff  under  Phil.  F. 
Barnum,  a  brother  of  P.  T.  Barnum,  which  office  he 
held  for  three  years.  In  1851  he  was  again  made 
Sheriff  and  held  that  office  until  1862,  when  he  re- 
signed and  came  West  and  settled  at  La  Crosse,  Wis., 
and  went  into  the  insurance  business. 

In  1864  he  came  with  his  family  to  Rockford,  this 
State,  and  there  remained  until  1874,  when  he  moved 
to  Chicago,  where  he  continued  in  the  insurance  bus- 
iness, traveling  in  the  Western  and  Southern  States. 
In  1877  he  bought  the  Malta  Mail,  a  paper  that  had 
just  been  started,  also  the  Creston  Times,  in  Ogle 
County,  and  with  his  sons,  Howard  A.  and  Charles 
H.,  they  continued  until  the  death  of  Charles  H.,  in 


r 


\\ 


DE  KALB  COUNT}. 


1 882.  In  August,  1882,  in  company  with  his  son 
Howard,  they  started  the  Rochelle  Herald,  at 

^  Rochelle,  Ogle  County,  and  now  father  and  son  are 
conducting  the  Malta  Mail,  Creston  Times  and 

A  Rochelle  Herald,  and  all  are  in  a  healthy  and  grow- 
ing condition. 


Barnes  S.  Waterman,  one  of  the  founders  of 
Sycamore,  now  deceased,  was  born  May 
29,  1820,  in  the  township  of  Salisbury, 
Herkimer  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  was  the  son  of  John 
D.  and  Mary  Waterman.  In  1822  his  parents 
removed  to  the  village  of  Fairfield  in  the  same 
county,  where  his  father  engaged  in  commercial  pur- 
suits, and  where  the  son  became  a  student  at  the 
academy.  The  father  dying  before  the  latter  had 
reached  the  threshold  of  manhood,  he  was  early 
brought  to  a  realization  of  the  effort  necessary  to  a 
successful  stiuggle  with  the  world,  to  which  he  was 
made  heir  by  the  loss  of  his  natural  protector. 

His  mother  was  a  woman  of  sterling  character  and 
more  than  ordinary  intellectual  capacity,  and  her 
sons  entered  upon  their  careers  with  the  double  in- 
heritance of  brains  and  business  tact.  James 
studied  civil  engineering,  and  in  1838  joined  his 
brother  Charles  in  the  State  of  Illinois,  making  his 
first  location  at  Newburg,  Boone  County,  and  after- 
wards at  Sayersville  in  Winnebago  County.  North- 
ern Illinois  presented  an  excellent  field  for  the 
exercise  of  the  calling  for  which  his  educational  course 
had  fitted  him,  and  he  passed  five  years  as  an  as- 
sistant in  the  survey  and  adjustment  of  the  townships 
and  minor  divisions.  This  work  developed  his 
natural  traits  of  activity,  energy  and  perseverance, 
and  proved  the  foundation  of  a  substantial  fortune. 
The  intervals  of  service  in  the  employ  of  the  Gov- 
ernment were  passed  in  the  mercantile  business  with 
his  brother  at  Sycamore,  the  site  of  the  place  being 
then  located  on  the  Kishwaukee  River,  on  the  plat 
made  by  the  New  York  Company  in  1836.  He  ob- 
tained the  position  of  Deputy  Surveyor  of  De  Kalb 
County,  and  in  1839  made  the  survey  and  plat  of 
the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Sycamore.  His  abili- 
ties in  his  profession,  and  his  capacity  for  unremit- 
ting effort,  gained  for  him  a  substantial  reputation  as 


a  business  man,  and  an  influence  which  he  excited 
for  the  general  welfare,  and  in  1842  he  brought  his 
prestige  to  bear  materially  on  the  extinction  of  the 
State  debt  of  Illinois  by  aiding  in  securing  the  meas- 
ure designated  the  "two-mill  tax,"  whose  results 
demonstrated  the  value  of  its  provisions. 

In  1844  Mr.  Waterman  established  a  mercantile 
enterprise  at  the  village  of  Genoa,  situated  on  the 
northern  border  of  De  Kalb  County.  In  the  spring 
of  1845  he  became  a  permanent  citizen  of  Sycamore, 
founding  the  first  enduring  mercantile  business  at 
that  place,  opening  his  transactions  in  that  avenue 
in  a  room  of  the  old  Mansion  House,  now  the  City 
Hotel  and  situated  on  the  corner  of  State  and  Main 
Streets.  He  admitted  his  brother,  John  C.  Water- 
man, to  an  interest  in  his  business,  and  this  relation 
existed  until  1852,  when  he  became  again  sole  pro- 
prietor by  purchase  of  a  circuit  of  branch  stores  lo- 
cated in  adjoining  settlements,  and  of  the  main 
enterprise  at  Sycamore.  He  continued  their  man- 
agement until  1857,  when  he  sold  them  to  be  able 
to  give  his  undivided  attention  to  banking,  in  which 
he  had  embarked  in  1855. 

As  an  evidence  of  the  care,  wisdom,  judgment  and 
forethought  he  exercised  in  his  business  relations,  it 
may  be  remarked  in  this  connection,  that  he  passed 
securely  through  the  financial  crisis  of  1857,  with  no 
other  embarrassment  than  the  perplexity  unavoidably 
incident  to  business  of  any  character  in  a  period  of 
general  panic  and  shrinkage  of  values.  In  1864 
Mr.  Waterman  closed  active  operations  as  a  banker 
and  devoted  the  remainder  of  his  life  practically  to 
the  promotion  of  agriculture  in  De  Kalb  County. 
His  familiarity  with  the  localities  of  the  county  and 
his  comprehension  of  their  comparative  values  had 
enabled  him  to  make  judicious  purchases  of  real  es- 
tate. He  became  the  owner  of  farms  variously  situ- 
ated in  De  Kalb  County,  prominent  among  which 
was  a  tract  of  1,000  acres  on  the  southern  border  of 
Sycamore  township,  which  constituted  a  claim  and 
which  he  secured  by  purchase  when  it  came  into 
market,  and  of  which  he  retained  possession  as  long 
as  he  lived.  His  landed  estate  extended  into  other 
States,  including  extensive  tracts  of  pine  land  in 
Wisconsin;  and  he  also  owned  a  considerable  amount 
of  real  estate  in  Chicago,  which  he  improved  exten- 
sively after  the  great  fire.  About  the  year  1 88 1  he 
made  an  investment  in  a  mine  in  Southern  California, 


vv 


which  yields  a  large  income  and  promises  enormous 
increase  in  value. 

Mr.  Waterman  identified  himself  with  every  enter- 
prise in  which  he  could  discern  a  promise  of  perma- 
nent advantage  to  Sycamore.  In  1871  he  founded 
the  Sycamore  National  Bank,  and  continued  its  chief 
official  up  to  his  death.  He  was  the  primal  factor  in 
the  construction  of  the  Sycamore  &  Cortland  Rail- 
road, and  was  President  of  the  corporation  until  the 
road  became  the  property  of  the  stock-holders  of  the 
Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad.  He  was  the 
leader  in  the  establishment  of  the  Marsh  Harvester 
Manufactory  at  Sycamore,  and  was  its  heaviest  stock- 
holder in  the  beginning  of  the  enterprise.  When  the 
company  was  re-organized  he  retained  his  interest, 
and  was  its  Vice- President  while  he  lived.  On  the 
organization  of  the  Ellwood  Manufacturing  Company, 
he  became  a  heavy  stock-holder  and  was  its  presiding 
officer  until  1881. 

The  chief  memorial  of  James  S.  Waterman  is  the 
church  edifice  of  the  Episcopal  parish  of  St.  Peter's 
at  Sycamore,  whose  superstructure  was  erected  wholly 
at  his  expense.  It  is  built  of  the  beautiful  Batavia 
stone,  and  is  tastefully  modeled,  resembling  the 
private  chapels  of  the  English  nobility  in  form.  Mr. 
Waterman  was  one  of  the  parish  founders,  which  was 
established  in  1855,  and  one  of  the  closing  acts  of  his 
life  was  to  provide  in  part  for  the  perpetuation  of  its 
support.  The  adorning  of  the  inner  walls  was 
planned  by  him  after  he  was  stricken  by  fatal  dis- 
ease, and  completed  as  he  had  designed,  after  he  had 
passed  from  earth,  and  for  which  purpose  he  had 
appropriated  the  necessary  means.  In  the  nave  of 
the  church  on  the  right  of  the  chancel,  a  beautiful 
brass  mural  tablet,  suitably  inscribed,  has  been 
placed  to  his  memory. 

He  had  been  in  the  habit,  during  the  winter  sea- 
sons of  the  latter  years  of  his  life,  of  traveling  in  the 
Southern  States  and  in  New  Mexico  and  California. 
In  the  winter  of  1882-3,  while  in  the  Golden  State, 
he  decided  on  a  trip  to  view  some  mining  property 
in  New  Mexico,  whither  he  went,  accompanied  by 
his  brother  Robert,  remaining  at  Riverside,  Cal.,  until 
May  following,  when  he  returned  to  his  home.  His 
disease  baffled  the  best  medical  skill  to  be  obtained, 
and  he  finally  went  to  Chicago  for  treatment.  All 
efforts  proved  futile,  and  Thursday,  July  19,  1883, 
the  electric  messenger  conveyed  to  Sycamore  the 

<^vV3ra\/_a~  •^m.-gxB.ny 

.iSyAv-EXg13*    ~          ^i®ryr 


tidings  that  the  weary  struggle  with  the  "  guest  that 
goes  not  forth  alone  "  was  ended.  On  the  day  fol- 
lowing he  came  back  to  his  beloved  people  and 
home,  voiceless  and  coffined  for  everlasting  rest  and 
peace.  It  was  the  first  sorrow  he  had  brought  to  the 
portals  of  the  home  which  had  been  his  pride  and 
joy,  and  where  his  living  presence  had  been  a  com- 
fort and  blessing  which  words  are  powerless  to  char- 
acterize. In  his  journeyings  he  had  made  many 
friends,  and  on  the  Pacific  slope,  as  in  the  State  of 
his  adoption,  a  cry  of  mourning  went  forth  when  the 
intelligence  was  borne  back  that  James  S.  Waterman 
had  gone  forever  from  the  scenes  of  earth,  which  had 
known  him  so  well. 

Mr.  Waterman  was  first  married  in  1847,  on  the 
5th  of  January,  to  Mary  A.  Person.  She  died  in  De- 
cember, 1850,  having  borne  a  son — Douglass  Water- 
man— who  died  in  1855,  aged  seven  years.  Mr. 
Waterman  was  again  married  Jan.  30,  1854,10  Abbie 
L.,  daughter  of  Isaac  Cushman,  M.  D.,  of  Sherburne, 
N.  Y.  Mrs.  Waterman  is  a  representative  of  one  of 
the  leading  families,  in  point  of  culture  and  refine- 
ment, in  the  East.  In  the  years  of  her  wedded  life 
she  exemplified,  in  the  truest  sense,  the  highest  and 
best  domestic  graces.  Her  home  was  ever  the  arena 
for  the  exercise  of  the  noblest  womanly  traits,  and  in 
it  she  wields  the  sway  of  an  exalted  nature  under 
the  guidance  of  a  well  trained  and  disciplined  spirit. 


on.  Westel  W.  Sedgwick,  attorney,  senior 
member  of  the  law  firm  of  Sedgwick  &  Son 
at  Sandwich,  was  born  June  7,  1827,  in 
Westmoreland,  Oneida  Co.,  N.  Y.,  at  a  point 
four  miles  from  the  city  of  Rome.  His  father, 
Samuel  Sedgwick,  was  a  physician,  and  was 
born  in  1803,  in  Herkimer  Co.  N.  Y.,  and  married 
Ruhamah  P.  Knights.  In  May,  1844,  he  removed  his 
family  to  Little  Rock,  Kendall  Co.,  111.,  and  entered 
a  claim  of  80  acres  of  land,  subsequently  increasing 
his  estate  to  163  acres.  His  death  occurred  at  Little 
Rock,  March  i,  1847.  His  wife  was  born  in  Oswego 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  in  1807,  and  she  is  living  with  her  daugh- 
ter Elizabeth,  Mrs.  Oliver  S.  Hendee,  at  Sandwich, 
who  is  the  eldest  daughter.  Sarah  A.  is  the  wife  of 
William  Brewer,  a  farmer  of  Chariton  Co.,  Mo.  James 

•^^^ 


J 


H.  is  an  attorney  and  is  practicing  his  profession  at 
Peoria,  111.     Three  children  are  deceased. 

Mr.  Sedgwick  obtained  an  available  education  in 
youth  and  utilized  his  time  and  abilities  in  teaching. 
He  began  to  prepare  for  the  profession  of  medicine 
under  the  direction  of  his  uncle,  Parker  Sedgwick,  of 
Du  Page  Co.,  111.,  and  subsequently  studied  in  his 
father's  office,  acquiring  a  substantial  preparation  for 
matriculation  at  Rush  Medical  College  in  Chicago, 
where  he  was  graduated  in  1848,  after  studying  one 
term.  The  death  of  his  father  in  the  previous  year 
opened  an  opportunity  for  him  to  enter  upon  and  es- 
tablish his  profession,  and  he  succeeded  to  his  father's 
practice  at  Little  Rock,  continuing  to  operate  as  a 
physician  until  the  autumn  of  1857.  He  also  con- 
ducted a  mercantile  enterprise  three  years. 

At  the  date  named  he  came  to  Sandwich  and  be- 
came by  purchase  the  possessor  of  10  acres  of  land, 
which  he  platted,  and  it  is  now  comprised  within  the 
city  limits.  He  bought  80  acres  additional  soon  after, 
associated  with  Hon.  S.  B.  Stinson,  and  later  a  por- 
tion of  the  tract  was  platted  and  is  designated  "Sedg- 
wick's  Addition  to  Sandwich."  On  the  latter  purchase 
he  erected  his  residence,  the  grounds  accompanying 
now  containing  one  acre,  of  which  he  is  yet  the 
owner.  On  locating  at  Sandwich,  in  partnership 
with  O.  S.  Hendee,  he  established  a  drug  trade 
which  was  in  operation  nearly  three  years.  His 
change  of  locality  and  business  was  necessitated  by 
an  attack  of  inflammatory  rheumatism,  which  com- 
pelled him  to  relinquish  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion, the  disease  incapacitating  him  for  the  severe 
labors  of  a  widely  distributed  business  An  medical 
avenues,  and  he  engaged  in  the  sale  of  drugs,  for  ob- 
vious reasons.  In  1860  he  was  elected  Justice  of 
the  Peace  and  opened  an  office  for  the  accommoda- 
tion of  the  business  pertaining  to  his  official  position, 
in  which  he  has  continued  mostly  without  intermis- 
sion. The  relations  of  his  office  secured  for  him  a 
practical  knowledge  of  common  and  statutory  law, 
and  incidentally  he  entered  upon  the  study  of  the 
code,  which  course  eventuated  in  his  systematic  ap- 
plication to  the  acquirement  of  a  comprehensive 
knowledge;  and  in  the  spring  of  1862  he  passed  the 
prescribed  course  of  examination  at  Ottawa,  and  was 
admitted  to  practice  in  the  State  Courts. 

In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  was  elected  Repre- 
sentative in  the  Legislature,  serving  in  that  capacity 


through  the  sessions  of  1862-3  and  1863-4.  On  be- 
ing relieved  of  the  duties  incumbent  upon  his  official 
position,  he  opened  an  office  for  the  practice  of  law, 
and  conducted  its  affairs  singly  until  1882,  when  he 
admitted  his  son,  S.  Park  Sedgwick,  to  a  partnership. 
The  house  is  managing  with  success  a  large  and  im- 
portant practice,  and  they  represent,  in  addition,  12 
prominent  fire  insurance  companies,  comprising  some 
of  the  most  reliable  in  the  United  States.  They  are 
also  transacting  a  considerable  business  as  real-estate 
and  loan  agents. 

Since  the  date  of  his  location  at  Sandwich,  now 
(1885)  covering  a  period  of  nearly  30  years,  Mr. 
Sedgwick  has  been  unremitting  in  his  interest  and 
zeal  for  the  material  well-being  of  the  place  and  peo- 
ple. On  the  organization  of  the  Sandwich  Manufac- 
turing Company  in  1867  he  was  one  of  the  earliest 
to  enter  heartily  into  the  enterprise  ;  he  was  one  of 
the  Directors  from  the  outset,  and  was  elected  Vice- 
President,  in  which  capacity  he  officiated  several 
years  and  which  was  terminated  by  a  sale  of  his  in- 
terest. He  took  an  active  part  in  the  organization 
and' establishment  of  the  Sandwich  Enterprise  Com- 
pany, in  which  he  became  a  Director  and  of  which 
he  was  subsequently  made  President.  He  held  the 
position  three  years,  and  still  remains  one  of  the 
heaviest  stockholders.  He  identified  himself  with 
the  Sandwich  Cheese  Factory  Company,  was  a  stock- 
holder therein  and  became  President,  holding  the 
chief  position  in  the  organization  three  years. 

He  has  been  interested  and  prominent  in  local 
political  circles,  and  is  at  present  serving  a  second 
term  as  City  Attorney.  He  has  been  Supervisor  of 
Somonauk  Township  several  years,  and  was  Presi- 
dent of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Sandwich  before  it 
became  a  city.  When  it  assumed  corporate  dignity 
Mr.  Sedgwick  was  made  its  first  Mayor,  and  was  re- 
elected  to  that  incumbency.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Constitutional  Convention  of  Illinois  in  the  fall 
of  1869,  and  was  an  important  and  influential  actor 
in  framing  the  present  Constitution  of  the  State.  In 
1874  Mr.  Sedgwick  was  appointed  by  Governor 
Beveridge  to  fill  a  vacancy  on  the  Board  of  Trustees 
of  the  Insane  Asylum  at  Jacksonville,  and  discharged 
the  duties  of  the  position  nearly  two  years.  He  went 
abroad  in  1881  and  traveled  through  the  most  inter- 
esting portions  of  Europe,  Asia  and  Africa,  visiting 
Palestine,  and  making  a  trip  on  the  river  Nile.  Dur- 
ing his  absence  he  contributed  a  series  of  entert 

'      *•    ^  >m^MXar-  -S.^"^*^ 

Vi~)  ffiOjF  —^SfTiEl-^WVSJ 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


ing  and  instructive  letters  to  the  Sandwich  Free 
Press. 

His  marriage  to  Sarah  A.  Toombs  occurred  June 
7,  1848,  at  Little  Rock,  Kendall  Co.,  111.  Sire  was 
born  Nov.  22,  1827,  near  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  and  is  the 
daughter  of  William  and  Alta  Toombs.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Sedgwick  10  children  have  been  born,  five  only 
now  surviving,  who  were  born  in  the  following  order  : 
Agnes  E.;  Caroline  Gertrude,  wife  of  Webster  Dyas, 
a  druggist  at  Arlington  Heights,  Cook  Co.,  111.;  S. 
Park,  of  Sedgwick  &  Son ;  Charles  F.,  Deputy  Post- 
master at  Sandwich  ;  and  Jennie  May. 

Mr.  Sedgwick  is  prominent  in  influence  and  posi- 
tion at  Sandwich,  from  causes  which  have  been 
foreshadowed  in  the  record  of  his  career.  He  pos- 
sesses great  versatility  in  point  of  ability,  and  has 
been  equally  successful  in  medicine  and  law.  In 
the  latter  he  has  won  a  position  second  to  no  other 
attorney  in  De  Kalb  County  and  has  distinguished 
himself  in  his  connection  with  some  of  the  most 
noted  cases  that  have  come  before  the  Courts  of 
Northern  Illinois.  In  probity  and  integrity  and 
soundness  of  opinion  and  judgment  he  is  second  to 
none,  and  is  estimated  accordingly  in  the  community 
where  he  resides.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  and  has  been  largely  instrumental  in 
establishing  the  permanent  interests  of  the  Society. 
Sandwich  is  greatly  indebted  to  him  for  its  rapid  and 
substantial  advancement  in  all  its  leading  relations. 

The  portrait  of  Mr.  Sedgwick,  which  appears  on 
another  page,  is  a  signal  addition  to  the  collated 
biographical  and  historical  records  of  De  Kalb 
County,  from  his  character  as  a  man  and  citizen  and 
his  position  in  the  community  of  >  which  he  is  a 
member. 

• 


orm  White,  farmer,  section  9,  Genoa  Town- 
ship,   is    the    son    of    John    and  Barbara 
(Bamar)  White.     His  parents  were  natives 
J  t   of  Germany,  and   had  a  family  of  eight  chil- 
^"    dren.    Mr.  White  was  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth 
and  was  born  in  Germany,  March  5,  1815.    In 
846  he  emigrated  to  America  from  the  Kingdom  of 
varia,  and  on  arrival  in  the  United  States  first  set- 
tled in  Pennsylvania.     He  remained  there  between 
two  and  three  years,  and  in  1849  came  to  De  Kalb 

Sdcgaft- s^r: — %4 


County  and  bought  80  acres  of  land  in  Genoa  Town- 
ship. He  has  brought  his  old-country  thrift,  energy 
and  persistency  of  purpose  to  bear  in  his  efforts  to 
secure  for  himself  the  privileges  of  the  land  of  his 
adoption,  and  is  now  the  proprietor  of  350  acres  of 
land  in  De  Kalb  County,  with  250  acres  under  cul- 
tivation. He  is  a  member  of  the  Republican  party 
in  political  connection. 

Mr.  White  was  married  in  the  fall  of  1846,  in 
Pennsylvania,  to  Anna  M.  Hoffman,  a  native  of 
Bavaria,  and  they  have  had  seven  children,— Charles, 
George,  Margaret,  Caroline,  John,  Henry  and  Mary. 
Mrs.  White  was  born  Feb.  10,  1820,  in  Germany. 


lorge  W.  Dunton,  City  Attorney  of  Syca- 
more, was  born  Aug.  6,  1854,  in  Belvidere, 
Boone  Co.,  111.  His  parents,  William  S. 
and  Almira  (Baldwin)  Dunton,  are  natives  of 
Bennington  Co.,  Vt.  The  bir,th  of  the  former 
occurred  Aug.  31,  1813.  He  settled  in  the 
village  of  Belvidere  in  1846,  where  he  is  now  resid- 
ing. The  mother  of  George  W.  also  survives.  They 
had  four  children.  The  first-born  died  in  infancy. 
Mary  is  the  wife  of  Samuel  Kerr,  an  attorney  of  Chi- 
cago. Nellie  was  born  next  in  order. 

Mr.  Dunton  is  the  youngest  child  of  his  parents, 
and  passed  the  years  of  his  boyhood  and  youth  al- 
ternately on  the  farm  and  at  the  schools  of  Belvidere, 
until  he  was  17  years  of  age,  when  he  matriculated 
at  the  University  of  the  State  of  Iowa,  at  Iowa  City. 
He  was  a  student  four  years  in  the  Literary  Depart- 
ment of  that  institution,  and  was  graduated  in  June, 
1875,  with  the  degree  of  A.  B.  In  the  same  year  he 
entered  the  Union  College  of  Law  in  Chicago,  where 
he  was  graduated  in  1877,  after  two  years  of  close 
application  to  the  study  of  law. 

Coming  to  Sycamore  he  formed  a  business  relation 
with  the  late  R.  L.  Divine,  which  continued  to  exist 
till  the  fall  of  1880.  Since  that  date  Mr.  Dunton 
has  conducted  the  connections  of  his  office  singly, 
and  has  built  up  a  fine  and  popular  practice. 

Mr.  Dunton  is  a  representative  of  a  New  England 
family  of  the  best  type;  one  that  has  occupied  a 
front  rank  in  the  circles  of  culture  and  refinement  for 
generations,  and  whose  genuine  claims  have  given  it 
a  prominence  second  to  none.  He  brings  to  his  life 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


~\ 


work  his  inheritance  of  self-respect  and  the  capacity 
for  earnest  effort,  which  is  conspicuously  the  dowry 
descending  to  him  from  his  ancestral  stock.  To  young 
and  rising  men  of  his  calibre  the  profession  looks 
hopefully  for  its  redemption  from  the  evils  which  are 
upon  it  in  these  latter  days. 

Mr.  Dunton  was  elected  City  Attorney  of  Syca- 
more in  the  spring  of  1883. 

.ohn  P.  Smith,  farmer  on  the  southwest 
quarter  of  section  36,  Cortland  Township, 
was  bom  in  West  Somers,  Westchester  Co., 
N.  Y.,  Feb.  28,  1809.  His  father,  Samuel 
Smith,  was  born  in  Westchester  Co.,  N.  Y.,  of 
English  descent,  was  a  cooper  by  vocation  all 
his  life,  and  died  in  his  native  county,  about  32  years 
of  age.  The  mother  of  John  P.,  Elizabeth,  nee 
Nichols,  also  a  native  of  that  county  and  of  English 
ancestry,  died  in  the  same  county,  aged  about  7  9 
years.  His  grandfather  first  settled  on  Long  Island, 
N.  Y. 

The  subject  of  this  biographical  sketch  lived,  after 
his  father's  decease,  with  a  man  in  Putnam  Co.,  N.Y., 
working  for  his  board  and  clothing,  from  the  age  of 
nine  until  he  was  16  years  of  age.  He  then  served 
an  apprenticeship  of  five  years  at  the  wagon-maker's 
trade,  and  then  never  followed  it  a  single  day  after- 
ward. His  next  career  was  as  a  violinist  for  a  travel- 
ing circus  most  of  the  time  for  12  years,  and  part  of 
the  time  as  manager,  when  he  made  about  $14,000. 
He  then  bought  a  farm  of  120  acres  in  Putnam  Co., 
N.  Y.,  and  managed  it  for  four  years,  going  then  into 
the  milk  business  in  New  York  city,  four  years.  Next, 
he  returned  and  purchased  another  farm  in  Putnam 
County,  of  1 30  acres,  and  followed  the  daily  business 
Tor  six  years,  making  a  specialty  also  of  fat  cattle 
and  sheep;  sold  this  place,  bought  his  father-in-law's 
farm,  and  resided  upon  it  two  years;  sold  that  to 
Daniel  Drew,  came  West,  to  Pike  Co.,  111.,  looked 
around  a  month,  and  then  throughout  the  State  for 
a  year,  when  he  finally,  in  1852,  bought  the  quarter 
section  where  he  now  resides.  To  his  original  pur- 
chase he  subsequently  added  until  atone  time  he  had 
as  much  as  700  acres.  His  present  place  was  clean 
prairie  when  he  came  here,  with  only  a  small  house 
ipon  it.  Although  Mr.  Smith  had  no  school  educa- 


tion with  which  to  begin  life,  nor  even  a  cent  of 
money,  he  has  taught  himself  reading,  writing  and 
arithmetic,  as  well  as  those  business  principles  which 
have  enabled  him  to  accumulate  property  by  the 
habits  of  honest  industry ;  and  he  has  accordingly 
made  his  home  a  substantial  one,  and  earned  a  high 
reputation  among  his  fellow  citizens.  He  has  been 
Supervisor,  Highway  Commissioner,  and  School 
Director,  and  in  his  political  principles  he  acts  with 
the  Republican  party. 

He  was  first  married  Jan.  20,  1836,  to  Zillah 
Haines,  who  was  born  Oct.  14,  1814,  in  Westchester 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  died  July  31,  1871,  and  is  buried  in  the 
Maple  Park  burying  ground.  Her  father,  Horace 
Haines,  died  in  Putnam  Co.,  N.  Y.,  about  63  years 
of  age,  and  her  mother,  Jane,  nee  Youmans,  also 
died  in  that  county,  at  the  age  of  about  88  years. 
Mr.  Smith  was  married  a  second  time  Oct.  12,  r873, 
to  Mrs.  Eliza  Denton,  widow  of  Solomon  Denton 
and  daughter  of  Harry  and  Rebecca  (Smith)  Crosby. 
Mr.  Smith's  children  are  all  by  his  first  wife,  namely  : 
Lemore  M.,  Leonard  Y.,  Eliza  J.  and  Horace ;  and  his 
wife's  children  by  her  first  husband  are,  Mary,  Re- 
becca, Julia,  Lavinia,  Elizabeth,  Gilbert,  and  one 
deceased. 


avid  W.  Hartman,  editor  and  proprietor  of 
the  Genoa  Issue,  was  born  Feb.  9,  1854, 
in  Ccrtland,  De  Kalb  County.  His  par- 
ents, Elias  and  Almira  (Churchill)  Hartman. 
are  natives  respectively  of  Pennsylvania  and 
the  State  of  New  York.  In  1837  they  came 
to  De  Kalb  County  and  "  took  up  "  a  homestead 
claim  in  what  is  now  the  township  of  Cortland,  set- 
tling thereon  previous  to  the  Government  survey. 
They  sold  the  place  later  and  removed  to  Sycamore, 
the  father  engaging  in  a  mercantile  enterprise,  in 
which  he  was  interested  nine  years.  At  the  expira- 
tion of  that  period  he  disposed  of  his  commercial 
business  by  sale  and  became  again  a  farmer  in  the 
the  township  of  Cortland,  prosecuting  that  business 
about  four  years.  His  next  enterprise  was  in  the 
capacity  of  hotel-keeper  in  the  village  of  Cortland, 
and  he  conducted  affairs  in  that  line  seven  years. 
He  again  sold  out  and  removed  to  Rochelle,  111.,  re- 
maining three  years,  and  returning  thence  to  Syca- 


JV^' 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


J 


more,  where  he  has  since  resided.  The  other 
children  belonging  to  the  family  are  Delos,  Philo, 
Mary,  Rosetta,  Wallace  and  Carrie  D. 

Mr.  Hartman  passed  the  early  part  of  his  life  in 
attendance  at  school,  and  at  18  years  of  age  was 
apprenticed  to  learn  the  trade  of  a  printer  in  the 
office  of  the  True  Republican  at  Sycamore,  under  the 
direction  of  the  editor,  H.  L.  Boies.  In  1880  he  be- 
came associated  with  the  latter  in  the  proprietorship 
of  the  paper,  the  connection  existing  until  September, 
1884,  when  Mr.  Hartman  severed  his  connection 
with  the  journal  and  established  the  Issue  at  Genoa. 
His  enterprise  had  a  gratifying  inception,  met  with 
favor  and  support,  and  is  rapidly  gaining  ground  and 
securing  a  permanent  foothold.  Mr.  Hartman  is  a 
Republican  in  political  preference,  but  is  conducting 
his  newspaper  on  the  neutral  principle. 

His  marriage  to  Mary  Robinson  took  place  at 
Sycamore,  Aug.  7,  187  9,  and  they  have  had  two  chil- 
dren,— Ethel  C.,  born  Jan.  2,  1881,  and  died  Aug.  8 
following;  and  Floyd  B.,  born  March  16,  1884.  Mrs. 
Hartman  is  the  daughter  of  Horace  and  Ann  E. 
Robinson,  both  natives  of  Massachusetts,  whence 
they  removed  to  Illinois.  The  former  died  at  Saxon, 
Henry  Co.,  111.,  and  the  latter  resides  at  Genoa. 


bram  Ellwood,  manufacturer  of  barbed 
wire  fence  stretchers  at  Sycamore,  is  the 
son  of  Hon.  Reuben  Ellwood,  M.  C.,  whose 
sketch  may  be  found  elsewhere.  He  is  con- 
nected with  the  business  interests  of  the  firm 
lately  known  as  the  R.  Ellwood  Manufactur- 
ing Company,  whose  affairs  have  recently  been  as- 
sumed by  the  senior  stock-holder. 

Mr.  Ellwood  was  born  March  26,  1850,  in  Scotia, 
Schenectady  Co.,  N.  Y.  He  was  a  pupil  at  school 
until  he  was  16  years  of  age,  when  he  engaged  as  a 
railroad  contractor,  operating  at  various  points  in  the 
management  of  construction  corps  of  different  lines, 
among  which  were  the  New  Orleans,  Mobile  &  Texas 
Railroad  and  a  line  formerly  known  as  the  Milwau- 
kee &  Northern.  On  the  termination  of  his  transac- 
tions in  that  capacity,  he  engaged  in  the  duties  of  a 
freight  and  passenger  conductor,  following  that  line 
of  business  on  various  railroads.  He  was  an  attache 
of  the  United  States  Mail  service  on  the  Missouri, 


Kansas  &  Texas,  on  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern 
and  on  the  Chicago,  Lafayette  &  Cincinnati  Rail- 
roads. 

In  the  fall  of  1877  he  entered  upon  the  responsi- 
bilities of  the  position  of  Superintendent  of  the  R. 
Ellwood  Manufacturing  Company,  in  which  he  was 
engaged  until  the  fall  of  1880.  At  that  date  he  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture  of  wire-fence  stretchers 
and  novelties,  in  December,  1884,  consolidating  his 
interests  -with  his  former  business  and  becoming 
manager. 

Mr.  Ellwood  was  married  Jan.  3,  1876,  to  Emma 
L.  Garvin,  and  they  have  four  children :  Mildred 
G.  was  born  Feb.  3, 1878;  Sallie  E.,  July  18,  1879; 
Reuben,  Jr.,  Sept.  25,  1881;  Emma  E.,  Aug.  7, 
1883.  Mrs.  Ellwood  was  born  Dec.  6,  r848,  in 
Chichester,  N.  H. 

Mr.  Ellwood  has  officiated  one  term  as  Alderman 
of  Sycamore. 


W.  C.  Joslyn,  farmer  on  the  south- 
west quarter  of  the  southeast  quarter  of 
section  29,Cortland  Township,  was  born  in 
Darien,  Genesee  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Nov.  22,  1824, 
and  when  ten  years  of  age  moved  with  his  par- 
ents to  Erie  Co.,  N.  Y.  In  July,  1844,  he  came 
by  steamboat  to  Chicago,  that  place  having  then  only 
5,000  inhabitants.  He  came  on  to  Sycamore  with 
Andrew  Lovell  and  Homer  Roberts,  and  in  October 
following  he  went  to  Wisconsin  and  spent  the  n 
ensuing  winters  in  the  pineries;  the  summers  he 
spent  on  the  Mississippi  River,  sawing  and  rafting 
lumber  to  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  or  was  at  Sycamore.  While 
in  the  pineries  he  learned  the  Chippewa  language  of 
the  Indians.  He  walked  i  r  times  to  the  pineries, 
a  distance  of  300  miles,  and  walked  from  La  Salle 
and  Peru  to  Sycamore  when  he  saw  no  other  human 
being  on  the  whole  route  except  at  Paw  Paw  and  Shab- 
bona  Grove.  Once  he  drove  an  ox  team  to  the 
pineries,  and  his  only  stopping  places  were  the  hotels 
along  the  way,  which  were  generally  40  miles  apart ! 
In  1856  he  quit  lumbering  and  bought  400  acres 
of  land,  of  Mr.  West,  the  banker  at  Geneva;  the 
next  year  he  sold  to  his  partner,  L.  F.  Dow,  but  in 
1858  he  bought  back  60  acres,  on  which  he  has  since 
resided  and  prospered.  He  has  borne  a  share  of  the 
/.  r\  ^j&^.er  rofj@^£(a) 


ft 


r 


DE  KALB    COUNTY. 


public  burden  by  serving  as  Overseer  of  the  Poor  and 


Path  Master. 

Mr.  Joslyn  was  married  June  18,  1856,  to  Mrs. 
Philura  L.  White,  widow  of  George  H.  White,  who 
(0)1  died  in  Calfornia  in  1852.  They  had  one  child,  George 
M.,  born  May  -8,  1849,  who  is  now  a  resident  of  Kan- 
sas. Her  father,  Martin  L.  Lowel,  was  born  in  Lam- 
ster,  N.  H.,  Dec.  14,  1792,  and  was  in  the  War  of 
1812,  and  was  a  pensioner.  Her  mother,  Melinda 
C.  La  Porte,  was  born  in  New  Jersey,  June  6,  1798. 
^  Both  of  them  died  in  Sycamore.  Her  parents  came 
to  this  country  in  1870,  but  she  herself  had  come  in 
1855.  Mrs.  J.  was  born  in  1825,  in  Brookfield, 
Washington  Co.,  Vt.  Mr.  Joslyn's  father,  Orsamus 
R.,  v/as  born  in  1800  and  died  in  1864,  in  Alden, 
Erie  Co.,  N.  Y.;  and  his  mother,  Osia,  nee  Sprague, 
was  born  in  1806,  and  died  in  the  above  county,  in 
1844.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Joslyn  are: 
Colin  C.,  born  Dec.  9,  1857,  now  an  attorney  at 
law  in  Minneapolis,  Minn.;  Carlin  D.,  born  May  i, 
1859,  now  at  Deer  Lodge,  Montana,  600  miles  north- 
west of  Salt  Lake  City;  Dan  R.,  born  Oct.  7,  1863, 
and  died  in  1870  ;  Minnie  O.  and  Linnie  R.,  twins, 
were  born  April  8,  1870. 


Tames  M.  Dayton,  of  the  firm  of  Dayton  & 
Stafford,  dealers  in  live  stock  at  Sycamore, 
was  born  Jan.  16,  1839,  in  the  township  of 
Cortland,  and  has  been  a  resident  of  De  Kalb 
County  all  his  life.  His  father,  Alvin  Dayton, 
was  born  in  1809  in  Vermont,  and  removed 
with  his  family  to  De  Kalb  County  in  its  earliest  days. 
He  is  the  oldest  living  pioneer  settler  of  Cortland 
Township.  The  mother  of  James  M.,  Abigail,  nee 
Wyman,  is  a  native  of  Massachusetts. 

Mr.  Dayton  is  the  second  in  order  of  birth  of  six 
children  born  to  his  parents,  four  of  whom  are  still 
living.  He  began  his  struggle  with  fate  on  attaining 
his  majority,  and  soon  found  himself  the  possessor  of 
90  acres  of  land,  the  result  of  persistent  energy  and 
perseverance  in  laudable  effort.  The  property  was 
located  in  his  native  township  and  he  continued  its 
proprietor  six  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he 
bought  a  farm  in  the  town  of  Virgil,  in  Kane  County. 
His  possessions  there  now  embrace  320  acres,  the 
property  being  in  charge  of  a  tenant. 

In  1871  he  came  to  Sycamore  and  embarked  in 


the  enterprise  in  which  he  is  now  occupied,  and  also 
engaged  in  the  management  of  a  restaurant  in  part- 
nership with  his  brother.  Four  years  later  he  re- 
turned to  his  farm,  and  after  a  stay  of  nearly  three 
years  became  again  a  factor  in  the  business  element 
of  Sycamore.  The  shipments  during  the  busy  season 
of  Messrs.  Dayton  &  Stafford  average  about  100  car- 
loads. In  summer  Mr.  D.  operates  a  large  road- 
grader,  and  among  other  merchandise  they  deal  in 
drain  tile  and  sewer  pipe. 

The  wife  of  Mr.  Dayton  was  formerly  Ann  A. 
Ewings,  and  their  marriage  took  place  Oct.  7,  1861. 
Mrs.  Dayton  was  born  in  Ohio,  and  is  the  daughter 
of  George  and  Deborah  Ewings.  The  children  born 
of  their  union  are  five  in  number.  Mary,  born  Jan. 
5,  1863,  is  the  wife  of  Herbert  E.  Harmon,  agent  for 
a  nursery  house,  and  resident  at  Morenci,  Mich.; 
Grant  A.  was  born  Dec.  5,  1865,  in  Cortland  Town- 
ship; Nora  A.  was  born  Sept.  25,  1867  ;  Lottie,  Oct. 
21,  1869,  in  Virgil  Township;  Josie,  Sept.  17,  1873, 
in  Sycamore  Township. 


lexander  Crawford,  merchant  at  Genoa, 
was  born  Dec.  22,  1822,  in  the  State  of 
Pennsylvania,  where  his  parents,  Alexan- 
der and  Rachel  (Kidd)  Crawford,  were  also 
born.  They  removed  thence  with  their  chil- 
dren in  the  fall  of  1839,  and  settled  in  the 
township  of  Sycamore,  where  their  mother  died,  in 
185  r.  Later,  the  father  went  to  Iowa  and  died 
there. 

Mr.  Crawford  is  the  second  son  of  his  parents, 
who  became  the  parents  of  eight  children.  He 
passed  the  earlier  years  of  his  life  obtaining  his  edu- 
cation and  assisting  on  his  father's  farm.  His  first 
independent  venture  in  business  was  on  a  rented 
farm,  on  which  he  operated  two  years,  and  at  the  end 
of  that  time  pre-empted  160  acres  of  land  in  Genoa 
Township.  On  this  he  prosecuted  the  interests  of  a 
farmer  until  1873,  when  he  bought  another  farm,  of 
which  he  took  possession  and  was  engaged  in  culti- 
vating two  years.  In  1875  he  removed  to  Genoa 
village  and  began  to  operate  in  butter  and  eggs, 
gradually  extending  his  relations  until  he  converted 
them  into  those  of  a  general  merchant.  He  is  con- 
ducting a  very  extensive  business,  one  of  the  lea 

>"' 


enterprises  at  Genoa,  and  manages  his  affairs  in  a 
brick  building,  which  he  erected  in  the  summer  of 
1 88 1.  His  aggregate  of  annual  sales  amounts  to 
about  $18,000.  His  farm  in  the  township  of  Genoa 
comprises  376  acres  of  valuable,  well-improved  land. 
Mr.  Crawford  is  in  sympathy  with  the  Republican 
element  in  politics,  and  has  held  the  offices  of  Justice 
of  the  Peace  and  Highway  Commissioner.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity. 

His  marriage  to  Laura  Shurtliff  took  place  Dec. 
25,  1845,  in  Genoa  Township,  and  they  have  five 
children,— Theresa,  William  H.,  Milton  H.,  Clark  E. 
and  Carl  B.  The  oldest  daughter  is  the  wife  of 
Charles  Smith  and  resides  in  Genoa  Township. 


sratio  H.  Mason,  capitalist,  resident  at 
Sycamore,  was  born  Feb.  19,  1829,  in  the 
township  of  Warren,  Herkimer  Co.,  N.  Y. 
The  family  genealogy  has  been  preserved,  the 
record  showing  that  Sampson  Mason,  the  earliest 
ancestor  who  became  a  citizen  of  the  New 
World,  was  a  soldier  and  officer  o/  the  army  of  Crom- 
well and  probably  belonged  to  the  celebrated  Iron- 
sides Regiment.  In  1650,  after  the  Restoration,  he 
came  to  America  and  located  at  Rehoboth,  Mass. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Free-Will  Baptist  Church 
in  England  and  was  active  in  establishing  the  Second 
Baptist  Church  Society  at  Swansea,  in  the  Bay  State. 
He  married  a  lady  named  Russell,  and  they  became 
the  parents  of  12  children.  Their  son,  Pelatiah 
Mason,  was  born  in  1669  and  was  married  May  22, 
1694,  to  Hepzibah  Brooks.  Eleven  children  were 
born  to  them,  of  whom  Russell  was  the  tenth  in  order 
of  birth.  He  was  born  April  21,  1714,  and  married 
Rhoda  Kingsley  June  5,  1736.  The  children  of 
whom  they  became  the  parents  were  12  in  number. 
Philip  was  born  Jan.  29,  1745,  and  married  Mercy 
Scott.  They  became  the  parents  of  12  children. 
Their  son,  Russell  Mason  (2d),  was  born  Feb.  25, 
1769,  and  was  married  on  Sunday,  Dec.  30,  1792,  to 
Ruth  Lapham.  Hiram  Mason  was  the  fifth  of  their 
nine  children.  His  birth  occurred  Sept.  17,  1805,  in 
Warren*  Herkimer  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  he  married  Fanny 
Brown,  a  native  of  German  Flats,  born  Aug.  9,  1808. 
They  were  the  parents  of  Mr.  Mason  of  this  sketch. 
The  Mason  family  continued  residents  of  Massachu- 

^^Jts^ff- ^€^ — < 


setts  until  r794,  when  Russell  Mason  (2d)  removed 
from  South  Adams  to  the  State  of  New  York.  He 
was  a  pioneer  settler  of  Fairfield,  Herkimer  County, 
where  he  became  owner  of  a  large  tract  of  timber 
land,  which  he  cleared  and  converted  into  a  fine  and 
valuable  farm.  Later,  he  removed  with  his  family  to 
Warren  Township  in  the  same  county. 

Hiram  Mason  and  his  wife  died  when  their  son 
was  in  his  childhood.  The  latter,  thrown  on  his  own 
resources  at  an  unusually  early  period  in  life,  devoted 
every  energy  to  the  amelioration  of  the  circumstances  \ 
in  which  he  found  himself  and  in  establishing  his  gjx 
prosperity  on  a  firm  basis.  The  first  important  event  f 
of  his  life  was  his  marriage,  and  two  years  later  he 
came  to  Illinois  and  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits 
at  Sycamore,  combining  therewith  extensive  traffic  in 
real  estate.  He  purchased  tracts  of  unimproved 
land,  which  he  redeemed  from  "its  original  state  and 
afterwards  sold.  He  became  the  owner  of  200  acres 
of  land  in  the  western  part  of  Sycamore  (including 
the  Joseph  Sixbury  farm),  which  he  laid  out  in  lots, 
and  portions  of  which  he  sold.  He  also  platted  one 
division,  now  known  as  Mason's  Addition.  The 
grounds  connected  with  his  residence  on  State  Street, 
including  four  acres,  five  dwellings  variously  located 
and  several  lots  lying  in  different  sections  of  the  cor- 
poration, are  still  in  his  possession.  He  owns  about 
2,500  acres  of  land  in  Iowa,  still  lying  uncultivated, 
and  he  is  also  the  proprietor  of  1,000  acres  of  fine 
farming  land  in  De  Kalb  and  Ogle  Counties,  which 
is  rented.  In  addition  to  his  transactions  in  real 
estate,  Mr.  Mason  operates  in  loans.  He  is  a  Douglas 
Democrat. 

In  1871,  associated  with  James  S.  Waterman,  he 
formed  a  stock  company  and  organized  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Sycamore,  of  which  he  was  elected 
Vice-President.  His  connection  with  the  institution 
ceased  in  1875,  since  which  he  has  conducted  finan- 
ciering in  a  private  capacity.  When  the  Sycamore 
&  Cortland  Railroad  was  built  he  became  one  of  its 
stock-holders,  and  has  also  conducted  an  abstract 
business,  the  firm  style  in  that  avenue  being  Baily  & 
Mason. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Mason  to  Mary  E.  Tredway    >  - 
occurred  Feb.  28,  1850,  in  the  village  of  Little  Lakes    &  jj» 
in  Warren  Township.     Mrs.  Mason  was  born  in  that 
township  April  18,   1832,  and   was  the  daughter  of 
Belia    and    Philotheta   (Marshall)   Tredway.      Her 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


father  was  an  attorney-at-law.  Of  this  union  four 
daughters  were  born,  two  of  whom  are  deceased. 
Eliza  V.  was  born  in  Mohawk,  Herkimer  Co.,  N.  Y.i 
May  29,  1851,  and  died  May  [2,  1853,  at  Sycamore; 
Fanny  F.  was  born  at  Sycamore  Jan.  7,  1856,  and 
was  married  Oct.  30,  1878,  to  Walter  H.  Loomis; 
Libbie  F.,  born  March  12,  1865,  at  Sycamore,  died 
March  7,  1869;  Mary  Maud  was  born  at  Sycamore 
Aug.  17,  i87r.  Their  mother  died  Aug.  25,  1882. 

The  portraits  of  Mr.  Mason  and  his  deceased  wife 
may  be  found  on  preceding  pages. 


>hn  Patterson,  farmer,  resident  at  Genoa, 
was  born  April  5,  1821,  in  Meadville,  Pa. 
He  is  the  oldest  son  of  Joseph  and  Eleanor 
(Compton)  Patterson.  His  parents  were  born 
in  Pennsylvania  and  came  to  McHenry  Co., 
111.,  in  1846.  They  retained  their  residence 
there  until  1864,  when  they  removed  to  De  Kalb 
County,  settling  in  the  township  of  Genoa,  where  the 
death  of  the  father  occurred,  March  1 8,  1865.  The 
mother  died  July  3,  1875.  Their  children  were  born 
in  the  following  order:  Rebecca,  John,  Joseph, 
David,  William,  Henry,  Margaret  E.,  James,  George 
and  Robert. 

Mr.  Patterson  is  the  oldest  son  and  came  to  Mc- 
Henry County  when  he  was  24  years  of  age,  in  1845. 
He  resided  there  until  the  fall  of  1862,  the  date  of 
his  removal  to  De  Kalb  County,  and  purchased  40 
acres  of  land  in  the  township  of  Genoa.  He  has  in- 
creased his  landed  estate  until  he  is  now  the  pro- 
prietor of  200  acres  of  land  in  the  county  of  De  Kalb. 
He  located  in  the  village  of  Genoa  on  his  removal 
hither.  Mr.  Patterson  is  a  Republican  in  political 
sentiment  and  has  held  various  positions  of  official 
trust  in  the  community  to  which  he  belongs. 

He  was  married  in  Genoa,  Nov.  20,  1851,  to  Mary 
J.  Gregory.  She  was  born  Dec.  24,  1832,  and  they 
have  had  a  family  of  eight  children :  Eleanor  J.,  born 
Junes,  1853;  John  R.,  Sept.  18,  1854;  James  C., 
Aprils,  1856;  Lyman  L.,  Sept.  24,  1857;  Caroline, 
Dec.  215,  1859;  Joseph,  Aug.  8,  1862;  Fred  G.,  Dec. 
17,1872;  and  Lew  E.,  June  24,.  1878.  Lyman  L. 
died  April  2,  1874,  when  he  was  16  years  of  age. 

The  parents  of  Mrs.  Patterson,  Ezra  S.  and  Jane 
(Brown)  Gregory,  were  natives  respectively  of  Con- 


necticut and  Maine.  After  their  marriage  they  set- 
tled in  the  State  of  New  York,  and  were  there 
resident  until  1837,  when  they  settled  in  Genoa 
Township.  They  have  had  seven  children,  three  of 
whom  grew  to  maturity, — Mary  J.,  Starr  C.  and  Wil- 
liam G. 


rthur  J.  Thompson,  dentist  at  Sycamore, 
was  born  April  24,  1848,  in  Utica,  Oneida 
Co.,  N.  Y.  His  father,  John  J.  Thompson, 
as  born  April  6,  1813,  in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  and 
was  by  vocation  a  shoemaker.  The  latter  be- 
came a  soldier  of  the  Civil  War  and  was 
wounded  at  Chickamauga,  the  injury  being  the  primal 
cause  of  his  death,  which  occurred  April  21,  1883,  at 
Polo,  111.  Barbara  B.  (Brand)  Thompson,  the  mother, 
was  born  Jan.  6,  1813,  at  Eichelfechen,  Scotland, 
and  resides  with  her  daughter  at  Polo,  111.  Two  of 
their  six  children  are  living.  Mary  E.  is  the  widow 
of  Cornelius  Wadsworth,  a  former  harness  dealer  at 
Polo.  Charles  W. , was  killed  April  7,  1862,  at  the 
battle  of.Shiloh,  when  he  was  20  years  of  age.  Jenitt 
C.  is  deceased.  She  died  at  the  age  of  20  and  was  a 
young  lady  of  superior  musical  education,  being  a 
fine  pianist  and  vocalist.  Arthur  and  Florence  were 
twins.  The  latter  died  at  the  age  of  six  years. 
James  is  deceased. 

The  enlistment  of  his  father  in  the  war  for  the 
Union  necessitated  the  removal  of  Mr.  Thompson 
from  school  when  he  was  14  years  old,  and  he 
learned  the  trade  of  a  harness-maker.  He  was  after- 
wards employed  in  various  mercantile  houses  until 
1871.  He  had  been  frugal  and  managed  his  affairs 
with  the  purpose  of  preparing  for  his  profession,  and 
in  that  year  he  became  a  student  in  dentistry  in  the 
office  of  Charles  H.  Carnaga  at  Polo,  111.  At  the 
end  of  four  years  he  established  his  office  indepen- 
dently and  operated  about  18  months.  In  the  fall 
of  1874  he  founded  his  business  at  Sycamore,  in 
which  he  has  won  the  reward  due  to  the  substantial 
merits  of  his  work  and  has  a  popular  and  increasing 
business.  Dr.  Thompson  is  an  active  and  influential 
member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  Order  and  belongs  to 
the  Patriarchal  Circle. 

He  was  married  March  25,  1875,  in  Polo,  to  Elsie 
*<*X& 


COUNTY. 


269 


M.,  daughter  of  Alfred  and  Mariah  Hunter.  Their 
children  were  born  as  follows:  Florence  J.,  Dec.  19, 
1875;  Clara  B.,  Feb.  8,  1879;  John  A.,  May  20, 
1881.  Mrs.  Thompson  was  born  April  19,  1847,  in 
Colchester,  N.  Y. 


Barnes  P.  Brown,  farmer,  section  29,  Genoa 
fc  Township,  was  born  Jan.  3r,  1833,  in  Ben- 
son, Hamilton  Co.,  N.  Y.  He  is  the  son 
of  Jeremiah  L.  and  Judith  (Richardson)  Brown, 
of  whom  a  more  extended  account  is  given  in 
the  sketches  of  D.  S.,  J.  W.  and  C.  A.  Brown, 
to  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  At  the  age  of 
four'years  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  De  Kalb 
County,  and  has  been  since  that  age  a  resident  of 
the  township  of  Genoa,  and  is  a  farmer  of  promi- 
nence and  a  citizen  of  influence.  He  owns  429 
acres  of  land,  lying  principally  in  Genoa  Township, 
and  is  also  the  proprietor  of  504  acres  in  Storey  Co., 
Iowa.  In  political  sentiment  and  connection  he  is  a 
Republican. 

His  marriage  to  Susan  M.,  daughter  of  Peter  S. 
and  Barbara  A.  Pratt,  occurred  April  8,  1854,  in 
Elgin,  111.  They  have  been  the  parents  of  15  chil- 
dren, three  of  whom  are  not  living.  The  survivors 
are — James  L.,  Esther  E.,  Annie  R.,  Elva  L.,  Ar- 
thur B.,. William  J.,  Lora  and  Lena  (twins),  Franklin 
B.,  Susie  A.,  Alta  B.  and  Ethel  A.  Ida  and  two 
children  unnamed  are  deceased. 


dward  Hoxsey,  a  business  man  of  Som- 
onauk, was  born  Jan.  u,  1834,  in  Berk- 
shire Co.,  Mass.,  and  is  a  son  of  Alanson 
and  Nancy  (Jones)  Hoxsey.  The  family  re- 
moved in  1836  to  Serena,  La  Salle  Co.,  111., 
where  the  father  became  an  extensive  land- 
holder, owning  at  one  time  800  acres  of  land.  The 
latter  was  a  native  of  Berkshire  County  and  was  a 
farmer  in  the  Bay  State  previous  to  his  removal  to 
La  Salle  County. 

Mr.  Hoxsey  is  the  only  child  of  his  parents   and 
s  but  two  years  of  age  when  his  parents  became 
residents  of  the  State  of  Illinois.     He  remained  on 


@) 
his  father's  farm  until  he  was  23  years  of  age,  coming    *>j> 

in  1856  to  Somonauk,  where  he  engaged  in  buying 
grain  and  stock.  Later  he  became  interested  in  a 
steam  flouring  mill  (since  burned),  which  he  con- 
ducted about  eight  years.  He  has  also  been  engaged 
in  dry-goods  business  about  five  years,  and  afterward 
in  the  sale  of  hardware  sundries,  operating  in  'those 
avenues  of  business  in  connection  with  his  grain  and 
stock  interests.  His  transactions  represent  about 
$200,000  annually.  In  the  fall  of  1884  he  built  the 
Somonauk  skating-rink,  a  structure  28x96  feet  in 
dimensions. 

Mr.  Hoxsey  was  married  March  3,  1854,  in  Serena, 
La  Salle  Co.,  111.,  to  Sarah  Mclnturf,  and  they  have  ^ 
had  four  children  :  Isabella,  first-born  child,  is  de- 
ceased ;  Ella,  Frank  and  Florence  are  the  names  of 
the  survivors.  Mrs.  Hoxsey  is  the  daughter  of 
Samuel  and  Sarah  (Debolt)  Mclnturf,  and  is  a  native 
of  the  township  of  Rutland,  La  Salle  County. 


i 


V.  Joslyn,  farmer,  section  33,  *  Cortland 
Township,  \vas  born  in  Darien,  Genesee 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  June  3,  1825,  and  was  the  son 
of  Phineas  and  Lorinda  (Woodworth)  Joslyn, 
natives  of  New  York  State,  the  former  of  whom 
was  born  April  4,  1792,  and  died  in  August, 
it  Sycamore,  this  county,  and  the  latter  was 
born  April  3,  1797,  and  died  Nov.  i,  1881,  also  in 
this  county. 

Mr.  Joslyn  was  brought  up  on  a  farm  in  his  na- 
tive county,  and  in  his  i4th  year  came  with  his  par- 
ents to  this  county,  where  he  has  ever  since  resided. 
He  received  a  common-school  education,  and  was 
married  May  21,  1851,  to  Miss  Sabrina,  daughter  of 
Rudolphus  and  Polly  (McKay)  Burr.  Her  father 
was  born  Jan.  20,  1796,  in  Onondaga  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and 
died  July  n,  1865,  of  apoplexy,  in  this  county;  and 
her  mother  was  born  Feb.  28,  1796,  in  Wilkesbarre, 
Wyoming  Co.,  Pa'.,  and  died  March  6,  1866,  also  in 
this  county.  Her  father  was  liberally  educated  and 
spent  many  years  of  his  life  as  a  teacher,  keeping 
school  some  14  months  in  Canada  after  the  War  of 
1812.  Her  grandfather,  who  was  a  native  of  Con- 
necticut, cut  his  way  through  the  woods  most  of  the 
distance  to  Onondaga  Co.,  N.  Y.,  where  hewaj  after- 
ward County  Judge  for  several  years.  Her  parents 


were  married  April  2,  r82o.  In  1847,  with  a  family 
of  three  children,  they  emigrated  from  Erie  Co,  N. 
Y.,  to  this  county,  arriving  March  3,  and  settling  in 
Cortland  Township.  Her  father  and  youngest  brother, 
however,  came  here  the  previous  year. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Joslyn  have  had  four  children,  all  of 
whom  are  living,  namely;  Ida  M.,  born  in  Sycamore, 
111.,  May  29,  1856;  Mary  L.,  in  Pampas,  now  Cort- 
land, Dec.  7,  1863;  Phineas  H.,  in  Cortland,  April 
12,  1868;  and  Rudolphus,  V.,  Feb.  3,  1870,  in  Cort- 
land Township,  on  the  old  farm. 

Mr.  Joslyn  has  been  School  Director,  but  has  de- 
clined the  numerous  other  offices  tendered  him.  He 
votes  the  Republican  ticket.  He  has  260  acres  of 
land  in  his  home  farm,  and  owns  land  also  on  sec- 
tions 34  and  28. 


acob  Spansail,  a  farmer  situated  on  section 
24,  Genoa  Township,  was  born  Dec.  16, 
1833,  in  Germany.  His  parents,  Jacob 
and  Elizabeth  D.  Spansail,  were  natives  of 
Germany  and  in  1850  emigrated  to  America, 
locating  in  Ohio.  They  had  a  family  of  seven 
children,  —  Jacob,  Sebastian,  Rosa,  George,  Dora, 
Catherine  and  Fred.  The  father  died  in  Michigan 
while  en  route  to  Illinois  to  visit  his  son  :  the  mother 
survives. 

Mr.  Spansail  was  about  17  years  of  age  when  he 
accompanied  his  parents  to  America,  and  he  lived  in 
the  Buckeye  State  three  years,  coming  thence  to 
Kane  Co.,  111.  Two  years  later,  in  1855,  he  removed 
to  De  Kalb  County  and  became  the  owner  by  pur- 
chase of  40  acres  in  the  township  of  Genoa,  and  has 
since  maintained  his  residence  thereon.  His  home 
estate  now  includes  320  acres  and  nearly  the  entire 
acreage  is  under  improvement.  His  herd  of  cattle 
includes  50  head  on  an  average  and  he  fattens  about 
65  hogs  yearly. 

Mr.  Spansail  was  married  March  29,  7857,  to 
Elizabeth  Vote,  and  they  have  seven  children,  —  Mary 
E.,  George  H.,  John  M.,  Rosa  (died  when  three 
months  old),  Dora  J.,  Katie  M.  and  Frederick  W. 
Mrs.  Spansail  was  born  March  30,  1837,  in  Craw- 
ford Co.,  Ohio,  and  is  one  of  ten  children  born  to  her 
parents,  —  Elizabeth,  Mary  A.,  John  M.,  Anna  W., 
Susan,  William  H.,  Jacob  G.,  Margaret,  Charles  F. 


and  Franklin  P.  The  parents,  John  and  Anna  M. 
(Karn)  Vote,  are  natives  of  Pennsylvania  and  Ger- 
many. 

Mr.  Spansail  is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  has 
been  a  prominent  man  in  the  k-cal  offices  in  his 
township,  having  held  the  position  of  Road  Com- 
missioner rs  years  and  also  that  of  School  Director. 
He  is  a  man  of  acknowledged  business  abilities  and 
acted  as  salesman  for  the  patrons  of  the  New  Lebanon 
cheese  factory  for  three  years.  In  1882  he  was  ap- 
pointed Postmaster  of  New  Lebanon. 


eorge  W.  Dubrock,  retired  merchant,  res- 
ident at  Somouauk,  was  born  Feb.  i,  1830, 
at  Rehna,  Mechlenberg,  in  the  northern 
part  of  Germany,  also, the  native  place  of  his 
parents,  John  and  Maria  Dubrock,  who  had  10 
children.  Mr.  Dubrock  is  one  of  four  surviv- 
ing children.  He  was  rs  years  of  age  when  he  left 
school  and  began  to  operate  as  a  salesman  in  a  mer- 
cantile establishment  in  the  city  of  Hamburg,  Ger- 
many, where  he  was  employed  until  he  emigrated  to 
New  York,  arriving  in  that  city  in  1852.  He  spent 
a  year  in  the  great  metropolis  engaged  as  a  cigar 
packer.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  came  to  Danby, 
Du  Page  Co.,  111.  In  company  with  his  brother, 
Charles  J.  Dubrock,  he  opened  a  general  store,  in 
which  relation  he  operated  nearly  seven  years.  In 
the  fall  of  1860  he  opened  his  mercantile  enterprise 
at  Somonauk,  which  he  prosecuted  with  satisfactory 
results,  until  his  retirement  in  January,  1879.  Mr. 
Dubrock  is  the  owner  of  his  fine  residence  and 
grounds,  the  latter  including  one  and  a  half  acres  ; 
also  the  same  quantity  south  of  his  residence,  which 
is  situated  on  the  La  Salle  County  line,  and  the  land 
in  its  rear  is  in  that  county.  He  has  another  town 
lot  in  another  part  of  Somonauk  village,  and  owns 
113  acres  of  farming  land  one  mile  east  of  that 
place. 

He  was  married  Oct.  20,  1859,  in  Du  Page  Co., 
111.,  to  Amelia  Anderson,  and  they  have  10  children, 
as  follows :  George  E.  is  a  clerk  in  a  wholesale  boot 
and  shoe  store  ;  Helen  L.  and  Zillah  are  next  in  order 
of  birth ;  John  W.  is  a  clerk  in  the  same  establish- 
ment in  Chicago  where  his  brother  is  employed. 
Jennie,  Clara,  Frederick  F.,  Mary,  Elizabeth  and  Loe 


f1  are  the  names  of  the  others.  Mrs.  Dubrock  was 
born  July  29,  1838,  in  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  and  is  the 
fo  daughter  of  William  and  Mary  (Headley)  Anderson. 
The  former  died  in  Aurora,  111.,  Sept.  4,  1865.  The 
latter  is  living^in  Aurora.  The  father  of  Mr.  Du- 
brock died  about  1870.  His  mother  is  85  years  of 
age,  and  is  still  living  in  Germany.  His  wife  is  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 


?3l  Jli^^rederick  B.  Townsend,  cashier  of  the 
^4  fllllK  private  banking  establishment  of  Daniel 
""  Pierce  &  Co.  at  Sycamore,  was  born  July 
30,  1858,  in  Malta  Township,  De  Kalb  County. 
Amos  W.  Townsend,  his  father,  is  one  of  the 
firm,  and  is  in  active  business  life.  Eleanor 
(Pierce)  Townsend,  his  mother,  is  still  living,  and  the 
family  are  residents  of  Sycamore. 

Mr.  Townsend  was  a  student  in   the  schools  of 
^^    Sycamore  until  he  was  17  years  of  age,  when  he  en- 
•v?    tered  the    Lombard   University   at   Galesburg,    111., 
~    and  spent  three  and  a  half  years  pursuing  the  studies 
of  the  scientific  course  in  that  institution.     On  com- 
pleting his  education,  he  went  to  Chicago  and   was 
O*    employed  as  a  clerk  in  the  wholesale  and  retail  drug 
establishment  of  Gale  &  Blocki,  where  he  was  occu- 
)    pied  one  year;  after  which  he   entered  Eastman's 
National  Business  College  at  Poughkeepsie,  and  after 
pursuing  a  full  and  thorough  course  of  commercial 
study,  was  graduated,  in  May,  1881.     He  returned 
to  Sycamore  and  assumed  the  duties  of  the  position 
he  has  since  fulfilled  with  ability  and  fidelity. 
| 

I 


Barnes  T.  Powell,  retired  merchant,  residing 
at  Somonauk,  was  born  Oct.  17,  1823,  in 
Boston,  Mass.  Howell  Powell,  his  father, 
was  a  native  of  Wales,  and  was  a  gardener  by 
vocation.  He  emigrated  to  the  United  States 
in  boyhood,  and  in  1837  he  came  to  Illinois. 
He  bought  256  acres  of  land  in  North ville,  La  Salle 
Co.,  111.,  where  he  died  in  1858.  His  wife,  Mary  A. 
(Pritchard)  Powell,  was  a  native  of  England,  and 
died  in  April,  1862,  in  La  Salle  County.  Only  two 
of  five  children  born  to  them  are  no>v  living.  Wil- 


-Jl 


liam  H.,  only  brother  of  Mr.  Powell  of  this  sketch, 
is  a  farmer  of  Northville. 

Mr.  Powell  was  brought  up  on  the  homestead  of 
which  he  became  half  owner  when  he  came  into  pos- 
session of  his  inheritance  from  his  father's  estate. 
He  was  one  of  the  first  of  the  California  adventurers, 
whither  he  went  in  1849.  He  returned  to  Northville 
in  1851.  His  share  of  the  homestead  was  156  acres, 
and  he  purchased  200  acres  additional,  the  whole 
constituting  a  valuable  farm.  He  came  to  Somonauk 
in  1 86 1,  and,  associated  with  E.  W.  Lewis,  engaged 
in  buying  and  shipping  grain  and  stock.  This  rela- 
tion continued  about  10  years,  when  it  terminated, 
and  Mr.  Powell  engaged  in  the  sale  of  drugs  in  com- 
pany with  C.  E.  Wright.  Their  joint  business  was  in 
existence  one  year,  when  Mr.  Powell  retired,  and  has 
since  engaged  in  nothing  of  an  active  nature.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  belongs 
to  the  Aurora  Commande^y. 

He  was  married  in  Northville,  La  Salle  Co,  III, 
March  16,  1852,  to  Ann  Stafford.  Their  three  chil- 
dren were  born  in  Northville,  as  follows :  Ida,  Feb. 
3,  1853;  Ella,  Jan.  16,  1855;  and  Carrie,  Jan.  6, 
1857.  Mrs.  Powell  was  born  Feb.  26,  1827,  in 
Fabius,  N.  Y.,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Jacob  and 
Sarah  (Doubleday)  Stafford. 


alter  G.  Adams,  manufacturer  and  dealer 
in  elevator  supplies  at  Sandwich,  is  the 
son  of  Hon.  Augustus  Adams,  of  the 
Sandwich  Manufacturing  Company,  and  was 
born  July  12,  1848,  in  Elgin,  111.  (See 
sketch  of  Augustus  Adams.)  He  was  nine 
years  of  age  when  his  parents  removed  their  resi- 
dence to  Sandwich,  where  his  father  established  the 
manufacture  of  the  Adams  corn-sheller,  under  the 
firm  style  of  A.  Adams  &  Sons.  The  business 
became  merged  in  the  Sandwich  Manufacturing 
Company  in  1869,  and  Mr.  Adams,  of  this  sketch, 
entered  the  shops  to  acquire  a  knowledge  of  the 
details  of  the  business.  Afterward  he  went  to  Mar- 
seilles in  the  interest  of  A.  Adams  &  Sons,  continu- 
ing his  relations  therewith  after  that  branch  was 
converted  into  the  Marseilles  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany. He  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  foundry 
department,  which  he  conducted  about  five  years. 
_^ gsAvg.^sX/5) 

^^^^^^r         — «®^7       ,  W  ,  --'  , 


COUNTY. 


Subsequently  he  returned  to  the  works  at  Sandwich, 
and  for  a  time  was  variously  employed,  finally  becom- 
ing Assistant  Superintendent.  In  January,  1884,  he 
became  proprietor  of  the  elevator  supply  department, 
which  he  still  controls,  the  Sandwich  Manufacturing 
Company  manufacturing  the  wares  in  which  he 
deals.  He  employs  one  or  two  traveling  salesmen, 
and  ships  his  goods  chiefly  to  the  Western  States. 
Mr.  Adams  is  a  Republican  in  political  connection 
and  principles,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Mutual  Aid 

f  Society. 

He  was  married  June  8,  1869,  in  Sandwich,  to 
Emma  Cox.  Their  children  are  Lydia,  born  Aug.  7, 
1870;  Walter  Vincent,  Oct.  20,  1873;  and  Albert 
Henry,  Aug.  6,  1876.  The  oldest  child  was  born  in 
Marseilles;  the  births  of  the  sons  occurred  at  Sand- 
wich. Mrs.  Adams  was  born  Aug.  15,  1850,  in  Nor- 
folk, Va.,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Major  A.  M.  and 

,    Emmeline    (Daniels)  Cox.     Her   parents   reside  at 
Sandwich. 


|;,apt.  William  Davis,  a  retired  farmer  and 
former  sea  Captain,  resident  at  Sand- 
wich, was   born   Jan.   i,   1802,   in  Westport, 
Mass.     His  father,  Joseph  Davis,  was  born  in 
the  same  place,  in  Bristol  Co.,  Mass.,  Jan.  15, 
1782;  he  was  a  farmer  and  died   in    Dart- 
mouth,  Bristol   County,   in    1864.      The   mother  of 
Capt.  Davis,  Judith,  nee  Brightman,  was  born  Jan.  z, 
1780,  in  Westport  and  died  in  the  same  place  about 
the  year  1816. 

Captain  Davis  is  the  oldest  of  his  parents'  seven 
children,  five  of  whom  are  still  living.  He  was 
reared  on  a  farm  to  the  age  of  17  years,  when  he 
entered  upon  an  apprenticeship  to  learn  the  business 
of  a  cooper,  serving  two  years  and  five  months.  He 
obtained  a  situation  as  cooper  on  a  whaler,  and  went 
on  a  cruise  which  consumed  1 1  months  and  25 
days.  During  seven  months  of  that  period  the  ves- 
sel was  out  of  sight  of  land.  The  experience  of  this 
whaling  voyage  was  pleasing,  and  Captain  Davis  de- 
cided to  pursue  a  seafaring  life,  and  spent  three  years 
before  the  mast.  After  that  time  he  became  chief 
mate  of  a  merchant  brig,  serving  in  that  rank  three 


years,  when  he  was  made  Captain  and  continued  his 
life  on  the  sea  eight  years,  commanding  different  ves- 
sels. During  the  first  two  years  he  made  five  voyages 
to  Pernambuco,  South  America,  whither  he  carried 
cargoes  of  supplies  and  returning  thence  laden  with 
hides  and  sugar.  He  also  visited  the  West  Indies, 
Amsterdam,  Liverpool  and  most  other  European 
ports.  He  suffered  shipwreck  three  times,  on  every 
occasion  the  vessel  but  no  lives  being  lost. 

Captain  Davis  abandoned  his  career  as  a  naviga- 
tor in  1835,  and  came  to  where  Sandwich  now  is, 
where  he  is  one  of  the  earliest  of  the  first  settlers. 
He  is  of  the  opinion  that  there  were  but  three  pio- 
neer settlers  before  him  who  are  now  living.  Others 
now  living  who  were  here  at  that  time  were  then-  in 
childhood.  He  was  accompanied  hither  by  his 
brother-in-law,  Major  Dennis,  and  they  together 
bought  100  acres  of  timber  land.  They  afterwards 
divided  their  joint  property  and  each  took  up  prairie 
land.  The  Captain's  estate  at  one  time  included 
400  acres,  a  part  of  which  is  still  in  his  possession 
and  forms  the  location  of  his  residence.  He  has 
platted  two  additions  to  Sandwich  on  the  western 
side  known  as  Davis'  Second  and  Third  Additions. 
In  company  with  others,  he  bought  a  piece  of  land 
on  the  north  side  of  the  town,  which  is  designated 
Davis'  First  Addition.  The  time  and  place  was  so 
primitive  when  Messrs.  Davis  and  Dennis  came 
hither  that  their  milling  was  done  at  Dayton,  La 
Salle  County.  His  postoffice  was  at  Holderman's 
Grove,  13  miles  distant. 

Captain  Davis  sold  parts  of  his  farm  from  time  to 
time  until  he  had  only  a  residue  of  no  acres,  which 
he  sold  to  his  son,  its  present  owner.  His  first  abode 
was  a  log  house  which  had  been  erected  on  the  tim- 
ber tract  previous  to  his  purchase,  and  in  1837  he 
built  a  small  frame  house  which  still  stands  in  its 
original  position  on  Church  Street,  west  of  his  fine 
brick  residence,  which  he  built  about  1869.  Captain 
Davis  has  been  a  stock-holder  in  the  Sandwich  En- 
terprise Manufacturing  Company  since  its  organiza- 
tion. 

His  marriage  to  Eliza  Dennis  occurred  April  13, 
1826,  in  Pawtucket,  Rhode  Island.  She  was  born 
Oct.  4,  1801,  in  Tiverton,  R.  I.,  and  is  the  daughter 
of  Major  and  Eunice  Dennis.  The  record  of  the 
five  children  born  to  Captain  and  Mrs.  Davis  is  as 
follows:  William,  Jr.,  was  born  May  29,  1829,  and 

A    f~%  ^hj/PQ^jn^ <s©^>V®^^>C*) 


G 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


'  died  Sept.  27,  1831;  Eliza  was  born  March  8,  1834, 
]    and  died  Aug.  27,  1881  ;  Mary  A.  was  bom   June  2, 
•  «    1836;  George  W.,  born  July  30,  1838,  is  a  farmer  in 
Sandwich;  Amy,  born  Dec.  25,  1842,  is  the  wife  of 
John  Armstrong,  of  Marseilles,  La  Salle  Co.,  111. 


,li  B.  Gilbert,  attorney,  Notary  Public  and 
Justice  of  the  Peace  at  De  Kalb,  was  born 
in  Laurens,  Otsego  Co.,  N.  Y.,  April  12, 
1822,  and  is  the  son  of  Abner  and  Betsey 
(Balcom)  Gilbert.  The  former  was  born  in 
Massachusetts,  the  latter  in  New  York.  They 
had  four  children, — George  M.,  Eli  B.,  Elizabeth  E. 
and  Martin  M.  • 

Mr.  Gilbert  was  about  eight  years  old  when  his 
parents  removed  to  Norwich,  Chenango  County,  in 
his  native  State,  and  he  was  a  resident  there  until 
his  removal  in  1847  to  the  county  of  which  he  has 
since  been  a  citizen.  He  was  an  attendant  at  the 
common  schools  of  his  native  State  until  hev  was  16 
years  of  age,  when  he  became  a  student  at  Norwich 
Academy,  which  was  then  under  the  management  of 
Benjamin  F.  Taylor,  who  has  since  won  a  distin- 
guished reputation  as  a  poet.  After  studying  there 
about  two  years  he  engaged  in  teaching,  which  con- 
stituted his  vocation  for  six  years,  pursuing  it  three 
years  at  Sycamore,  where  he  located  on  coming  to 
Illinois.  In  early  life  he  had  acquired  a  practical 
knowledge  of  the  trade  of  builder.  In  1850  he  began 
its  pursuit  as  a  vocation  and  was  occupied  as  a  car- 
penter until  1856.  Meanwhile  he  had  devoted  his 
leisure  to  the  study  of  law.  In  the  year  named  he 
first  entered  upon  the  career  of  an  attorney  and  two 
years  later  secured  admission  to  the  Bar  of  Illinois  by 
application  to  the  Supreme  Court.  He  has  since 
prosecuted  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  De  Kalb 
and  adjoining  counties  without  intermission. 

In  April,  1854,  he  established  his  business  at  De 
Kalb.  Two  years  afterward  he  was  elected  Justice 
of  the  Peace  and  has  officiated  continuously  in  that 
position  since.  In  1866  he  was  elected  President  of 
the  Village  Board  and  became  ex-officio  Supervisor  of 
De  Kalb  Township.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics, 
and  is  the  owner  of  considerable  city  property. 

A  most  commendable  feature  of  Mr.  Gilbert's  labors 
as  Justice  of  the  Peace  is  his  desire  to  amicably  set- 


tie  all  differences  between  litigants.  He  ever  lends 
his  influence  to  make  peace,  which  he  has  often  done, 
and  many  are  the  differences  he  has  thus  caused  to 
be  settled  without  suit  and  sent  the  parties  home 
happy. 

What  a  blessing  it  is  to  a  community  to  have  such 
men  as  public  officials  and  guardians  of  the  public 
peace  and  promoters  of  good  will  and  harmony  be- 
tween neighbors  !  Thus,  when  the  true  character  of 
Mr.  Gilbert 's  official  life  is  made  known  it  is  easily 
understood  why  he  has  been  continuously  elected  to 
fill  the  office  for  almost  30  years. 

In  the  summer  and  fall  of  1860,  Mr.  Gilbert  was 
editor  of  the  De  Kalb  Leader,  and  advocated  the 
election  of  the  celebrated  Mr.  Lincoln  to  the  Presi- 
dency. 

Mr.  Gilbert  was  married  Dec.  25,  1851,  to  Lois  A., 
daughter  of  Benjamin  C.  Needham.  She  was  born 
in  Vermont,  which  was  the  native  State  of  her  par- 
ents. Of  three  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gil- 
bert, only  one  survives.  In  1853  the  family  resided 
about  six  months  in  the  village  of  Huntley's  Station, 
McHenry  County,  heowning  a  house  and  lot  there. 
During  that  time  Josephine  L.,  eldest  child,  was  born. 
Her  birth  occurred  Dec.  29,  1853.  She  grew  to 
womanhood  and  married  John  S.  Orr,  a  resident  of 
De  Kalb.  B.  Viola  M.  was  born  Sept.  23,  1858,  and 
married  Edward  E.  Spooner,  of  Steward,  Lee  Co., 
111.,  where  she  died  July  10,  1875.  Jessie  Luella  E. 
was  born  July  9,  1863,  and  died  Sept.  6,  1865,  of 
diphtheria.  | 

As  Mr.  Gilbert,  the  subject  of  the  foregoing  sketch, 
is  a  representative  citizen  in  the  legal  profession  of 
De  Kalb  County,  the  publishers  place  a  lithographic 
likeness  of  the  gentleman  in  this  work,  which  may 
be  found  in  close  proximity. 


Jijah  Stiles,  retired  farmer  at  Genoa,  was 
born  Nov.  8,  1829,  in  Sudbury,  Rutland 
Co.,  Vt.  His  parents,  Asahel  and  Fanny 
(Smith)  Stiles,  were  natives  of  Vermont  and 
removed  to  Canada,  leaving  the  Dominion  sev- 
eral years  later  to  come  to  De  Kali^  County,  £ 
where  they  settled  in  the  fall  of  1850,  locating  in  the 
township  of  Genoa.  The  mother  died  there  Jan.  9, 
1881 ;  the  demise  of  the  father  occurred  Feb.  7, 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


Their  children  were  named  Elijah,  Mary,  Aaron, 
Margaret,  Martha  and  Araminta. 

Mr.  Stiles  was  about  two  years  of  age  when  his 
parents  removed  to  Canada,  and  came  with  them  to 
De  Kalb  County.  His  education  was  obtained  pre- 
vious to  the  age  of  16  years  in  the  public  schools  of 
the  Dominion,  where  he  was  also  engaged  on  the 
farm  of  his  father.  His  parents  were  members  of  his 
family  through  the  last  year  of  their  lives,  as  he 
owned  half  the  home  farm  and  finally  became  pro- 
prietor of  the  entire  estate,  which  included  160  acres 
located  in  Genoa  Township.  He  remained  there 
resident  until  the  fall  of  1880,  at  which  time  he 
rented  his  farm  and  became  a  resident  of  Genoa.  In 
politics  he  is  identified  with  the  Republican  party 
and  has  been  active  in  local  official  matters  for  a  long 
period  of  years.  From  1863  to  1865  he  was  resident 
of  De  Kalb  and  associated  in  business  with  his 
brother,  Aaron  K.  Stiles,  now  a  resident  of  Chicago. 

His  marriage  to  Mary  A.  White  took  place  at  De 
Kalb,  March  25,  1865,  and  they  have  three  children  : 
Mary  D.  was  born  Jan.  15,  1866,  Asahel  A.,  March 
26,  1868,  and  Nettie,  June  25,  1870.  Mrs.  Stiles  was 
born  June  8,  1846,  in  Tioga  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  is  the 
daughter  of  Alfred  and  Ruth  (Gould)  White!  The 
former  was  born  in  Dutchess  County,  the  latter  in 
Tioga  County,  in  the  State  of  New  York.  About  the 
year  1862  they  came  to  Illinois,  locating  primarily  in 
Kane  County,  and  came  thence  a  year  later  to  De 
Kalb  County,  settling  in  the  city  of  the  same  name. 
In  1877  they  removed  to  Kansas,  wher<jj  the  father 
died,  Jan.  i,  1881.  The  mother  is  still  resident  there. 
Their  children,  seven  in  number,  were  named  as  fol- 
lows: Edward  D.,  Mary  A.,  Benjamin  S.,  Perry  G., 
Mahala,  Melissa  and  Sarah. 


eorge  P.  Wild,  of  the  firm  of  G.  P.  Wild  & 
Co.,  merchants  at  Sycamore,  was  born  at 
Valatie,  Columbia  Co.,  N.  Y.     His  father, 
Nathan   Wild,   was  a  native   of  Manchester, 
Eng.,  and  was  by  vocation  a  print  manufact- 
urer, following  that  calling  at  Valatie  after  his 
ren.oval  to  this  country.    The  mother,  Sarah  (Henry) 
Wild,  was  born  in  Providence,  R.  I.     They  became 
the  parents  of  nine  children,  five  of  whom  are  living 
(.885). 

Mr.  Wild  was  a  pupil   at  school   until  he  was  17 


years  old,  when  he  became  a  salesman  in  the  mer- 
cantile house  of  Freeland,  Squiers  &  Co.,  of  New 
York,  where  he  continued  until  the  spring  of  1857, 
the  date  of  his  removal  to  Sycamore.  Soon  after,  the 
firm  of  Rogers,  Wild  &  Smith  was  formed,  which 
afterwards  became  Rogers  &  Wild,  and  later  was 
constituted  as  at  present.  The  house  is  prominent 
in  mercantile  circles  of  De  Kalb  County,  and  their 
stock  represents  an  average  of  about  $15,000. 

Mr.  Wild  is  and  has  been  a  leading  business  man 
of  Sycamore.  He  is  a  member  of  the  banking  firm  of 
Daniel  Pierce  &  Co.  In  political  connection  and 
movements  he  is  a  Republican,  and  has  officiated  in 
several  of  the  local  city  offices. 

He  was  married  at  Sycamore,  in  December,  1862, 
to  Sarah,  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Phebe  Pierce,  a. 
native  of  Sullivan  Co.,  N.  Y.  Three  children  are 
now  (1885)  included  in  the  family, — Daniel,  Eleaflor 
and  Elizabeth. 


phraim  Depue,  farmer,  section  1 3,  Genoa 
Township,  is  the  son  of  Samuel  and  Eliza- 
beth (Ogden)  Depue,  and  is  one  of  a  family 

"•  of  10  children.  Ose,  Sarah,  Benjamin,  Jesse, 
Phebe  and  Theo  C.  are  the  nam3s  of  his  broth- 
ers and  sisters  who  reached  mature  life.  Three 
children  died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Depue  was  born  Oct.  IT,  1816,  in  Sussex  Co., 
N.  J.  At  the  age  of  18  years  he  was  apprenticed  to 
acquire  a  knowledge  of  the  wagon-making  trade,  and 
served  an  indentureship  of  three  years.  He  em- 
barked independently  in  the  business,  in  which  he 
operated  about  20  years.  In  1848  he  became  a 
citizen  of  Illinois,  taking  up  his  residence  at  Elgin, 
Kane  County.  He  passed  three  years  there  in  the 
pursuit  of  his  trade,  and  about  1851  entered  the  em- 
ployment of  the  old  Galena,  Chicago  &  Illinois  Cen- 
tral Railroad  Company,  his  route  extending  from 
Chicago  to  Freeport  and  from  Dubuque  to  Centralia. 

He  came  to  De  Ka'.b  County  in  1861  and  bought 
90  acres  of  land  in  Genoa  Township,  moving  his 
family  hither  in  the  autumn  of  the  same  year.  His 
homestead  farm  now  comprises  360  acres,  with  230 
acres  under  improvement,  supplied  with  suitable  and 
creditable  farm  buildings  and  well  stocked.  In 
political  faith  and  connections  Mr.  Depue  is  identi- 


COUNTY. 


fied  with  the  Republican  party ;  he  has  officiated  as 
School  Director  and  other  local  offices. 

He  was  married  April  21,  1838,  in  New  Jersey,  to 
Catherine  M.  Dennis,  and  they  have  five  surviving 
children, — Lucy,  Elizabeth,  Henry  C.,  Allen  and 
Emma.  Anna  M.,  Catherine  M.,  and  Caroline  A. 
and  a  child  unnamed  died  in  infancy.  Mrs.  Depue 
was  born  Sept.  26,  1813,  in  New  Jersey,  and  is  the 
daughter  of  John  and  Lucy  Dennis.  She  had  two 
brothers  and  two  sisters,  born  in  the  following  order : 
Elizabeth,  Henry  C.,  Allen  and  Emma.  She  is  the 
oldest  of  her  parents'  children,  and  is  a  member  of 
the  Congregational  Church. 


'"ustus  Preston,  one  of  the  pioneers  of  De 
Kalb  County,  now  deceased,  was  born  Dec. 
28,  1793.  He  married  Sina  Hall,  who  was 
born  Jan.  30,  1802,  in  Wallingford,  Conn. 
They  settled  in  Ohio,  whence  they  came  in 
1836  to  De  Kalb  County,  and  settled  on  a 
claim  on  section  29,  Genoa  Township,  where  he  was 
the  first  permanent  resident.  His  land  was  part 
timber  and  part  prairie.  He  built  a  log  house  on  the 
border  line  between  the  two,  and  the  primitive  char- 
acter of  the  locality  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact 
that  during  the  first  year  from  the  front  door  the 
deer  and  wolves  might  be  seen  wandering  at  will 
over  the  prairie.  After  the  Government  survey,  when 
in  1843  the  land  came  into  market,  Mr.  Preston  went 
to  the  land  office  in  Chicago,  where  he  proved  his 
claim  and  received  his  title.  He  improved  the  entire 
acreage,  built  suitable  and  necessary  farm  buildings, 
and  a  comfortable  frame  house,  where  he  resided, 
and  where  his  death  occurred. 

His  widow  died  there  Feb.  25,  1869.  Their  chil- 
dren were  named  Henry,  Augustus,  Charles,  George 
L.,  Norman  and  Julia  E.  The  homestead  is  now 
owned  and  occupied  by  the  youngest  son. 

George  L.  Preston,  son  of  the  above,  was  born 
April  23,  1835,  in  Ohio,  and  was  a  little  more  than 
a  year  old  when  his  parents  removed  to  the  home  of 
their  adoption.  He  received  an  elementary  educa- 
tion in  the  district  schools  of  Genoa  Township,  and 
he  afterward  studied  at  Mt.  Morris  Seminary,  and 
spent  six  months  at  Bryant  &  Stratton's  Commercial 
College  at  Chicago.  After  cumpletii  g  his  studies  at 


the  latter  place  he  engaged  in  farming.  In  1854, 
associated  with  a  brother,  he  purchased  200  acres  of 
land  located  on  sections  17  and  20,  in  Genoa  Town- 
ship, for  which  they  paid  $4  per  acre.  After 
improving  the  land  considerably  they  sold  it  a  few 
years  later.  Its  present  market  value  is  $65  an 
acre. 

Mr.  Preston  was  married  Sept.  19,  1864,10  Lucinda 
May  Wadley,  and  they  have  one  child,  Effie  lona. 
She  was  born  near  Toronto,  Out.,  and  is  the  daugh- 
ter of  Samuel  B.  and  Hannah  (Caswell)  Wadley. 
Her  father  was  a  native  of  Vermont,  and  was  a  pen- 
sioner of  the  war  of  1812.  During  the  latter  part 
of  his  life  he  removed  to  Lower  Canada,  where  he 
was  married,  and  later  went  to  Ontario.  After  a 
short  residence  there  the  family  removed  to  Canada 
Corners,  Kane  Co.,  111.,  where  the  parents  died. 

After  marriage  Mr.  Preston  located  on  section  32, 
Genoa  Township,  on  an  improved  farm  which  he  had 
previously  purchased.  He  erected  an  excellent  class 
of  frame  buildings,  where  he  lived  until  1869.  In 
that  year  he  fixed  his  abode  at  Sycamore,  where  he 
owned  the  fine  residence  his  family  now  occupy.  On 
removal  hither  he  engaged  in  the  lumber  trade,  in 
which  he  operated  four  years.  In  1874  he  embarked 
in  the  sale  of  groceries  and  provisions,  prosecuting 
that  avenue  of  business  eight  years,  when  he  retired. 
He  still  owns  and  rents  his  farm  in  Genoa  Township, 
also  his  store  at  Sycamore. 

In  his  character  as  farmer,  merchant  and  citizen, 
Mr.  Preston  commands  the  respect  and  good  will  of 
the  generation  of  which  he  is  a  member.  He  is 
unobtrusive,  considerate  and  hospitable,  and  in  his 
retirement  from  the  turmoil  of  active  business  life,  is 
passing  the  years  in  the  simplicity  and  quiet  that 
befits  his  character. 

^=T-L^^^^,^^,  =^ 


assius  M.  Conrad,  County   Clerk  of   De 
Kalb  County,    was  born  in   the  town  of 
North    East,    Erie   Co.,    Pa.,    March    27, 
1845,  and   is  the  son  of  John  M.  and  Mary 
E.  (Smedley)  Conrad.  The  former  is  a  native 
of  Pennsylvania,  and  the  latter  was  born  in 
Connecticut.     They  are  living  in  Erie  Co.,  Pa. 

Mr.  Conrad  passed  his  youthful  days  in  his  na 
place,  and  obtained  his  elementary  education  at  the 


@>*^ 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


) 


academy  at  North  East,  and  subsequently  attended 
the  Erie  City  Academy,  in  the  State  of  his  nativity. 
In  1863  he  made  his  way  to  De  Kalb  County,  reach- 
ing the  township  of  Kingston  April  7  of  that  year. 
Six  days  later  he  came  to  Sycamore,  and  immediately 
entered  upon  the  duties  of  Deputy  County  Clerk. 
He  fulfilled  the  duties  of  the  appointment  continu- 
ously until  Jan.  26,  1872,  with  the  exception  of  a 
few  months  in  1869.  At  the  former  date  he  was 
appointed  to  fill  the  vacancy  created  by  the  death  of 
Wallace  M.  More.  In  April  following  he  was  elected 
County  Clerk,  and  has  since  been  his  own  successor. 
H-i  has  also  officiated  as  City  Clerk  from  July,  1870, 
to  April,  1872.  The  quality  of  the  service  rendered 
by  Mr.  Conrad  is  fully  attested  by  the  length  of  time 
he  has  retained  his  relations  to  the  position  of  deputy 
and  chief  official,  at  this  writing  (1885)  covering  a 
period  of  nearly  a  fourth  of  a  century  ;  and  the  fact 
stands  as  a  testimonial  to  the  discretion  and  wisdom 
of  the  people  of  De  Kalb  County  as  it  does  to  his 
integrity  and  efficiency.  Politically,  Mr.  Conrad  is  a 
Republican  of  inflexible  type. 

He  was  married  Dec.  27,  1870,  in  Chester,  N.  J., 
to  Anna  H.  Beauers,  and  they  have  had  two  children, 
both  of  whom  died  in  early  infancy.  Mrs.  Conrad 
was  born  at  Chester,  Morris  Co.,  N.  J.  Mr.  Conrad 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Congregational 
Church,  and  he  is  a  Trustee  of  the  society 


[  athaniel  A.  Haile,  miller,  at  Lodi,  Cortland 
4      c!lir/f|i   Township,   was   born   March   8,  1840,  in 
"5   Brooklyn,  Vt,  and  is  the  son  of  Charles 
^      ~J^'  and  Drexie  (Balch)  Haile,  both  of  whom  are 
Jfc   natives   of    the    Green    Mountain   State.     His 
'[     parents  came  to  Illinois  when  he  was  an  infant 
of  six  months,  making  the  route  hither  by  way  of  the 
railroad  and  lakes  to  Detroit,  coming  from  the  latter 
place  to  Kane  County  with  a  team.     His  father  pur- 
chased a  tract  of  unimproved  land  in  the  township 
of  St.  Charles,  paying  therefor  $2.50  an  acre.     The 
family  are  resident  of  St.  Charles. 

Mr.  Haile  grew  to  manhood,  engaged,  as  is  the 
custom  with  sons  of  farmers,  in  farm  labor  and 
attending  school.  He  entered  the  military  service 
of  the  United  States  when  he  was  22  years  of  age, 


enlisting  in  August,  1862,  in  Co.  E,  127111  111.  Vol. 
Inf.  His  regiment  was  assigned  to  the  Army  of  the 
West,  and  was  a  portion  of  the  command  under 
Sherman  in  the  campaign  through  Georgia  and  the 
Carolinas,  marched  under  the  triumphant  banners  to 
the  sea,  and  took  part  in  the  final  review  at  Wash- 
ington, D.  C.  Mr.  Haile  was  under  fire  at  Arkansas 
Post  and  at  Vicksburg,  and  in  the  numerous  engage- 
ments of  the  arduous  campaign  in  which  his  regi- 
ment was  involved.  He  obtained  his  discharge  in 
July,  1865,  and  returned  to  his  father's  farm,  where 
he  was  occupied  with  its  duties  until  1882,  the  date 
of  his  removal  to  Maple  Park.  He  is  pleasantly  sit-  <i 
uated,  and  lias  an  elegant  residence.  / 

He  was  married  March  8,  1870,  to  Jane  Morgan, 
a  native  of  Indiana. 


ohn  Betz,  dealer  in  lumber,  agricultural 
implements  and  builders'  supplies,  at 
Somonauk,  was  born  Feb.  23,  1831,  in  the 
Duchy  of  Nassau,  Germany.  His  parents, 
Jost  Henry  and  Margaret  Betz,  died  previous  to 
his  removal  to  the  American  Continent.  Four 
of  their  children  are  now  living.  Two  sons  reside  in 
Germany.  Margaret,  only  daughter,  came  to  the 
United  States  with  her  brother  and  is  now  the  wife 
William  Heun,  a  farmer  in  Clinton  Township,  De 
Kalb  County. 

They  came  to  the  city  of  New  York  in  1854  and 
two  months  later  proceeded  thence  to  Chicago, 
where  they  remained  a  like  length  of  time.  In  Jan- 
uary, 1855,  Mr.  Betz  came  to  De  Kalb  County  and 
was  occupied  one  year  in  farming,  after  which  he 
went  back  to  Chicago  and  passed  a  year  in  the  dry- 
goods  house  of  Bowen  Brothers.  He  went  next  to 
Burlington,  Iowa,  and  was  there  employed  six  months 
in  a  lumber  yard.  He  came  subsequently  to  Somon- 
auk, where  he  spent  several  years  in  various  avenues 
of  employment.  In  February,  1876,  in  company 
with  P.  H.  Thomas,  he  opened  a  lumber  yard,  their 
joint  relation  existing  one  year,  and  at  the  end  of  that 
time  he  bought  the  interest  of  his  partner  and  has 
since  operated  alone.  In  the  spring  of  1883  he  added 
a  stock  of  agricultural  implements,  wagons,  plows, 
etc.,  his  investment  in  stock  averaging  about  $i  1,000. 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


J 


f    His  trade  is  in  a  satisfactory  condition  and  requires 
usually  several  assistants. 

Mr.  Betz  was  married  July  23,  1857,  in  Burlington, 
Iowa,  to  Barbara  Koetha,  a  native  of  Bavaria.  They 
have  one  child,  Ida,  born  Nov.  20,  1867.  Mr.  Betz 
is  a  member  of  the  fraternity  of  Odd  Fellows.  With 
his  wife,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Evangelical  Luther- 
an Church. 


Q 

i 
s/ 

^ 

) 


ohn  Ward,  a  farmer  of  Cortland  Township, 
occupying  the  east  half  of  the  northwest 
quarter  of  section  34,  and  owning  72  acres 
on  the  east  half  of  the  east  quarter  of  section 
27,  and  16%  acres  on  section  14,  of  Ohio  Grove 
Township, — in  all  i68*4  acres, — was  born  in 
Newark,  Licking  Co.,  Ohio,  Oct.  16,  1816.  His 
father,  William  Ward,  was  born  in  Fayette  Co.,  Pa., 
emigrated  to  Ohio  when  he  was  13  years  old,  where 
his  father  soon  died,  and  he  died  in  Squaw  Grove 
Township,  this  county,  Feb.  3,  1870.  He  was  born 
Feb.  24,  1790,  and  participated  in  the  War  of  1812. 
The  mother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  Mrs.  Phebe 
Ward,  nee  Beem,  was  born  near  Hagerstown,  Md., 
Dec.  14,  1795,  and  died  Aug.  27,  1883;  her  father 
was  of  English  descent  and  her  mother  of  Dutch. 
Both  the  latter  lived  to  a  great  age, — father  96  years 
and  mother  87. 

At  the  age  of  20  years  Mr.  John  Ward,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  came  with  "his  parents,  first  locating 
in  Squaw  Grove,  in  1837;  eight  years  afterward  he 
bought  80  acres  of  land,  which  he  subsequently  sold 
to  his  father,  and  he  moved  to  his  present  farm  of 
120  acres  in  October,  1845,  where  he  has  since  re- 
sided. He  has  added  to  his  original  acreage.  Since 
his  location  here,  however,  he  has  spent  20  years  go- 
ing to,  operating  in  and  returning  from  California. 
He  went  over  the  plains,  with  a  single-horse  team,  as 
far  as  Salt  Lake,  where  he  joined  a  company  from 
La  Salle  Co.,  111.  After  traveling  700  miles  with 
them,  he  and  1 1  others  separated  from  them  and 
co  nploted  their  journey  on  foot,  crossing  the  Great 
Desert  and  arriving  in  the  gold-mining  region  Aug. 
28.  The  company  whom  they  had  abandoned  did 
not  reach  the  mines  until  the  isth  of  September. 
They  were  12  in  number,  having  a  wagon  and  three 
horses,  the  extra  horse  to  be  used  in  case  of  emer- 

^^- 


gency.  Mr.  Ward  operated  on  Old  Soldier's  Gulch 
and  part  of  the  Poor  Man  and  Nelson  Creek,  and  his 
success  was  much  better  than  farmrng.  Three  of 
Mr.  W.'s  brothers  went  with  him  to  the  land  of  gold, 
and  returned  with  him ;  but  in  four  months  afterward 
went  back  to  California,  selling  their  farms  here  and 
taking  their  families  with  them.  They  have  since 
lived  there  and  prospered. 

Mr.  Ward  was  first  married  March  25,  1835,  to 
Parmelia  A.,  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Susan  (Ayers) 
Rolison ;  her  parents  died  in  Licking  Co.,  Ohio,  many 
years  ago.  Mrs.  W.  was  born  in  that  county,  Nov. 
22,  1816,  near  Newark,  and  died,  of  a  spasmodic  at- 
tack, Dec.  3,  1871,  at  a  neighbor's  where  she  was 
visiting.  By  this  marriage  there  were  seven  children, 
as  follows  :  Elmira,  born  July  22,  1837  ;  William  B., 
Dec.  21,  1838;  Susan,  April  10,  1840;  Louisa,  Nov. 
7,1843;  Phebe  A.,  Aug.  27,  1850;  Delila  J.,  June 
14,  1853;  and  Elmer  C.,  Sept.  6,  1856.  Phebe  A.  is 
not  now  living.  Mr.  Ward  was  married  a  second 
time  June  8,  187-,  to  Mrs.  Laura  N.  Palmer,  widow 
of  Isaac  H.  Palmer,  who  died  March  25,  1865.  By 
her  first  husband  she  had  five  children,  namely : 
Galen  E.,  born  Aug.  12,  1849;  Alice  E.,  Aug.  i, 
1850;  Clara  A.,  June  i,  1853;  Frank  H.,  Nov.  4, 
1862;  and  Etta  E.,  Nov.  28,  1864.  Mr.  Palmer  was 
born  Nov.  3,  1825,  in  Ripley,  Chautauqua  Co.,  N.  Y. 
Mrs.  W.  was  born  at  German  Flats,  Herkimer  Co., 
N.  Y.,  Aug.  6,  1828,  a  daughter  of  Henry  R.  and 
Clarissa  (Tennant)  Gay.  Her  father  was  born  April 
4.  1805,  in  Herkimer  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  is  now  living  in 
retirement,  in  the  town  of  Ripley.  Mrs.  G.,  who  was 
born  June  5,  1804,  in  the  town  of  Warren,  Columbia 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  is  also  still  living.  Mrs.  Ward's  maternal 
grandfather  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  War. 

Mr.  Ward  is  a  Republican  in  his  political  views, 
has  been  Justice  of  the  Peace,  School  Director,  and 
for  six  years  Constable. 


eorge  M.  D.  Wright,  hardware  merchant 
at  Somonauk,  was  born  July  23,   1845,  in 
the  township  of  Northville,  La  Salle  Co  , 
111.,  two  miles  east  of  the  village  where  he  is 
now  a  resident.     He  is  a  son  of  Levi  and  Es- 
i      ther  (Whitmore)  Wright,  and  his  father  was 
native  of  New  Hampshire.  The  latter  came  to  LaSalle 


: 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


! 


.,  about  1843,  and  bought  160  acres  of  land, 
]  which  he  converted  into  an  excellent  and  valuable 
farm.  He  died  on  the  homestead  in  1865.  The 
mother  and  ten  children  yet  survive. 
.  Mr.  Wright  is  the  ninth  in  order  of  birth  of  12 
children  in  his  parents'  family,  and  was  a  member  of 
the  household  until  he  was  several  years  past  his 
majority.  His  first  independent  business  venture 
was  in  the  drug  business,  associated  with  C.  E. 
Wright,  in  which  he  engaged  in  Somonauk  two  years. 
i  On  the  termination  of  their  relation  he  entered  into  a 
copartnership  in  the  hardware  trade  with  C.  R. 
Frank.  Two  years  later  the  latter  sold  his  moiety  to 
the  brother  of  Mr.  Wright,  the  new  relation  existing 
two  years.  Afterward  the  latter  became  sole  propri- 
etor, and  has  since  transacted  his  business  singly. 
Mr.  Wright  is  conducting  a  prosperous  trade,  in 
which  he  has  one  wagon  running  on  the  road  in  the 
country.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Order,  and 
belongs  to  the  Royal  Arch  Chapter  at  Sandwich. 
He  was  united  in  marriage  Jan.  8,  1876,  in  Som- 

•  onauk,  to  Hattie  H.  Bloom,  and  they  have  had  three 

*  children:    George  R.  was  born  Oct.  13,  1876;  Helen 
y  M.,  Feb.  28,  1878;  and  Clifton,  Sept.  23,  1883.  Mrs. 
i  Wright  is  the  daughter  of  Charles  and  Nancy  Bloom, 
^  and  was  born  in  the  State  of  New  York  Aug.  4,  1854. 


rank  W.  Lott,  jeweler,  at  Sycamore,  was 
born  Aug.  4,  1843,  in  Sycamore  Township. 
His  parents,  Zephaniah  and  Amanda 
(Roberts)  Lott,  were  pioneer  residents  of -De 
Kalb  County,  and  he  was  reared  under  the 
parental  authority  until  he  was  17  years  of  age, 
when  he  entered  upon  the  prosecution  of  his  career 
of  independence.  He  was  first  employed  as  a  farm- 
er, and  followed  that  calling  until  1873.  Having 
decided  on  the  calling  of  a  jeweler  as  a  vocation  in 
life,  he  bought  a  half  interest  in  the  jewelry  estab- 
lishment of  M.  F.  Warren,  at  Sycamore,  where  he 
acquired  a  knowledge  of  the  business.  This  relation 
was  in  existence  three  years,  and  in  1876  he  suc- 
ceeded to  the  sole  proprietorship  of  the  affairs  of 
their  joint  business  by  the  purchase  of  his  partner's 
interest.  He  has  since  been  engaged  in  the  prose- 
cution of  his  business,  and  carries  a  full  stock  of 
common  to  similar  establishments,  includin 


watches,  clocks,  jewelry,  plated  ware,  cutlery,  optical 
goods,  etc.  He  also  combines  a  repair  business  with 
his  other  relations. 

Mr.  Lott  was  married  in  February,  1871,  to  Jennie 
Woodworth,  a  native  of  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Mary  Woodworth.  Their  two  chil- 
dren are  named  L.  Warren  and  Frank  W. 


rles  F.  Greenwood,  Treasurer  of  De 
Kalb  County,  and  a  citizen  of  Sycamore, 
ras  born  April  6,  1835,  in  New  Berlin,  Che- 
nango  Co.,  N.  Y.  His  parents,  Thomas  J. 
and  Sally  (Fairchild)  Greenwood,  were  natives 
respectively  of  Connecticut  and  New  York.  In 
1844  the  family  came  from  the  Empire  State  to  Sugar 
Grove,  Kane  Co.,  111.,  removing  thence  in  August, 
1847,  to  the  township  of  Clinton,  De  Kalb  County. 
Land  was  then  in  comparatively  small  demand,  and 
the  father  secured  at  first  a  small  claim  of  80  acres, 
estimating  that  he  could  always  find  pasture  land  in 
close  proximity,  settlers  being  exceptions.  He 
passed  his  life  in  the  pursuit  of  agriculture,  and  died 
on  his  farm  May  22,  1852.  At  the  date  of  his 
demise  he  was  the  owner  of  330  acres  of  land  in 
Clinton  Township,  80  acres  in  Kane  County,  and  20 
acres  of  timbered  land  in  the  township  of  Sugar 
Grove.  The  mother  died  on  the  homestead  Feb.  23^ 
1859.  They  had  three  sons:  Nathan  S.,  since  de- 
ceased ;  George,  a  retired  farmer,  resident  at  Water- 
man, in  Clinton  Township ;  and  Mr.  Greenwood,  of 
this  sketch. 

On  the  division  of  his  father's  estate  the  latter 
became  the  possessor  of  an  amount  of  personal 
property,  and  the  title  to  real  estate  in  Iowa,  which 
latter  he  applied  as  part  payment  for  120  acres  of 
land  lying  on  sections  32  and  33,  in  Clinton  Town- 
ship, whereon  he  resided  from  1860  until  1876,  when 
he  removed  to  the  east  half  of  the  northeast  quarter 
of  section  33,  where  his  homestead  is  still  main- 
tained. 

He  entered  the  army  of  the  United  States  a  few 
months  after  the  commencement  of  the  struggle 
instituted  by  the  South  for  the  dismemberment  of 
the  Union,  enlisting  Oct.  5,  1861,  in  Co.  G,  Second 
111.  Light  Artillery,  under  Captain  Stolbrand.  He 

-xt 


THELBRAHf 
tfIKE 


< 


COUNTY. 


was  in  action  at  the  siege  of  Vicksburg  and  at  Union 
City,  Tenn.,  and  was  involved  in  much  skirmish 
warfare.  He  became  disabled  through  hardship, 
exposure  and  illness,  and  was  honorably  discharged 
Oct.  16,  1863,  at  Vicksburg.  In  the  township  of 
Clinton  Mr.  Greenwood  earned  the  reward  of  good 
citizenship  and  public  spirit,  receiving  repeated  elec- 
tions to  places  of  prominence  and  trust.  He  served 
three  years  as  Supervisor,  as  Commissioner  of  High- 
ways, and  in  the  various  school  offices.  In  the  fall 
of  1882  he  was  elected  to  the  position  of  which  he 
is  now  the  incumbent,  on  the  Republican  ticket. 
Mr.  Greenwood  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  frater- 
nity, and  belongs  to  Potter  Post,  No.  12,  G.  A.  R. 

His  marriage  to  Catherine  I.  Darland  took  place 
July  4,  1855,  in  Clinton  Township.  Mrs.  Greenwood 
was  born  Sept.  28,  1838,  in  Fairview,  111.,  and  is  the 
daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Catherine  Darland.  Five 
children  were  born  of  this  Union  in  Clinton  Town- 
ship. Byron  P.  was  born  Sept.  26,  1856,  and  is  resi- 
dent manager  of  a  mercantile  enterprise  at  Marble 
Rock,  Iowa,  of  which  his  father  is  the  proprietor. 
Alice  was  born  May  16,  1859 ;  Jennie  J.  and  Charles, 
twins,  were  born  Sept.  i,  1870.  The  latter  died 
Aug.  21,  1872. 


arles  Wesley  Marsh,  whose  portrait  is 
presented  on  the  opposite  page,  resides  on 
country  place,  on  section  14,  of  De  Kalb 
Township.     He  was   born  March   22,   1834, 
near  Cobourg,  Ont.,  and  is  the  oldest  son  of 
Samuel    and     Tamar    (Richardson)   Marsh. 
His  earliest  recorded  ancestor  was  a  "  Cavalier  "  and 
was  killed  at  Edgehill  in  the  course  of  the   conflicts 
that    preceded   the    Protectorate    in    England,   and 
whose  two  sons  fled  to  the  American  Continent  dur- 
ing the  first  half  of  the  i7th  century  to  escape  the 
vengeance  of  the  Roundheads.     The  two  branches, 
designated   respectively   as   the   Vermont  and  Con- 
necticut lines  of  descent  of  the  Marshes,  trace  their 
origin  to  these  brothers. 

Samuel  Marsh  was  borti  Feb.  7,  1804,  in  Canada, 
i>      and  died  in  De  Kalb  Township,  in  April,  1884.     He 
belonged  to  the  Vermont  line,  his  immediate  ances- 


tors having  originated  in  the  Green  Mountain  State. 
With  all  the  male  members  of  his  family,  including 
his  father,  uncles  and  brothers,  he  was  an  active  par- 
ticipant in  the  rebellion  in  the  Dominion  in  1837, 
known  to  history  as  the  Patriots'  or  McKenzie's  War, 
and  with  the  others  narrowly  escaping  the  fruits  of 
the  vengeance  of  the  English  Government.  All  who 
were  not  arrested  and  placed  in  confinement  escaped 
only  by  precipitate  flight.  Samuel  Marsh  was  among 
the  former,  and  was  captured  at  Kingston,  where  he 
was  held  in  jail  five  months.  His  trial  was  long  and 
severe,  and  he  barely  escaped  conviction  and  execu- 
tion. His  wife  was  born  March  22,  1807,  in  Canada, 
and  is  a  descendant  of  the  Mohawk  Dutch,  belonging 
in  the  maternal  line  to  the  Schermerhorn  family.  Her 
marriage  occurred  in  Consecon,  Can.,  and  she  became 
the  mother  of  three  children,  two  sons  and  a  daugh- 
ter. The  latter  was  born  March  10,  1838,  while  her 
father  was  a  state  prisoner  in  the  jail  at  Kingston. 
She  died  at  Chicago  March  13,  1881.  The  mother 
of  Mr.  Marsh  is  still  living. 

The  father  was  a  farmer,  and,  after  his  release,  re- 
sumed that  occupation.  In  1844  he  sold  his  prop- 
erty in  Canada  and  started  for  the  part  of  the  United 
States  then  known  as  the  "  West,"  to  locate  a  home. 
He  encountered  a  Millerite  camp-meeting  at  the 
head  of  the  Bay  of  Quinte,  known  as  the  "  Carrying 
Place,"  which  he  attended  and  became  a  convert  to 
the  tenets  of  that  sect.  Firmly  convinced  that  the 
coming  of  the  Lord  was  at  hand,  he  returned  to  his 
family  to  await  the  crisis.  The  mother,  trained  and 
disciplined  by  the  trials  she  had  already  experienced, 
exercised  the  practical  view  of  Abraham  Davenport, 
and  wisely  judging  that,  in  any  event,  the  prospects 
of  her  sons  would  be  likely  to  be  improved  by 
mental  cultivation,  while  her  husband  waited,  placed 
them  at  St.  Andrews  School  at  Cobourg.  At  1 2 
years  of  age  the  older  son  entered  Victoria  College 
at  Cobourg,  having  become  exceptionally  well  fitted 
under  the  inflexible  regime  of  the  school,  in  which  he 
entered  at  10  years  of  age  upon  a  classical  course  of 
study.  In  1847,  the  practical,  provident  mother  col- 
lected a  sum  of  money  and,  by  proxy,  purchased  a 
quarter  of  section  18,  situated  near  Shabbona  Grove, 
Clinton  Township,  in  De  Kalb  County,  whither  the 
family  removed  in  1849.  Mr.  Marsh  of  this  sketch 
was  then  15  years  old  and  within  one  year  of  receiv- 
ing his  degree  at  Victoria  College,  having  accom- 

& ^%f^ -4*l£&«>. 


sv 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


plished  the  curriculum  of  three  of  the  four  years' 
course  prescribed  at  his  Alma  Mater.  The  failure  of 
the  Millerite  prognostics  had  wrought  sad  havoc 
with  the  little  fortune  of  the  family  ;  and  upon  the 
5>i  sons,  after  their  removal  to  the  farm  in  Illinois,  rested 
the  responsibility  of  its  management,  and  they  de- 
voted themselves  to  the  labor  of  reducing  the  un- 
broken prairie  to  a  condition  of  improvement  and 
cultivation.  Mr.  Marsh  taught  two  winter  terms  of 
school,  and  in  1858,  in  accordance  with  his  strong 
^  predilection  for  a  life  devoted  to  mental  endeavor, 
entered  the  law  office  of  Hon.  Charles  Kellum  as  a 
student.  He  was  obliged  by  failing  health  to  relin- 
quish the  project  and  returned  to  agricultural  em- 
ploy. The  details  of  his  efforts  in  subsequent  years 
are  presented  in  the  sketch  of  his  business  career 
which  appears  in  full  on  another  page. 

Mr.  Marsh  is  an  adherent  to  the  principles  of  the 
\   Republican  party  and  a  supporter  of  its  issues,  which 
he  adopted  on  entering  upon  the  privileges  of  Amer- 
ican citizenship.     In    1868   he   was   elected   to  the 
Jsi  House  of  the  Illinois  Legislature,  where  he  did  ex- 
1S  cellent  service  on  several  committees,  as  he  did  in  a 
^-3  succeeding   term   in  the  Senate,   to    which   he   was 
?7^  elected  on  the  expiration  of  his  period  as  Representa- 
^      live.    His  labors  in  those  positions  won  a  subsequent 
recognition  at  the  hands  of  Governor  Beveridge,  who 
)   in  1873  appointed  him  to  a  Trusteeship  of  the  Insane 
Asylum  at  Elgin,  which  he  has  since  held  continu- 
ously and  of  which  body  he  has  been  for  many  years 
President.     The  existing  condition  of  the  institution 
is  the  best  possible  testimonial  to  the  efforts   and 
abilities  of  Mr.   Marsh,  it  being   acknowledged   as 
among  the  best  managed  of  the  long  catalogue  of 
•,5_J>   similar  institutions  in  this  country. 

The  character  of  Mr.  Marsh  from  the  celebrity  he 
has  achieved  in  his  connection  with  the  machine 
which  revolutionized  the  system  of  harvestingthrough- 
out  the  civilized  world,  deserves  something  more 
than  a  passing  notice.  His  predominating  trait,  and 
one  which  renders  him  conspicuous,  is  versatility, 
and  has  been  manifested  in  every  enterprise  to  which 
he  has  lent  his  attention.  The  scholarship  to  which 
he  attained  in  childhood  was  phenomenal,  and  he 
has  retained  in  all  their  freshness  and  strength  the 
^£  tastes  and  proclivities  which  are  his  nature.  Had  he 
*)  devoted  himself  to  a  literary  life  he  would  with- 
out doubt  have  attained  distinction.  Still  another 


leading  characteristic  of  his  mind  is  the  simplicity 
of  his  predilections.  Although  in  his  prosperous 
days  he  was  the  possessor  of  a  generous  fortune,  he 
had  no  aspirations  beyond  those  of  a  country  gentle- 
man. His  residence  displays  no  ostentation  either 
in  style  or  equipment,  although  planned  and  con- 
structed in  his  palmy  days.  But  its  apartments  con- 
tain the  evidences  of  a  cultivated  taste  in  rare  and 
valuable  books  and  pictures.  Among  the  former  are 
two  ponderous  and  magnificent  volumes  of  Hogarth's 
and  Gillray's  engravings  from  the  original  plates.  The 
oldest  and  most  curious  volume  is  a  copy  of  the 
Decretals  of  the  Catholic  Church,  written  by  a  monk. 
The  work  occupied  15  years  and  was  finished  in 
1409.  It  was  done  wholly  with  a  pen,  and  is  from 
first  to  last  a  wonderful  and  beautiful  sample  of  the 
perfection  attained  by  the  scribes  before  the  days  of 
printing.  The  work  is  concluded  by  the  copyist's 
fervent  "  Laus  Deo."  A  detached  papal  bull  issued 
by  Gregory  XI  to  a  Minorite  order  in  Spain,  exhibits 
six  varieties  of  penmanship.  These  are  but  samples 
of  a  most  valuable  collection.  Mr.  Marsh  is  the 
possessor  of  an  interesting  collection  of  pictures  and 
photographs,  gathered  during  a  four  months'  tour  on 
the  continent,  whither  he  went  for  the  purpose  of 
recreation  and  in  response  to  an  invitation  from  the 
Government  to  make  trial  of  the  Marsh  Harvester  in 
Hungary,  where  he  spent  six  weeks. 

Mr.  Marsh  is  an  ardent  admirer  of  nature,  and  his 
home  and  its  belongings  bear  the  evidences  of  the 
direction  of  his  predilections.  The  park  adjacent  to 
the  house  is  stocked  with  deer  and  wild  fowl,  and  his 
library  contains  an  assortment  of  hunting  equipments 
and  trophies  of  sport,  both  valuable  and  curious. 

The  general  estimate  of  the  character  of  Mr. 
Marsh  is  manifest  from  the  fact  that  when  disaster 
overwhelmed  the  splendid  business  in  which  he  was 
the  prime  fac.tor,  he  was  the  unanimous  choice  of  the 
creditors  for  the  position  of  assignee,  this  tribute  of 
confidence  being  the  outgrowth  of  the  disinterested- 
ness, integrity  and  solicitude  for  the  general  welfare 
which  he  has  displayed  unfalteringly  throughout  his 
entire  business  career.,  He  can  receive  no  better 
testimonial  than  the  unquestioning  trust  of  the  peo- 
ple among  whom  he  has  lived  from  boyhood,  in  his 
inflexible  probity  and  unselfishness. 

He  was  married  Jan.  i,  1860,  to  Frances  Wait,  of 
North  Adams,  Mass.,  and  they  became  the  pare 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


of  three  children, — George  C.,  Mary  F.  and  Fanny 
S.  The  mother  died  May  12,  1869.  The  second 
marriage  of  Mr.  Marsh,  to  Sue  Rogers,  occurred  Jan. 
10,  1 88 1.  Mrs.  Marsh  was  born  in  November,  1841, 
i  at  Mariposa,  near  Lindsay,  Ont.,  and  is  the  daughter 
of  Joel  and  Mary  Rogers. 


itames    Harrington,  M.  D.,    retired    physi- 
cian, resident  at  Sycamore,  has  been  a  citi- 
zen of  De  Kalb  County  since  1844,  when 
he  came  here  and  settled   about   four   miles 
north  of  the   present  city  of   Sycamore.     He 
was  born  Sept.   20,  1806,  in  the  Province  of 
Ontario,  and  is  the  son  of  Lot  and  Sarah  (Sage)  Har- 
rington.      His   paternal   grandsire   was  a  native  of 
Rhode  Island,  whence  he  removed  to  Vermont.    He 
was  a  surveyor  by  profession  and  pursued  that  busi- 
ness in  the  vicinity  of  Rutland.      Lot   Harrington 
was  born  in  Vermont,  and  in  the  days  of  his  early 
_  manhood  went  to  the  State  of  New  York,  where  he 
*•}§  was  married.   His  wife's  parents  were  from  Connecti- 
™  cut.     Not  long  after  marriage  they  went  to  Canada, 
•$}  where  the  mother  died,  in  1809,  leaving  five  children. 
Of  these,  Dr.   Harrington  is   the    youngest    of  the 
)    sons. 

After  his  mother's  death  he  was  taken  to  the  State 
of  New  York,  and  was  taken  care  of  by  her  relatives 
in  New  Berlin,  in  Chenango  County.  He  was  edu- 
cated primarily  in  the  public  schools,  and  at  the  age 
of  17  years  commmenced  teaching,  continuing  in 
that  vocation,  and  at  the  same  time  studied  medi- 
cine, until  1829,  when  he  opened  the  practice  of  his 
profession  at  Eagle,  Allegany  Co.,  N.  Y.  Two  years 
later  he  returned  to  New  Berlin,  and  was  a  practi- 
tioner there  until  1844,  when  he  decided  to  come  to 
Illinois,  and  test  the  value  of  the  promises  that 
offered  unparalleled  inducements  to  such  as  desired 
to  advance  their  fortunes.  He  made  the  trip  via  the 
Erie  Canal  from  Utica  to  Buffalo,  and  came  thence 
to  Chicago  by  the  lake  route.  He  obtained  private 
conveyance  from  Chicago  to  De  Kalb  County.  He 
bought  a  claim  of  120  acres  of  land,  situated  on  sec- 
tions 8  and  9  of  town  41,  range  5,  now  Sycamore. 
The  log  house  which  had  been  erected  on  the  place, 
served  for  a  tenement  until  1846.  when  Dr.  Harring- 
ton built  a  frame  house.  In  the  same  year  in  which 


he  took  possession  he  erected  a  commodious  frame 
barn.  In  1864  he  sold  the  place  and  removed  to 
Ann  Arbor,  Mich.,  for  the  purpose  of  educating  his 
children.  He  returned  at  the  end  of  a  year  to  Syca- 
more, where  he  bought  a  block  of  land  with  a  brick 
house. 

He  was  married  in  January,  1831,  in  Allegany  Co., 
N.  Y.,  to  Charlotte,  daughter  of  Peter  and  Mary 
(Wait)  Walrod.  Six  of  their  nine  children  are  living: 
Diana  was  born  Oct.  27,  1832,  and  died  Sept.  10, 
1856;  Joseph  was  born  April  27,  1837,  and  died 
Dec.  23,  1874;  Susan  was  born  Sept.  4,  1841,  and 
died  in  May,  1883;  William  S.  resides  in  Oregon, 
and  is  the  Presiding  Elder  of  the  M.  E.  Church  in 
the  Portland  District ;  George  L.  resides  at  Sycamore  ; 
Nelson  R.  is  City  Marshal  of  Sycamore ;  James  F.  is 
a  farmer  in  Jewell  Co.,  Kan.;  Mark  W.  is  Professor 
of  Astronomy  in  the  University  of  Michigan  at  Ann 
Arbor;  Mary  married  P.  K.  Jones,  druggist  at  Syca- 
more. The  mother  died  in  April,  1871. 

Dr.  Harrington  was  elected  School  Commissioner 
in  1845,  and  was  re-elected  School  Commissioner  for 
1856-7.  In  the  Legislative  sessions  of  Illinois  of 
1846-7  he  was  a  member  of  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives. He  was  one  of  the  Supervisors  of  Syca- 
more during  nine  years,  and  served  the  entire  period 
as  President  of  that  Board. 


iram  Palmer,  farmer  on  the  east  half  of 
the  northwest  quarter  of  section  35,  Cort- 
land  Township,  was  born  in  Charlotte 
Township,  Chittenden  Co.,  Vt,  May  16,  1809, 
and  in  1819  was  taken  by  his  parents  in  emi- 
gration to  Chautauqua"  Co.,  N.  Y.,  into  the  wild 
woods,' moving  with  a  horse  team  and  taking  the  first 
wagon  that  was  ever  driven  into  the  town  of  Ripley. 
In  1835  Mr.  Palmer  went  to  Ashtabula  Co.,  Ohio, 
where  he  rented  a  farm,  remaining  there  until  1836. 
In  September  of  that  year,  he  located  in  this  county, 
when  the  prairies  here  were  still  unoccupied.  He 
rented  a  farm  near  Sycamore  a  year  and  then  pur- 
chased the  quarter-section  where  he  now  resides. 
At  that  time  his  nearest  neighbor  was  three  or  four 
miles  distant  and  there  was  no  house  where  Syca- 
more now  stands.  The  contrast  between  that  time 
and  the  present,  in  the  appearance  and  enhanced 
value  of  the  land,  as  well  as  the  experiences  of  life, 
sets  the  imagination  almost  wild. 


COUNTY. 


J 


Mr.  Palmer  was  married  May  i,  1831,  to  Julia 
Hill,  daughter  of  Wyman  and  Elizabeth  (McFarland) 
Hill,  of  Scotch  ancestry.  Her  father,  a  native  of 
Vermont,  died  in  Ashtabula  Co.,  Ohio,  about  1859, 
aged  about  70  years,  and  her  mother,  a  native  of 
Connecticut,  died  in  Chautauqua  Co.,  N.  Y.,  in  1832, 
about  54  years  of  age.  Mrs.  P.  was  born  April  17, 
1807.  The  immediate  descendants  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Palmer  are :  Chauncey  S.,  born  March  3,  1832,  in 
Chautauqua  Co.,  N.  Y.;  J.  Sidney,  Feb.  20,  1836,  in 

^  Ashtabula  Co.,  Ohio ;  Harriet  L.,  July  12,  1842,  in 
this  county;  and  Emeline  M.,  Nov.  9,  1844,  also  in 

»  this  county.  His  father,  Israel  Palmer,  of  English 
descent,  came  from  the  old  country  to  Rhode  Island 
before  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  thence  to  Vermont, 
and  finally  died  in  the  town  of  Ripley,  Chautauqua 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  about  77  years  of  age ;  and  Hiram's  mother, 
Sally,  nee  Champlain,  was  born  in  Charlotte  Town- 
ship, Chittenden  Co.,  Vt,  and  died  in  1813,  in 
her  native  State. 

Mr.  Palmer  is  a  Republican  in  his  political  prin- 
ciples, and  has  held  the  offices  of  School  Director 
and  Road  Commissioner. 

On  his  first  settlement  in  this  county,  Mr.  Palmer 
built  a  log  house  at  the  confluence  of  De  Kalb  Creek 
with  the  Kishwaukee  River,  and  lived  there  two  years, 
during  which  time  he  suffered  a  great  deal  from  the 
usual  ague,  bilious  fever,  etc.  He  built  his  second 
log  house  at  Coltonville,  lived  there  one  year;  then  a 
year  on  Phineas  Stevens'  farm;  and  finally  a  third 
log  cabin,  on  his  present  place  of  residence,  where 
he  has  now  lived  for  40  years.  After  a  few  years  in 
the  first  cabin  here,  he  moved  to  the  place  a  frame 

•  house  from  a  distance  of  seven  miles,  and  occupied 
that  as  a  dwelling  until  he  erected  his  present  fine 

[    residence. 


I  eorge  W.  Nesbitt,  M.  D.,  practicing  phy- 
sician and  surgeon  at  Sycamore,  was  born 
Aug.  20,  1837,  in  Attica,  N.  Y.     He  is  a 
representative  of  the  sturdy  and  vigorous  race 
known  as  the  Scotch-Irish,  his  paternal  grand- 
parents   having    belonged    originally   to    the 
former  nationality,  which  they  left  at  the  time  of  the 
Irish  rebellion  and  settled  in  County  Cavan,  Ulster, 
Ireland.     Henry  Nesbitt,  his  father,  was  born  in  that 

-^C^ 


county,  in  1803,  and  became  a  resident  of  the  United 
States  in  1819.  George  W.'s  mother,  Eleanor 
(Smyth)  Nesbitt,  was  born  in  1802,  in  Argyle,  Wash- 
ington Co.,  N.  Y.  Her  father  was  of  Scottish  birth ; 
her  mother  was  born  in  Connecticut  and  represented 
a  family  of  ancient  origin  and  of  probable  German 
lineage.  Henry  Nesbitt  settled  in  Attica  after  his 
marriage,  pursued  agriculture  as  a  vocation,  and  died 
there  in  June,  1883.  His  wife  died  in  Wyoming  Co., 
N.  Y.,  in  1862.  Their  eight  children  survive  them. 
The  oldest,  Susannah,  is  the  wife  of  A.  Prentice,  a 
farmer.  David  is  a  farmer  in  the  township  of  Attica, 
N.  Y.  Henry  is  a  farmer  in  Saratoga  Co.,  N.  Y.  Dr. 
Nesbitt  is  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth.  Samuel  S.  is 
a  physician  by  profession  and  is  passing  his  life  in 
retirement  on  a  large  farm  in  Adams  Co.,  111.  Jane 
resides  in  Attica,  N.  Y.  James  O.  and  John  W. 
(twins)  are  farmers  on  the  homestead  in  Orangeville, 
Wyoming  Co.,  N.  Y. 

Dr.  Nesbitt  received  the  training  and  primary  edu- 
cation of  a  farmer's  son,  obtaining  the  latter  by 
attendance  at  winter  terms  of  school,  afterwards 
completing  the  curriculum  of  study  at  the  Genesee 
and  Wyoming  Seminary  at  Alexander,  Genesee  Co., 
N.  Y.,  then  a  popular  institution  of  learning  and  one 
which  has  maintained  its  prestige.  He  studied  ad- 
vanced mathematics,  classical  and  modern  languages, 
and  was  graduated  with  honors.  Imbued  with  the 
sentiment  in  which  the  youth  of  his  generation  was 
reared, — the  obligation  to  engage  actively  in  the 
world's  work, — he  came  to  Genoa,  De  Kalb  Co.,  111., 
and  spent  a  winter  here,  engaged  in  teaching.  He 
turned  his  face  westward  in  the  following  spring  and 
passed  some  weeks  in  travel  and  prospecting.  Dur- 
ing the  summer  ensuing  he  was  an  attache  of  the 
Government  surveying  party  on  the  Red  River  of  the 
North,  operating  principally  in  Minnesota.  In  the 
winter  following,  he  taught  school  in  Boone  Co.,  111., 
and  on  the  expiration  of  his  engagement  he  went  to 
Arkansas,  and  to  other  States,  and  pursued  the  same 
vocation.  Meanwhile  he  had  devoted  his  leisure 
and  opportunities  to  the  study  of  medicine  and  of 
law.  He  commenced  his  legal  reading  ander  the 
instructions  of  the  Hon.  Charles  Kellum,  of  Syca- 
more, and  during  the  years  of  1860-1  he  devoted 
nearly  a  twelvemonth  to  the  study  of  medicine  in 
the  office  of  Dr.  H.  H.  Rice,  of  Randolph  Co.,  111.  His 
labors  as  a  pedagogue  terminated  in  1861,  when  he 
returned  to  his  native  State,  and  read  medicine  under 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


sv 


the  supervision  of  Dr.  H.  B.  Miller,  of  Alexander. 
Later,  he  attended  lectures  at  the  Buffalo  Medical 
College,  and  was  graduated  there  Feb.  21,  1865. 

He  entered  into  an  association  with  Dr.  G.  W. 
McCray,  of  Buffalo,  in  the  wholesale  and  retail  sale 
of  drugs,  and  also  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medi- 
cine. He  sold  his  interest  in  the  fall  of  1866,  and 
after  an  extended  tour  of  prospective  observation 
through  the  States  of  the  South  he  located,  in  the 
winter  of  the  same  year,  at  Sycamore,  where  he  at 
once  established  himself  as  a  physician  and  surgeon 
and  entered  upon  a  career  in  his  profession  second 
to  none  in  popularity  in  this  section  of  Northern 
Illinois. 

Dr.  Nesbitt  has  not  limited  his  efforts  and  energies 
to  the  scope  of  his  medical  practice,  nor  confined  his 
interests  to  the  section  where  he  is  resident.  He  is 
an  agriculturist  of  no  mean  proportions,  and  is  exten- 
sively engaged  as  a  breeder  of  valuable  stock.  He  is 
the  proprietor  of  1,200  acres  of  farming  land  in 
Mitchell  and  Ottawa  Counties,  Kan.,  devoted  to  the 
rearing  of  horses,  cattle  and  swine.  He  has  bred 
some  fine  trotting  animals,  and  is  at  present  the 
owner  of  four  horses  of  acknowledged  speed.  He 
also  raises  the  English  draft  horses. 

The  intellectual  attainments  and  proclivities  of  Dr. 
Nesbitt  are  far  beyond  the  common  order.  He  is 
thoroughly  read  in  medical  literature,  and  has  a  well 
earned  reputation  as  a  lecturer  and  contributor  to  the 
medical  press.  He  has,  on  occasion,  presented  valu- 
able papers  before  the  Illinois  State  Medical  Society, 
and  before  the  American  Medical  Association,  and 
has  made  discoveries  in  the  application  of  drugs  that 
are  of  acknowledged  benefit  to  the  fraternity.  In 
1 88 1  he  officiated  as  Vice-President  of  the  Illinois 
State  Medical  Society,  and  in  1883  was  elected  to  the 
same  position.  He  has  not  been  able  to  apply  his 
abilities  to  the  administration  of  local  affairs,  the 
duties  and  responsibilities  of  his  extensive  practice 
monopolizing  his  time  and  energies.  He  is  promi- 
nent in  the  Order  of  Masonry,  and  is  a  member  of 
the  Royal  Arch  Chapter. 

Dr.  Nesbitt  was  married  June  23,  1864,  at  Buffalo, 
N.  V.,  to  Mrs.  Mary  H.  Davis,  a  native  of  Chippewa, 
Can.  She  had  two  children  by  her  former  marriage. 
The  youngest,  Lydia,  is  deceased.  Cora  married 
Frank  Whitney,  and  they  are  residents  on  the  farm 
of  Dr.  Nesbitt,  in  Ottawa  Co.,  Kan.  One  child  born 


to  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Nesbitt  died  in  infancy.  George  W. 
was  born  March  T3,  1869;  John  B.  was  born  Jan. 
31,  1873.  The  marriage  of  Dr.  Nesbitt  is  made 
memorable  by  the  fact  that  the  ceremony  was  per- 
formed by  the  Rev.  George  H.  Ball,  made  a  char- 
acter of  history  through  his  intrepid  denunciation  of 
the  immoral  element  in  the  Presidential  campaign 
of  1884. 


illiam  Raymond,  farmer,  section  21, 
Cortland  Township,  came  to  De  Kalb 
County  in  the  spring  of  1855.  He  spent 
the  summer  ensuing  in  Genoa,  and  in  the 
fall  of  the  same  year  located  in  the  village 
of  Cortland.  In  company  with  his  brother,  he 
afterward  bought  a  farm  on  section  16,  in  Cortland 
Township,  on  which  he  settled  in  the  spring  of  1856. 
On  this  property  he  spent  some  years.  In  1883  he 
bought  a  farm  on  section  21,  where  he  established  his 
residence  permanently,  enlarging  and  improving  his 
house  and  building  a  large  barn.  The  place  is  under 
excellent  improvements,  and  is  increased  in  value 
by  the  improvements  he  has  made. 

Mr.  Raymond  was  born  in  Otsego,  N.  Y.,  Aug  19, 
1834,  and  is  the  son  of  Oliver  P.  and  Sarah  (Wilbur) 
Raymond.  The  former  was  born  in  Pawling, 
Dutchess  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  the  latter  was  a  native  of 
Taunton,  Mass.  When  Mr.  Raymond  was  six  years 
of  age  his  father  died,  while  engaged  in  the  manage- 
ment of  a  hotel  at  Ashland,  Greene  Co.,  N.  Y.  Soon 
after  that  event  the  family  removed  to  Davenport, 
Delaware  County,  in  the  same  State,  where  the  son 
obtained  a  common-school  education  and  was  reared 
on  a  farm,  remaining  with  his  mother  until  his  re- 
moval to  Illinois. 

He  was  first  married  in  1856,  to  Minerva  Burr. 
She  was  born  in  1832,  in  Erie  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  died 
July  7,  1880,  having  become  the  mother  of  eight 
children,— Frank  B.,  Fred  W.,  Nathan,  Rodolphus 
J.,  Henry  O.,  Wilbur  P.,  Minnie  and  Charles.  Frank 
died  Sept.  12,  1879;  the  youngest  son  died  July  17, 
1880.  Mr.  Raymond  was  again  married  July  n, 
1883,10  Mrs.  W.  R.  Patrick,  daughter  of  J.  C.  and 
Hannah  (Judd)  Hoag.  She  was  born  in  South  Do- 
ver, Dutchess  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  was  married  Oct.  29, 
1867,  to  W.  R.  Patrick,  by  whom  she  had  five  chil- 
dren— Jennie  C.,  George  W.  (died  14  months,  old), 




DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


'  Walton  R.  (died  when  two  years  and  ten  months 
old),  Flora  B.  and  Willimina.  One  child  has  been 
born  of  her  second  marriage,  Leonard  Light.  Mr. 
Patrick  died  Sept.  13,  1881. 


illiam  Wallace  Marsh,  Superintendent  of 
the  Turk  Motor  Works  at  Sycamore  and 
member  of  the  firm  of  C.  W.  &  W.  W. 
Marsh,  was  born  April  15,  1836,  near  Co- 
bourg,  Ont.  He  is  the  second  son  of  Samuel 
and  Tamar  (Richardson)  Marsh,  and  passed 
the  years  of  his  early  boyhood  on  the  farm  of  his 
father  in  the  Dominion  of  Canada.  He  was  an  infant 
in  his  mother's  arms  when  his  father  became  inter- 
ested and  involved  in  the  rebellion  in  Canada  which 
opened  in  1837,  and  in  which  the  members  of  the 
families  to  which  his  father  and  mother  belonged 
were  participants.  (See  sketch  of  C.  W.  Marsh.)  In 
1844,  the  parents  resolved  to  seek  the  advantages  of 
the  (then)  western  portion  of  the  United  States ;  and 
the  homestead  in  Canada  was  sold,  the  father  setting 
out  for  a  prospecting  tour,  but  was  suddenly  arrested 
in  his  purpose  by  his  acceptance  of  the  tenets  of  the 
Millerites,  who  had  fixed  upon  that  year  as  the  date 
of  the  termination  of  all  earthly  things ;  and,  aban- 
doning all  projects  dependent  upon  the  future,  the 
father  settled  with  his  family  at  Cobourg,  where  the 
sons  had  the  advantages  of  the  excellent  Canadian 
schools. 

Mr.  Marsh  was  but  eight  years  old  when  he  was 
placed  at  St.  Andrews  School,  and  two  years  later 
entered  Victoria  College,  where  he  was  a  student 
three  years.  In  1849  the  family  circumstances  ne- 
cessitated immediate  activity  ;  and  its  members,  con- 
sisting of  the  father,  mother,  two  sons  and  a  daughter, 
born  in  1838,  came  to  De  Kalb  County  and  settled 
on  no  acres  of  land,  which  had  been  purchased  for 
them  in  1847  by  an  uncle.  It  was  situated  on  sec- 
tion 18,  and  soon  after  taking  possession  of  the  place 
another  tract  of  similar  acreage  was  purchased  on 
another  section.  The  entire  quantity  of  land  in  both 
purchases  consisted  of  unbroken  prarie,  and  was  the 
scene  of  unremitting  labors  of  the  father  and  sons  for 
nearly  eight  years. 

In  1857  began  the  experiments  from  which  resulted 
the  machine  which  will  be  the  medium  of  transmit- 


ting  the  name  of  Marsh  to  posterity  as  it  merits,  and 
in  his  connection  with  that  invention  Mr.  Marsh  at- 
tained all  the  distinction  he  craved,  and  found  in  its 
ultimate  success  the  satisfaction  of  achieving  a  pur- 
pose worth  the  devotion  of  a  life-time  of  effort.  The 
idea  upon  which  the  Marsh  Harvester  was  founded 
grew  from  the  observation  that  a  man  could  bind  a 
bundle  of  grain  while  another  was  being  cut;  and 
the  idea  that  followed  was  the  necessity  of  moving 
with  the  cutting  apparatus  in  order  to  receive  the 
sundered  grain  at  the  opportune  moment.  The  years 
of  experiment  and  struggle  that  followed  and  their 
results  are  given  elsewhere,  and  form  one  of  the  most 
interesting  reminiscences  possible. 

One  incident,  which  was  a  memorable  one  to  Mr. 
Marsh  of  this  sketch,  is  worthy  of  special  note,  as  it 
was  a  momentous  occasion  for  De  Kalb  County,  as 
well  as  to  the  central  figure  therein.  The  test  of  the 
Marsh  Harvester  took  place  on  the  farm  of  Clark 
Barber,  north  of  the  village  of  De  Kalb,  in  the  pres- 
ence of  hundreds  of  spectators.  Numberless  reaping 
machines  were  in  the  contest,  among  which  were  the 
pioneer  wire  and  cord  binders,  both  of  which  proved 
failures.  But  the  Marsh  machine  asserted  the  value 
of  the  principles  upon  which  it  is  based  and  achieved 
a  complete  triumph.  Mr.  Marsh  of  this  sketch  occu- 
pied the  platform,  and  in  50  minutes  bound  the  grain 
cut  on  an  acre,  accomplishing  the  work  with  the 
utmost  ease. 

The  Marsh  Harvester  was  thenceforward  a  recog- 
nized fact.  On  the  establishment  of  their  business 
as  manufacturers,  the  financial  interests  and  all  re- 
lations specially  pertaining  to  that  branch  of  the  busi- 
ness naturally  fell  under  the  supervision  of  C.  W. 
Marsh,  the  mechanical  portion  becoming  the  charge 
of  W.  W.  Marsh.  The  latter  has  been  deeply  in- 
terested for  a  long  term  of  years  in  the  invention 
of  farm  machinery,  .and  with  his  brother  and  others 
has  been  the  patentee  of  numberless  principles  and 
applications  pertaining  to  agricultural  implements. 
He  has  invented  about  a  score  of  harvester  appli- 
ances, and  nearly  as  many  more  in  other  directions, 
including  binders,  windmills,  plows,  cultivators,  wire- 
stretchers,  paint-mill,  corn-cutters,  corn-huskers,  etc. 
He  has  also  constructed  several  mechanical  ap- 
purtenances which  have  remained  unpatented  and 
are  now  in  common  use,  among  which  is  the  bal 
loon  harvester  wheel. 

On    the  establishment    of   the    Marsh  Harvester 


rauwun 

OF  TEE 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


f   shops  at  Syr  a  more,  Mn  Marsh  fixed  his  residence 

j  in  the  city.  In  1873  he  purchased  the  grounds 
where  he  built  his  residence,  which  include  about 
12  acres  and  constitute  an  attractive  and  valuable 
homestead.  With  the  spacious  and  beautiful  family 
mansion,  they  are  valued  at  §15,000.  His  marriage 
to  Mrs.  M.  J.  Smith  occurred  Jan.  8,  1871,  in  Chi- 
cago, and  of  their  union  two  children  have  been 
born— William  W.  and  Sarah  Alma.  Mrs.  Marsh  is 
the  daughter  of  Rufus  and  Sarah  D.  Brown.  They 

i   are  among  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Chicago. 

Mr.  Marsh  is  a  Republican  in  political  opinions 
and  connections.    In  1873  he  was  elected  Alderman 

*  of  Sycamore  and  continued  to  serve  in  that  capacity 
five  years.  He  did  much  effective  business  in  ob- 
taining high  license,  which  was  afterward  adopted 
and  is  at  present  (1885)  operative  in  Sycamore. 


f 


eorge  F.  Schoonmaker,  farmer  and  dairy- 
man, section  32,  Franklin  Township,  was 
born  on  the  same  section,  in  the  same 
township,  Feb.  3,  1856.  An  account  of  his 
parents  is  included  in  the  sketch  of  his  father, 
1  J.  M.  Schoonmaker,  which  may  be  found  on 
another  page  of  this  work.  He  was  brought  up  as  a 
farmer's  son  under  the  direction  of  his  father,  acquir- 
ing a  practical  knowledge  of  the  details  of  agriculture, 
and  obtaining  a  common-school  education.  At  the 
age  of  16  years  he  entered  the  High  School  at  Syca- 
more, where  he  completed  «  full  course  of  study  and 
was  graduated  in  June,  1875,  being  one  of  the  first  to 
pursue  and  finish  the  prescribed  course  in  that  insti- 
tution. 'He  was  thenceforward  engaged  in  teaching 
winters  and  farming  summers  for  some  years. 

He  finally  determined  on  a  permanent  settlement 
in  life  and  was  married  March  4,  1878,  to  Florence 
Amelia  Ellis,  at  Fielding.  Her  parents,  Gilbert  and 
Caroline  (Cbilds)  Ellis,  were  of  Eastern  origin  and 
her  mother  is  yet  living.  Her  father  died  at  Field- 
ing, Dec.  26,  1883.  He  was  a  cabinet-maker  by 
trade.  The  daughter  was  born  Nov.  6,  1853,  in 
Virgfl.Townsbip,  Kane  Co.,  111.  She  was  a  resident 
in  her  native  county  until  she  was  ii  years  old,  when 
lier  parents  removed  to  Sycamore,  where  she  entered 
school  and  completed  her  education  when  16  years 
of  age.  She  then  became  a  membtr  of  the  family  of 


a  sister  at  Fielding,  whare  she  continued  to  reside 
chiefly  until  her  marriage.  The  family  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Schoonmaker  includes  two  children :  Flora  B., 
boru  Dec.  23,  1878;  and  Blanche  M.,  bom  Oct.  5, 
1880.  They  are  residents  on  the  paternal  home- 
stead, and  Mr.  Schoonmaker  is  the  owner  of  no 
acres  situated  in"  South  Grove  Township.  He  is,  a 
Steward  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  is 
also  Assistant  Superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school. 
He  is  a  decided  Republican  in  political  faith  and 
action.  '  •  •-  '  - 


ohn  Heath,  farmer,  section  34,  Genoa  Town- 
ship, has  been  a  resident  of  De  Kalb 
County  since  1846,  and  a  landholder  in  the, 
township  of  which  he  is  now  a  citizen  since 
1848.  He  first  secured  a  claim  of  80  acres, 
and  has 'since  increased  his  estate  by  the  later 
purchase  of  92  acres  additional.  Of  the  entire  tract, 
160  acres  have  been  placed  under  an  excellent  type 
of  culture. 

In  political  creed  and  action  he'adopts  the  princi- 
ples and  issues  of  the  Republican  party.  He  has 
discharged  the  duties  of  Supervisor,  of  Genoa  Town- 
ship five  years  and  acted  as  the  incumbent  of  several 
other  official  positions. 

He  was  born  Feb.  19, 1817,  in  Argyle,  Washington 
Co.,  N.  Y.     His  parents,  Isaac  and  Elizabeth  (Alger) 
Heath,  were  natives  respectively  of  New  Jersey  and 
Vermont    They  had  nine  children,  of  whom  Mr. 
Heath  is  fifth  in  order  of  birth.    At  the  age  of  20  < 
years  he  engaged  as  a  deck-hand  on  a  sloop  plying  , 
on  the  North,  or  Hudson  River,  and  was  occupied  in  ( 
that  vocation  two  years.     His  next  venture  took  him  ' 
to  New  Orleans,  where  he  passed  two  years  tending 
bar,  returning  thence  to  his  native  State,  where  he 
remained  two  years  and  came  thence  in  June,  1846, 
to  De  Kalb  County. 

The  first  marriage  of  Mr.  Heath,  to  Elizabeth 
McQuarie,  took  place  in  Chatham,  Ont.,  May  24, 
1846.  She  was  a  native  of  New  York,  and  became 
the  mother  of  three  children, — Webster,  Eliza  and 
Diana.  The  youngest  child  died  when  two  months 
old.  The  mother  died  July  24,  1859.  Mr.  Heath 
was  a  second  time  married  Jan.  24,  1860,  in  Genoa 
Township,  to  Hannah  ShurtliflT,  a  native  of  Canada.  ' 
-er: £vs».> 


The  five  children  born  of  this  union  are  named 
Libby,  Mabel,  Lillian,  Emily  and  John.  The  latter 
died  when  he  was  16  years  of  age. 

A  fine  lithographic  portrait  of  Mr.  Heath  is  given 

on  a  preceding  page.     He  is  one  of  the  old  residents 

of  his  township,  and  justly  entitled  to  be   classed 

among  his  representative  citizens.    The  picture  from 

"which  the  portrait  is  engraved  was  taken  in  1883. 


Tames  C.  Wright,  farmer  on  the  southwest 
quarter  of  section  30,  Cortland  Township, 
was  born  near  Manchester,  Lincolnshire, 
England,  July  2,  1826.  Two  years  afterward 
his  parents,  William  and  Elizabeth  (Credland) 
Wright,  emigrated  with  their  three  children  to 
America  and  located  in  Vernon  Township,  Oneida 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  on  a  farm  of  50  acres, — land  once  owned 
by  the  Oneida  Indians.  Mr.  W.  failed  to  pay  for  this 
farm,  and  leaving  his  family  there  for  a  time,  he  came 
to  St.  Charles,  Kane  Co.,  111.,  in  1834.  Being  a  first- 
class  mechanic,  he  worked  as  a  wheelwright  and  in 
other  capacities  of  a  similar  nature,  and  in  a  year 
and  a  half  he  brought  his  family  to  St.  Charles,  the 
whole  distance  from  New  York  State  in  a  one-horse 
wagon!  On  this  were  stowed  a  wife,  three  children, 
two  beds,  cooking  utensils,  etc.  They  were  nine 
weeks  on  the  road.  Father  and  two  eldest  sons 
walked  the  entire  distance!  Only  two  nights  did  the 
family  sleep  in  a  house,  and  all  their  meals  were 
cooked  by  the  roadside.  They  landed  at  St  Charles 
about  the  first  of  November. 

The  following  fall  the  father  died,  and  James  C. 
and  his  brother,  who  had  gone  out  to  work  for  their 
living,  returned  to  aid  in  sustaining  the  family ;  but, 
their  mother  marrying  again,  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
started  out  into  the  world  to  take  care  of  himself, 
being  then  only  13  years  of  age.  First  he  was  a  farm 
laborer  for  two  years,  receiving  $6  a  month  and  board, 
then  for  two  years  $9  a  month,  by  which  time  he  had 
saved  from  his  earnings  $50;  then  for  a  year  $12  a 
month,  three  years  §11  a  month,  working  for  Henry 
Wager,  then  for  Jerry  Brown  two  years  at  $11  a 
month,  when  he  purchased  52  acres  of  land,  going 
$600  in  debt.  Subsequently  he  bought  40  acres 
more  of  I.  R.  Hamlin,  running  again  in  debt  $600, 
then  40  acres  of  Mr.  Royce,  incurrring  another  debt 


of  $600,  then  23  acres  of  E.  S.  Root,  incurring  a  debt 
of  $1,400,  and  finally,  in  1867,  sold  out  and  went 
with  the  family  to  California,  by  the  water  route, 
where  he  resided  four  years.  He  bought  1,450  acres 
of  land  there  of  the  Government,  and  raised  grain 
and  live  stock,  having  of  the  latter  107  head -of  cat- 
tle, 400  hogs  and  a  few  horses ;  but  he  finally  ex- 
changed that  farm  for  his  old  -one  here  in  Illinois. 
In  his  travels  he  has  crossed  the.  Atlantic  Ocean 
twice,  and  the  Pacific  Ocean,  Caribbean  Sea,  Central 
America  and  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  each  once,— 
the  latter  requiring  eight  days. 

Mr.  Wright,  Feb.  26, 1854,  married  Miss  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  Nicholas  and  Diana  (Wager)  Wilbur, 
the  latter  of  whom  are  deceased.  Mrs.  W.  died  in 
California,  March  20, 187  r,  leaving  one  child,  Albert, 
who  was  bora  June  18,1869,  in  the  Golden  State, 
in  Sutler  County,  on  the  banks  of  the  Sacramento 
River.  Sept  3,  1873,  Mr.  W.  married  Harriet  L., 
daughter  of  Silas  and  Clarissa  (Converse)  Whitmore, 
neither  of  whom  is  now  living.  She  was  born  June 
22,  i842,in  the  State  of  New  York. 

Mr.  Wright  s  father  died  in  St.  Charles,  111.,  about 
•Sept.  i,  1837,  and  his  mother  in  January,  1852,  on 
the  county  poor  farm,  her  second  husband,  James 
Cortwright  taking  possession  of  the  farm  in  1840: 
be  died  about  1857.  Both  of  Mr.  Wright's  parents 
were  of  English  descent. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  .Republican  in  his 
political  principles.  While  in  California  he  was  a 
Justice  of  the  Peace.  Both  himself  and  wife  are; 
members  of  the  Methodist  Church.  Although  Mr. 
W.  has  always  been  a  farmer,  in  his  younger  days,' 
before  he  became  settled,  he  studied  some  for  the 
ministry,  then  began  to  learn  the  blacksmith's  trade, 
and  then  the  wagon-maker's,  when  he  finally  deter- 
mined upon  farming. 


Isey  P.  Young,  a  former  resident  and 
prominent  citizen  of  De  Kalb,  now  de-  ^ 
ceased,  was  born  July  21,  1819,  at  Mans-  j 
jj£  field,  Ohio.  He  was  the  son  of  John  and  £ 
Elizabeth  (Logan)  Your.g,  members  of  the  agri-  (• 
cultural  class,  and  Mr.  Young  obtained  a  prac-  % 
tical  knowledge  of  that  calling  in  early  life.  He  (r 
found  the  duties  and  burdens  of  an  agricultural  life  ^ 


» 


distasteful,  and  essayed  teaching;  but  feeling  that 
eminence  in  that  profession  could  be  attained  only 
through  the  medium  of  a  liberal  education,  he  de- 
termined on  testing  the  gist  of  Bishop  Berkeley's 
famous  words,  "Westward  the  course  of  empire 
takes  its  way,"  and  seek  advancement  in  the  fields  of 
promise  situated  in  the  direction  of  the  setting  sun. 

He  left  his  early  home  and  associations,  and 
arrived  in  Sycamore  in  1839,  where  he  soon  after  be- 
came associated  in  a  mercantile  enterprise  with 
James  5.  Waterman.  He  married  Caroline  Water- 
man, the  sister  of  his  partner,  in  1846.  The  house 
which  Mr.  Young  built  about  that  date,  at  Sycamore, 
is  still  in  existence,  on  the  premises  of  Hon.  Reuben 
Ellwood.  His  wife  died  in  1852,  after  becoming  the 
mother  of  two  children,  a  daughter  and  a  son.  The 
latter  died  in  infancy;  the  former,  when  in  the 
bloom  of  early  womanhood,  aged  20  years. 

In  1847  Mr.  Young  officiated  as  Sheriff  of  De  Kalb 
County.  In  1854  he  was  a  merchant  at  Albion,  Ind., 
associated  with  Mr.  H.  Day,  his  brother-in-law. 
Early  in  1856  he  transferred  his  stock  of  goods  and 
his  business  to  De  Kalb  Center.,  and  in  the  same 
year  he  married  Alida  L.  Ellwood.  Two  daughters 
formed  the  issue  of  the  second  marriage,  the  elder  of 
whom  died  at  four  years  of  age,  the  younger  when 
nine  months  old. 

In  1860,  in  partnership  with  Dr.  Rufus  Hopkins, 
he  established  a  banking  enterprise  at  De  Kalb,  in 
which  he  was  interested  to  the  time  of  his  death. 
That  event  transpired  at  Hot  Springs,  Ark.,  March 
14,  1874, 

The  life  and  character  of  Mr.  Young  were  such  as 
command  general  respect,  and  he  left  to  the  citizens 
of  the  county  where  he  was  a  resident  over  40  years 
the  record  of  an  honorable  and  upright  career  and  a 
stainless  name. 


Nicholas  Lanan,  farmer  on  section  22,  May- 
field  Township,  is  a  son  of  John  and  Mar- 
garet Lanan,  who  were  natives  of  Belgium. 
In  their  family  were  Nicholas,  John,  Henry 
Joseph  and  Catherine.      The   first   mentioned 
<|>     was  born  in  that  country,  Dec.  21,  1817,  and  came  to 
^     America  in  the  fall  of  1833;    after  a  perilous  voyage 
£      of  three  months  and  three  days,  he  landed   in  New 


York,  and  remained  in  that  State  four  years  and  a 
half;  he  then  came  to  Illinois,  in  a  sailing  vessel 
from  Buffalo  to  Chicago.  The  lakes  were  very  rough' 
during  the  entire  v.oyage.  He  then  came  by  wagon 
to  De  Kalb  County,  and  purchased  a  quarter  of  sec- 
tion  22,  Mayfield  Township,  where  he  still  resides. 
He  is  therefore  one  of  the  first  pioneers  now  living." 
At  present  he  owns  190  acres,  most  of  which  is  in  a 
state  of  good  cultivation.  He  raises  cattle,  horses 
and  hogs. 

He  was  married  in  Chicago,  111.,  Nov.  13,  1851,  to 
Phifllpine  Becker,  who  was  born  in  Germany,  in 
October,  1818,  and  came  to  America  with  her  mother, 
Mary  Ann  (Hoffman)  Becker,  her  father  Nicholas 
Becker  having  died  when  she  was  a  child.  Her 
mother  was  a  second  time  married,  in  Germany. 
After  coming  to  America  she  settled  in  Chicago, 
where  she  died,  Nov.  28,  1878. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lanan  are  the  parents  of  seven  chil- 
dren: Mary  was  born  June  29,  1852,  and  was  mar- 
ried in  April,  1872,  to  John  Delles;  Elizabeth  was 
born  Nov.  7,  1854,  and  married  William  Gregory  in 
November,  1882;  Margaret  was  born  Feb.  18,  1856, 
and  married  John  Witte,  in  May,  1877  ;  Catherine 
was  born  July  15,  1857,  and  was  married  in  May, 
1876,  to  August  Ullrich;  John  was  born  Jan.  24, 
1858. 

•      -i|    <      o«C«»>S»«      *    I» 


athan  Lattin,  senior  member  of  the  firm  of 
N.  &  D.  B.  Lattin,  dealers  in  coal,  Batavia 
stone,  etc.,  at  Sycamore,  was  born  May  2, 
1834,  in  the  township  of  Veteran,  Chemung 
Co.,  N.  Y.  His  father,  Ransom  Lattin,  was 
born  March  19,  1797,  in  Fairfield  Co.,  Conn., 
and  was  married  in  1828,  to  Almy  C.  Crawford.  She 
was  a  native  of  Saratoga  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  died  in 
Veteran,  at  the  age  of  82  years.  The  senior  Lattin 
died  in  the  same  township  Feb.  14,  1883.  They  be- 
came the  parents  of  eight  children.  Daniel  B.  is  a 
farmer  in  Afton  Township.  Mary  W.  is  the  wife  of 
M.  L.  Egbert,  of  Horseheads,  N.  Y.  Parthenia  died 
n  infancy.  Melissa  E.  married  Peter  A.  Miller  and 
died  in  1859.  Clarissa  died  in  1867.  Canni  held 
the  homestead  and  was  the  custodian  of  the  comfort 
of  his  parent's  closing  years.  Sydney  is  a  farmer  of 
Shabbona  Grove. 

Mr.  Lattin  is  the  fourth  child  of  his  parents,  and 
-*^_ 


was  reared  at  home  on  the  far.m.  His  elder  brother 
had  come  to  De  Kalb  County  about  1854,  and  he 
came  to  Sycamore  in  April,  1857.  He  engaged  in 
the  purchase  and  sale  of  stock  and  grain,  in  which 
he  has  passed  the  intervening  years  of  his  life  to  this 
date  (1885).  In  the  fall  of  i88a  he  admitted  his 
brother,  D.  B.  Lattin,  to  a  partnership.  The  coal 
trade  of  the  firm  is  about  3,000  tons  annually,  and 
their  traffic  in  grain  is  proportionally  heavy.  Their 
warehouses  are  situated  on  De  Kalb  Avenue,  opposite 
the  depot,  and  are  conveniently  located  on  each 
side  of  the  railroad  track. 

Mr.  Lattin  has  been  prominent  and  efficient  in 
local  positions  of  trust  and  responsibility  in  the 
municipal  affairs  of  Sycamore.  He  officiated  as 
Alderman  several  years,  and  held  the  office  of  Mayor 
of  the  city  four  years,— from  1877  to  1881.  From 
1874  to  1878  he  was  Supervisor  of  Sycamore  Town- 
ship. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Lattin  to  Mary  H.,  daughter 
of  Stephen  and  Miriam  T.  Bemis,  took  place  in  De 
Kalb  Township,  Dec.  24,  1857.  Of  this  union  three 
children  have  been  born:  Judson,  now  a  student  in 
the  mechanical  and  military  departments  of  the  In- 
dustrial  University  at  Champaign;  Clara  L.,  a  teacher 
in  the  graded  school  at  Sycamore;  and  Fred,  acting 
as  assistant  in  the  business  of  N.  &  D.  B.  Lattin. 


?©•§€•*—»£ 


'hilip  King,  a  farmer  on  section  9,  Mayfield 
Township,  is- a  son  of  William  and  Mary 
(Fy)  King,  natives  of  Germany,  who  emi- 
grated to  America  in  an  early  day  and  settled 
Crawford  Co.,  Ohio,  where  they  died.  They 
had  ten  children, — Lana,  Abraham,  Philip, 
Jacob,  Margaret,  Susan,  Barbara,  William,  Mary  and 
Henry. 

Mr.  King  was  born  in  Germany  April  26.  1826, 
and  was  six  years  Old  when  his  parents  came  with 
him  to  America.  He  served  an  apprenticeship  of 
three  years  to  learn  the  trade  of  shoemaking,  which 
he  followed  till  1848,  when  he  came  to  this  county 
and  pre-empted  80  acres  in  Mayfield  Township,  on 
the  section  where  he  still  resides.  At  present  he 
owns  208  acres,  with  about  190  in  a  fine  state  of  cul- 
tivation. He  has  held  the  offices  of  Overseer  of 


Highways  and  School  Director,  and  in  his  political 
principles  he  is  a  Democrat. 

.  He  was  first  married  in  Kingston  Township,  this 
county,  Feb.  2,  1853,  to  Miss  Elizabeth,  daughter  of 
Daniel  and  Elizabeth  (Dawalt)  Coonfair,  who  were 
natives  of  Pennsylvania.  She  had  two  children — • 
William  and  Mary  E. — and  died  Sept.  15,  1856,  in 
Mayfield  Township;  2nd  Mr.  King  was  again  mar- 
ried, Oct.  15,  1858,  in  Crawford  Co.,  Ohio,  to  Miss 
Maria,  daughter  of  Solomon  and  Rosa  A.  (Lutz) 
Scott,  who  also  were  natives  of  the  Keystone  State. 
The  latter  had  1 1  children, — Maria,  Jane,  Amelia, 
William,  Laura,  Ellen,  Harriet,  John,  Ann,  Chris- 
topher and  Amanda.  Mrs.  King  was  bom  in  Craw- 
ford Co.,  Ohio,  Sept.  15,  1841,  and  the  children  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  K.  are  Rosa  A.,  Henry  D.,  Margaret 
J.,  Frank  P.,  Orilla  L.,  Laura  D.  and  Amelia, — seven 
in  number. 


Brown  removed  his  familv  to  Illinois  and  settled  in 


Dillon  S.  Brown,  member  of  the  banking 
house  of  Brown  &  Brown  at  Genoa,  was  born 
May  12,  1852,  in  the  township  of  Genoa. 
Jeremiah  L.  Brown,  his  father,  was  a  native 
of  Scarborough!  Maine,  and  was  twice  mar- 
ried. His  first  wife,  Judith  (Richardson) 
Brown,  bore  seven  children,  two  of  whom  are  de- 
ceased. The  survivors  are  James  P.,  Jeremiah  W. 
(see  sketch),  Judith.  Esther  E.  and  Abigail  J.  The 
mother  died  in  Genoa  Township,  and  the  father 
married  Eliza  A.  Jackman.  Four  children  were  bom 
of  the  second  marriage, — Emma  R.,  Dillon  S.,  1 
Charles  A.  (see  sketch)  and  Lizzie  M.  The  senior  t 


Genoa  Township  in  the  fall  of  1837,  engaging   in 
farming.     He  died  Tan.  5.  1882. 

D.  S.  Brown  attended  school  until  the  age  of  25 
years,  residing  on  :he  home  farm  during  his  vaca- 
tions: graduated  a:  the  Illinois  Industrial  University 
in  the  spring  of  1875  and  from  the  Montreal  Veter-  ^ 
inary  College  at  Montreal,  Canada,  in  1877,  from  ' 
which  time  he  practiced  his  profession  at  Sycamore  ; 
until  the  spring  of  iSSo.  when  he  became  interested  p 
in  a  mercantile  enterprise  at  Genoa,  associated  with  f/ 
H.  H.  Slater.  The  relation  was  terminated^  the  '.•" 
end  of  a  year  by  t'.ie  withdrawal  of  Mr.  Brown.  In  ^. 
May,  1882,  he  inaugurated  his  present  business  en-  V 


terprise,  forming  a  partnership  with  his  brother, 
Charles  A.  Brown.  The  venture  has  proved  satisfac- 
tory, and  the  firm  have  gained  a  substantial  reputa- 
tion in  the  management  of  financial  matters. 

Mr.  Brown  was  married  May  16,  1878,  to  Emily 
E.  Pond.  Their  children  were  born  as  follows: 
Claude,  Earl  and  a  child  who  died  in  infancy.  Mrs. 
Brown  is  the  daughter  of  A.  H.  and  Amy  N. 
(Hollembeak)  Pond,  who  were  natives  of  Pennsylva- 
nia, where  she  also  was  born. 

Mr.  Brown  is  a  Republican  in  political  faith  and 
action.  He  has  served  as  Village  Trustee  and  as 
President  of  the  Board. 


eorge  Klernsmid,  hardware  merchant  at 
Sandwich,  was  born  June  26,  1831,  in  the 
Prussian  province  of  Westphalia.  .Bern- 
hard  Kleinsmid,  his  father,  died  when  he  was 
a  child  of  three  years,  leaving  the  family  to 
the  care  of  the  mother,  Mary  Kleinsmid,  who 
brought  her  children  to  the  American  continent  in 
1848,  when  her  son  George  was  17  years  of  age. 
They  located  in  Cincinnati,  where  he  learned  the 
business  of  a  shoemaker,  and  was  occupied  in  the 
prosecution  of  the  trade  at  that  point  until  1851,  in 
which  year  he  removed  to  Chicago.  He  was  simi- 
larly employed  in  that  city  for  some  time,  but,  find- 
ing Kis  health  affected  by  confinement,  he  engaged 
as  a  salesman  in  a  hardware  store,  and  acquired  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  the  details  and  specialties  of 
that  vocation.  He  came  to  Sandwich  in  1856  and 
established  a  hardware  enterprise,  associated  with 
George  L.  Ismon.  Their  relations  were  suddenly 
and  disastrously  terminated  a  little  less  than  three 
years  later  by  the  simultaneous  disappearance  of  Mr. 
Ismon  and  all  available  resources  in  the  way  of 
cash.  Mr.  Kleinsmid  collected  his  courage  and  suf- 
ficient means  to  again  establish  his  business,  which 
he  opened  in  1859,  and  has  since  conducted  with 
satisfactory  results.  His  stock  represents  an  average 
estimate  of  $12,000,  and  he  transacts  annually  a  large 
amount  of  business  in  all  the  branches  connected 
•  with  his  establishment.  He  employs  several  tinners 
and  one  general  assistant.  Two  sons  act  as  sales- 


men  when  occasion  demands.  The  business  block 
in  which  he  operates  was  built  by  him  in  1864,  and 
is  24  x  105  feet  in  dimensions.  It  is  constructed  of 
brick  and  is  three  stories  in  height  above  the  base- 
ment. Mf.  Kleinsmid  is  a  pioneer  in  his  business, 
which  is  of  nearly  30  years'  standing,  and  was  one  of 
the  earliest  established  in  De  Kalb  County.  He  is 
the  owner  of  a  handsome  brick  residence,  two  stories 
in  height,  having  a  tin  mansard  roof  and  containing 
20  rooms.  The  adjoining  grounds  contain  nearly 
three  acres  of  land,  and  the  place  is  among  the  most 
attractive  at  Sandwich.  Mr.  Kleinsmid  owns  also 
two  acres  in  the  north  part  of  the  city  devoted  to 
nursery  purposes,  and  a  tenement  house  and  lot. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  in  Chicago,  Oct.  18, 
1855,  to  Louisa,  daughter  of  Gotleib  Simon,  of 
Waldo,  Wis.  (Her  father  is  still  living  and  is  a  nona- 
genarian.) Of  their  union  13  children  have  been 
born.  Louisa  and  Frank,  the  two  oldest,  are  de- 
ceased. The  survivors  are  George,  Bertha,  Raymond, 
Lucretia,  Lilly,  Walter,  Austin,  Rufus,  James,  Maud 
and  Mabel. 


imuel  Stephens,  retired  farmer,  residing 
at  Genoa,  is  the  son  of  Benjamin  and  Eliz- 
abeth Stephens,  and  was  born  Sept  6, 
1809,  in  Pennsylvania,  his  father  being  a  na-. 
live  of  the  same  State.  His  mother  was  born 
in  Ireland.  Mr.  Stephens  is  one  of  a  family  of 
seven  children,  and  when  he  was  three  years  of  age 
his  parents  removed  to  Ohio,  where  they  resided 
about  five  years,  going  thence  to  Indiana.  They 
came  to  DeKalb  County  in  1837  and  located  in  the 
township  of  Kingston.  He  has  been  a  resident  in 
various  parts  of  De  Kalb  County  and  has  owned 
land  in  different  localities,  which  he  has  disposed  of 
with  the  exception  of  80  acres,  which  he  still  holds. 
In  1882  rie  retired  from  active  farming  life,  his  resi- 
dence  being  in  Genoa  village,  where  he  has  lived 
since  1837. 

His  first  marriage  occurred  in   Woodstock,    Me- 
Henry    Co.,    111.,   where    he   formed   a  matrimonial 


alliance  with  Rebecca  Patterson,  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania. Of  their  union  one  son  was  born,  Joseph 
B.  Stephens,  who  is  a  resident  of  Sycamore  and 
officiating  in  the  capacity  of  State's  Attorney  of  De 
Kalb  County.  The  mother  died  at  Genoa.  Mr. 
Stephens  was  a  second  time  married,  in  Genoa  Town- 
ship, Dec.  14,  1852,  to  Philena,  daughter  of  Allen 
and  Sophronia  Crocker.  The  latter  was  born  in  the 
State  of  New  York,  the  former  in  Massachusetts. 
They  were  among  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Genoa 
Township,  and  died  at  the  home  of  Mr.  Stephens  in 
the  village  of  Genoa.  Mrs.  Stephens  is  second  in 
order  of  birth  of  six  children  born  to  her  parents,  and 
her  birth  occurred  April  i,  1830,  in  Genesee  Co.,  N. 
Y.  She  has  been  the  mother  of  two  children.  Her- 
bert, the  oldest,  died  when  he  was  nearly  four  years 
of  age.  The  second  child  died  in  infancy.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Stephens  are  members  of  the  Advent  Church. 
He  is  a  Prohibitionist  in  political  principle.  He  has 
acted  eight  years  as  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  has 
been  a  member  of  the  Village  Board  of  Trustees  of 
Genoa. 


? 


md  W.  Stark,  farmer,  section  3,  Mayfield 
Township,  is  the  son  of  William  and  Ruth 
(McClara)  Stark,  natives  of  Pennsylvania, 
who  had  five  children, — Lewis  G.,  Peter  F., 
David  W.,  John  K.,  Calista  and  Amelia.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Wyoming  Co., 
Pa.,  April  15,  1826,  lived  in  his  native  county  until 
s°  i  years  of  age  arid  then  sought  a  home  in  the  West. 
Coming  to  Illinois  in  1847,  he  lived  most  of  the 
time  until  1852  in  Sycamore, engaged  in  different  oc- 
cupations. In  the  spring  of  that  year  he  went  to 
California  for  the  purpose  of  mining,  and  was  thus 
engaged  for  six  months.  After  that  he  worked  out 
by  the  month,  until  May,  1857,  when  he  returned  to 
De  Kalb  County  and  settled  on  40  acres  of  section 
3,  Mayfield  Township,  which  he  had  bought  when  he 
first  came  to  Illinois  and  where  he  now  resides.  He 
has  added  to  his  estate  until  he  now  has  almost  300 
acres.  Mr.  Stark  has  served  as  Deputy  Sheriff  two 
years  (1849-50).  In  political  matters  he  votes  with 
the  Republicans. 

.  He  was  married  in  Mayfield  Township,  Oct.  28, 
1859,  to  Amanda  Judd,  daughter  of  Ariel  and  Eliz- 
abeth (Headly)  Judd,  the  former  of  whom  was  a 


native  of  the  State  of  New  York  and  the  latter  of  In- 
diana. They  came  to  De  Kalb  County  in  1837  and 
settled  in  Kmgston  Township,  where  Mrs.  J.  died,  in 
May,  1847;  Mr.  J.  afterward  came  to  Mayfield  Town- 
ship, and  died  Feb.  23,  1869.  They  had  a  family  of  ^ 
nine  children,  Mrs.  S.  being  the  only  one  who  lived 
to  grow  up.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  S.  are  th;  parents  of  five 
children,— William  A.,  Lizzie  J.,  Frank  W.,  Clara  C. 
and  Perry  J. 


eorge  E.  and  Irving  W.  Miller,  general 
merchants  and  dealers  in  hardware  .and 
agricultural  machinery  at  Fielding,  Frank- 
lin Township,  started  their  business  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1884.  The  building  where  they  manage 
their  affairs  is  a  brick  structure,  50  X5o  feet  in 
dimensions,  and  they  have  a  finely  assorted  stock 
suited  to  the  local  trade. 

Their  parents,  Daniel  and  Catherine  M.  (Bouk) 
Miller,  were  natives  of  New  York  and  farmers  in 
Herkimer  County.  They  removed  thence  to  Frai.k- 
lin  Township  in  1846,  and  were  among  the  early  set- 
tlers. They  purchased  280  acres  of  land,  and  later 
became  the  proprietors  of  additional  tracts  until,  at  the 
date  of  the  father's  decease,  Oct.  4,  1874,  the  estate 
included  560  acres,  to  which  there  were  five  heirs,— 
William  O.,  George  E.,  Emma  J.,  Irving  W.  and  Frank. 
Frank  died  Oct.  21,  1874,  soon  after  the  death  of  his 
father.  William  O.  moved  to  Kansas,  where  he  and 
his  wife  both  died  after  being  in  that  State  about  a 
year;  he  died  Dec.  23,  1879,  and  his  wife  about  two 
weeks  afterward.  One  daughter  of  the  senior  Miller, 
Emma  J.,  resides  on  the  homestead  with  her  mother. 
George  E.  Miller  was  born  in  Franklin  Township, 
Aug.  12,  1854.  He  was  educated  in  the  district 
school  of  his  native  township,  and  was  married  June 
4,  1876,  at  Rockford,  111.,  to  Mary  A.  McClellan. 
She  was  bom  in  De  Kalb  County,  Jan.  26,  1852,  and 
was  educated  in  the  common  schools,  later  going  to 
Rockford  to  complete  a  more  extended  course  of 
study.  Her  mother  died  soon  after  her  birth,  and 
her  father  went  not  long  afterward  to  California, 
where  all  traces  of  him  were  lost.  She  was  brought 
up  and  educated  by  her  aunt.  She  is  the  mother  of 
two  children, — Frank  D.  and  Lee  W. 

Irving  E.   Miller  was  born    Jan.   28,  1857.     The 


«..;  .. 


brothers  both  lived  at  home  until  the  opening  of  their 
present  business  enterprise.  They  retain  their  claims 
lo  which  they  succeeded  through  inheritance,  the 
elder  brother  holding  190  acres;  the  tract  received 
by  the  younger  includes  160  acres.  In  political  be- 
lief and  connections  they  are  Republicans. 


E-'rson  W.  Hice,  engineer  in  charge  of  the 
stationary  pump  of  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee 
ftjSSr       &  St  Paul  Railroad  Company  at  Kirkland, 
Q£F  was  born  Jan.  n,  1837,  in   Lorain  Co.,  Ohio. 

He  is  the   son  of   Nahum   and  Betsey    E. 

(Elaine)  Rice,  who  were  natives  of  Ohio. 
They  came  from  the  Buckeye  State  to  Boone  Co., 
111.,  in  the  spring  of  1837,  when  the  son  was  but  a 
few  months  old,  and  located  on  a  tract  of  Govern- 
ment land.  In  1845  tncv  returned  to  Lorain  Co., 
Ohio.  In  1848  the  father  died,  and  later  the  mother 
remarried  and  removed  with  her  husband  to  Van 
Buren  Co.,  Mich.,  where  she  is  still  living,  at  the  age 
of  7  2  years. 

Mr.  Rice  accompanied  his  parents  in  their  several 
removals,  and  obtained  his  education  in  the  town- 
ship of  Eaton.  Lorain  Co.,  Ohio.  He  was  the  fourth 
of  seven  children,  and  after  the  death  of  his  father 
was  dependent  on  his  own  exertions  for  self-main- 
tenance. He  engaged  in  farm  labor  in  his  native 
State,  and  was  occupied  in  that  avenue  of  labor  un- 
til he  entered  the  Army  of  the  United  States  as  a 
defender  of  the  National  integrity.  He  enrolled  as 
a  soldier  April  16,  1861,  at  Cleveland,  in  the  Eighth 
Ohio  VoL  Inf.,  in  Co.  H,  under  Captain  Starr,  enlist- 
ing under  the  first  call  for  troops.  The  regiment  was 
attached  to  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  and  was 
in  the  service  three  months.  On  his  discharge  he 
immediately  re-enlisted  for  three  years' service  in  the 
I5oth  Battalion,  under  Captain  Spears,  and  was 
assigned  to  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee.  Mr.  Rice 
was  in  action  at  Corinth,  Coldwater  and  Vicksburg, 
at  which  last  place  he  was  under  fire  through  the 
entire  siege.  The  regiment  went  thence  to  Jackson, 
Miss.,  and  there  encountered  Johnson's  army,  going 
next  to  Lookout  Mountain,  where  they  fought  under 
Sherman.  After  repulsing  the  enemy  they  crossed 
the  Tallahassee  and  pushed  on  to  Atlanta,  Ga., 
where  the  command  was  transferred  to  the  corps  of 


J 


c 


General  McPherson  After  the  loss  of  the  command- 
er at  Decatur,  Ala.,  July  22,  1863,  he  served  under 
Logan  until  after  the  siege  of  Atlanta,  when  he  was 
transferred  to  the  command  of'  Gen.  Francis  P. 
Blair,  under'  whom  he  fought  at  Jonesville.  After 
this  action  he  was  made  Orderly  at  headquarters, 
and  continued  in  that  rank  until  the  close  of  the  war, 
and  under  it  was  detailed  frequently  for  special  ser- 
vice. On  one  occasion  he  was  sent  with  a  special 
dispatch  to  General  Thomas,  directing  him  to  make 
a  certain  movement.  This  was  a  duty  that  required 
speed  and  sagacity,  and  he  executed  its  obligations 
in  a  manner  that  won  for  him  much  commendation. 
Mr.  Rice  was  mustered  out  of  the  United  States  ser- 
vice at  Washington,  D.  C.,  June  2,  1865,  after  the 
close  of  the  war.  He  was  in  the  army  of  the  North 
during  the  entire  period  of  the  war,  his  service  last- 
ing four  years,  four  months  and  ten  days. 

Mr.  Rice  came  to  Illinois,  to  the  township  of  Frank- 
lin, while  on  a  furlough.and  was  married  Sept.  19, 1862, 
to  Ruth  Penwell.  She  was  born  Aug.  13,  1843,  in 
Boone  Co.,  111.,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Luke  and 
Elizabeth  (Middleton)  Penwell.  Mr.  P.  was  born  in 
Fayelte  Co.,  Ind.,  in  1817,  and  Mrs.  P.  in  Ohio,  in 
1818,  and  went  to  Indiana  when  she  was  very  young. 
They  moved  to  Boone  Co.,  111.,  in  1836,  and  to  De 
Kalb  County  in  1883,  where  they  now  live..  -  ' 

On  receiving  his  discharge  from  the  army  he  joined 
his  wife  in  Franklin  Township  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, following  that  vocation  until  1870.  In  that  year 
he  went  to  Belvidere,  and  there  established  a  boot 
and  shoe  store.  He  disposed  of  his  business  rela- 
tions in'i879,  and  came  to  Kirkland,  where  he  pur- 
chased a  house  and  lot,  and  has  since  resided. 
In  1882  he  entered  upon  his  present  employment. 
He  is  a  Republican  in  political  connection,  and  is 
serving  as  a  member  of  the  Village  Council,  to  which 
he  was  re-elected  in  1884. 


•ohn  Cristman,  deceased,  formerly  a  farmer  ft 
and  blacksmith,  on  the  southeast  quarter    I 
of  section  iS.Cortland  Township,  was  born  «s> 
in  Jordan ville,   N.   Y.,  May   28,   1825.    His  Jt 
father,  John  J.  Cristman,  was  born  April   15,  £^ 
1799,  a  descendant  of  the  Mohawk  Dutch,  and  (£" 
died   about    1874,  in  South  Grove  Township,  this  ^ 


-e^<?iin§i!H$> 


county.  His  mother,  Rachel,  nee  Eggbroad,  was 
born  July  20,  1803,  and  died  about  1833. 

Mr.  Cristman,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  learned 
the  trade  of  blacksmith  when  a  young  man,  and  fol- 
lowed that  occupation  more  or  less  during  life,  having 
a  shop  on  his  farm.  He  worked  several  years  at  his 
trade  at  Jordanville,  N.  Y.  On  coming  to  this  county 
in  1 8,4,  he  worked  about  a  year  at  the  business  at 
Sycamore;  the  meanwhile  purchasing  a  farm  of  H. 
H.  Mason,  on  which  he  lived  and  labored  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  on  October  9,  1863.  He  was 
injured  by  a  threshing-machine,  and  died  from  the 
effects  three  days  afterward.  When  he  bought  his 
farm  it  comprised  240  acres,  and  had  some  small 
improvements.  These  he  supplanted  with  better, 
and  subsequently  sold  about  53  acres  to  Mr.  Bing- 
ham.  At  his  death  he  left  180  acres  as  his  real 
estate.'  He  was  a  Republican,  and  served  for  a  time 
as  Highway  Commissioner.' 

Mr.  Cristman  was  married  Sept.  10,  1852,  to 
Almira  Pooler,  daughter  of  Henry  Pooler.  She  was 
born  March  22,  1829,  and  died  Sept.  16,  following 
her  marriage.  He  was  again  married  Oct.  4,  1857, 
to  Miss  Philany  Pooler,  at  German  Flats,  Heikimer 
Co.,  N.  Y.  She  was  born  July  9,  1835,  at  that  place, 
and  was  a  daughter  of  Henry  Pooler,  whose  biogra- 
phy appears  in  this  book.  His  portrait  is  also  given 
'in  this  ALBUM,  on  page  232.  Mrs.  Cristman  is  the 
mother  of  two  children,  namely:  Lorena  A.,  born 
May  22,  1859,  and  John  M.,  Aug.  25,  1863. 

As  one  of  De  Kalb  County's  representative  self- 
made  men,  we  place  the  portrait  of  Mr.  Cristman  in 
this  ALBUM.  He  was  well  known,  highly  respected, 
and  a  most  worthy  citizen.  He  left  a  large  and 
esteemed  family  connection  in  this  county. 


illiam   W.  Wylde,  farmer,    section    18, 
Genoa  Township,  has  been  a  resident  of 
the  State  of  Illinois  since  the  age  of  two 
years,  when  his  parents,  William  and  Maria 
(Webb)  Wylde,  emigrated  with  their  family 
m  England  to  America  and  settled  in  Boone 
Co.,  HI.     The  father  died  in  1854,  in  Belvidere. 

Mr.  Wylde  was  born  Feb.  28,  1840,  in  England. 
He  went  from  home  when  he  was  13  years  of  age,  to 
become  a  .farm  laborer,  and  he  operated  in  that 


capacity  until  he  was  21  years  old,  remaining  la  the 
employment  of  Daniel  Ball,  of  Genoa.  On  coming 
of  age  he  bought  94  acres  of  land  in  the  township 
where  he  had  labored  eight  years  and  where  he  has 
been  a  resident  most  of  the  time  since  1853.  Polit- 
ically he  is  a  Republican. 

His  marriage  to  Mary  Leonard  took  place  in  Octo- 
ber, 1862,  in  Belvidere,  and  they  had  three  children, 
Jennie,  Ida  and  another  who  died  in  early  infancy. 
Ida  died  at  the  age  of  two  years.  The  mother  is  a 
native  of  Illinois.  Mr.  Wylde  was  a  second  time 
married  Oct.  i,  1879,  to  Mrs.  Martha  J.  Olinstead, 
daughter  of  Clark  C.  and  Mary  (Everson)  Thomp- 
son and  widow  of  Chester  H.  Olmstead.  Her 
first  husband  died  in  1876,  leaving  a  daughter, — 
Mabel  G.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thompson  were  born  re- 
spectively in  Vermont  and  New  York.  Mrs.  Wylde 
was  born  in  Coral,  McHenry  Co.,  Ill,  Nov.  23,  1846. 
Her  father  was  a  Union  soldier,  enlisting  in  the  95th 
III.  Vol.  Inf.,  Co.  E,  in  1860,  and  died  at  Baton. 
Rouge,  La.,  April  13, 1861,  from  over-exertion  caused 
by  a  forced  march  through  Tennessee. 


obert  Craig,  merchant  at  Fielding,  Frank- 
lin Township,  was  born  Aug.  1 6,  1853,  in 
the  city  of  Philadelphia.  His  father,  George 
Craig,  came  in  1855  to  Flora  Township, 
Boone  Co.,  111.,  and  located  on  a  farm,  where 
the  son  was  reared  to  manhood,  attending 
school  and  working  on  the  farm  until  he  was  22 
years  of  age  For  some  months  previous  to  that  age 
he  was  at  school  at  Cherry  Valley,  Winnebago  Co., 
111.,  and  on  leaving  there  entered  the  general  mer-  I 
candle  establishment  of  Keith  &  Blake  at  that  place.  / 
He  remained  in  that  employment  but  a  short  time, 
entering  the  service  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern 
Railroad  Company  as  baggage  agent  at  Dixon,  III. 
After  nine  months  he  accepted  a  similar  position  at 
Fielding,  in  which  he  officiated  but  a  short  time,  and 
engaged  in  a  mercantile  enterprise  with  his  former 
employer,  Mr.  Keith.  Later  he  attended  school  at 
Cherry  Valley,  going  thence  to  Chicago,  where  he  * 
spent  two  years  as  a  street-car  conductor.  In  1879 
he  came  to  Fielding  and,  associated  with  Frank 
Romney,  established  a  general  mercantile  establish- 
ment, beginning  trade  with'  a  stock  of  less  than 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


30, 


$r,ooo  value.  From  that  small  beginning  the  rela- 
tions of  the  firm  have  steadily  and  uniformly  in- 
creased and  grown  in  popularity  until  they  carry 
stock  averaging  $10,000  in  value,  and  transact  a 
yearly  business  aggregating  $25,000.  Mr.  Craig  is 
the  possessor  of  a  valuable  and  attractive  home  in 
Fielding. 

He  was  married  Sept.  30,  1879,  at  Cherry  Valley, 
Winnebago  Co.,  111.,  to  Libbie  Reid,  and  they  have 
two  children, — Edna  M.,  born  Sept.  29,  1880,  and 
Arthur,  born  Nov.  13,  1883.  Mrs.  Craig  was  born  in 
July,  1856,  in  the  State  of  New  York.  She  came  to 
Illinois  in  childhood,  and  at  the  age  of  1 1  years  be- 
came a  member  of  the  family  of  a  merchant  named 
John  McKee,  with  whom  she  made  her  home  until 
her  marriage. 

Mr.  Craig  is  a  Republican  and  is  at  present  a 
School  Director  of  the  village  of  Fielding. 


Toseph  Sixbury,  deceased,  farmer,  was  a 
native  of  Amsterdam,  Montgomery  Co.,  N. 
Y.,  born  Nov.  17,  1810.  Malinda  (Ell- 
wood) Sixbury,  his  widow,  is  a  native  of  Min- 
den,  Montgomery  Co.,  N.  Y.,  born  March  2, 
1815.  Joseph  Sixbury  and  Malinda  Ellwood 
were  united  in  marriage  in  their  native  county  Jan. 
15,  1834,  and  in  July,  1837,  removed  to  Sycamore, 
De  Kalb  Co.,  111.,  where  they  continued  to  reside. 
The  fruits  of  their  union  were  two  children, — Chaun- 
cey  E.  and  Mary  Eliza.  The  former  was  born  in 
Sycamore,  May  30,  1838 ;  the  latter,  May  28,  1845. 

Chauncey  E.  Sixbury  was  married  to  Jennie 
Ainley,  also  of  Sycamore,  April  n,  1866,  and  now 
resides  in  Boone  Co.,  Iowa.  Mary  E.  Sixbury  was 
united  in  marriage  to  James  H.  Schuyler,  a  resident 
of  Sycamore,  May  9,  1866,  and  settled  in  Nunica, 
Mich.  Two  children  were  born  to  them,  and  are 
named  Colfax  Schuyler  and  James  C.  Schuyler.  Col- 
fax  was  born  in  Nunica,  Mich.,  Feb.  23, 1868.  James 
C.  was  born  in  the  same  town,  March  i,  1874.  Mary 
E.  Schuyler  died  in  Nunica,  Feb.  17,  1876.  Her  re- 
mains were  brought  to  Sycamore  and  repose  in  Elm- 
wood  Cemetery.  The  two  children  thus  early  left 
motherless  have  since  continued  under  the  watchful 
and  affectionate  oversight  and  care  of  their  grand- 

>,§&&&•  ^^ &*"' 


mother,  Malinda  (Ellwood)  Sixbury.    Joseph  Sixbury 
departed  this  life  Dec.  28,  1879. 

It  has  already  been  remarked  that  Joseph  Sixbury 
and  his  wife  came  to  De  Kalb  County  as  early  as 
July,  1837,  the  pioneer  days  of  this  section.  Those 
who  removed  here  from  the  midst  of  the  older  civili- 
zation of  the  East,  were  obliged  to  encounter  more 
or  less  in  the  way  of  deprivation  so  far  as  the  com- 
forts of  life  were  concerned,  both  socially  and  other- 
wise ;  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sixbury  were  called  upon  to 
bear  their  share  of  the  privations  and^trials  of  pioneer 
life.  Outside  of  the  discomforts  tha"  naturally  and 
inevitably  beset  the  white  people,  were  the  disagree- 
able, not  to  say  dangerous,  proclivities  of  the  Indians, 
who  at  that  period  occupied  in  part  this  particular 
section.  The  surrounding  groves  were  their  rendez- 
vous, from  which  they  made  frequent  incursions  into 
the  settlements  to  beg  for  food  and  other  favors.  Al- 
though not  particularly  hostile,  they  sometimes  were 
troublesome.  In  relating  to  the  writer  some  of  the 
ways  of  the  aborigines,  Mrs.  Sixbury  said  sometimes 
they  would  appear  at  the  cabin  door  of  the  settlers 
and  cast  their  blankets  inside.  If  the  occupants  of 
the  cabin  allowed  the  blankets  to  remain,  the  Indians 
considered  it  an  invitation  to  come  in  and  take  their 
repose,  but  if  the  blankets  were  taken  up  and  placed 
outside,  the  Indians  accepted  the  act  as  a  refusal  to 
allow  them  to  tarry,  and,  picking  them  up,  passed 
along.  Soon  after  the  period  indicated,  the  Indians 
were  removed  by  the  Government  to  Council  Bluffs, 
Iowa. 

Joseph  Sixbury,  besides  taking  an  active  part  in 
helping  to  improve  the  Western  wilderness,  to  which  v 
he  had  removed  previous  to  the  Government  land 
sale,  was  public-spirited  as  well,  and  was  one  of  the 
few  men  who  assisted  in  the  location  of  the  county 
seat  of  De  Kalb  County  at  Sycamore.  His  land 
patent  covered  a  portion  of  the  site  of  what  is  now 
the  beautiful  and  thriving  city  of  Sycamore.  Him- 
self and  wife  were  devoted  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  in  the  upbuilding  of  which  in 
those  primitive  days  they  both  bore  an  important 
part.  Each  abounded  in  works  of  benevolence  and 
chanty.  Those  were  the  days  in  which  the  grand 
and  rugged  eloquence  of  Father  Cartwright  and  other 
able  and  eloquent  pioneer  Methodist  preachers  were 
heard  in  the  cabins  of  the  settlers  and  in  the  groves 
and  forests.  It  almost  seems  strange,  but  those  early 

^ *Q* 


302 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


comers  often  speak  of  the  days  of  old,  and  associate 
with  them  some  of  the  pleasantest  and  most  enjoya- 
ble episodes  of  their  lives.  Their  necessary  depend- 
ence one  upon  another  made  closer  and  stronger  the 
bond  of  friendship  and  sympathy  between  them,  and 
though  few  in  numbers  and  deprived  of  much  that 
happily  surrounds  them  in  these  later  days,  they  yet 
were  happy  and  contented.  All  honor  to  the  cour- 
ageous and  hardy  pioneer  of  the  West. 

Mr.  Sixbury  was  a  Steward  and  Class-leader  in  his 
Church  up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  He  also  occu- 
pied positions  of  responsibility  and  trust  in  the  civil 
affairs  of  the  town  and  county,  having  been  chosen 
assessor  of  his  town  many  years,  and  was  also  elected 
to  the  important  office  of  County  Treasurer  two  suc- 
cessive terms. 


,,enry  P.  Grout,  dealer  in  agricultural  in- 
struments at  Kirkland,  was  born  July  16, 
1836,  in  Windsor  Co.,  Vt.  He  is  a  de- 
scendant from  a  prominent  family  in  that  part 
of.  the  Green  Mountain  State,  his  grandfather 
Grout  being  an  early  settler  there,  and  was  one 
of  the  Government  surveyors  of  New  Hampshire 
and  Vermont.  His  grandmother  figures  in  the  his- 
tory of  Vermont  as  an  Indian  captive,  but  her  early 
release  was  secured.  John  Grout,  father  of  Mr. 
Grout  of  this  sketch,  was  born  in  Windsor  County, 
where  he  maintained  his  home  all  his  life.  He  was 
a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812,  and  after  the  close  of 
that  conflict  lived  on  a  land,  grant  conferred  in  con- 
sequence of  his  services.  He  became  prominent  in 
general  affairs  and  occupied  high  position  in  the  pub- 
lic esteem.  He  died  in  1857,  aged  about  60  years. 
His  wife  Polly,  (McAllister)  Grout,  was  born  in  Wind- 
sor County,  and  there  lived  all  her  life.  She  died  in 
1855,  and  was  the  mother  of  nine  children.  Her 
father  was  a.  pioneer isettler  of  Windsor  County. 

Mr.  Grout  was  the  youngest  child  and  attended 
district  school  until  he  was  17  years  old,  when  he 
came  West  and  located  at  Sycamore.  Within  a  year 
both  his  parents  died  and  he  determined  upon  a  per- 
manent residence  in  Illinois.  He  accordingly  en- 
gaged in  labor  to  sustain  himself  among  strangers,  and 
continued  to  operate  in  De  Kalb  County  until  1860, 
when  he  joined  a  party  of  gold  hunters  and  went  to 



Pike's  Peak,  where  he  remained  18  months.  He  re- 
turned to  this  county  without  accumulated  possessions, 
and  determined  on  entering  the  Army  of  the  United 
States,  the  Civil  War  being  then  in  progress.  He  en- 
listed in  September,  1861,  in  Co.  C,  S2dlll.  Vol.  Inf., 
and  went  to  the  front  under  Capt.  J.  S.  Brown,  of 
Sycamore.  The  regiment  was  attached  to  the  West- 
ern Army,  and  he  continued  to  experience  the  vari- 
eties of  military  conflict  until  the  battle  of  Shiloh, 
Tenn.,  where  he  received  a  gunshot  wound,  the  bul- 
let entering  the  stomach  two  inches  above  the 
periphery  of  the  diaphragm.  Twenty-one  days  after- 
ward the  leaden  missile  was  dislodged  and  passed 
through  the  intestines.  This  is  one  of  the  most  remark- 
able incidents  in  the  surgical  history  of  the  war,  and 
is  the  only  one  on  record  of  its  kind.  Mr.  Grout  was 
discharged  July  21,  1862,  at  Chicago,  for  disability. 
He  returned  to  Sycamore  and  was  married  March  19, 
1863,  in  Franklin  Township,  to  Mrs.  Mary  A.  Foster, 
daughter  of  William  H.  and  Betsy  (Gorham)  Rowen. 
She  was  born  Jan.  12,  1835,  in  Genesee  Co.,  N.  Y. 
When  she  was  nine  years  of  age  her  parents  settled 
in  the  township  where  she  was  married  to  Thomas 
Foster,  a  native  of  Indiana,  who  died  in  the  town- 
ship of  Kingston,  in  1860.  She  became  the  mother 
of  three  children  by  her  first  marriage, — Wallace  T., 
Betsy  A.  and  Joseph  W., —  all  of  whom  are  married. 
Hattie  is  the  name  of  the  only  child  born  of  her 
second  marriage. 

•  A  year  after  his  marriage,  Mr.  Grout  purchased  80 
acres  of  land  in  Kingston  Township,  whereon  the 
family  resided  until  1880,  the  date  of  their  removal 
to  Kirkland.  Mr.  Grout  is  the  owner  of  an  addition 
to  Kirkland,  which  contains  ten  acres.  Since  his  res- 
idence there,  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  sale  of 
agricultural  implements.  He  is  a  zealous  Republi- 
can, and  is  the  present  Township  Treasurer. 


oses    Dean,  farmer    and    dealer   in    real 
estate,   resident  at   Sycamore,  has  been 
identified  with  the  history  and  develop- 
ment of  De  Kalb  County  since  1856.     He     = 
was  born  Jan.  27,  1815,  in  the  town  of  Never-     tf 
sink,  Sullivan  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  is  the  son  of  Reu- 
ben and  Elizabeth  (Divine)  Dean.     Moses  Dean,  his 
great-grandfather,  is  his  earliest  known  ancestor,  who 

4^^ 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


j 


emigrated  from  England  when  a  young  man,  and 
settled  near  Hartford,  Conn.  He  was  a  preacher  and 
spent  his  life  at  Hartford,  where  he  died  at  the  age 
of  1 04  years.  Solomon  Dean,  his  son,  grandfather  of 
Mr.  Dean  of  this  sketch,  was  born  at  Hartford,  and 
was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution.  He  was  a  member 
of  an  engineer  corps  known  in  those  days  as  "  Sap- 
pers and  Miners,"  and  was  with  the  command  of 
Washington  at  Newbufg,  Valley  Forge  and  Brandy- 
wine,  and  was  a  witness  of  the  surrender  of  Lord 
Cornwallis  at  Yorktown,  in  1781.  He  settled  at  New- 
burg  after  the  termination  of  the  Colonial  struggle, 
and  died  there  in  1786.  His  remains  were  buried  in 
the  cemetery  near  Washington's  headquarters.  His 
widow  became  the  wife  of  a  Revolutionary  soldier, 
named  Samuel  Johnson,  and  in  1804  the  family 
settled  in  Sullivan  County. 

Reuben  Dean,  son  of  Solomon  Dean  and  father 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  near  Newburg, 
Orange  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  settled  with  his  stepfather's 
family  in  Sullivan  County. 

He  married  Elizabeth  Divine,  who  was  born  near 
Newburg.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  second  struggle 
with  Great  Britain,  and  was  stationed  at  Brooklyn 
Heights.  He  died  in  January,  1846.  The  grandparents 
of  Mr.  Dean  on  the  mother's  side,  Eleazer  and 
Lydia  Divine,  were  early  pioneers  of  Sullivan  County, 
and  remained  residents  there  until  their  decease,  that 
of  the  grandmother  occurring  when  she  was  98  years 
old. 

Mr.  De.an  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm  and  ob- 
tained a  good  and  available  education  in  the  public 
schools.  Previous  to  his  marriage  he  passed  the 
summer  seasons  in  farming,  and  engaged  in  teach- 
ing winters.  He  was  married  June  16,  1840,  to 
Rachel  Evans.  She  was  born  Jan.  26,  1816,  at 
Fallsburg,  Sullivan  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  was  the  daughter 
of  George  and  Mary  (Eller)  Evans.  In  1841  Mr. 
Dean  became  proprietor  of  a  farm  and  a  hotel  at 
Grahamville,  in  his  native  county,  and  managed  them 
jointly  two  years,  then  selling  his  property,  and  buy- 
ing a  grist  and  saw  mill  and  a  farm  at  Hasbrouck, 
Sullivan  County,  N.  Y.  In  1845  he  sold  out  again 
and  engaged  in  mercantile  business,  combining 
therewith  farming  and  trade  in  lumber  at  Hasbrouck. 
He  continued  his  operations  there  until  1854,  when 
he  again  sold  out  and  bought  an  interest  in  a  tan- 
ery  at  Liberty  in  Sullivan  County,  where  he  car- 


ried  on    that   business  connected  with  farming  until 
1856,  the  year  of  his  removal  to  Sycamore,  whither 
he  came  in  May.     He  first  embarked  as  a  landholder 
at  Charter  Grove  in   Sycamore  Township,  where  he 
located  and  engaged  in  farming  and  rearing  stock 
until  1869.     In  the  latter  he  took  great  pride  and  in- 
terest  and  made  great  exertions  with  the  purpose  of 
improving  the  stock  in  the  county,  engaging  in  rais- 
ing thoroughbred  cattle  and   sheep,    the   latter  in- 
cluding Leicesters  and  Southdowns,  and  making  a 
specialty  of  Devonshire  cattle.     During   his   agricul-  » 
tural  operations  he  owned  and  improved  about  1,400  " 
acres  of  land  in  De  Kalb  County,  and  was  instru- 
mental  in   the   construction   of  ten  barns    and  six  ' 
dwellings. 

In  1867,  associated  with  Daniel  Pierce  and  R.  L. 
Divine,  he  established  a  private    banking  house  at 
Sycamore.     Mr.   Divine  withdrew  in  187  r,  and  the 
business  was  prosecuted  by  the  remaining  partners 
until  March  1883.     Since   that  date  Mr.  Dean  has 
engaged  in  the   improvement  of  land  in  De  Kalb  * 
County  and  in  Iowa,  owning  500  acres  in  the  latter,  .vj'. 
all  under  improvement,  fenced,  stocked  and  managed  J 
by  tenants. 

The  early  political  opinions  of  Mr.  Dean  were  in  * 
consonance  with  the  Jeffersonian  school,  and  he  cast 
his   first  Presidential  vote  in    1836  for  Martin  Van  " 
Buren.     He   is   a  conservative   Democrat,  and  has  ( 
been  a  counselor  in  the  ranks  of  his  party,  but  never 
an  aggressive  politician.     During  the  war  he  aided 
materially  in  the  vigorous  prosecution  of  the  struggle 
to  preserve  the  Union.     While  engaged  in  his  farm- 
ing operations  he  was  a  member  of  the  Agricultural 
Society  of  the  county  and  officiated  several  years  as  1 
its   President.     He  has  been  a  member  of  the  State  \  ]\ 
Board  of  Agriculture,   and  while  officiating   in  that  j 
capacity   deVoted  much   time   and   attention  to  the 
necessary  preparations  for  the  expositions  at  Quincy 
and   elsewhere,   where  he  was    active    in    personal 
superintendence  during  the  exhibitions.      Since    his 
residence  at  Sycamore  he  has  been  its  Mayor,  and  a 
member  of  the  Council.      In   1871  he  was  in  charge  {£") 
of  the  erection  of  the  county  buildings,  and  of  placin 
them  in  complete  order  for  occupation.     He  has  also  ^ 
been  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education. 

In  December,  1874,  he  went  with  his  wife  and  two 
youngest  children  to  California,  where  he  spent  a 
year  and  visited  most  of  the  noted  places  of  interest. 


304 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


He  wrote  from  there  a  series  of  descriptive  letters, 
which  were  published  in  the  Sycamore  papers. 

In  1876  Mr.  Dean  purchased  about  20  acres, 
formerly  a  portion  of  the  estate  of  Dr.  Page,  and  in- 
cluded within  the  city  limits.  This  tract  he  sub- 
divided and  platted,  and  it  is  now  known  as  "  Dean's 
Addition."  His  present  residence  is  included  in  it, 
and  comprises  a  square  containing  nearly  two  and  a 
half  acres  of  land.  It  is  an  attractive  and  valuable 
location. 

Mr.  Dean  is  liberal  and  tolerant  in  religious  opin- 
ion. He  attends  the  services  of  the  Upiversalist 
Church,  but  contributes  generously  to  the  mainten- 
ance of  other  denominational  bodies. 

Mr.  Dean  and  his  wife  became  the  parents  of  five 
children,  four  of  whom  are  now  living:  Delia  mar- 
ried Joshua  Siglin ;  Ann  B.  is  the  wife  of  A.  R.  Court ; 
Mary  A.  married  B.  F.  Whipple;  Arthur  married 
Fannie  Beckler,  Feb.  3,  1879.  To  each  child  Mr. 
Dean  gave  a  fine  farm,  on  which  he  built  handsome, 
spacious  houses ;  and  they  are  settled  near  him. 
There  are  six  grandchildren,  the  son  and  two 
daughters  having  each  two  sons.  Ira  Dean,  the  old- 
est son  of  Mr.  Dean,  was  born  in  August,  1844.  He 
enlisted  Feb.  i,  1864,  in  Co.  L,  i7th  111.  Cav.  He 
was  stationed  for  a  time  at  Fort  Riley,  Kansas,  dur- 
ing the  Indian  disturbances.  His  last  communica- 
tion to  his  friends  was  dated  in  August,  1865,  and  he 
was  heard  from  through  his  comrades  about  the  date 
of  the  expiration  of  the  period  of  his  enlistment  in 
November,  1865,  since  which  his  parents  have  no  def- 
inite information  concerning  him,  and  it  is  supposed 
that  he  is  dead.  Mrs.  Dean  died  April  26,  1883, 
after  an  illlness  of  nearly  a  year's  duration  of  cancer- 
ous tumor  of  the  stomach. 


y 


mrles  Miner,  hardware  merchant  at  Kirk- 
land,  was  born  Feb.  8,  1854,  in  the  town- 
ship of  Franklin,  and  is  the  son  of  Daniel  and 
Eliza  J.  (Ives)  Miner,  for  an  extended  ac- 
count of  whom  see  sketch  of  I.  N.  Miner. 
Previous  to  the  age  of  1 8  years  he  remained 
at  home,  attending  the  district  school  and  working  on 
the  farm.  In  1872  he  began  his  career  of  independ- 
ent manhood  and  became  a  farm  laborer,  spending 
two  winters  in  school,  securing  a  good  business  edu- 


cation.  In  1880  he  established  his  mercantile  enter- 
prise at  Kirkland  and  obtained  a  stock  of  hardware 
sundries  worth  $2,500.  His  relations  in  his  trade  are 
increasing,  and  he  is  gradually  placing  his  business 
on  a  par  with  similar  establishments  in  De  Kalb 
County. 

He  was  married  Oct.  20,  1877,  to  Mary  E.  Allison, 
and  they  are  the  parents  of  one  child,  Eva.  Mrs. 
Miner  is  the  daughter  of  James  and  Margaret  (Wood) 
Allison.  Her  parents  are  resident  on  a  farm  in 
Franklin  Township,  where  they  were  among  the 
earliest  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  that  portion  of  De 
Kalb  County.  She  was  reared  at  home  until  she  was 
14  years  of  age,  and  previous  to  that  time  was  a  pupil 
in  the  district  school.  She  was  then  sent  to  the  col- 
lege at  Belvidere. 

Mr.  Miner  is  a  Republican  in  political  opinion  and 
has  served  as  a  member  of  the  Village  Council. 


,,on.  Hiram  Loucks,  retired  farmer  and  ex- 
Representative  of  the  Seventeenth  District 
of  Illinois,  was  born  April  26,  1823,  in 
Sharon  Township,  Schoharie  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  is 
the  son  of  Abram  and  Elizabeth  (Ten  Eyck) 
Loucks.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  com- 
pleted his  education  in  the  Oneida  Academy.  He 
was  married  in  May,  1848,  to  Amanda  Vosburg,  a 
native  of  the  State  of  New  York.  Of  their  union 
seven  children  were  born.  Abram  is  deceased.  Imo- 
gene  is  the  wife  of  William  Ray,  editor  of  the  Shab- 
bona  (De  Kalb  County)  Express.  Nelson  is  a  farmer 
in  Champagne  Co.,  111.  Ann  is  the  wife  of  Henry  A. 
Severy,  a  farmer  and  stockman  of  Somonauk  Town- 
ship. James  is  a  farmer  of  Victor  Township  in  De 
Kalb  County.  Henry  is  a  hardware  merchant  in 
Erie,  Whiteside  Co.,  111.  Josephine  is  deceased. 
Their  mother  died  Jan.  15, 1868,  in  Victor  Township. 
Mr.  Loucks  was  a  second  time  married  June  29, 
1876,  in  Geneseo,  Henry  Co.,  111.,  to  Mrs.  Anna  M. 
(Shailer)  Smith.  She  was  born  June  28,  1835,  in 
Richfield,  Ohio. 

In  the  fall  of  1857  the  family  settled  in  Victor 
Township,  De  Kalb  County,  where  Mr.  Loucks 
bought  a  farm  comprising  200  acres  of  land.  The 
proprietor  continued  the  personal  management  of  the 
property  until  the  fall  of  1879,  when  he  placed  the 

-.avg^yxva) 
— •Bf*5337Vv£> 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


farm  under  the  management  of  his  son  James,  who 
is  making  a  specialty  of  dairying  thereon  and  has  a 
fine  herd  of  thoroughbred  and  graded  Holstein  cat- 
tle. The  place  also  maintains  and  fattens  for  market 
about  80  hogs  yearly.  Mr.  Loucks  and  his  sons  own 
also  320  acres  of  land  in  O'Brien  Co.,  Iowa,  and  200 
acres  in  Champagne  Co.,  111.,  and  under  excellent 
improvement.  While  a  resident  of  Victor  Township 
he  was  prominent  in  local  affairs,  and  officiated  in 
all  the  local  positions  of  trust  and  responsibility. 

Mr.  Loucks  was  nominated  at  the  Republican 
Convention  held  in  the  fall  of  1879,  at  Yorkville, 
Kendall  County,  to  represent  the  Seventeenth  Dis- 
trict in  the  Legislature  of  Illinois.  He  received  the 
election  and  soon  after  removed  to  the  village  of 
Somonauk,  where  he  resided  until  the  spring  of  1884, 
the  date  of  his  removal  to  Sandwich.  He  was  an 
able  and  efficient  member  of  the  State  Assembly  and 
served  on  the  following  Committees :  Public  Char- 
ities, Highways,  County  Organizations,  and  Fish  and 
Game.  Since  the  expiration  of  his  term  as  Repre- 
sentative he  has  devoted  his  attention  to  the  im- 
provement of  his  lands  in  Iowa. 


rofessor  David  M.  Gibbs,  resident  at  Ge- 
noa, was  born  May  8,  1839,  in  Otsego  Co., 
N.  Y.  His  father,  Alanson  Gibbs,  was  a 
native  of  Massachusetts  and  married  Sophronia 
Main,  a  lady  born  in  the  State  of  New  York. 
They  remained  in  Otsego  County  until  1845, 
when  they  settled  in  Franklin  Township  in  De  Kalb 
County,  and  are  still  residing  there.  Their  children 
are  named,  Eustacia  V.,  Alanson  D.,  Benjamin  S., 
David  M.,  Parker  T.,  Mercy  M.  and  Ammi. 

Professor  Gibbs  is  the  third  son  of  his  parents  and 
was  a  lad  of  six  years  when  they  transferred  their 
family  and  interests  to  De  Kalb  County.  In  boy- 
hood and  youth  he  was  a  pupil  in  the  common 
schools,  and  in  1867  entered  the  State  Normal 
School  at  Normal,  111.,  and  was  a  student  at  that  in- 
stitution more  than  two  years.  On  completing  his 
course  of  preparation,  he  entered  upon  the  business 
which  he  has  made  the  vocation  of  his  life,  having 
charge  of  the  schools  at  Rosamond,  Christian  Co.,  111., 
retaining  the  position  seven  years.  In  1877  he  came 
to  Genoa,  and  assumed  the  management  of  the 

" 


Genoa  graded  school  and  has  since  conducted  its 
affairs.  It  comprises  four  departments  and  120 
pupils  constitute  the  average  attendance. 

Professor  Gibbs  is  an  avowed  prohibitionist,  though 
he  is  otherwise  a  Republican.  In  the  fall  of  1864 
he  was  drafted  into  the  Union  Army  and  was 
assigned  to  the  3oth  111.  Vol.  Inf.,  serving  until  the 
termination  of  hostilities,.  His  command  was  in  the 
March  to  the  Sea,  through  Georgia  and  the  Carolinas, 
and  Professor  Gibbs  encountered  all  the  varied  ex- 
periences of  that  famous  campaign.  After  obtaining 
his  discharge  at  Springfield,  111.,  he  returned  to  Boone 
Co.,  111.,  and  resumed  his  former  occupation. 

His  marriage  to  Julia  A.  Slatar  occurred  Jan.  i, 
1 86  r,  at  Belvidere,  Boone  County.  She  was  born 
June  5,  1842,  in  Chenango  County,  N.  Y.,  and  is  the 
daughter  of  Joseph  and  Sally  (Silvius)  Slatar,  the 
former  of  whom  was  a  native  of  Chenango  County, 
and  the  latter  of  Northampton  Co.,  Pa.  The  father 
died  in  Chenango  County,  when  the  daughter  was  a 
child  of  five  years,  and  the  mother  afterwards  married 
U.  S.  Hollenbeck,  and  settled  in  the  township  of 
Spring,  in  Boone  County.  She  died  Oct.  13,  1880,  at 
Genoa,  having  resided  with  her  daughter,  Mrs. 
Gibbs,  for  three  years.  Mr.  Hollenbeck  died  April 
8,  1877.  Mrs.  Gibbs  is  the  youngest  (living)  of  six 
children,  the  other  five  being  Lydia,  Almon,  Louisa 
and  Oscar  J.;  one  child  died  in  infancy.  Mrs.  Gibbs 
was  carefully  educated  in  the  common  schools  of 
Boone  County,  and  became  a  student  in  the  Normal 
School  at  the  same  time  as  her  husband,  with  whom 
she  has  been  associated  15  years  as  teacher. 

Among  the  truly  typical  men  of  the  county,  one 
who  is  worthy  to  appear  among  the  list  of  prominent 
and  representative  men,  is  Prof.  Gibbs;  and  we  take 
pleasure  in  presenting  his  portrait  in  this  ALBUM  as 
a  companion  to  the  portraits  of  the  leading  citizens 
represented  in  this  manner.  The  portrait  is  engraved 
from  a  photograph  taken  in  1877. 


\\ 


^idney  P.  Harrington,  resident  at  Kirkland,    *y 
was  formerly  a  farmer  of  prominence   in 
the  township  of  Franklin,  of  which  he  has 
been   a  citizen  since   1840.     In  that  year  he 
purchased  40  acres  of  land  on  section  20,  and    ^^ 
immediately  interested   himself   with   vigorous 
energy  in  its  improvement,  with  the  ultimate  purpose 


DE  KALB   COUNTY 


of  constructing  a  home  and  establishing  a  perma- 
nent citizenship.  He  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  in 
the  township,  and  steadily  but  surely  advanced  in 
prosperity,  and.  added  to  his  possessions  until  he  was 
the  owner  of  310  acres  of  valuable  land,  which  he 
redeemed  from  its  natural  condition.  He  realized 
all  the  hardships  and  perplexities  to  which  the  set- 
tlers of  that  period  were  subjected,  hauling  his  grain 
to  Chicago,  the  nearest  market,  and  selling  it  at  three 
shillings  a  bushel,  and  encountering  (and  overcom- 
ing) other  obstacles  thrown  in  his  way  by  existing 
circumstances. 

Politically  he  was  a  Whig  in  the  days  of  his  early 
manhood,  and  since  the  inception  and  organization  of 
the  Republican  party  he  has  been  a  steady  adherent 
to  its  principles  and  issues.  He  passed  many  years 
of  his  active  life  in  local  official  positions,  servirjg  in 
minor  offices,  three  terms  as  Justice  of  the  Peace, 
and  three  terms  each  as  Township  Trustee  and 
Treasurer.  He  also  served  14  years  as  Postmaster. 
Mr.  Harrington  is  living  in  retirement  at  Kirkland,  in 
the  enjoyment  of  the  comfort  earned  by  a  life  of 
effort  and  usefulness. 

He  was  born  July  20,  1809,  in  Shaftsbury,  Ben- 
nington  Co.,  Vt.  His  father,  Phineas  Harrington, 
was  a  native  of  Connecticut,  and  went  in  early  life 
to  Vermont,  where  he  married.  His  wife  was  born 
in  Rhode  Island.  She  was  the  mother  of  three  chil- 
dren at  the  time  of  her  death,  and  10  children  were 
born  of  his  second  marriage,  while  the  family  resided 
in  Vermont.  Four  of  his  children  still  survive. 
Mrs.  Phebe  Green  lives  in  Iowa,  and  is  7 1  years 
old.  Whipple  Harrington  is  a  bachelor,  aged  73 
years,*  and  lives  in  Erie  Co.,  N.  Y.  Mrs.  Aurilla 
Wait  is  also  a  resident  of  that  county,  and  is  79  years 
old.  Five  children,  who  are  now  deceased,  died  in 
infancy,  besides  one  who  attained  to  advanced  age. 
The  father  died  in  February,  1844,  in  Erie  Co.,  N.  Y., 
whither  he  removed  from  Vermont  in  1827,  and  was 
84  years  old.  The  mother  died  in  1848,  at  the  resi- 
dence of  her  son  in  Franklin  Township,  at  the  age 
of  71  years. 

Mr.  Harrington  was  ig  years  of  age  when  he 
accompanied  his  parents  to  Erie  Co.,  N.  Y.,  where  he 
was  a  resident  13  years,  and  came  thence  to  the 
township  of  which  he  has  since  been  a  citizen.  He 
was  married  in  the  State  of  New  York,  June  28, 
1833,  to  Polly  Hicks.  She  was  born  April  6,  1806, 


in  Chautauqua  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  was  brought  up  and   ^  f 
educated  principally  in  Massachusetts.     She  became   ' 


the  mother  of   eight  children.     Hiram,  the  oldest,   i 
died   from  disease  contracted  in  the  army  while  a 
soldier  in  the  civil  war.     Henry  H.  and  Mary  I.  died   •  £• 
in  Franklin  Township.     Mercy   L.,  Mary,  Whipple 
A.  (see  sketch),  Sidney  P.,  Jr.,  and  Samuel  H.   are 
the  names  of  the  survivors.     The  mother  died  Dec. 
20,  1880,  universally  lamented  in  the  community  of 
which  she  had  been  so  lo'ng  a  leading  and  honored 
member. 


eorge  W.  L.  Brown,  farmer,  section  26, 
Genoa  Township,  is  a  native  of  Cook  Co., 
111.,  where  he  was  born  April  19,  1848. 
His  father,  Schuyler  Brown,  was  a  native  of 
New  York,  and  married  Mary  A.  Youngs,  a 
native  of  Canada.  The  family  settled  in  Cook 
County  about  1830,  where  the  parents  resided  until 
the  fall  of  1868,  the  date  of  their  removal  to  Iowa, 
where  the  father  is  still  living.  The  mother  died  in 
Iowa  in  March,  1869.  They  had  nine  children,  all 
of  whom  survived  infancy  with  one  exception.  Wil- 
liam, Horace,  Lewis  and  Peter  are  dead.  They 
were  named  Charles,  William  S.,  George  W.  L., 
Horace,  Lewis,  Peter  W.  and  Alexander. 

Mr.  Brown  obtained  a  good  common-school  edu- 
cation, and  at  16  years  of  age  entered  the  Army  of 
the  United  States,  enrolling  in  the  391)1  111.  Vol.  Inf., 
and  was  in  the  service  until  July  29,  1865.  In  the 
siege  of  Petersburg,  Va.,  April  2,  1865,  he  sustained 
a  gunshot  wound  in  the  left  thigh,  which  kept  him 
from  active  military  life  during  the  remainder  of  the 
war. 

In  1866  he  came  to  De  Kalb  County,  and  in  1876 
became  the  owner  by  purchase  of  1 2 1  acres  of  land 
in  Genoa  Township/which  has  all  been  placed  under 
improvement.  Mr.  Brown  has  been  continuously  a 
resident  of  this  township,  with  the  exception  of  three 
years,  when  he  was  a  resident  of  Iowa. 

He  was  married  in  the  township  of  Genoa,  Oct. 
14,  1869,  to  Margaret  J.  Vote,  and  they  have  been 
the  parents  of  five  children, — Charles  E.,  Clara  P., 
Maggie  M.,  George  W.  L.,  Jr.,  and  Charles  F.  The 
oldest  born  child  died  when  four  months  old.  Mrs. 
Brown  was  born  Feb.  7,  1849,  in  Seneca  Co.,  Ohio, 

*^- — 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


TJjf  and  is  the  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  A.  (Karn) 
Vote.  The  children  born  to  her  parents  were  10  in 
number,  Elizabeth,  Mary  A.,  John,  Anna  M.,  Susan, 
William,  Jacob,  Margaret  J.,  Charles  and  Franklin. 
The  parents  were  of  German  nationality. 

Mr.  Brown  is  a  believer  in  and  an  adherent  of  the 
principles  of  the  Republican  party.  He  is  interested 
in  school  matters,  and  has  officiated  as  School  Di- 
rector. 


elson  Delavergne,  farmer,  section  20, 
Franklin  Township,  is  the  son  of  William 
and  Catherine  (Overacker)  Delavergne, 
and  was  born  in  Brownville  Township,  Jeffer- 
son Co.,  N.  Y.,  Dec.  23,  1836.  His  parents 
were  natives  of  Herkimer  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  were 
respectively  of  French  and  German  parentage.  They 
belonged  to  the  agricultural  class  in  their  native 
State,  and  resumed  that  occupation  after  their  re- 
moval to  Illinois  in  1868.  They  located  in  the  town- 
ship of  Flora,  in  Boone  County,  where  the  father  still 
resides,  aged  88  years.  The  mother  died  on  the 
homestead  in  1869,  when  63  years  of  age.  Their 
family  included  four  sons  and  four  daughters,  all  yet 
surviving  save  two  of  the  latter. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  a  pupil  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  his  native  county  until  he  was  19 
years  of  age,  when  he  embarked  in  his  struggle  with 
the  world,  becoming  a  farm  laborer.  In  1855  he 
came  to  Franklin  Township,  where  his  skill  and 
energy  obtained  for  him  plenty  of  employment,  and 
where  he  operated  in  the  same  capacity  until  he 
entered  the  army  of  the  United  States.  He  enlisted 
Sept.  9,  1861,  from  Belvidere,  Boone  Co.,  111.,  in  Co. 
I,  37th  111.  Vol.  Inf.,  which  was  under  the  command 
of  Ranson  Kennicutt,  of  Chicago.  After  some  ser- 
vice in  Missouri  the  regiment  was  ordered  to  Arkan- 
sas, where  it  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Pea  Ridge.  It 
was  next  involved  in  the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  where  it 
was  in  daily  action  for  four  weeks.  In  the  summer 
of  1863,  while  the  regiment  was  stationed  at  New 
Orleans,  Mr.  Delavergne  had  a  long  and  severe 
attack  of  intermittent  fever,  after  which  he  obtained 
a  furlough  of  60  days.  On  rejoining  his  regiment  he 
was  sent  to  New  Orleans  and  went  thence  to  Browns-' 
ville,  Texas,  where  he  was  assigned  to  duty  in  heavy 


artillery,  and  while  there  his  period  of  enlistment  ex- 
pired. He  obtained  honorable  discharge  at  Chicago, 
Oct.  6,  1864.  He  returned  to  Franklin  Township, 
where  he  resumed  his  former  work  as  a  farm  assistant. 
He  was  married  March  4,  1869,  to  Hannah  E. 
Losee.  She  was  born  in  the  township  of  Wilton, 
Niagara  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Morgan 
and  Hannah  M.  (Forbes)  Losee.  (See  sketch  of  M. 
Losee.)  Her  mother  died  at  her  birth  Dec.  22, 1837, 
and  the  daughter  was  brought  up  by  her  grandpar- 
ents- until  the  second  marriage  of  her  father.  She 
came  to  Franklin  Township  in  1842,  with  her  par- 
ents. For  three  years  after  their  marriage  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Delavergne  resided  on  section  28,  of  Franklin 
Township,  but  in  1872  they  removed  to  the  home- 
stead of  Mr.  Losee,  which  they  have  since  managed. 
Mr.  D.  is  a  Republican  in  political  sentiment  and  has 
held  the  minor  local  offices  of  his  township. 


larles  D.  Patch,  of  the  grocery  and  pro- 
vision house  of  Rowe,  Norris  &  Patch,  at 
Sycamore,  was  born  Dec.  25,  1855,  in 
Northumberland  Co.,  Pa.  He  is  the  son  of  Sa- 
lathiel  C.  and  Margaret  A.  (Watson)  Patch. 
The  former  was  born  Aug.  17,  1812,  in  New- 
ark, N.  J.  The  latter  is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  was  born  March  7,  1831.  Both  are  still  living 
at  Sycamore. 

Mr.  Patch  is  the  only  child  of  his  parents.  He 
passed  the  years  of  his  minority  on  the  homestead 
farm.  After  he  was  21  years  old  he  taught  school 
during  two  winters  in  his  native  State,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1877  came  to  Sycamore.  He  entered  the 
store  of  which  he  is  now  one  of  the  proprietors  and 
acted  two  years  in  the  capacity  of  clerk. 

In  September,  1879,  he  entered  the  Law  Depart- 
ment of  the  University  of  Michigan,  at  Ann  Arbor, 
where  he  studied  one  term.  Returning  to  Sycamore, 
he  assumed  editorial  charge  of  the  Daily  Free  Press 
during  the  Presidential  campaign  of  1880,  continu- 
ing in  that  avenue  of  business  until  November.  In 
April,  1881,  he  again  entered  employment  in  the 
provision  house  of  which  he  is  a  member,  as  a  sales- 
man, and  operated  in  that  capacity  until  April,  1883, 
when  he  bought  a  third  interest  in  the  stock.  It  is 
valued  at  an  average  of  $6,000. 
Mr.  Patch  was  married  June  i,  i88i,in  McGregor, 

-^yy HMMt 


\< 


i 

r 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


Iowa,  to  Rosa  B.,  daughter  of  Seymour  and  Laurinda 
Chilson.  She  was  born  east  of  Cortland,  in  De  Kalb 
County,  and  died  Dec.  23,  1881,  six  months  after 
marriage. 

Mr.  Patch  has  been  for  some  time  the  regular  cor- 
respondent of  the  Chicago  Inter-Ocean,  and  has  a 
decided  taste  and  ability  for  newspaper  work. 


^ 


dward  H.  Wilcox,  farmer,  resident  at  Ge- 
noa, was  born  May  n,  1860,  in  Dade  Co., 
Mo.  He  is  the  son  of  E.  S.  and  Sarah 
(Clark)  Wilcox,  and  his  parents  were  natives 
respectively  of  New  York  and  Vermont.  After 
j  their  marriage  they  settled  in  Geneva,  111.,  and 
subsequently  removed  to  the  State  of  Missouri.  On 
the  advent  of  the  rebellion  they  were  obliged  to  re- 
turn North,  and  they  settled  at  Elgin,  Kane  Co.,  111., 
where  the  mother  died  in  1861.  Mr.  Wilcox,  senior, 
afterwards  located  at  Genoa,  where  he  remained 
until  1 88 1,  the  date  of  his  removal  to  his  present 
residence  at  Springfield,  Mo.  They  had  three  chil- 
dren,—Eva,  Sarah  and  Edward  H. 

The  death  of  the  mother  occurred  when  the  latter 
was  about  a  year  old,  and  he  was  adopted  by  his 
aunt,  Mrs,  Cornelia  A.  Hill,  who  filled  a  mother's 
place  until  her  death,  when  he  was  nine  years  of 
age,  and  he  became  again  an  inmate  of  his  father's 
home.  His  earlier  education  was  obtained  at  the 
common  school,  and  at  the  age  of  13  years  he  was 
sent  to  the  academy  at  Sugar  Grove,  Kane  Co.,  111., 
where  he  was  a  student  during  the  terms  of  one  year. 
He  passed  the  next  two  years  in  travel,  and  entered 
Lombard  University  at  Galesburg.  After  nearly 
three  years  of  study  at  that  institution,  he  was 
obliged  to  suspend  his  intellectual  labors  because  of 
failing  health.  Change  of  scene  and  employment 
were  imperative,  and  he  went  to  Colorado  and  passed 
two  years  on  the  plains  herding  cattle,  receiving  from 
the  rude  mode  of  life  necessarily  entailed  the  benefit 
he  sought.  Returning  to  Genoa,  he  was  married 
Aug.  10,  1881,  to  Virginia  M.  Crocker.  She  was 
born  March  24,  1860,  in  the  township  of  Genoa,  and 
is  the  daughter  of  Alvero  A.  and  Susannah  Crocker. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilcox  have  one  child,  Ellery  V.,  born 
Dec.  16,  1883. 

Immediately   after  their  marriage  they   went  to 

±t&*^- 


Waco,  Texas,  where  Mr.  Wilcox  became  interested 
in  a  machine  shop  and  foundry,  in  which  he  operated 
about  1 8  months.  In  1883  he  was  compelled  to  sus- 
pend his  relations  in  that  direction  on  account  of  his 
health.  He  owned  there  a  sheep  ranch,  with  a  herd 
numbering  about  1,000  head,  which  he  sold.  He 
still  retains  his  ownership  in  the  machine  shop.  He 
owns  172  acres  of  well  improved  land  in  Genoa  and 
Kingston  Townships.  In  political  opinions  and  ac- 
tion Mr.  Wilcox  is  fully  committed  to  the  interests  of 
the  Republican  party.  He  is  still  a  very  young  man, 
but  unusually  well  qualified  to  conduct  his  relations 
with  the  world  in  the  most  creditable  manner,  pos- 
sessing fine  powers  of  perception  and  observation, 
and  a  knowledge  of  the  world  at  large,  which  he  has 
obtained  in  his  extensive  travels,  including  nearly 
every  State  and  Territory  of  the  Union. 


ames  B.  Kirk,  dealer  in  stock  and  general 
farmer,  resident  on  section  25,  Franklin 
Township,  was  born  Dec.  8,  1853,  on  sec- 
tion 22  of  the  township  of  which  he  has  been 
a  resident  all  his  life.  He  is  the  son  of  Wil- 
liam T.  and  Louisa  (Riddle)  Kirk,  whose  sketch 
is  on  other  pages  of  this  volume.  Until  he  was  17 
years  of  age  he  was  engaged  in  alternate  labor  on 
the  home  farm  and  in  acquiring  an  elementary  edu- 
cation, and  at  that  age  he  entered  the  college  at  Be- 
loit,  Wis.,  where  he  studied  two  years,  and  went 
thence  to  the  academy  at  Evanston,  where,  in  1874, 
he  completed  a  course  of  collegiate  study.  On  his 
return  to  his  native  township  he  became  an  inde- 
pendent farmer  on  240  acres  of  land,  living  one  year 
with  a  tenant  on  the  place.  He  was  married  Feb. 
28,  1877,  to  Mary  E.  Chamberlain.  She  was  born 
Dec.  19,  1854,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Henry  and 
Sarah  (Hart)  Chamberlain.  Her  parents  belonged 
to  the  farming  class  in  the  State  of  New  York,  and 
were  of  New  England  origin.  They  settled  in  Boone 
Co.,  111.,  where  the  father  died,  in  1875.  The  mother 
is  still  living,  at  Belvidere.  Mrs.  Kirk  obtained  a 
good  common-school  education,  and  afterwards  be- 
came a  student  in  the  schools  of  higher  grade  in 
Selvidere.  Later  she  entered  the  college  at  Mt. 
Carroll,  where  she  was  graduated  in  1875.  She  was 


.engaged  a  short  time  previous  to  her  marriage   in 
teaching. 

Mr.  Kirk  is  a  most  decided  Republican,  and  is  a 
prominent  farmer  and  trader  in  stock  in  his  native 
township.  He  is  rated  as  one  of  the  substantial  citi- 
zens of  the  county,  and  is  prominent  and  popular. 


Rector  H.  Coleman,  a  farmer  on  section  i, 
May  field  Township,  was  born  in  Orange 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  March  n,  1837.  His  parents, 
John  and  Phebe  (Ketcham)  Coleman,  were  na- 
tives of  the  same  county;  the  former_was  born 
Nov.  8,  1791,  and  the  latter  Aug.  25,  1805. 
His  father  was  a  soldier  in  the  War  of  1812,  and  died 
in  Orange  County,  Nov.  9,  1859.  Mrs.  Coleman  re- 
sides with  her  son  Hector.  There  were  15  children 
in  his  father's  family,  13  of  whom  grew  up,  namely: 
Sarah  A.,  Abigail,  Mary,  Nathan,  Horton,  George, 
John,  Martha,  Harrison,  Hiram,  Charles,  Hector  H. 
and  Eugene.  Antoinette  and  Josephine  died  in 
infancy. 

Mr.  H.  H.  Coleman,  of  this  sketch,  lived  in  Orange 
County  till  1875,  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits. 
In  October  of  that  year  he  emigrated  West  and  set- 
tled in  Mayfield  Township,  where  he  is  now  a 
resident.  He  has  held  the  offices  of  Overseer  of 
Highways  and  School  Director.  In  politics  he  is 
independent. 

He  was  married  in  Mayfield  Township,  Nqv.  30, 
1861,  to  Miss  Mary  R.,  daughter  of  Harrison  and 
Mary  (Hall)  Mackey.  (See  sketch  of  H.  Mackey.) 
She  was  born  in  Orange  Co.,  N.  Y.,  May  19,  1836 
and  is  the  mother  of  one  child,  H.  Mackey,  born 
Feb.  19,  1863. 


ileb  Olmstead,  a  retired  farmer,  residing 
at  Genua,  is  a  pioneer  settler  in  De  Kalb 
County,  whither  he   came   in    1846,  and 
bought  80  acres  of  land  on  section  16,  in  the 
township   of  Genoa.     He   was   born    Oct.    3, 
3,  in  Davenport,  Delaware  Co.,  N.  Y.,  his 
parents,  Anson  and  Charity  (Wilbur)  Olmstead,  being 
also  natives  of  the  same  State,  in  which  they  mar- 
ried  and   settled.      John,   Hiram,   Caleb,   William, 
^Jf^tr-          r*, 


Drias,  Walter,  Catherine,  Thene,  Melinda,  Lydia  A. 
and  Electa  are  the  names  of  their  children. 

Mr.  Olmstead  was  a  resident  of  his  native  county 
until  his  removal  to  Genoa  Township,  where  he  has 
been  the  proprietor  of  various  tracts  of  land  variously 
located.  He  removed  to  the  village  of  Genoa  in 
February,  1877,  and  has  since  participated  very  little 
in  the  cares  of  active  business  life.  Politically  he  is 
a  Republican. 

His  marriage  to  Samantha  Wager  occurred  Oct.  9, 
1831,  in  Delaware  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  they  have  been 
the  parents  of  n  children, — Andrew  H.,  Albert  A., 
Sophronia,  Chester,  Lester  S.,  Caroline,  Mary  H., 
Henry  N.,  Emmeline,  Ella  and  Emmer.  Chester 
and  Ella  are  deceased.  Mrs.  Olmstead  was  born 
May  2,  1 8 14,  in  Delaware  Co.,  N.  Y.,and  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Cornelius  and  Mehitable  (Bates)  Wager.  The 
biographical  notes  of  Andrew  H.,  Albert  A.  and 
Henry  N.  Olmstead  may  be  found  elsewhere  in  this 
volume. 


I ; 


arry  Martin,  a  pioneer  of  De  Kalb  County, 
resident  at  Sycamore,  was  born  Aug.  17, 
1807,  in  Chelsea,  Orange  Co.,  Vt.  His  par- 
ents, John  and  Rachel  (Bliss)  Martin,  were  born 
in  Lebanon,  N.  H.  They  became  pioneers  in 
Chelsea  in  early  life,  removing  there  during  the 
closing  years  of  the  i8th  century.  The  father  bought 
a  farm  which  was  still  in  its  primeval  condition  and 
covered  with  timber.  He  made  a  clearing,  erected  a 
log  house  and  underwent  the  privations  and  privileges 
of  the  life  of  a  first  settler  in  an  uninhabited  region, 
dying  there  in  1823.  The  homestead  was  under  the 
personal  management  of  Mr.  Martin  and  his  brother 
John  during  the  three  years  subsequent  to  their 
father's  demise.  In  1826  the  former  went  to  Dans- 
ville,  N.  Y.,  and  was  there  occupied  about  twelve 
months  in  a  tannery.  Returning  to  his  native  town, 
he  found  employment  in  the  same  line  of  business, 
and  acquired  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  trade.  In 
1833  ne  formed  a  partnership  with  his  former  employ- 
er at  Dansville,  which  proved  a  disastrous  venture,  as 
the  latter  was  heavily  involved  in  debt.  Their  joint 
operations  continued  until  1838,  when  Mr.  Martin 
decided  to  abandon  a  manifestly  hopeless  struggle, 

} &it5*z -4»^@> 


COUNTY. 


and  came  West.  His  net  capital  amounted  to  $20, 
and  he  made  his  way  by  stage  to  the  city  of  Albany, 
where  he  took  the  cars, — a  memorable  incident,  as  he 
had  never  before  seen  the  modus  operandi  of  railroad 
transit.  From  Schenectady  he  traveled  to  Buffalo  by 
the  Erie  Canal,  and  came  thence  to  Detroit  by  the 
lake.  He  arrived  in  the  City  of  the  Straits  and  set 
out  for  Ypsilanti  on  foot,  and  took  passage  from  that 
place  to  St.  Joseph,  Mich.  From  there  he  made  his 
way  to  Chicago  on  a  steamboat.  The  remainder  of 
his  journey  was  made  on  foot,  and  he  arrived  in  De 
Kalb  County  wholly  without  means.  He  went  to 
Union  Grove,  where  he  found  a  friend  in  Captain 
Eli  Barnes,  through  whose  instrumentality  he  readily 
obtained  employment. 

In  September,  1839,  Mr.  Martin's  wife  joined  him 
and  they  took  up  their  abode  in  the  building  now 
known  as  the  City  Hotel,  which  was  their  residence 
until  February,  1840,  when  they  moved  into  the  house 
of  Captain  Barnes  at  Union  Grove.  In  1841  he 
moved  to  his  brother's  claim  in  that  township,  where 
he  started  the  first  tannery  established  in  the  county 
of  De  Kalb.  The  preliminary  operations  were,  for 
obvious  reasons,  on  a  limited  scale.  He  moved  into 
the  village  of  Sycamore  in  the  following  year,  and 
continued  the  prosecution  of  his  business  a  few  years 
singly,  when,  in  company  with  C.  M.  Brown,  he  em- 
barked in  a  nursery  enterprise,  in  which  he  was  inter- 
ested until  the  attempt  by  the  South  to  destroy  the 
National  Government.  Since  1861  he  has  been 
variously  engaged.  He  is  occupying  his  original 
house  at  Sycamore,  a  brick  house  that  he  built  on  a 
tract  of  five  acres,  which  he  bought  in  1843,  paying 
$20  for  the  claim  and  $1.25  per  acre  to  the  Govern- 
ment on  receiving  his  deed.  This  is  now  included 
within  the  limits  of  Sycamore.  He  is  one  of  the 
original  members  of  the  Congregational  Church  at 
Sycamore  and  has  been  a  Deacon  many  years. 

Mr.  Martin  was  married  Jan.  u,  1836,10  Jane 
Ann  Slack.  She  was  born  Oct.  4,  i8io,in  Plainfield, 
N.  H.  She  died  Sept.  12,  1879,  and  of  five  children 
of  which  she  became  the  mother  two  still  survive, — 
Amelia,  wife  of  Capt.  H.  C.  Whittemore,  and  Charles 
F.,  present  Postmaster  at  Sycamore. 

The  latter  was  born  at  Sycamore,  on  his  father's 
homestead,  where  he  grew  to  man's  estate  and  ob- 
tained a  good  education  in  the  public  schools.  He 
was  a  clerk  in  the  employment  of  the  late  John 


Waterman,   and   afterwards   operated   in    the   same 
capacity  in  the  interests  of  M.  Relyea.     In  1864  he 
was  appointed  Assistant   Postmaster  by   Chauncey    $ 
Ellwood,  and  remained  in  the  position  of  Deputy  until 
his  appointment  as  chief.  In  1878  he  was  re-appointed    ^ 
Postmaster  of  Sycamore.     The  affairs  of  the  office 
are  conducted  systematically  and  in  a  way  that  gives 
general  satisfaction,  and  wins   for  the   chief  official 
universal  commendation. 


illiam  H.  Garland,  farmer,  section  14, 
Franklin  Township,  is  engaged  in  gen- 
eral agriculture  and  dairying.  He  was 
born  Feb.  8,  1840,  in  the  township  of  Ma- 
lone,  Franklin  Co.,  N.  Y.  His  parents, 
Gilman  and  Emmeline  (Lewis)  Garland,  were 
natives  of  Vermont  and  New  York  respectively,  and 
descended  from  Welsh  and  English  ancestry,  of  New 
England  birth.  The  father  was  a  farmer  in  the 
State  of  New  York,  and  in  1855  came  to  Illinois, 
where  he  was  similarly  occupied  for  some  years.  In 
April,  1867,  he  removed  to  Seward  Co.,  Neb.,  where 
the  mother  died,  April  22,  1884,  at  the  age  of  68 
years.  The  father  is  78  years  old. 

Mr.  Garland  is  the  fourth  child  in  order  of  birth  of 
14  born  to  his  parents.  He  was  a  pupil  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  his  native  county,  whence  he  came 
with  his  parents  to  Illinois  when  15  years  of  age; 
and  he  completed  his  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  De  Kalb  County.  Afterward  he  was  occupied  as 
a  farm  assistant  in  various  places  until  he  enlisted 
in  the  army  of  the  United  States  to  aid  in  the  sup- 
pression of  the  Rebellion.  He  enrolled  at  Belvidere, 
Aug.  8,  1862,  in  Co.  G,  gsth  111.  Vol.  Inf.  His  com- 
pany went  to  the  field  under  the  management  of 
Capt.  E.  M.  Bush,  of  Belvidere.  The  command  was 
attached  to  the  Army  of  the  West.  Mr.  Garland 
was  detailed  by  special  order  from  General  Blair, 
corps  cammander,  for  services  as  Orderly  on  duty  at 
headquarters,  and  he  continued  to  act  in  that  ca- 
pacity until  the  termination  of  hostilities  between  the 
Government  and  the  insurgents.  He  received  an 
honorable  discharge  May  25,  1865,  and  at  once  re- 
turned home  and  resumed  farming. 

He  was  married  July  2,  1865,  in  Franklin  Town- 
ship, to  Emily  Penwell.  She  was  born  Nov.  10, 

<A_£>_^ .&VS, 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


> 


& 


1846,  in  Flora  Township,  Boone  Co.,  111.,  and  is  the 
daughter  of  Luke  and  Elizabeth  (Middleton)  Pen- 
well.  (For  a  satisfactory  and  more  extended  account 
of  her  parents,  see  sketch  of  O.  W.  Rice.)  Mrs.  Gar- 
land vvas  but  five  years  of  age  when  she  came  to  De 
Kalb  County,  and  has  since  resided  in  the  townships 
of  Kingston  and  Franklin.  Of  her  marriage  to  Mr. 
Garland  three  children  have  been  born.  Alice  died 
Jan.  30,  1 88 1,  at  the  age  of  15  years.  Lizzie  was 
born  Oct.  9,  1868;  Walter,  Nov.  25,  1871;  and 
Loa  Lu  Ella,  born  Feb.  8,  1885. 

After  marriage,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Garland  fixed  their 
residence  on  a  farm  in  Kingston  Township,  and  a 
year  later  came  thence  to  the  township  of  Franklin. 
Later  they  went  to  Flora  Township  in  Boone  County, 
where  they  were  engaged  in  farming  three  years. 
Subsequently  they  returned  to  Franklin  Township 
and  bought  70  acres  of  land  situated  in  a  grove  on 
section  14.  The  entire  acreage  is  practically  under 
cultivation,  and  is  supplied  with  good  farm  buildings 
constructed  by  the  proprietor. 

He  is  a  Republican  and  is  present  School  Trustee. 
He  has  officiated  in  other  local  township  offices. 


'"ohn  C.  Waterman,  deceased,  was  a  busi- 
ness man  of  prominence  at  Sycamore  for  a 
period  of  nearly  40  years.  He  was  born  in 
Salisbury,  Herkimer  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  9,  1814, 
and  is  the  son  of  John  D.  and  Mary  Water- 
man. (See  sketch  of  J.  S.  Waterman.)  He 
went  to  Geneva,  N.  Y.,  when  he  was  16  years  old,  to 
avail  himself  of  a  proffered  opportunity  to  occupy  a 
clerkship  in  the  mercantile  establishment  of  Abel 
Whitney.  On  the  removal  of  the  latter  with  his  busi- 
ness interests  to  Northampton,  Mass.,  Mr.  Waterman 
accompanied  him  and  remained  in  his  service  until 
he  came  to  man's  estate.  In  1835  he  came  West, 
and,  stopping  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  he  obtained  a  situ- 
ation in  the  jewlery  store  known  as  "  Crittenden's." 
In  1839  he  came  thence  to  Newburg,  Winnebago  Co., 
111.,  and  embarked  in  a  mercantile  enterprise  with  his 
brother,  Charles  Waterman.  This  relation  continued 
operative  until  November,  1845,  when  he  came  to 
Sycamore,  and,  associated  with  his  brother  James, 
established  the  sale  of  dry  goods.  The  brothers 
Waterman  conducted  their  commercial  enterprise 

g)Vp*3)(g:io  ^iy      oy 


jointly  a  few  years,  and  afterward  operated  singly, 
becoming  leaders  in  mercantile  affairs  at  Sycamore. 

John  C.  Waterman  died  at  Sycamore  Oct.  19,  1883. 
In  the  early  days  of  his  political  bias  he  was  an  ar- 
dent Whig,  and  on  the  re-establishment  of  the  prin- 
ciples on  which  that  party  was  founded  he  became  a 
zealous  Republican.  While  in  business  at  Newburg, 
he  officiated  as  Postmaster  a  number  of  years,  and 
after  his  removal  to  Sycamore  filled  the  same  posi- 
tion. He  was  popular  among  his  fellow  citizens  and 
identified  himself  with  the  public  spirit  that  prevailed 
in  the  most  active  business  period  of  the  place,  aid- 
ing substantially  in  the  formation  and  permanency  of 
its  general  interests.  In  his  domestic  relations  he 
sustained  the  character  of  true  and  innate  manliness, 
and  ever  preserved  the  tenderest  and  most  consid- 
erate attitude  toward  his  household. 

He  was  twice  married.  Caroline  E.  Hoyt,  daugh- 
ter of  B.  F.  and  Arna  Hoyt,  became  his  wife  Sept. 
20,  1841,  at  Newburg,  111.  She  was  born  in  Stamford, 
Conn.,  and  the  five  children  of  this  union  are  all  liv- 
ing. Kate  D.  is  the  wife  of  William  Moulton,  of  Cal- 
ifornia, a  dealer  in  real  estate.  Sarah  J.  Moulton  re- 
sides at  Sycamore.  Albert  H.  lives  at  the  same  place. 
Caroline  W.  became  the  wife  of  John  Syme,  of  Syca- 
more. James  D.  is  a  commercial  traveler  in  Chicago. 
Their  mother  died  Feb.  9,  1 866,  in  Sycamore,  and 
Mr.  Waterman  married  Caroline  M.  Rogers,  at  Ball- 
ston  Springs,  N.  Y.  She  was  born  March  20,  1834,  in 
Auburn,  N.  Y.  Her  parents,  Elam  and  Caroline 
Rogers,  were  natives  of  Worcester,  Mass.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Waterman  became  the  parents  of  three  children, 
all  of  whom  were  born  at  Sycamore,  as  follows : 
Mary  W.,  Dec.  26,  1869;  Emily  A.,  Dec.  n,  1870; 
John  C.,  Jan.  7,  1874. 

Mr.  Waterman  was  a  member  of  the  Order  of 
Masonry  at  Sycamore  and  belonged  to  Blue  Lodge, 
No.  315.  He  was  one  of  a  family  of  six  sons  and 
three  daughters.  Two  of  the  former  and  one  of  the 
latter  are  now  living.  Charlotte  J.  Waterman,  re- 
siding with  the  widow  of  John  C.  Waterman,  came  to 
De  Kalb  County  in  October,  1840.  Charles  is  a 
retired  merchant  and  resides  at  Freeport,  111.  Robert 
W.,  of  the  firm  of  Waterman  &  Porter,  proprietors  of 
silver  mines  in  California,  is  a  resident  of  San  Ber- 
nardino, in  the  Golden  State. 

One  of  the  unique  events  of  the  life  of  John  C.  Wa- 
terman was  his  attendance  at  the  funeral  services  of 

-$@J§*@. 


i 


316 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


f'  President  Lincoln,  when  he  was  an  attache  of  the  staff 
of  Gov.  Oglesby.     The  sash  and  rosette  which  he 
ij^f  wore  on  the  occasion  are  still  preserved  by  his  family. 
The  portrait  of  Mr.   Waterman  on   another  page 
will  be  appreciated  by  the  generation   to  which  he 
belonged,  and  by  those  of  future  years,  as  a  pioneer 
in  the  development  of  De  Kalb  County,  and  as  a 
substantial  citizen  of  Sycamore. 


ev.  David  N.  Kinne,  farmer,  sec.  35,  Som- 
onauk Tp.,  also  minister  of  the  Baptist 
'Church,  in  whose  service  he  was  ordained  at 
Lisbon,  Kendall  Co.,  111.,  is  the  son  of  ^Esop 
and  Lydia  (Beebe)  Kinne.  His  father  was 
born  July  12,  1806,  in  Onondaga  Co.,  N.  Y., 
where  he  was  a  pioneer  settler  on  a  farm,  a  portion 
of  which  is  now  within  the  incorporated  limits  of  the 
city  of  Syracuse.  He  died  Nov.  5,  1871,  in  the  city 
which  had  grown  within  his  knowledge  until  it  had 
absorbed  a  part  of  the  land  which  he  had  reclaimed 
from  a  wild  state.  The  mother  of  Rev.  Mr.  Kinne, 
was  born  in  the  State  of  New  York  March  13,  1809, 
and  died  in  Syracuse,  March  22,  1864.  Six  of  their 
ten  children  are  now  living. 

Mr.  Kinne  is  the  second  in  order  of  birth,  born 
May  19,  1831,  in  Syracuse,  N.  Y.  He  was  brought 
up  on  the  homestead  and  received  a  good  elementary 
education,  which  he  rendered  more  complete  by  two 
years'  study  at  Madison  University,  after  which  he 
taught  school  and  also  worked  as  a  farm  assistant. 
He  entered  upon  a  licentiate  in  the  interests  of  the 
Baptist  Church  in  r853,  and  in  March,  1855,  he 
came  West,  settling,  with  only  $8.50  as  his  cash  capi- 
tal, near  Morris,  Grundy  Co.,  111.,  where  he  engaged 
in  farming.  After  his  ordination  at  Lisbon  in  1858, 
he  assumed  the  charge  of  the  Baptist  societies  at 
Piano  and  Big  Rock,  where  he  officiated  nearly  three 
years.  In  1861  he  bought  160  acres  of  land  in  sec- 
tion 1 8,  Somonauk  Township,  where  he  spent  more 
than  three  years,  and  during  a  portion  of  the  time 
was  Pastor  of  the  Somonauk  Baptist  Church.  In 
1867  he  was  called  to  take  charge  of  the  Baptist 
Society,  at  Kaneville,  Kane  Co.,  111.,  and  discharged 
the  duties  of  that  position  nearly  three  years.  In 
1869  he  came  to  Sandwich,  where  he  bought  a  part 
of  the  farm  he  now  owns,  and,  in  connection  with  its 




management  occasionally  supplied  the  pulpits  of  the 
Baptist  churches  in  Sandwich  and  Somonauk.  His 
farm  now  includes  110  acres,  with  90  acres  under 
excellent  cultivation  and  improvements.  He  owns 
20  acres  of  timber  land.  He  has  a  fine  herd  of 
Alderney  cattle,  which  comprises  nine  thoroughbreds, 
and  a  number  of  excellent  grades. 

Mr.  Kinne  was  first  married  March  15,  1855,  near 
Syracuse,  N.  V.,  to  Huldah  Pierce,  and  after  the 
birth  of  one  child — Mary  E.,  deceased  in  infancy — 
the  mother  died,  in  Grundy  Co.,  111.,  Sept.  8,  1857. 
Mr.  Kinne  was  united  in  marriage  July  22,  1858,  to 
Sarah  P.  Kirkland,  a  daughter  of  Andrew  Kirkland, 
a  pioneer  settler  of  Big  Grove  Township,  Kendall 
Co.,  111.  Mrs.  Kinne  was  13  years  old  when  she 
came  with  her  parents  to  Illinois.  The  entire  route 
from  Rome,  N.  Y.,  was  made  with  a  two-horse  team, 
and  the  journey  consumed  six  weeks.  They  had 
four  children,  of  whom  there  is  but  one  survivor, 
Belle  E.  Two  children  died  in  infancy.  One  son, 
Arthur,  died  in  his  i5th  year.  The  mother  died  on 
the  farm  where  the  family  now  reside,  Sept.  17, 1881. 
Mr.  Kinne  formed  a  third  matrimonial  alliance,  with 
Caroline  Wokersine,  Aug.  27,  1882,  at  Somonauk. 
Mrs.  Kinne  was  born  in  Germany,  and  is  the  mother 
of  two  children,  Earl  Kinne,  born  June  17,  1883,  on 
the  farm;  also  an  unnamed  daughter,  born  March  7, 
1885. 

In  addition  to  the  pastoral  duty  performed  by  Mr. 
Kinne  in  the  fields  named,  he  operated  in  his  minis- 
terial capacity  six  months  in  Linn  Co.,  Iowa,  whither 
he  went  in  September,  1855.  In  the  spring  of  1856, 
he  went  with  an  emigrant  party  to  the  western  part 
of  Iowa,  and  preached  in  Sac  County  until  Novem- 
ber, 1856,  when  he  returned  to  Grundy  Co.,  111. 


H.  Hinds,  of  the  firm  of  Hinds  &  Holmes, 
liverymen  at  De  Kalb,  was  born  in  the 
town  of  Stanstead,  Canada,  June  18,  1826, 
and  since  1856  he  has  lived  here,  except  the 
three  years  he  was  in  the  hotel  business  at 
Watertown,  N.  Y.  Before  coming  West  he  fol- 
lowed agricultural  pursuits.  He  returned  from  New 
York  to  Clinton  Township,  this  county,  where  he  fol- 
lowed farming,  excepting  the  eight  years  (1875-83) 
he  was  engaged  in  the  livery  business  at  Waterman, 
^^^. -fj@gj^ 


this  county.  While  there  he  was  Collector.  On 
coming  to  De  Kalb  in  October,  1883,  he  formed  his 
present  partnership  with  Mr.  Holmes.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Republican.  He  has  never  been  married. 

His  father,  Jonas  Hinds,  was  born  Feb.  25,  1785, 
in  the  town  of  Barre,  Worcester  Co.,  Mass.,  of  Eng- 
lish and  Irish  descent,  and  died  June  26,  1864,  in 
Clinton  Township,  this  county.  The  mother  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  Trypheha,  nee  Holden,  was 
born  in  Charlestown,  N.  H.,  Jan.  19,  1791,  and  died 
April  7,  1868,  also  in  Clinton  Township.  They  had 
six.  children,  of  whom  T.  H.  was  the  fourth.  The 
latter  was  four  years  old  when  the  family  emigrated 
from  Canada  to  the  township  of  Derby,  Orleans  Co., 
N.Y.,  in  1830.  In  1839  they  removed  to  Jefferson  Co., 
N.  Y.,  and  lived  there  until  1854,  when  they  emi- 
grated West,  settling  in  Clinton  Township,  this 
county. 


:  saac  N.  Miner,  of  Kirkland,  is  Township 
Clerk,  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  by  calling 
a  harness-maker.  He  was  born  March  29, 
1842,  in  Oswego  Co.,  N.  Y.  His  parents, 
Daniel  and  Eliza  (Ives)  Miner,  were  respect- 
ively of  Yankee  and  German  extraction.  They 
were  married  in  the  State  of  New  York,  where  they 
remained  a  few  years  and  were  occupied  in  farming. 
They  came  in  1844  to  Lake  County,  111.,  where  they 
were  residents  until  1859,  the  date  of  their  removal 
to  De  Kalb  County,  when  they  purchased  a  farm  in 
Franklin  Township. 

Mr.  Miner  was  two  years  of  age  when  he  came  to 
the  State  where  he  has  since  lived.  He  was  19 
years  of  age  when  civil  war  startled  the  nation,  and 
he  enlisted  in  Co.  A,  39th  111.  Inf.,  and  went  to  the 
front  under  the  captaincy  of  G.  D.  Sherman,  of 
Elgin.  The  regiment  was  assigned  to  the  Army  of 
the  Cumberland.  Mr.  Miner  was  in  the  actions  at 
Pea  Ridge,  where  he  fought  "mit  Sigel,"  at  Pittsburg 
Landing,  Corinth,  Chaplain  Hills,  Stone  River  and 
all  the  principal  battles  of  the  campaign,  including 
that  at  Mission  Ridge.  Starting  with  his  command 
for  Knoxville,  Tenn.,the  regiment  veteranized  Jan.  i, 
1864,  and  hastened  on  to  take  part  in  the  siege  of 
Atlanta,  moving  on  to  Jonesboro.  After  the  division 
^of  the  army  and  movement  of  Sherman  toward  the 


sea,  the  "Old  Fourth  Army  Corps  "  returned  to  Fort 
Pulaski  under  General  Thomas.  The  Division 
pushed  on  to  Nashville  in  pursuit  of  General  Hood, 
and  thence  to  New  Orleans,  where  Mr.  Miner  ob- 
tained his  discharge,  Nov.  25,  1865,  the  war  being  at 
an  end.  He  suffered  the  fate  of  war  in  being 
wounded  in  the  elbow  and  hand,  in  the  fight  at  Stone 
River,  and  a  few  moments  later  he  was  in  the  hands 
of  the  Rebels,  who  sent  him  into  the  horrible  cap- 
tivity of  Libby  prison  at  Richmond,  where  he  was  in 
bondage  six  months,  and  was  then  sent  to  City  Point 
for  exchange. 

After  obtaining  his  discharge  he  returned  to  Rich- 
mond Township  in  McHenry  County,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  farming,  combining  therewith  a  traffic  in 
Texan  ponies,  in  which  he  was  interested  about  one 
year.  He  went  thence  to  Fulton,  Whiteside  Co.,  111.,, 
and,  associated  with  his  father-in-law,  was  engaged 
more  than  two  years  in  the  management  of  a  hotel. 
He  was  subsequently  interested  several  years  in  a 
billiard  hall,  and  suffered  heavy  loss  from  fire. 

In  the  spring  of  i88~i  he  came  to  Kirkland  and 
embarked  in  the  business  of  a  harness-maker,  and 
has  since  operated  successfully  in  that  line. 

His  marriage  to  Sarah  Gilgore  took  place  March 
14,  1866,  in  the  township  of  Richmond.  She  was 
born  at  London,  Ont.,  in  1846.  She  was  reared  as  a 
farmer's  daughter,  and  in  girlhood  accompanied  her 
parents  to  Illinois  and  was  educated  in  McHenry 
County.  One  child — Arthur  D.  L. — was  born  of  this 
union,  and  died  when  he  was  eight  years  of  age. 

Mr.  Miner  is  a  zealous  and  ardent  Republican. 


Eddy,  retired  farmer,  resident  at  De 
Kalb,  was  born  Oct.  17,  1825,  in  a  portion 
of  Genesee  Co.,  N.  Y.,  which  was  formerly 
included  within  the  municipality  of  the  county 
of  Wyoming.  His  father,  Harry  Eddy,  was  born 
in  Otsego  Co.,  N.  Y.;  his  mother,  Anna  (Whit- 
ney) Eddy,  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts.  In  1837 
the  family  removed  to  Kane  Co.,  111.,  and  were  among 
its  early  pioneer  settlers.  TRe  mother  died  July  26, 
1854.  The  demise  of  the  father  -occurred  Jan.  26, 
1883.  Eight  children  were  included  within  their 
family,  named  as  follows :  Maria,  Henry,  Hiram, 
Asenath,  Phebe,  Edmund  P.,  Asahel  and  Henry  (2d). 


f 


318 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


The   two  oldest  and   the   youngest   are   not  living. 

Mr.  Eddy  obtained  such  education  as  the  unde- 
veloped condition  of  the  country  permitted,  and  as- 
sisted his  father  on  the  farm  until  the  period  of  his 
legal  freedom  arrived  ;  and  he  continued  in  the  same 
avenue  of  operation  until  he  was  26  years  of  age.  In 
1851  he  joined  the  army  of  agriculturists  in  Illinois 
by  the  purchase  of  a  farm  in  McHenry  County,  on 
which  he  settled.  He  there  pursued  the  vocation  to 
which  he  had  been  bred  until  1866,  when  he  sold  his 
farm  and  purchased  a  small  tract  cf  land  in  the  town- 
ship of  De  Kalb,  fixing  his  residence  in  the  village  of 
the  same  name.  He  is  identified  with  the  Dem- 
ocratic element  in  politics.  In  1875  he  was  elected 
Assessor  of  the  township,  and  has  since  officiated  in 
that  position. 

He  was  married  March  9,  1852,  in  Kane  Co.,  111., 
to  Mary  H..  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Olive  Lindsay. 
The  latter  died  in  Kane  County ;  the  former  died  at 
the  residence  of  his  son  in  Sycamore.  Mrs.  Eddy 
was  born  June  20,  1826,  in  Canada.  Olive  A.,  only 
child,  was  born  Aug.  rz,  1853. 


arles  L.  Misick,  physician  and  surgeon, 
at  Sandwich,  was  born  Nov.  2,  1823,  at 
East   Troy,    Rensselaer   Co.,    N.  Y.     Henry 
Misick,  his  father,  was  born  Jan.  7,  1789,  in 
Claverack,  Columbia  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  was  a 
tanner  and  currier  by  profession  in  Howard  Town- 
(    ship,  Steuben  Co.,  N.  Y.,  where  he  died  Sept.   10, 
j>    1851.     The  mother,  Louisa  (Rose)  Misick,  was  born 
Jan.  14,  1796,  at  Rome,  Oneida  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  died 
at  Howard,  Steuben  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Aug.  8,  1864.     Fol- 
lowing is  the  record  of  their  nine  children:     Nellie 
E.,  born   July   27,  i8r5,died  Jan.  8,  1840.     Emily 
M.  was  born  Jan.  10,  1817,  and  died  Oct.  20,  1834. 
William  H.,  born  Nov.  25,  1819,  is  a  medical  practi- 
tioner at  Marengo,  111.;  Abraham  W.,  born -Nov.  3, 
1821,  is  a  dentist  at   Donovan,  Ripley  County,  in 
Southern  Missouri.     Dr.  Misick  of  this  sketch  is  fifth 
in  order.     Sidney  S.  was  born  Jan.  14,  1826,  and  is 
engaged  in  farming  in  Steuben  Co.,  N.  Y.     Rachel 
C.,  born  March  16,  1829,  married  R.  Collier,  a  me- 
chanic  at   Hornellsville,   N.  Y.     George   W.,   born 
arch  24,  i83T,  died  in  Nora,  111.,  Nov.  19,  1878. 


Ann  M.,  born  Nov.  3r,  1833,  died  in  November, 
1858. 

Dr.  Misick  attended  the  common  school  during 
the  years  of  his  early  youth,  and  completed  his  pre- 
paratory studies  at  the  Howard  Academy.  He  ob- 
tained a  good  education,  which  he  made  available  in 
teaching  several  terms  of  school,  and  interspersed 
that  method  of  employment  by  working  as  a  carpen- 
ter and  joiner.  Meanwhile  he  read  for  his  profes- 
sion, and  in  1856  entered  the  Eclectic  Medical  Col- 
lege at  Cincinnati,  attending  the  chief  part  of  two 
terms  of  lectures  at  that  institution,  and  going  thence 
to  the  Ohio  Medical  College  at  Cincinnati,  where  he 
was  graduated  in  1857.  He  had  become  a  resident 
of  McHenry  County,  in  Illinois,  in  1855,  and  after 
he  obtained  his  credentials  he  opened  the  career  of 
a  medical  practitioner  at  Marengo,  pursuing  his  pro- 
fession there  and  at  Byron  about  12  years.  In  the 
winter  of  r 868-9  ne  attended  the  Hahnemann  Med- 
ical College  at  Chicago,  and  took  his  degree  from 
that  body  in  1869.  He  established  his  business  at 
Rockford,  111.,  where  he  practiced  nearly  a  year;  and 
in  the  fall  of  1870  he  opened  an  office  at  Sandwich, 
and  has  since  conducted  a  prosperous  business.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  of  the 
State  Medical  Society. 

Dr.  Misick's  marriage  to  Susan  Collier  took  place 
at  Howard,  Steuben  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  3,  1848.  She 
was  born  Feb.  20,  i83r,  and  is  the  daughter  of  John 
D.  and  Tabitha  Collier.  Of  her  marriage  four  chil- 
dren have  been  born.  Louisa,  born  June  20,  1849',  is 
the  wife  of  Ernst  Mix.  Viola  and  lona,  twins,  were 
born  Sept.  20,  1852.  The  former,  now  Mrs.  W.  H. 
Palmer,  resides  in  Florida.  The  latter  is  Mrs.  E.  W. 
Trout,  and  resides  at  Grand  Rapids,  Mich.  Addie 
Mae  was  born  Jan.  15,  1865. 


^olaski  Hix,  editor,  and  senior  member  of  the 
firm  of  Hix  &  Van  Galder,  proprietors  of 
the  Sycamore  City  Weekly,  was  born  April 
25>  |837>  in  Clarendon,  Orleans  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and 
is  the  son  of  Ephraim  and  Laura  W.  (Williams) 
Hix.  He  is  one  of  nine  children,  eight  of  whom, 
seven  sons  and  one  daughter,  lived  to  maturity.  The 
father  was  a  native  of  Steuben  County,  N.  Y.,  born 
December  9,  1803,  and  was  the  son  of  Ephraim 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


and  Lucy  Hix.  Ephraim  Hix,  Sr.,  was  born  Novem- 
ber 6,  1768,  and  died  July  22,  1834.  His  wife, 
Lucy,  was  born  February  9,  1772,  and  her  death 
transpired  Nov.  12,  1824.  The  mother  was  a  native 
of  Colchester,  Conn.,  born  Sept.  2,  1804.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  Barnabas  and  Amy  (Perkins)  Williams. 
Barnabas  Williams  was  born  in  Groton,  Conn.,  Dec. 
25,  1772.  His  wife  was  born  in  the  same  town  and 
State,  June  5,  1775. 

The  Hix  (or  Hicks)  family  came  originally  from 
England,  and  the  generations  of  to-day  are  the  de- 
scendants of  three  brothers,  two  of  whom  settled  in 
the  North,  the  other  taking  up  his  abode  in  the  South. 
Ephraim  Hix,  Jr.,  married  Laura  W.  Williams,  May 
i,  1825,  in  Barre,  Orleans  Co.,  N.  Y.,  removing  from 
there  to  the  adjoining  town  of  Clarendon,  and  from 
thence  to  Alabama,  Genesee  County,  that  State.  In 
September,  1848,  they,  with  their  seven  sons,  came 
to  Kingston,  De  Kalb  Co.,  111.,  and  there  located  130 
acres  of  land,  which  by  later  purchase  was  increased 
to  337  acres.  Mr.  Hix  also  located  80  acres  of  land 
in  McHenry  Co.,  111.  Upon  becoming  a  citizen  of 
Kingston  he  identified  himself  with  the  general  in- 
terest and  welfare  of  the  community.  His  intelligence 
and  integrity  received  due  recognition,  and  for  years 
he  held  the  office  of  Highway  Commissioner  and 
Justice  of  the  Peace.  He  died  in  Kingston,  Jan.  13, 
1863,  while  the  death  of  his  widow  occurred  June  14, 
1875,  in  the  city  of  Sycamore,  the  place  of  her  later 
residence. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  brought  up  on  his 
father's  farm  and  obtained  a  fair  common-school 
education,  afterwards  attending  school  one  year  at 
Mount  Morris  Seminary  and  Wheaton  College.  He 
taught  two  terms  of  district  school  and  passed  sev- 
eral succeeding  years  in  the  occupation  of  a  farmer. 
In  1871  he  carried  out  a  long  cherished  desire  to 
establish  a  newspaper.  His  first  venture  was  in  Sep- 
tember of  that  year,  when  he  issued  the  first  number 
of  the  De  Kalb  County  Farmer,  published  at  Syca- 
more, a  small  monthly  agricultural  journal,  which  in 
September,  1872,  was  succeeded  by  the  Sycamore 
City  Weekly.  The  latter  was  conducted  on  an  inde- 
pendent basis,  politically,  until  the  Presidential  elec- 
tion of  1876,  when  it  supported  the  Republican 
National  and  State  tickets,  and  has  since  continued 
a  Republican  paper.  Never  much  of  a  partisan,  Mr. 
Hix  was  originally  a  Democrat,  and  cast  his  first 


Presidential  ballot  in  1860  for  the  'Hon.  Stephen  A. 
Douglas,  a  strong  Union  man  and  before  his  death 
a  strong  war  Democrat.  It  was  his  first  and  last 
ballot  for  a  Democratic  candidate  for  President. 
When  a  young  man  just  attaining  his  majority  an 
opportunity  was  offered  him  of  seeing  a  portion  of  the 
South,  as  it  was  in  the  days  of  slavery.  His  obser- 
vations during  a  somewhat  protracted  stay  in  Ten- 
nessee, the  trip  leading  him  into  Kentucky,  Alabama 
and  Georgia,  as  well  as  Tennessee,  supplemented  by 
the  events  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  and  by  the 
attitude  of  the  two  chief  political  parties  following  the 
war,  both  in  relation  to  measures  of  reconstruction 
and  other  matters  of  national  import,  caused  him  to 
identify  himself  with  the  Republican  party,  when,  at 
the  time  indicated,  he  made  his  paper  an  exponent 
of  party  principles  and  party  policy.  The  success 
and  popularity  which  signalized  the  journalistic  en- 
terprise of  Mr.  Hix  was  the  result  of  his  own  energy, 
ability  and  perseverance  under  the  weight  of  ob- 
stacles which  would  have  prevented  like  effort  on  the 
part  of  most  men.  He  had  the  disadvantages  of  small 
capital,  obscurity,  and  influence  which  at  best  was 
but  nominal.  He  had,  moreover,  to  encounter  the 
active  and  determined  opposition  of  a  rival  paper 
long  established.  The  first  number  of  the  City 
Weekly  was  received  with  manifest  favor,  and  it  has 
attained  to  an  enviable  position  in  the  ranks  of 
country  journals.  In  September,  1878,  F.  O.  Van 
Galder  acquired  a  half-interest  in  the  paper,  and  has 
since  continued  to  be  associated  with  its  management. 

On  Nov.  17,  1864,  Mr.  Hix  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Louisa  Parker,  of  Kingston,  where  her  parents 
removed  in  1854  and  still  reside.  She  is  a  native  of 
Hammond,  Spencer  Co.,  Ind.,  born  May  9,  1843,  and 
is  the  daughter  of  Henry  N.  and  Mary  A.  (Stillwell) 
Parker.  Her  father  is  a  native  of  Ontario  Co.,  N.  Y., 
while  her  mother  is  a  native  of  Campbell  Co.,  Ky. 
The  father  of  the  latter  was  a  member  of  a  slave- 
holding  family  of  position  and  influence,  but  refused 
to  own  property  in  his  fellow  man,  being  opposed 
theoretically  and  practically  to  the  institution.  The 
children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hix  are  five  in  number, 
named  May,  Lewis  P.,  Eva  L.,  Floyd  and  Arthur  W. 

Naturally  unpretending  in  his  ways  and  unambitious 
politically,  Mr.  Hix  has  never  put  himself  forward  as 
a  seeker  after  political  preferment,  but  has  been  con- 
tent to  devote  his  whole  time  and  energies  to  the 


I 


DE  KALB    COUNTY. 


upbuilding  of  the  paper  which  he  successfully 
founded.  He  was  made  the  last  Secretary  of  the 
De  Kalb  County  Farmer's  Association  in  1873-4, 
and  is  now  Secretary  of  the  Farmers'  Picnic  Asso- 
ciation. In  1875  he  was  chosen  to  fill  a  vacancy  in 
the  office  of  City  Clerk  of  the  city  of  Sycamore. 


red  S.  Mosher,  banker  at  Sandwich,  was 
born  July  18,  1841,  in  Ballston  Spa,  Sara- 
toga Co.,  N.  Y.  His  father,  Silas  B. 
Mosher,  was  a  native  of  the  same  county  and 
passed  his  whole  life  within  its  borders,  follow- 
ing his  business  as  a  builder  and  dying  at 
Ballston  Springs.  The  mother,  Caroline  E.  (Castle) 
Mosher,  was  born  in  the  city  of  Albany  and  died  at 
Ballston.  Their  six  children  are  all  living.  Sarah 
is  the  wife  of  a  capitalist  at  Alexandria,  Minn. ;  Eliz- 
abeth married  William  Garrett,  foreman  of  the  Axe 
Works  at  Ballston  Springs ;  Cynthia  C.  is  the  wife  of 
Samuel  Gould,  Jr.,  a  merchant  at  the  same  place; 
Caroline  S.  is  Mrs.  John  W.  Allison  (the  latter  is  a 
stockman  near  Denver,  Col.);  Mary  J.  is  unmarried. 
Mr.  Mosher  is  the  only  son  and  is  third  in  birth 
of  his  parents'  children.  He  was  a  pupil  at  the  ex- 
cellent schools  of  his  native  place,  and  completed 
his  preparatory  education  at  the  well  known  Gilmore's 
Academy  at  Ballston,  where  he  closed  his  studies  in 
1861,  and  he  read  law  thenceforward  until  the  ad- 
vent of  civil  war  with  its  terrors  and  disasters.  Pre- 
ceptor and  pupil  alike  rose  to  the  emergency  and  a 
recognition  of  the  responsibilities  inherited  from-  the 
founders  of  the  nation.  Associated  with  Hon.  Geo. 
S.  Batchelor,  with  whom  he  was  studying  for  a  pro- 
fession, Mr.  Mosher  raised  a  company  of  volunteers, 
which  was  attached  to  the  iisth  N.  Y.  Vol.  Inf.,  and 
of  which  he  was  made  First  Lieutenant  on  its  organ- 
ization. Among  the  first  engagements  in  which  he 
took  part  was  that  at  Harper's  Ferry,  where  1 1 ,000 
men  were  captured.  Mr.  Mosher  was  among  the 
number,  and  was,  with  the  rest,  paroled.  The  com- 
mand was  soon  in  the  field  again  and  participated  in 
the  siege  at  Sumter,  and  in  the  actions  at  Olustee, 
Fla.,  the  battle  of  the  Mine,  Cold  Harbor,  the  siege 
and  capture  of  Fort  Fisher,  at  Fort  Gilmore  and 
throughout  the  Potomac  campaign.  Early  in  1864 
he  was  promoted  to  a  Captaincy,  and  when  he  re- 


ceived his  discharge  and  was  mustered  out  of  the 
army  at  Raleigh  N.  C.,  he  was  operating  as  Judge 
Advocate  of  the  Second  Division,  loth  Army  Corps, 
under  Gen.  A.  Ames,  Division  Commander,  and  Gen. 
A.  H.  Terry,  Corps  Commander. 

On  being  relieved  from  army  service,  Mr.  Mosher 
came  to  Sandwich  and  entered  upon  the  duties 
of  cashier  of  the  Sandwich  Bank,  and  also  be- 
came interested  financially  in  the  lumber  and  coal 
trade  at  Sandwich  in  company  with  his  uncle,  Hon. 
M.  B.  Castle.  He  is  now  one  of  the  banking  firm 
and  continues  to  act  in  the  capacity  of  business 
manager.  Mr.  Mosher  has  served  one  term  as 
Mayor  of  Sandwich,  and  has  performed  efficient  ser- 
vice in  school  affairs,  having  officiated  several  terms 
as  member  of  the  Board  of  Education.  He  is  one  of 
the  Grand  Trustees  of  the  I.  O.  M.  A.  of  Illinois, 
and  belongs  to  the  Congregational  Church  at  Sand- 
wich. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  at  Litchfield,  Mich., 
Jan.  12,  1869,  to  Libbie  V.  N.  Smith,  and  they  have 
four  children, — Caroline  P.,  Edward  Castle,  Nellie 
Wing  and  Mary  Louise.  Mrs.  Mosher  is  the  daugh- 
ter of  William  and  Pamelia  Smith,  and  was  born  in 
Hillsdale  Co.,  Mich.  She  is  a  graduate  of  Hillsdale 
College. 


"w     *,;' 


'ohn  N.  Culver,  Supervisor  of  Somonauk 
Township  and  dealer  in  general  merchan- 
dise at  Sandwich,  was  born  Feb.  18,  1840, 
in  Cambridge,  Washington  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  is 
the  son  of  Nathan  and  Eliza  (Gilmore)  Culver. 
He  was  reared  on  a  farm  until  he  reached  his 
majority,  attending  school  winters.  He  finished  his 
educational  course  in  the  academy  at  Cambridge,  the 
place  of  his  nativity.  He  came  to  Sandwich  in  the 
fall  of  1860  and  entered  the  employment  of  his 
brothers  James  and  George,  who  were  then  mer- 
chants and  located  at  the  stand  where  his  own  busi- 
ness is  now  situated. 

Mr.  Culver  became  a  soldier  in  the  military  service 
of  the  United  States  during  the  War  for  the  Union, 
enlisting  at  Sandwich  in  Co.  H,  Tenth  111.  Vol.  Inf., 
and  went  to  the  field  under  Captain  Carr.  His 
period  of  service  terminated  with  the  end  of  the 
war,  lasting  three  years  and  three  months ;  and  he 
was  under  fire  at  Shiloh,  Corinth,  Kenesaw  Moun- 

A^ SH^K: ••$)§£&$<§. 


I 


V 


tain,  siege  of  Atlanta  and  in  numberless  engage- 
ments of  minor  importance  during  the  several  cam- 
paigns in  which  his  regiment  was  involved.  On 
obtaining  his  discharge  he  returned  to  Sandwich  and 
passed  four  months  in  his  former  employment.  In 
1870  he  embarked  in  the  sale  of  general  merchan- 
dise, in  which  he  met  with  satisfactory  results  from 
the  outset.  In  1875  he  became  the  owner  of  the 
stock  and  business  relations  of  his  brothers,  since 
which  date  he  has  prosecuted  a  substantial  and  pop- 
ular business.  Mr.  Culver  is  a  member  of  the  Ma- 
sonic fraternity.  He  is  serving  his  second  term  as 
Supervisor  of  Somonauk  Township,  in  which  he  has 
proved  the  wisdom  of  his  selection  for  the  position 
and  his  integrity  and  ability  in  official  relations. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  Sept.  21,  1866,  in  Go- 
shen,  Ind.,  to  Imogene  Miller,  and  they  have  four 
children:  Harvey  M.  and  Maud  M.  (twins)  were 
born  March  22,  1868;  George  W.  was  born  June  i, 
1870;  Bessie  L.  was  born  March  16,  1872.  Mrs. 
Culver  is  a  native  of  New  York,  and  is  the  daughter 
of  George  and  Margaret  Miller. 


3ter  H.  Helmer,  farmer,  section  12,  De 
Kalb  Township,  was  born  April  15,  1810, 
in  Warren,  Herkimer  Co.,  N.  Y.  He  was  a 
farmer  in  his  native  State  until  1862,  the  year 
in  which  he  removed  to  the  township  where  he 
has  since  been  a  resident.  He  first  made  a 
purchase  of  125  acres  of  land,  to  which  he  added  10 
acres  by  a  later  purchase,  and  the  entire  tract  is  un- 
der a  good  quality  of  cultivation.  His  stock  com- 
monly includes  20  head  of  cattle  and  several  head  of 
horses,  besides  other  varieties. 

In  political  views  and  actions  he  is  a  Republican, 
and  has  held  the  office  of  Path  Master.  Mr.  Helmer 
was  married  March  25,  1841,  in  his  native  county, 
in  the  township  of  Columbia,  to  Rosanna  House,  and 
they  have  had  five  children, — Celinda,  Elizabeth, 
Frances,  Clarissa  A.  and  Florence  L.  Mrs.  Helmer 
was  born  Sept.  3,  1822,  and  is  the  daughter  of  John 
and  Fanny  (Welch)  House,  and  were  natives  of  Con- 
necticut. The  parents  of  Mr.  Helmer,  Adam  F.  and 
Margaret  (Harter)  Helmer,  were  of  German  descent 
and  passed  their  entire  lives  in  the  Empire  State, 


where  they  were  born.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Helmer  are 
members   of  the  Congregational  Church,  of  which  'j 
Church  Mr.  H.  has  been  a  Deacon  for  20  years. 


ra  Douglass,  farmer,  section  12,  Mayfield 
Township,  is  from  New  York  State.  His 
parents,  Joseph  and  Hannah  (Symonds) 
Douglass,  natives  of  Vermont,  settled  in  Gene- 
see  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  afterward  in  Cayuga  Coun- 
ty, that  State.  The  senior  Douglass  died  in 
Canada,  Dec.  6,  1839,  and  his  widow  came  to  Illi- 
nois and  finally  died  in  Winnebago  County,  July  23, 
1839.  They  had  ro  children, — Mary,  Joseph,  Sarah, 
Joel,  Abigail,  Hannah,  Patience,  Warner,  Lucy  and 
Ira. 

The  youngest  in  the  above  family,  the  subject  of 
this  biographical  outline,  was  born  in  Caledonia, 
Genesee  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Nov.  22,  1814,  and  made  his 
home  with  his  parents  until  the  fall  of  1835,  when  he 
came  to  Ottawa,  111.,  and  in  the  fall  of  1836  to  this 
county,  settling  in  the  township  of  Mayfield,  where 
he  built  a  log  house,  near  where  his  present  fine 
residence  is  located.  Here  the  venerable  pioneer 
has  lived  ever  since  his  first  location  on  the  place, 
excepting  four  years  which  he  spent  in  Rockford,  111. 
He  now  owns  about  450  acres  in  this  county,  keeping 
.about  50  head  of  cattle,  20  horses  and  fattening  50 
to  100  hogs  and  50  to  100  sheep  annually.  He  has 
held  the  office  of  Overseer  of  Highways  and  School 
Director.  In  his  political  views  he  is  a  Republican, 
and  in  religion  he  belongs  to  the  Methodist  Church. 
He  was  first  married  in  the  township  of  Sycamore, 
in  May,  1845,  to  Miss  Cyrena,  daughter  of  David  and 
Robey  (Campbell)  Goodrich,  who  were  natives  of  the 
State  of  New  York.  By  that  marriage  there  were 
four  children, — Sarah,  Ariadna  C.,  Dilana  L.  and 
Carrie.  Sarah  died  in  infancy ;  Ariadna  is  now  the 
wife  of  Henry  Townsend,  and  resides  in  Cortland 
Township;  Dilana  is  now  Mrs.  Charles  Nichols  and 
resides  in  the  township  of  Kingston,  this  county;  and 
Carrie,  the  wife  of  O.  S.  Young,  resides  in  Bureau 
Co.,  111.  Mrs.  Douglass  died  in  Rockford,  111.,  Oct. 
30,  1856,  and  Mr.  Douglass  was  again  married,  in 
Pecatonica,  Winnebago  Co.,  111.,  Feb.  27,  1857,  to 
Hannah  J.  Powell,  daughter  of  David  and  Joanna 
(Parry)  Powell,  natives  of  Wales  who  emigrated 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


J 


America  in  an  early  day,  settling  in  Pennsylvania, 
where  they  passed  the  remainder  of  their  life.  They 
had  a  family  of  six  children, — Llewellyn,  David,  Wil- 
liam, Samuel,  Mary  A.  and  Hannah  J.  The  last 
mentioned  (Mrs.  D.)  was  born  in  Clearfield  Co.,  Pa., 
March  13,  1825,  and  has  had  by  her  present  mar- 
riage, four  children,  namely:  Cyrus  A.,  who  was 
born  March  18,  1860;  Ella  V.,  Jan.  30,  1862;  Wil- 
liam H.,  Nov.  27,  1863;  and  Ira  W.,  Jan.  16,  1866. 
Ella  V.  died  at  the  age  of  two  and  a  half  years. 

Among  the  portraits  of  pioneers  of  De  Kalb  Coun- 
ty presented  in  this  volume  may  be  found  that  of  Mr. 
Douglass.  None  are  more  worthy  a  place  in  this 
record  of  the  county's  representative  men  than  he. 
He  has  not  only  witnessed  the  transformation  of  the 
wilderness  into  a  fruitful  and  prosperous  country,  but 
took  an  active  part  in  the  arduous  and  self-sacrificing 
work  necessary  to  achieve  such  great  results.  Pos- 
terity will  long  to  see  likenesses  of  the  faces  of  these 
grand  old  pioneers,  who  did  so  much  for  it,  and  we 
are  glad  to  be  able  to  present  so  many  of  them  as 
we  do. 


'rlando  Carter,  liveryman  at  De  Kalb,  was 
born  Jan.  29,  1830,  in  Chenango  Co.,  N.  Y. 
When  he  was  1 1  years  of  age  his  parents, 
Jared  and  Lydia  (Ames)  Carter,  removed  to 
Ohio,  where  they  continued  to  reside  two  years, 
at  the  end  of  that  time  making  another  trans- 
fer to  Iowa.  In  1848  they  came  thence  to  Illinois 
and  settled  in  what  is  now  the  township  of  De  Kalb, 
engaging  in  farming.  The  father  died  in  July,  1855; 
the  demise  of  the  mother  took  place  in  November, 
1872.  Their  children  were,  Evaline,  Ellen,  Orlando, 
Clark,  David,  Lydia,  Jared  and  Joseph. 

Mr.  Carter  accompanied  his  parents  to  De  Kalb 
County,  which  has  been  his  home  and  field  of  busi- 
ness operation  for  nearly  40  years.  He  has  led  a  life 
of  activity  and  is  one  of  the  solid  men  of  the  town- 
ship, owning  a  fine  farm  of  320  acres,  all  under  ex- 
cellent improvements.  Besides,  he  is  proprietor  of 
valuable  property  in  the  city  where  he  is  a  resident. 
In  1881  he  became  the  owner  of  the  livery  property 
and  its  relations,  and  has  continued  its  management 
since. 

Politically,  Mr.  Carter  is  a  Democrat.      He   is  a 

^^fr.        ^^    Q/^iiii3 


leader  in  the  local  branch  of  the  Odd  Fellows  at  De 
Kalb,  of  which  he  was  a  charter  member.  He  was 
first  married  July  4,  1852,  to  Elizabeth  Campbell,  a 
native  of  the  State  of  New  York.  She  was  the 
daughter  of  William  and  Sally  Campbell,  formerly 
residents  of  Afton  Township,  De  Kalb  County.  In 
1879  they  removed  to  Nebraska.  Mrs.  Carter  died 
April  6,  1853,  and  her  husband  was  again  married  in 
De  Kalb,  Dec.  25,  1855,  to  Huldah  White.  Their 
children  were  born  as  follows :  William,  Charles  D., 
Jessie,  Ernest,  Eva,  Mabel  and  Cleo. 


Augustus  Adams,  Mechanical  Super- 
intendent of  the  Sandwich  Manufacturing 
Company,  was  born  in  Pine  Valley,  N.  Y., 
Jan.  21,  1837,  and  is  the  third  son  of  Hon. 
Augustus  and  Lydia  A.  (Phelps)  Adams.  An 
extended  account  of  the  career  of  his  father 
may  be  found  on  other  pages  of  this  volume.  He 
obtained  such  education  as  the  schools  of  Elgin  af- 
forded at  the  time  his  father  was  engaged  in  busi- 
ness at  that  place,  whither  the  family  had  removed 
in  1840,  and  he  obtained  a  practical  knowledge  of 
the  details  of  the  machine  shop  under  the  direction 
of  his  father  in  the  foundry  at  Elgin,  becoming  a 
competent  iron-molder.  On  the  establishment  of  the 
business  of  A.  Adams  &  Sons  at  Sandwich  in  1857, 
he  accompanied  the  family  hither  and  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  the  corn-sheller  of  which  his 
father  is  the  inventor,  taking  charge  of  the  foundry 
department,  which  he  conducted  about  ten  years. 
At  the  expiration  of  that  time  he  assumed  control  of 
the  entire  mechanical  department  as  Superintendent, 
and  has  since  continued  to  discharge  the  duties  of 
the  position.  The  working  force  includes  from  100 
to  250  men,  and  the  products  comprise  the  Adams 
Corn-Sheller  and  the  Reliance  Harvester  and  Binder. 
Every  variety  and  capacity  of  sheller  is  constructed, 
from  60  to  3,000  bushels  per  day  (capacity),  also 
power  machines ;  and  they  are  in  demand  for  hand, 
mill  and  warehouse  work. 

Mr.  Adams  is  a  Republican  in  political  faith  and 
relations,  and  has  served  several  terms  as  an  Alder- 
man of  the  city.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Mutual  Aid 
Society,  and,  with  his  wife,  is  connected  with  the 
Congregational  Church. 

He  was  married   Sept.   29,  1859,  in  Sandwich, 

— «^® 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


a 


Augusta  Carpenter;  and  they  have  four  children,  all 
of  whom  were  born  in  Sandwich,  as  follows:  Min- 
nie G..  Dec.  31,  1862;  H. 'May,  March  19,  1867; 
Charles,  July  28,  1869;  and  Jessie,  July  13,  1872. 

The  residence  of  Mr.  Adams  is  on  Main  Street, 
and  the  grounds  include  two  lots.  He  also  owns 
two  acres  in  the  north  part  of  Sandwich. 


Charles  A.  Brown,  banker,  member  of  the 
firm  of  Brown  &  Brown  at  Genoa,  was 
born  Jan.  12,  1858,  in  Genoa  Township, 
where  he  obtained  his  elementary  education 
in  the  common  schools,  and  at  19  years  of 
age  entered  the  High  School  at  Genoa,  where 
he  was  a  student  four  years,  and  was  graduated  in 
1881.  He  went  thence  to  Bryant's  Business  College 
at  Chicago,  where  he  studied  one  term.  Returning 
to  Genoa,  he  spent  several  months  in  farming.  On 
the  first  of  May,  1882,  he  formed  a  partnership  with 
his  brother,  D.  S.  Brown,  and  they  established  the 
banking  enterprise  in  which  they  have  since  operated. 
(See  sketch  of  D.  S.  Brown.) 

In  political  connection  Mr.  Brown  is  identified 
with  the  Republican  party,  and  is  Treasurer  of  Genoa 
Township,  to  which  position  he  was  elected  in  the 
winter  of  1883-4.  He  is  the  proprietor  of  an  im- 
proved farm  in  Genoa  Township,  containing  240 
acres. 


>mes  H.  Beveridge,  ex-Treasurer  of  the 
State  of  Illinois,  is  a  farmer  on  section  4, 
Somonauk  Township.  His  father,  George 
ieveridge,  was  born  March  16, 1785,  in  Hebron 
Township,  Washington  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  married 
Ann  Hoy,  by  whom  he  became  the  father  of 
nine  children.  She  was  born  in  Jackson  Township, 
Washington  Co.,  N.  Y.,  June  17,  1788,  and  died  in 
Somonauk,  May  18,  1865.  The  senior  Beveridge 
removed  to  Illinois  in  1838,  and  in  1839  settled  in 
Somonauk  Township.  He  bought  a  large  tract  of 
land,  including  both  prairie  and  timber,  the  latter 
comprising  over  100  acres.  He  brought  his  family 
here  in  1842  and  fixed  his  location  on  section  4, 
irhere  he  died,  May  10,  1870.  He  was  a  man  of 


radical  views  and  an  active  Abolitionist.  His  85 
years  of  life  covered  the  most  momentous  and  inter- 
esting period  of  the  history  of  the  American  people, 
and  he  lived  to  note  the  splendid  development  of  this 
country.  He  fixed  his  abode  in  De  Kalb  County  in 
its  pioneer  period,  and  was  a  prominent  member  of 
his  generation.  His  home  was  the  first  white  man's 
house  in  De  Kalb  County,  and  was  located  on  the 
east  bank  of  Somonauk  Creek.  It  was  on  the  claim 
when  it  became  his  property,  and  it  was  for  many 
years  a  haven  of  rest  and  refreshment,  both  physical 
and  spiritual.  All  new-comers  found  a  hospitable 
welcome  at  the  "  Five-room  Tavern."  It  was  the 
scene  of  the  first  meeting  of  the  local  branch  of  the 
United  Presbyterian  Church,  of  which  Mr.  Beveridge 
and  his  wife  were  the  first  members  and  aided  in  its 
organization.  A  small  church  was  built  in  1849,  on 
the  site  of  the  present  elegant  jedifice, — one  of  the 
finest  country  churches  in  the  State.  While  Mr. 
Beveridge  was  yet  alive,  he  was  gratified  by  being  a 
personal  observer  of  the  increase  of  the  society  from 
a  membership  of  about  a  score  to  one  of  the  largest 
and  wealthiest  and  most  useful  and  influential  relig- 
ious organizations  in  the  ecclesiastical  body  of  which 
it  forms  a  part.  The  character  of  George  Beveridge, 
as  a  man,  pioneer,  philanthropist  and  Christian, 
merits  perpetual  remembrance.  Six  of  his  children 
are  living.  Jeannette  is  the  wife  of  James  Henry,  a 
prominent  citizen  and  agriculturist  of  Somonauk 
Township.  Isabella  is  the  widow  of  William  French, 
formerly  a  wealthy  and  influential  citizen  of  Somo- 
nauk Township.  James  H.  is  next  in  order  of  birth. 
Andrew  M.  is  a  clergyman  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  and  resides  in  Lansingburg,  near  the  city  of 
Troy,  N.  Y.  Thomas  G.  is  deceased.  He  was  a 
farmer,  and  his  widow  is  still  a  resident  of  Somonauk 
Township.  John  L.,  ex-Governor  of  Illinois,  is  a 
resident  at  Evanston,  111.,  and  is  a  general  broker  and 
real-estate  dealer,  having  his  office  in  Chicago.  Agnes 
is  the  widow  of  Alexander  Patten,  and  resides  in 
Chicago.  The  youngest  child  died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Beveridge  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm,  and 
received  a  liberal  education,  attending  school  in 
Cambridge,  N.  Y.,  in  Grandville,  and  at  Mt.  Morris, 
111.  In  the  institution  at  the  latter  place  he  studied 
two  years  preparatory  to  entering  college,  but  he  was 
needed  on  the  farm  at  home.  He  came  to  Somonauk 
in  184*  and  took  part  of  the  claim  of  his  father  and 


\ 


brother  Thomas,  where  he  pushed  forward  his  agri 
cultural  interests  until  1852. 

Mr.   Beveridge   was,   from    the   beginning  of  hi 
political  career,  outspoken  in  his  preference  in  favo 
of  the  Liberty  party,  and  he  was  an  influential  facto 
in  achieving  for  De  Kalb  County  its  proud  prerogativ 
as  one  of  the  foremost  Republican  counties  of  th 
State  of  Illinois, — a  distinction  approached  only  by  its 
splendid  resources  and  development.     In  1849  Mr. 
Beveridge  was  elected  one  of  the  Associate  Justices 
of  the  county,  and  in  1852  was  elected  Assessor.    In 
1854  he  was  instrumental   in  calling  the    Anti-Ne- 
braska Convention  which  was  held  at  Sycamore  and 
which  developed  the  true  sentiments  in  the  hearts  of 
the  majority  of  the  voters,  and  the  movement  resulted 
in   giving   strength  to  the    Republican  party.     Mr. 
Beveridge  was  made,  a  Delegate  to  the  first  Repub- 
lican State  Convention  of  Illinois,  which  was  held  at 
Bloomington  in  1856. 

In  the  fall  of  1852  he  was  elected  Circuit  Clerk 
and  Recorder  of  De  Kalb  County,  and  in  January 
following  removed  to  Sycamore  to  enter  upon  the 
transaction  of  the  duties  of  the  position  at  the  county 
seat.  In  1856  he  was  re-elected  and  served  another 
term  of  four  years,  and  he  resided  at  Sycamore  until 
his  selection  to  fill  a  State  office. 

In  the  fall  of  1864  he  was  elected  Treasurer  of 
Illinois,  and  removed  in  the  spring  following,  for  ob- 
vious reasons,  to  Springfield.  He  officiated  as  custo- 
dian of  the  finances  of  Illinois  two  years.  In  1867 
he  was  made  State  House  Commissioner  and  acted 
in  that  position  until  the  office  was  abolished  in  1878, 
when  he  returned  to  his  farm  in  Somonauk.  During 
the  period  of  his  last  appointment  the  present  United 
Presbyterian  house  of  worship  was  erected  near  his 
father's  early  home,  and  he  supplied  the  plans  and 
specifications  for  the  structure.  He  has  been  promi- 
nent in  the  county  from  the  outset  of  his  career  as 
one  of  its  citizens.  He  took  a  decided  position  in 
religion  and  morality,  and  has  continued  in  the  pros- 
ecution of  a  consistent  and  upright  course  of  life. 
He  has  been  known  as  an  inflexible  temperance  man 
and  has  been  connected  with  several  organizations 
devoted  to  the  cause.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  at  Sandwich. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  in  Somonauk  Town- 
ship, Dec.  24,  1849,  to  Elizabeth  A.  Disbrow,  and 
they  became  the  parents  of  five  children,  only  two  of 


whom  survive.  Gertrude,  born  Aug.  18,  1850,  r,  the 
wife  of  Rufus  E.  Thompson,  a  mining  speculator  in 
the  Black  Hills.  The  second  child  died  in  infancy. 
James  H.,  born  July  6, 1852,  died  Sept.  16  following. 
Lois  A.,  born  Feb.  10,  1854,  died  March  5,  1864. 
Merritt  Hoy,  born  June  16,  1869,  resides  with  his 
parents.  Mrs.  Beveridge  was  born  Aug.  26,  1826,  in 
Fairfield  Co.,  Conn.,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Levi  and 
Lois  Disbrow. 

The  farm  of  Mr.  Beveridge  contains  376  acres,  is 
in  admirable  condition  and  the  family  residence  and 
farm  buildings  are  of  an  excellent  and  creditable 
class.  The  proprietor  is  giving  intelligent  attention 
to  raising  Jersey  cattle,  and  owns  a  herd  comprising 
1 1  thoroughbreds  and  a  considerable  number  of  ex- 
cellent grades.  The  dairy  products  of  the  farm  are 
in  demand,  and  are  shipped  to  Chicago. 


dwin  Townsend,  a  farmer  on  section  14 
of  Mayfield  Township,  was  born  Nov.  n, 
1838,  in  the  same  township,  and  is  there- 
fore probably  the  oldest  native-born  resident  in 
the  county.  His  parents,  Charles  and  Phebe 
(Nichols)  Townsend,  were  natives  of  the  State 
of  New  York,  who  settled  in  this  township  in  1837, 
where  they  both  finally  died, — he  May  n,  1879,  and 
she  April  26,  1880.  They  had  n  children,— Mary 
A.,  Edwin,  Francis,  Marinda,  Orrissa,  Erastus,  Clar- 
issa, Caroline,  Harrison,  Charles.  N.  and  one  who 
died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Townsend,  whose  name  heads  this  sketch,  has 
resided  here  all  his  life,  but  was  nine  months  in  the 
army.  He  enlisted  in  March,  1865,  in  the  Ninth  111. 
Vol.  Cav.  In  his  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and  in 
his  township  he  has  been  honored  with  the  offices 
of  Overseer  of  Highways,  Highway  Commissioner, 
School  Trustee,  etc.  He  is  at  present  the  owner  of 
222  acres  of  land  in  this  township,  with  about  200 
acres  in  cultivation. 

He  was  married  at  Cedar  Falls,  Iowa,  Jan.  20, 
1869,  to  Miss  Lorinda  M.,  daughter  of  Sumner  and 
Sarah  (Kelsey)  French,  the  former  of  whom  was  a 
native  of  New  Hampshire  and  the  latter  of  New 
Jersey.  They  came  to  De  Kalb  County  about  1840, 
settling  in  Genoa  Township,  but  removed  to  Iowa  in 
1869,  where  he  died  Oct.  20,  1873;  she  is  still  liv- 
-|J@5DC@/ 


) 


ing.  They  had  seven  children, — Simmer,  Lorinda 
M.,  Whitcomb,  J.erusha,  Stillman,  Rolla  and  Mary. 
Mrs.  Townsend  was  born  in  Genoa  Township,  June 
16,  1850.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  T.  are 
Charles  S.,  Orrissa  S.,  Leona  C.  and  Olive  A.,  four 
in  number. 


eorge  S.  Treat,  farmer,  section  5,  Somo- 
nauk  Township,  is  the  son  of  Thomas  R. 
and  Nancy  (Seymour)  Treat,  and  was  born 
June  23,  1823,  in  Mayville,  the  county  seat  of 
Chautauqua  Co.,N.  Y.  His  father  was  born 
in  that  State  Aug.  26,  1795.  In  early  life  the 
latter  was  a  hatter  by  trade,  and  later  a  miller.  In 
1838  the  family  came  to  Illinois,  and  not  long  after 
settled  near  Piano,  where  the  father  bought  a  large 
farm  and  was  resident  there  until  1872,  when  he 
went  to  Oakland,  Cal.  He  is  still  living  and  is  90 
years  of  age.  His  wife  was  a  native  of  New  York 
State,  and  of  their  five  children  four  survive.  Royal 
C.  is  a  merchant  at  Meadow  Valley,  Wis.  Henry 
B.  is  a  farmer  and  nurseryman  at  Atchison,  Kansas. 
Julia  is  deceased.  Emily  W.  is  the  wife  of  Edwin 
Brayton,  a  ranchman  of  California. 

Mr.  Treat  is  the  second  child  of  his  parents,  and 
has  lived  in  Illinois  since  he  was  15  years  old.  He 
became  his  "own  man"  when  he  was  19  years  of 
age,  and  until  his  marriage  was  occupied  as  a  farm 
assistant.  He  was  united  in  marriage  to  Cordelia  S. 
Culver,  Oct.  13,  1846,  at  Westfield,  N.  Y.,  and  they 
have  had  four  children :  George  M.  was  born  Dec. 
6,  1847,  in  the  township  of  Little  Rock,  Kendall  Co., 
111.;  Julius  J.  was  born  in  Westfield,  Dec.  13,  1851, 
and  is  engaged  in  fruit  culture  at  Sunny  Side,  Spauld- 
ing  Co.,  Ga. ;  Milton  A.,  born  Aug.  29,  1853,  is  a 
farmer  near  Spencer,  Clay  Co.,  Iowa ;  Nora  L.  was 
born  Dec.  2,  1872,  and  died  the  same  day. 

The  farm  on  which  Mr.  Treat  is  at  present  resi- 
dent has  been  his  property  since  July,  1860,  when 
he  made  his  first  purchase  of  120  acres.  He  now  owns 
140  acres  on  sections  5  and  8,  and  ten  acres  of  tim- 
ber land  in  Squaw  Grove  Township ;  also  40  acres 
in  Emmett  Co.,  Mich.,  and  160  acres  in  Clay  Co., 
Iowa.  He  is  extensively  interested  in  bee  culture, 
and  has  an  apiary  of  about  50  colonies.  He  obtains 


and  also  conducts  a  small  dairy  business.  During 
six  years  his  farm  was  rented,  and  he  was  for  that 
period  chiefly  a  resident  of  Sandwich.  He  has 
officiated  12  consecutive  years  as  Commissioner  of 
Highways. 

His  first  wife  died  on  the  farm  in  Somonauk,  May 
19,  1878,  and  Mr.  Treat  was  again  married  Dec.  25, 
1879,  to  Eliza  D.  Olds,  who  was  born  May  6,  1837, 
in  the  State  of  New  York.  The  paternal  grandpar- 
ents of  Mr.  Treat,  Charles  and  Hope  Treat,  were  of 
pure  Yankee  extraction.  The  grandfather  was  a  sol- 
dier in  the  Revolutionary  struggle. 


Iva  Clark,  farmer  and  stockman  on  section 
32,  Franklin  Township,  is  the  son  of  Gilbert 
and  Miranda  (Stevens)  Clark,  who  were 
natives  of  Ontario,  Can.  They  were  farmers 
in  the  Dominion,  where  the  mother  died  when 
45  years  of  age.  The  father  died  in  Michigan 
at  the  age  of  60  years.  Mr.  Clark  was  thrown  upon 
his  own  resources  when  he  was  13  years  of  age.  He 
supported  himself  by  work  as  a  farm  laborer,  and  at 
17  years  of  age  he  went  to  Jefferson  Co.,  N.  Y.,  re- 
maining there  three  years,  and  going  thence  to  Os- 
wego  County  in  the  same  State,  where  he  passed 
some  time  engaged  in  teaming.  From  that  time 
until  1866  he  was  variously  employed  in  different 
places,  and  in  that  year  came  to  Illinois.  He  first 
made  a  permanent  location  in  the  township  of  Mon- 
roe in  Ogle  County,  where  he  continued  to  live  until 
1879,  the  date  of  his  becoming  a  land-holder  in  De 
Kalb  County,  where  he  purchased  120  acres  on  sec- 
tion 32  of  Franklin  Township.  Of  this  he  took  pos- 
session in  the  same  year.  In  his  political  preferences 
Mr.  Clark  is  a  Republican. 

His  marriage  to  Electa  Van  Voorhis  took  place 
Feb.  25,  1880,  at  Fielding.  She  is  the  daughter  of 
George  and  Amy  (Ferguson)  Van  Voorhis,  natives  of 
the  State  of  New  York.  The  daughter  was  born 
Dec.  10,  1854,  in  Booneville,  Oneida  Co.,  N.  Y.  Her 
father  was  a  farmer,  and  both  her  parents  were  of 
German  origin  and  ancestors,  who  were  born  in 
Dutchess  Co.,  N.  Y.  Her  mother  died  in  Oneida 
County  May  9,  1863,  where  her  father  still  lives  and 
where  the  daughter  was  a  resident  until  she  was  15 
irs  of  age.  She  was  a  good  scholar,  and  at  that 


<! 
V 


*/ 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


age  began  teaching,  which  she  pursued  in  her  native 
county  until  1877,  when  she  came  to  Fielding.  She 
was  a  teacher  there  and  in  Ogle  County  two  years 
previous  to  her  marriage.  Gilbert  V.,  the  only  child 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clark,  was  born  June  16,  1883. 


—ft 


9 


|;  hilip  G.  Young,  a  coal  and  lumber  mer- 
chant at  De  Kalb,  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Stark,  Herkimer  Co.,  N.  Y.,  May  19,  1828. 
The  first  30  years  of  his  life  were  passed  in 
his  native  county,  and  he  came  to  Illinois 
about  1858,  first  settling  on  a  farm  in  Ogle 
County,  which  he  conducted  three  years.  In  1861 
he  bought  80  acres  of  land  in  the  township  of  De 
Kalb,  which  he  managed  with  shrewdness  and  in- 
dustry, adding  to  its  extent  until  he  was  the  proprie- 
tor of  320  acres,  and  of  which  he  held  the  ownership 
until  the  spring  of  1884,  the  date  of  his  removal  to 
his  present  place  of  abode,  when  he  sold  his  estate. 
In  April,  1883,  Mr.  Young  formed  his  present  busi- 
ness relation  with  David  D.  Brown,  for  the  purpose 
of  trade  in  coal  and  lumber,  the  firm  taking  the  style 
of  Brown  &  Young. 

Mr.  Young  is  a  Democrat  in  political  faith  and  ac- 
tion. He  has  been  active  in  local  school  matters 
and  has  officiated  as  Alderman  of  De  Kalb  four 
years,  he  having  been  a  resident  of  the  city  from 
r873  to  1878;  he  then  returned  to  the  farm. 

He  was  married  Oct.  20,  1856,  in  Herkimer  Co., 
N.  Y.,  to  Elmira  Chrissman,  a  native  of  the  Empire 
State.  They  have  two  children, — Wolstine  D.,  born 
March  21,  1860,  and  Phila  E.,  born  Dec.  13,  1862. 


i  illiam  G.  Beveridge,  fanner  on  section  5, 
Somonauk  Township,  was  born  in  the 
place  where  he  is  a  resident,  July  30, 
1853.  His  father,  Thomas  G.  Beveridge, 
was  born  April  9,  1822,  in  Greenwich,  Wash- 
ington Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  was  the  son  of  George 
and  Ann  (Hoy)  Beveridge,  who  were  pioneer  settlers 
of  Somonauk.  (See  sketch  of  Hon.  J.  H.  Beveridge.) 
Thomas  G.  Beveridge  married  Elizabeth  Irwin,  who 
_was  born  Dec.  1 8,  1827,  in  Washington  ,Co.,  N.  Y., 

£%&*&« ^g^ & 


and  they  became  the  parents  of  three  children. 
James  H.  was  born  May  2,  1856,  and  died  April  2, 
1857.  Anna  M.  is  the  wife  of  R.  R.  Brown,  of  Clin- 
ton Township,  De  Kalb  County.  She  was  born  May 
27,  1858.  The  father  received  160  acres  of  land 
originally  included  in  the  vast  tract  that  was  pur- 
chased by  George  Beveridge.  He  died  April  24, 
1859,  and  his  widow  is  an  inmate  of  the  family  of 
the  son  who  inherited  the  estate  of  his  father. 

Mr.  Beveridge  is  the  oldest  child.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  Pana,  Christian  Co.,  111..  Dec.  15,  1880,  to 
Ella  M.  Finley.  Their  children  were  bom  as  fol- 
lows: Maggie,  Dec.  18,  i88r ;  and  Thomas,  March 
20,  1884.  The  latter  died  six  days  after  birth.  Mrs. 
Beveridge  was  born  May  3r,  1855,  in  New  Athens, 
Harrison  Co.,  Ohio,  and  ;s  the  daughter  of  Thomas 
and  Ellen  Finley. 

Mr.  Beveridge  has  added  by  later  purchase  to  his 
ancestral  estate  and  is  now  the  proprietor  of  295 
acres  of  excellent  land.  He  has  a  valuable  herd  of 
graded  Short-Horn  cattle,  which  comprises  40  head. 


evi  P.  Welty,  a  farmer  on  section  30,  South 
Grove  Township,  was  born  in  Oswego, 
Kendall  Co.,  111.,  Nov.  30,  1848.  His  par- 
ents, Daniel  and  Diana  (Ernest)  Welty,  were 
natives  of  Parry  Co.,  Pa ,  and  were  of  German 
lineage.  Soon  after  their  marriage,  they  came 
to  Illinois  and  located  primarily  in  Kendall  County, 
removing  thence  to  De  Kalb  County.  Their  stay  in 
the  latter  was  temporary,  and  they  proceeded  to 
Winnebago  County.  In  r868  they  took  up  their  per- 
manent abode  in  De  Kalb  County,  where  they 
bought  a  half  section  of  land,  established  their 
homestead  and  passed  the  remainder  of  their  lives 
there.  The  father  died  in  March,  1882;  the  latter 
in  October,  1881.  They  were  aged  65  and  56  years 
respectively.  The  parents  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Welty 
belonged  to  a  representative  class  in  De  Kalb  County 
who  constitute  its  best  type  of  citizenship,  and  they 
have  left  to  their  children  the  heritage  of  lives  of 
worthy  effort  and  a  stainless,  honorable  name.  They 
had  nine  children,  born  in  the  following  order :  Wil- 
liam H.,  Lev!  F.,  George  W.,  Emma  J.,  Lauretta, 
Charles  D.  and  Samuel  A.  Those  deceased  were 
named  Jeremiah  E.  and  Alice. 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


In  1878  Mr.  Welty  formed  a  partnership  with  his 
brother  George  W.  in  the  pursuit  of  agriculture,  and 
they  have  operated  successfully  since  that  date  in 
general  farming  and  raising  stock.  They  own  160 
acres,  all  of  which  is  under  the  best  order  of  culti- 
vation, and  forms  a  valuable  piece  of  property.  They 
are  Republicans  in  political  opinions. 

Mr.  Welty  was  married  Dec.  27,  1883,  at  Hinckley, 
De  Kalb  County,  to  Mary  A.,  daughter  of  J.  K.  and 
Rebecca  (Eberly)  Kuter.  Her  father  is  an  insur- 
ance agent,  and  officiated  six  years  as  County  Coro- 
ner. Mrs.  Welty  was  born  Dec.  28,  1859,  in  Pierce 
Township,  and  was  reared  and  educated  in  the  place 
of  her  birth. 


jlonzo  Ellwood,  merchant  at  Sycamore,  is 
one  of  the  pioneer  business  men  of  De 
Kalb  County.  He  was  born  June  17,  1823,  in 
the  town  of  Canajoharie,  Montgomery  Co.,  N. 
Y.,  and  is  the  son  of  Abraham  and  Sarah  (De- 
long)  Ellwood.  (See  sketch  of  Hon.  Chaun- 
cey  Ellwood,  page  241,  for  further  notice  of  parents.) 
At  the  age  of  15  years  Mr.  Ellwood  went  to  Mo- 
hawk, Herkimer  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  served  three  years 
acquiring  a  knowledge  of  the  manufacture  of  car- 
riages and  sleighs,  remaining  several  years  as  an 
employee  in  the  establishment,  where  he  was  after- 
ward foreman  for  a  number  of  years. 

Mr.  Ellwood  went  to  California  in  the  spring  of 
1852  and  prosecuted  placer-mining  on  the  Middle 
Fork  of  the  American  River  until  1854,  when  he  re- 
turned home.  In  the  spring  of  1855  he  came  to 
Sycamore  and  commenced  his  business  career  by 
engaging  as  a  clerk  in  the  establishment  of  George 
Walrod.  Six  months  later,  associated  with  Willis 
Lott,  he  founded  a  hardware  business.  They  con- 
ducted its  affairs  jointly  about  three  years.  In  1858 
he  purchased  his  partner's  interest,  and  not  long  after 
admitted  his  brother  Reuben  to  a  partnership.  In 
1867  he  sold  his  interest  to  the  latter,  and,  in  com- 
pany with  Chauncey  Ellwood  and  O.  M.  Bryan,  he 
built  a  flax-mill,  which  is  still  in  existence  at  Syca- 
more. Previous  to  the  establishment  of  this  enter- 
prise he  had  been  appointed  Assessor  of  United 
States  Revenue  ;  and,  the  duties  of  the  position  be- 
coming pressing,  he  sold  his  interest  in  the  flax- 


mill  to  Mr.  Leonard  Orendorf.  In  1870,  asso- 
ciated with  Mr.  N.  C.  Warren  and  Mr.  James  S. 
Waterman,  he  opened  a  hardware  store  at  Syca-  «|» 
more,  which  was  in  existence  four  years.  The  estab- 
lishment with  stock  and  fixtures  was  consumed  by 
fire,  involving  a  loss  of  $ir,ooo,  partly  covered  by  an 
insurance  of  $8,000.  Messrs.  Ellwood  and  Warren 
became  sole  proprietors  by  purchase  of  the  business 
relations  and  re-established  the  trade.  A  year  later 
they  sold  out.  Meanwhile,  Mr.  Ellwood  had  relieved 
himself  of  the  burdens  of  the  position  of  Assessor, 
which  he  had  held  eight  years,  and  in  company  with 
his  brothers,  Chauncey  and  James  E.,  erected  two  j 
stores  of  the  Central  Block  at  Sycamore,  which  is 
two  stories  high  above  the  basement,  is  46  x  90  feet 
in  size.  The  basement  is  utilized  for  business  pur- 
poses and  the  upper  story  as  offices. 

Messrs.  A.  and  J.  E.  Ellwood  in  1857  embarked 
in  the  sale  of  drugs  and  groceries,  which  relation 
existed  until  1881,  when  J.  E.  EUwood  sold  his  in- 
terest to  George  M.  Sivwright,  since  which  date  the 
business  and  its  connections  have  been  conducted  as 
at  present.  The  stock  is  estimated  at  a  cash  value 
of  $10,000,  and  includes  staple  and  fancy  groceries, 
drugs,  crockery,  paints,  oils  and  other  articles  com- 
mon to  similar  establishments. 

The  local  business  relations  of  Mr.  Ellwood  have 
been  commensurate  with,  and  in  the  same  public 
spirit  which  has  pushed  the  general  enterprises  con- 
nected with  Sycamore  into  prominence  and  success. 
He  was  one  of  the  projectors  and  original  stock- 
holders of  the  Sycamore  &  Cortland  Railroad,  and 
was  Director  of  its  affairs  until  it  was  transferred  by 
sale  to  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad  Com- 
pany. He  was  a  stock-holder  in  the  Marsh  Har-  jj  £ 
vester  Company  and  is  now  a  stock-holder  in  the  I 
Marsh  Binder  Company.  At  the  time  of  the 
organization  of  the  R.  Ellwood  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, he  became  a  stock-holder,  and  still  remains 
one  of  its  Directors.  He  is  the  owner  of  a  consider- 
able interest  in  the  Wisconsin  &  San  Juan  Min- 
ing Company,  whose  claims  are  situated  on  Henson  f 
Creek,  Colorado,  and  is  President  of  the  corporation. 
The  mines  are  advancing  in  development  with  flat- 
tering prospects  of  substantial  results. 

Mr.  Ellwood  is  Vice-President  of  the  Covenant 
Mutual  Benefit  Association  of  Illinois,  which  position 
he  has  occupied  since  1879.  The  organization  was 
established  in  1877,  and  has  more  than  18,000  mem- 

A  O  ^^^f  ...avs^V/V:^ 

^^-  ml^®^\<^. 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


i\ 

*'  " 

<§; 


bers  at  this  date  (1885).  He  is  a  heavy  land-holder 
at  various  points,  owning  360  acres  in  Hancock  Co., 
Iowa,  a  valuable  improved  farm  in  Dallas  Co.,  Iowa, 
and  five  acres  of  platted  land  in  South  Lawn,  in  the 
suburbs  of  Chicago. 

He  has  been  active  and  prominent  in  local  polit- 
ical and  official  positions  in  the  several  places  where 
he  has  resided.  He  served  three  years  as  Postmaster 
of  Columbia,  Herkimer  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  was  Chairman 
of  the  Board  of  Village  Trustees  of  Sycamore  three 
years.  By  virtue  of  that  office  he  became  a  Super- 
visor of  his  town.  After  the  latter  place  was  incor- 
porated as  a  city  he  was  elected  Alderman  of  the 
First  Ward,  and  now  occupies  the  position. 

He  became  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  Order 
on  attaining  his  majority,  and  has  reached  unusual 
prominence.  In  1880  he  was  elected  Deputy  Grand 
Master  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  and  was  a  candidate 
for  Grand  Master  in  the  year  following.  His  defeat 
was  nominal,  James  S.  Ticknor,  of  Rockford,  receiv- 
ing the  election  by  a  majority  of  45  votes.  He  was 
a  candidate  again  in  1882,  and  was  elected  at  the 
annual  session  in  Springfield  by  a  majority  of  1,100. 
The  order  included  at  that  date  about  32,000  mem- 
bers, and  during  the  year  of  Mr.  Ell  wood's  incum- 
bency its  membership  increased  nearly  3,000.  He 
declined  a  proffered  nomination  in  1884  as  Grand 
Representative  to  the  Sovereign  Grand  Lodge,  a  body 
whose  scope  includes  the  organizations  of  the  world. 
Mr.  Ellwood  is  also  an  active  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity  and  belongs  to  the  Knights  Templar. 
While  a  resident  of  Herkimer  County  he  was  Captain 
of  a  company  of  Light  Guards,  which  were  ordered 
to  report  for  duty  in  the  war  with  Mexico,  but  the 
declaration  of  peace  precluded  the  necessity  of  taking 
up  arms,  and  the  organization  did  not  leave  the  State. 

Mr.  Ellwood's  present  wife  was  Mary  M.  Baker,  to 
whom  he  was  married  Dec.  27,  1865.  Three  chil- 
dren were  born  to  them, — Leana  Maud,  Glenn  Baker 
and  Ella  Baker, — of  whom  only  the  first  named  sur- 
vives: she  was  born  March  17, 1868.  Mrs.  Ellwood 
was  born  in  Plato,  Kane  Co.,  111.,  and  is  the  daugh- 
ter of  L.  M.  and  Sarah  A.  Baker.  Her  father  was  a 
pioneer  farmer  of  that  county. 

The  active  business  career  of  Mr.  Ellwood  is 
marked  by  the  same  industry,  enterprise  and  persist- 
ent energy  which  characterize  the  brotherhood  of 
which  he  is  a  member,  and  he  is  regarded  as  one  of 


nd  principal  allies  of  the  substantial  ^ 
:sts  of  Sycamore.     The  quality  of  his  'i 


the  founders  an 

business  interes.-  __    __, ^ _,  _.  . 

public  spirit  is  unquestioned,  and  the  advantage  of  ^ 
his  judgment  and  efforts  in  furthering  and  sustaining    ! 
the  permanent  welfare  of  the  city  is  generally  recog-    ( 
nized  and   acknowledged.     His  portrait  appears  in 
this  volume,  with  those  of  his  five  brothers,  and  is  no 
less  important  in  value  to  the  community  with  whose 
general  interest  and  well  being  he  is  identified. 


saac  Crill,  farmer,  resident  at  Fielding, 
Franklin  Township,  was  born  in  Stark 
Township,  Herkimer  Co.,  N.  Y.,  April  26, 
1820.  James  Crill,  his  father,  was  a  farmer  of 
Herkimer  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  came  West  in  1844 
settling  in  the  township  of  Monroe,  Ogle  Co., 
111.  Mr.  Crill  of  this  sketch  accompanied  his  parents 
to  Ogle  County,  being  then  24  years  of  age,  and  he 
was  married  there  March  20,  1856,  to  Eleanor  Cole. 
They  had  two  sons, — James  E.  and  Joseph, — both 
of  whom  died  in  infancy.  The  household  includes 
a  foster  child,  Mary  Houdeshell,  born  Dec.  25,  1860, 
in  Perry  Co.,  Pa.  Mrs.  Crill  is  the  daughter  of  Joseph 
and  Mary  (Davis)  Cole.  Her  parents  were  natives 
of  Pennsylvania,  of  Welsh  and  German  ancestry. 
The  daughter  was  born  Aug.  10,  r822,  in  the  Key- 
stone State,  where  her  mother  died,  in  1831.  She 
lived  with  her  father  until  1854,  when  she  came  to 
Lee  Co.,  111.,  with  two  married  cousins.  She  went 
later  to  Ogle  County,  where  she  resided  two  years 
previous  to  her  marriage.  After  that  event,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Crill  settled  on  a  farm  and  entered  into  a  part- 
nership with  his  brother,  John  I.  Crill,  in  agricultural 
operations.  Mr.  Crill  is  owner  of  440  acres  of  land, 
situated  principally  in  Monroe  Township,  Ogle 
County. 

Mr.  Crill  of  this  sketch  is  the  owner  of  a  hand- 
some residence  in  the  village  of  Fielding,  where  he  is 
also  the  proprietor  of  an  elevator  having  a  capacity 
of  13,000  bushels  of  grain.  Mr.  Crill  is  an  active 
Republican,  and  exerts  his  influence  in  the  interests 
of  that  element  in  politics.  With  his  wife,  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

The  grandparents  of  Mr.    Crill   were   natives   of 




:< 


& 


Germany,  and  his  parents  settled  primarily  among 
the  class  of  people  in  Herkimer  County  known  to 
tradition  and  history  as  "  Mohawk  Dutch." 


illiam  C.  Tuttle,  an  extensive  dealer  in 
lumber  and  all  builders'  materials,  at  Kirk- 
land,  was  born  Dec.  6,  1818,  in  Berkshire 
Co.,  Mass.  David  Tuttle,  his  father,  was 
born  in  Massachusetts,  and  in  1822  emi- 
grated to  Genesee  Co.,  N.  Y.,  where  he  died  in 
1831,  aged  about  65  years.  He  was  of  New  England 
lineage  arid  became  the  owner  of  considerable  prop- 
erty. The  mother,  Sally  A.  (Bowen)  Tuttle,  was  also 
a  native  of  /the  Bay  State  and  died  in  Genesee  Co., 
N.  Y.,  in  r853.  They  had  nine  children. 

Mr.  Tuttle  was  the  seventh  child  and  was  four 
years  old  when  his  parents  removed  with  their  family 
to  Genesee  County  in  the  Empire  State,  and  there  he 
attended  school  until  he  was  15  years  old.  At  that 
age  he  began  to  learn  the  trade  of  a  carpenter,  which 
he  followed  until  1852.  In  the  spring  of  1843  he 
came  to  the  township  and  county  where  he  is  now 
resident,  and  where  he  was  occupied  at  his  business 
as  a  builder.  In  1852  he  went  to  Belvidere  and  es- 
tablished a  mercantile  enterprise,  in  which  he  was 
interested  two  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  be- 
came engaged  in  a  planing  mill,  terminating  his  rela- 
tions therewith  in  1858.  In  185^  he  was  elected 
County  Treasurer  on  the  Republican  ticket,  holding 
the  incumbency  two  years.  On  the  expiration  of  his 
term  of  office  he  followed  his  trade  until  1868, 
operating  as  a  contractor  and  builder,  and  in  that 
year  he  went  to  Chicago  and  established  himself  in 
the  same  business,  operating  successfully  until  1879. 
He  returned  thence  to  Kirkland,  and  there  followed 
his  trade  two  years.  In  1882  he  founded  his  present 
line  of  business  interests.  He  owns  a  house  and  two 
lots  in  the  village,  and  his  transactions  annually 
amount  to  $12,000. 

Mr.  Tuttle  was  married  Jan.  i,  1840,  in  Genesee 
Co.,  N.  Y  ,  to  Margaret  De  Mott.  She  was  born  Nov. 
25,  1825,  in  that  county,  and  there  grew  to  woman- 
hood, when  she  came  West  with  her  husband.  She 
died  in  Belvidere,  Dec.  31,  1865,  and  was  the  mother 
of  six  children,  two  of  whom  are  deceased.  Rufus 


was  drowned  Dec.  24,  1864,  in  the  river  at  Belvidere 
while  skating  on  the  ice,  by  falling  through  an  air- 
hole. Sarah  married  Mr.  Chamberlain,  a  locomotive 
engineer  residing  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  where  she  died. 
Those  who  are  living  are  Daniel  L.,  Harriet  A.,  Addie 
and  Huldah.  Mr.  Tuttle  was  married  a  second  time 
Jan.  14,  1868,  to  Hattie  Washburn,  of  Dixon,  Lee 
Co.,  111.  Mrs.  Tuttle  is  a  descendant  of  the  cele- 
brated family  named  Washburn  from  Maine.  She 
was  born  Oct.  16,  1837,  in  Paris,  Oxford  Co.,  Maine, 
and  is  the  daughter  of  Luther  and  Abigail  Washburn. 
Her  parents  came  to  De  Kalb  County  before  her 
arrival,  and  she  lived  with  them  until  her  marriage. 
Lena,  first  issue  of  the  second  marriage,  died  when  a 
little  more  than  15  months  old.  Another  child  died 
in  early  infancy. 


arren  Gilchrist,  farmer,  resident  on  sec- 
tion 20,  Franklin  Township,  was  born 
Dec.  19,  r839,  at  Hicks'  Mills  in  the  same 
township  where  he  now  lives.  David  M., 
his  father,  was  born  in  Washington  Co.,  N. 
Y.,  of  Scotch  parentage,  and  married  Elizabeth 
Schoonmaker,.a  native  of  Long  Island.  The  family 
carne  West  in  1837,  after  spending  ten  years  of  mar- 
ried life  in  the  State  of  New  York  and  Canada. 
Franklin  Township  was  in  its  earliest  days  of  pioneer 
life  and  history,  and  they  were  among  its  element  of 
development  and  progress.  The  former  died  at  his 
home  in  1873,  aged  73  years.  The  motTier  died  in 
March,  1882,  while  visitingason  at  Strawberry  Point, 
Clayton  Co.,  Iowa,  at  77  years  of  age.  Their  chil- 
dren included  five  sons  and  a  daughter. 

Mr.  Gilchrist  is  the  third  son  and  fourth  child  of 
his  parents.  He  passed  the  years  of  his  youth  and 
early  manhood  on  the  farm  of  his  father,  which  he 
helped  to  develop,  meanwhile  obtaining  an  education 
at  the  common  schools.  He  was  married  May  30, 
1877,  to  Henrietta,  daughter  of  Silas  B.  and  Elizabeth 
(Taylor)  Roach.  Her  parents  were  born  in  Noble 
Co.,  Ohio,  where  also  her  birth  occurred  Oct.  20, 1853, 
and  they  settled  on  a  farm  on  section  4  in  Franklin 
Township,  whither  they  removed  in  1862.  They  are 
now  members  of  the  family  of  Mr.  Gilchrist,  and  are 
aged  respectively  54  and  56  years.  Mrs.  Gilchrist  is 
the  only  surviving  child  of  her  parents.  (An  older 


child  died  in  infancy.)  She  is  the  mother  of  two 
children, — Leafie,  born  Dec.  18,  1878,  and  Charles 
E.,  born  May,  23,  1881. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Gilchrist,  associated  with 
his  brother,  Charles  H.  Gilchrist,  assumed  the  man- 
agement of  his  father's  homestead,  and  is  a  partial 
owner  of  445  acres  of  land  connected  therewith.  He 
is  a  consistent  and  straightforward  Republican  and 
has  held  several  prominent  local  offices.  He  has 
been  Supervisor  two  years  and  is  present  Justice  of 
the  Peace. 


i  illiain  Decker,  farmer,  section  1 6,  South 
Grove  Township,  was  born  Nov.  30,  1835, 
in  Crawford  Co.,  Ohio.  James  Decker, 
his  father,  was  born  in  New  Jersey,  in  1810, 
of  New  England  parentage,  and  early  in  life 
went  to  Ohio,  where  he  engaged  in  farming. 
In  185  2  he  removed  to  Ogle  Co.,  111.,  whence  he  came 
after  a  stay  of  two  years,  to  De  Kalb  County,  and 
settled  on  section  nine  of  South  Grove  Township. 
He  died  in  September,  1859,  aged  49  years.  He  be- 
came prominent  in  his  township  as  a  citizen  and  a 
farmer  and  lived  an  honored  and  useful  life.  The 
mother,  Margaret  Vanderhoff,  was  of  similar  birth 
and  parentage,  and  resides  still  on  the  homestead, 
retaining  at  the  age  of  73,  Nov.  28,  1884,  her  activity 
of  mind  and  body  to  an  uncommon  degree. 

Mr.  Decker  is  next  to  the  oldest  of  nine  children 
in  order  of  birth,  and  he  passed  the  years  of  his 
minority  in  the  acquisition  of  an  education  and  in 
farm  labor.  At  the  age  of  23  years  he  began  to 
operate  as  an  independent  farmer  on  40  acres  of 
land  deeded  to  him  by  his  father,  belonging  originally 
to  the  family  homestead.  He  pursued  the  duties  of 
an  agriculturist  thereon  until  the  second  year  of  the 
Civil  War.  Aug.  14,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  Co.  C. 
losth  111.  Vol.  Inf.  The  regiment  was  assigned  to 
the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  and  was  in  the  mili- 
tary service  of  the  United  States  until  the  close  of 
the  war,  experiencing  all  the  varieties,  vicissitudes 
and  triumphs  of  Sherman's  campaign  through  Geor- 
gia and  the  Carolinas.  Soon  after  taking  the  field, 
Mr.  Decker  was  detailed  for  service  in  the  quarter- 
master's department,  and  passed  the  entire  period  of 


his  enlistment  there,  receiving  an  honorable  dis- 
charge June,  7,  1865. 

On  his  return  to  civil  life  Mr.  Decker  resumed  his 
agricultural  relations,  and  has  added  80  acres  to  his 
original  ownership,  making  an  aggregate  of  120  acres. 
He  is  a  prosperous  farmer,  engaged  in  the  success- 
ful culture  of  the  crops  common  to  this  section  and  in 
raising  cattle  of  valuable  grades.  Mr.  Decker  is  a 
Republican  of  decided  type  and  has  officiated  in 
various  township  offices. 

He  was  married  Feb.  21,  1861,  in  South  Grove 
Township,  to  Lizzie  Shorey,  and  they  have  had  five 
children,  two  of  whom  are  deceased.  Win.  Henry 
was  born  Sept.  2,  1864;  Elnora,  Oct  27,  1866;  and 
Harvey  E.,  Aug.  5,  1869.  They  have  also  raised  one 
other  child,  Ursula  Decker,  who  was  the  daughter  of 
William  and  Margaret  Decker,  a  cousin  of  Mr. 
Decker  of  this  sketch.  Her  father  died  in  New 
Jersey  when  she  was  two  years  old,  and  her  mother 
was  a  second  time  married,  and  she  was  taken  by 
Mr.  Decker  to  bring  up.  She  was  born  March  22, 
1863,  in  New  Jersey,  and  died  Jan.  30, 1885,  in  Iowa, 
where  she  had  gone  six  weeks  before  her  death. 
Her  remains  were  brought  to  South  Grove  for  burial. 

Mis.  Decker  was  born  Sept.  7,  i844,inOneidaCo., 
N.  Y.,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Washington  and  Maria 
(Vanderwalker)  Shorey.  The  former  was  born  in 
Vermont  and  was  by  calling  a  farmer  until  his  death, 
May  30,  1880.  Her  mother  resides  in  Guthrie  Co., 
Iowa. 


ichard  B.  Spiers,    M.  D.,  physician   and 
surgeon,  resident  at   Kirkland,    was   born 
May  26,  1845,  in  Halton  Co.,  Ont.     He  is 
the  son  of  George  A.  and  Isabella   (Spiers) 
Spiers,  both  of  whom  were  born  in   Ireland, 
\         and  who  came  soon  after  their  marriage    to 
the  Dominion  of  Canada.     The  former  died  not  long 
after  he   settled  in   Halton  County,  where  he  was  a 
pioneer.     The  mother  is  still  living  in  that  county. 

Dr.  Spiers,  after  the  death  of  his  father,  became 
the  charge  of  his  uncle,  Alexander  Brown,  whose 
wife  was  his  maternal  aunt.  Mr.  Brown  was  a 
Scotchman  and  lived  in  Halton  County,  engaged  in 
farming.  His  foster-parents  discharged  their  duty 
creditably  and  well,  sending  him  to  the  grammar 
school,  where  he  acquired  an  excellent  fundamental 

^^^ *f*t§^ 


KALB   COUNTY. 


*£f  education  of  the  type  which  underlies  the  training  of 
every  man  who  pursues  a  course  of  professional 

£  i  study  in  Canada,  and  where  he  was  a  pupil  until  21 
years  old.  In  1866,  Dr.  Spiers  matriculated  at  the 

^Toronto  University,  where  he  completed  the  pre- 
scribed curriculum  of  study  under  the  stringent  regu- 
lations of  that  celebrated  institution,  noted  for  the 
inflexible  regimen  exercised  in  preparing  its  students 
for  their  profession.  The  course  of  medical  reading 
is  extended  over  a  period  of  four  years,  and  Dr. 
( Spiers  devoted  the  vacational  interims  to  office  study 
and  desultory  practice. 

His  marriage  to  Sarah  E.  Tremain  took  place  Oct. 
5,  1870,  in  Halton  County.  She  was  born  April  20, 
1852,  in  the  Province  of  Ontario,  and  is  the  daughter 
of  James  and  Jane  (Biggar)  Tremain.  Her  father 
was  a  merchant  and  died  in  February,  1865.  Her 
mother's  death  occurred  about  1858.  Mrs.  Spiers 
was  a  child  of  tender  years  when  her  mother  died, 
and  lived  with  her  father  until  his  demise,  then  enter- 
ing the  household  of  her  maternal  aunt,  the  wife  of 

•Vj?  George  Marlatt,  a  farmer  and  a  native  of  Ontario. 

=  She  was  carefully  educated  in  the  grammar  schools 

<$o{  her  native  province.    Of  her  union  with  Dr.  Spiers 

a  she   has  become  the  mother  of  four  children.     One 
child  died  in  infancy.     Susan  M.  died  when  she  was 
^two  years  and  nine  months  old.     Rebecca  M.  and 
)  Bessie  G.,  twins,  were  born  Aug.  12,  1879. 

After  marriage,  Dr.  Spiers  removed  to  Watervliet( 
Berrien  Co.,  Mich.,  and  there  established  his  business 
as  a  medical  practioner,  in  which  he  was  engaged  at 
that  point  three  years.  He  came  thence  to  Wheaton, 
Du  Page  Co.,  111.,  and  after  practicing  there  two 
(years  came,  in  June,  1875,10  Kirkland,  and  at  once 
began  his  practice,  in  which  he  has  met  with  un- 
qualified success  and  popularity.  He  is  the  owner 
of  an  elegant  home  at  Kirkland.  In  political  pref- 
erences he  is  a  Republican  and  has  officiated  one 
term  as  Village  Trustee. 


Miles   Beach   Castle,   a  leading    and 
prominent   citizen   of  Sandwich,  was  born 
Aug.  13,  1826,  in   Albany,  N.  Y.     He  is  a 
member  of  the  third  generation  from  Xiideon 
Castle,  one  of  three  brothers  who  came  from 
England  about  the  year  1700.     The  two  elder 
1  settled  respectively  in  Geneva,  N.  Y.,  and  in  Pennsyl- 


vania, while  the  third  located  in  Amenia,  Dutchess 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  where  he  became  an  extensive  landholder, 
owning  at  one  time  vast  tracts  of  land,  including 
10,000  acres  in  New  York  State.  His  son  Gideon 
became  prominent  in  the  colonial  history  of  the 
United  States,  and  was  a  staff  officer  with  General 
Washington,  filling  the  position  of  Commissary  with 
the  rank  of  Captain,  when  the  Commander-in-chief 
was  in  New  York  and  vicinity,  during  the  progress  of 
the  struggle  for  independence.  He  died  at  98  years 
of  age,  after  becoming  the  father  of  five  sons.  Elijah, 
the  third  in  order  of  birth,  was  the  father  of  Mr. 
Castle  of  this  sketch.  He  inherited  from  the  estate 
of  his  father  a  farm  valued  at  $10,000,  located  in 
Dutchess  County,  N.  Y.,  which  he  afterward  sold, 
removing  to  the  city  of  Albany,  N.  Y.,  investing  his 
capital  in  a  general  business.  He  married  Deborah 
Beach,  of  Dutchess  County,  and  to  them  five  chil- 
dren were  born,  three  of  whom,  with  the  parents,  in- 
habit the  mystic  realms  of  the  land  of  the  hereafter. 
One  daughter,  Cynthia,  widow  of  James  W.  Bishop, 
resides  at  Little  Falls,  Herkimer  Co.,  N.  Y. 

Mr.  Castle  passed  the  years  of  his  minority  in 
attendance  at  school,  in  the  varied  duties  of  the  farm 
and  in  other  avenues  of  labor,  finally  entering  the 
excellent  educational  institution  at  Jonesville,  in 
Northern  New  York,  then  an  academy  of  celebrity, 
where  he  was  graduated  about  the  time  of  attaining 
his  majority.  He  soon  became  a  salesman  in  a  dry- 
goods  store  at  Glens  Falls,  N.  Y.,  where  he  remained 
in  the  capacity  of  clerk  and  afterwards  as  general 
manager,  until  the  autumn  of  1855,  except  a  brief 
term  when  he  was  at  Warrensburg,  N.  Y.  He  then 
fulfilled  a  determination  to  come  West  and  proceeded 
to  Chicago.  He  passed  the  ensuing  winter  in  that 
city,  and  in  the  spring  of  1856  opened  a  lumber  yard 
at  Sandwich,  111.  During  the  same  year  he  organized 
the  Sandwich  Bank,  and  he  has  retained  his  interest 
in  and  connection  with  both  enterprises  without  in- 
termission. In  the  latter  he  is  associated  with  his 
nephew,  Capt.  F.'S.  Mosher.  About  1870  Mr.  Castle 
founded  the  Kendall  County  Bank,  at  Yorkville, 
Kendall  County,  and  is  still  its  chief  official,  his  as- 
sociate and  the  cashier  of  the  institution  being  Mr. 
M.  E.  Cornell.  In  r878,  in  connection  with  his  son, 
J.  B.  Castle,  he  established  the  Sandwich  Argus,  a. 
journalistic  enterprise  which  has  met  with  unquali- 
fied success.  In  the  various  business  ventu 
which  Mr.  Castle  has  e.nbarked,  he  has  met  with 




I 


J 


unvarying  prosperity,  and  his  success  in  his  under- 
takings has  come  to  be  considered  phenomenal  in 
results,  a  condition  which  has  arisen  from  the  exer- 
cise of  judgment  and  forethought,  and  the  effort  at 
the  outset  to  embark  only  in  such  undertakings  as 
promised  to  meet  universal  need.  As  a  banker  Mr. 
Castle  has  operated  nearly  30  years,  and  is  one  of 
the  oldest  in  the  State  in  length  of  service  in  that 
business.  During  the  financial  crises  of  1855,  '57, 
"60,  "6 1,  '73  and  later  his  bank  has  in  no  instance -re- 
fused a  check  or  closed  its  doors. 

He  is  a  Republican  of  decided  type,  and  his  sa- 
gacity, intelligence  and  discrimination  have  received 
due  recognition  at  the  hands  of  the  local  political 
element  which  he  has  served  long  and  well.  In  1872 
he  was  elected  to  the  Senate  of  Illinois  and  served 
through  the  short  term,  and  in  1874  was  re-elected 
to  the  long  term,  serving  a  period  of  six  consecutive 
years.  In  1878  he  declined  a  proffered  re-election  to 
give  his  private  business  the  attention  demanded  by 
his  interests.  While  a  member  of  the  Legislature' 
he  was  conspicuous  in  his  exertions  for  and  advocacy 
of  what  is  designated  "  radical  legislation,"  and  the 
passage  of  "  the  Married  Woman's  Bill,"  which  pro- 
vided for  the  protection  of  the  property  rights  of 
women,  was  mainly  due  to  his  instrumentality.  He 
officiated  as  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Public 
Buildings  and  Grounds,  having  charge,  on  the  part  of 
the  Senate,  of  the  Executive  Mansion  and  the  new 
State  House  at  Springfield.  Among  many  other 
measures  for  the  public  interests,  Mr.  Castle  intro- 
duced and  effected  the  passage  of  the  first  bill  for 
protecting  fish  interests  in  the  State  of  Illinois.  He 
has  been  a  member  of  the  Republican  State  Central 
Committee,  and  a  member  of  the  two  last  Republican 
State  Conventions,  in  each  of  which  he  acted  on  the 
Platform  Committees  and  proved  an  efficient  factor 
in  the  specific  business  of  those  bodies.  He  has 
been  for  several  years  and  still  is  Chairman  of  the 
Executive  Committee  of  the  Illinois  State  Equal 
Suffrage  Association.  He  belongs  to  the  State  Press 
Association  and  the  Press  Club  of  Chicago.  Mr. 
Castle  is  a  Royal  Arch  Mason,  belonging  to  the 
Chapter  at  Sandwich.  His  literary  abilities  are  of  a 
versatile  and  acceptable  character,  and  he  gained 
wide-spread  and  appreciative  commendation  through 
the  merits  of  a  poem  he  delivered  at  Springfield  on 
the  occasion  of  the  laying  of  the  corner-stone  of  the 
new  State  House  in  1868.  The  private  library  of 

J^x^t*8 ^jg§f         O 


Mr.  Castle  comprises  a  large  and  valuable  selection 
of  publications  of  the  best  quality. 

Mr.  Castle  was  united  in  marriage  to  Freelove 
Kinney  Hubbard,  at  Sandwich,  111.,  by  Rev.  L.  P. 
Crawford,  in  January,  1859.  She  was  a  daughter  of  ii 
Hon.  Asa  Kinney,  formerly  State  Senator  in  Califor- 
nia, and  an  adopted  daughter  of  her  uncle,  John 
Hubbard.  Mrs.  Castle  was  a  descendant  of  the 
branch  of  the  same  family  of  Grinells  as  those  of 
New  York  city,  her  ancestors  being  English  Knights. 
She  was  educated  at  Knox  College,  Galesburg,  111.,  v 
and  is  a  woman  of  rare  mental  powers, — one  of  those 
whose  judgments  is  rarely  at  fault  upon  any  question. 
Three  children  have  been  born  to  them,  as  follows : 
John  B.,  Aug.  13,  1859;  Louisa  R.,  Jan.  21,  1861; 
Grace  Frederika,  July,  1868.  John  B.  is  assistant 
cashier  in  the  bank  and  owns  one-half  of  the  busi- 
ness of  the  Argus,  of  which  he  is  local  editor. 


illiam  B.  McDowell,  attorney-at-law,  res- 
ident at  Kirkland,  Franklin  Township,  was 
born  Oct.  15,  1842,  on  section  i  in  the 
township  where  he  has  since  lived.  He  is 
the  son  of  John  and  Martha  (Riddle)  Mc- 
Dowell, of  whom  a  detailed  account  is  given  on 
another  page.  Mr.  McDowell  was  brought  up  on  the 
farm  of  his  father  and  attended  the  common  school 
in  the  vicinity  of  his  parents'  home.  When  he  was 
15  years  of  age  he  entered  the  college  at  Wheaton, 
Du  Page  Co.,  111.,'  where  he  pursued  a  course  of  study 
three  years.  He  has  all  his  life  possessed  extraordi- 
nary skill  in  penmanship  and  drawing,  and  while  at 
Wheaton  was  engaged  in  teaching  both  branches. 
At  19  years  of  age  he  -became  the  arbitrator  of  his 
own  fortunes,  and  after  leaving  school  worked  on  a 
farm  summers  and  taught  penmanship  winters.  He 
met  with  much  success  in  the  latter  occupation,  and 
passed  several  years  in  alternate  teaching  and  farm 
labor.  Afterward  he  devoted  his  time  wholly  to  farm 
labor  for  a  few  years,  and  finally  became  general 
agent  for  the  sale  of  the  machines  manufactured  by 
McCormick  &  Co.  He  operated  in  their  interests 
one  year  and  then  entered  the  law  office  of  J.  L. 
Pratt,  of  Sycamore.  In  1879  he  was  admitted  to  the 
Bar  of  Illinois,  and  practiced  in  company  with  Mr. 
Pratt  for  a  short  time.  Subsequently  he  went  to 


*«*£*»„,,, 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


(I 


Leadville,  Col.,  where  he  entered  into  an  association 
with  Hon.  Mr.  Hemmingway,  and  continued  the 
practice  of  his  profession  nearly  two  years.  The 
death  of  his  brother  caused  his  return  to  his  native 
State,  and  he  located  for  a  brief  season  at  Sycamore, 
but  eventually  fixed  his  residence  and  business  at 
Kirkland.  One  of  the  earliest  pieces  of  work  which 
he  was  called  on  to  perform  was  the  drafting  of  the 
ordinances  of  Kirkland,  which  was  a  superb  speci- 
men of  chirography  and  elicited  much  admiration. 
The  law  business  of  Mr.  McDowell  has  continued 
to  increase  until  he  is  now  in  the  enjoyment  of  a 
solid  reputation  as  an  attorney  in  the  various  Courts 
in  which  he  is  called  to  practice. 

On  the  admission  of  the  ordinances  of  Kirkland 
in  1883  he  was  made  President  of  the  village.  He 
has  always  been  interested  in  fine  and  valuable 
horses,  and  has  made  exhibits  of  fine  animals  at  the 
county  fairs.  He  is  the  owner  of  an  interest  in  four 
mining  claims  at  Leadville,  Col. 

Mr.  McDowell  is  a  decided  Democrat  in  political 
opinion,  and  has  officiated  as  Township  Clerk.  He 
is  present  Village  Attorney  (1885).  In  addition  to 
his  extensive  legal  business  he  represents  several 
home  and  foreign  insurance  companies.  In  1872  he 
was  made  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Order,  and  be- 
longs to  Dement  Lodge,  No.  515,  at  Kirkland. 


Dn.  Stephen  B.  Stinson,  attorney  at  Sand- 
wich, was  born  Oct.  3,  1825,  in  Boston, 
'Mass.,  and  he  is  the  youngest  of  four  children 
of  his  parents,  Maj.  Andrew  H.  and  Mary  Stin- 
son. The  death  of  the  father  when  he  was  but 
four  years  old,  followed  by  that  of  his  mother 
seven  years  later,  brought  into  activity  the  traits  of 
character  which  have  distinguished  his  progenitors, 
the  Scotch-Irish,  from  whom  he  descended  in  both 
lines.  » 

In  the  lapse  of  years  and  in  the  conversions  of 
terms  which  arise  in  succeeding  generations,  there  is 
danger  of  the  race  style  of  "  Scotch-Irish  "  losing  its 
distinctive  signification,  and  it  is  not  even  now 
clearly  understood  that  the  combination  only  indi- 
cates the  fact  that  the  people  referred  to  were  es- 
sentially Scotch,  and  Ireland  had  been  but  a 
VVJ«N£«_ ^.axa.^  n  f 


temporary  abiding  place,  as  the  assimilation  was  so 
slight  as  to  be  but  nominal.  In  1619  an  emigration 
of  people  from  Scotland  to  the  North  of  Ireland  took 
place  for  the  purpose  of  escape  from  the  persecution 
of  the  Scottish  "  kirk  "  under  King  James,  only  to 
find  themselves  subjected  to  regulations  more  bur- 
densome, which  they  endured  with  growing  discon- 
tent for  an  exact  century.  In  1719,  a  colony  of  16 
families  emigrated  to  New  Hampshire  and  formed 
the  nucleus  of  Londonderry,  who  were  followed  by 
others  of  the  same  ancestral  origin.  To  the  intoler- 
ance of  the  ruling  religious  element  of  Scotland  and  Sjcj 
the  North  of  Ireland  in  the  I7th  and  i8th  centuries,  I 
is  our  own  nationality  indebted  for  one  of  its  most 
inflexible  and  unswerving  elements  of  probity  and 
uprightness,  enhanced  beyond  estimate  in  value  to  a 
composite  nationality  like  ours,  by  sturdy,  physical 
strength  and  hardihood,  and  inborn  and  inbred  fru- 
gality, thrift  and  industry ;  and  though  the  natural 
limitation  of  family  continuance  is  a  trait  of  the 
Scotch-Irish,  in  their  characteristics  they  are  still  the 
types  of  their  indomitable  ancestors.  The  men  pre- 
serve their  splendid  physique,  their  courage  and  per- 
severance, and  the  women  their  piety,  native  wit  and  ^ 
strength  of  character,  which,  transmitted  to  their  5,. 
sons,  has  re-appeared  in  radiant  luster,  polished  and 
refined  under  the  influences  artd  privileges  afforded 
by  our  form  of  government.  To  the  colonization  of  ( 
Londonderry  the  United  States  is  indebted  for  the  in- 
troduction of  the  cultivation  of  flax  and  the  use  of 
the  linen  spinning  wheel,  and  also  the  cultivation  of 
the  Irish  potato,  which  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  had  taken 
from  South  America  to  Europe  150  years  before. 
Archibald  Stark,  from  whom  Starkstown  was  named  1 
and  the  father  of  "  Molly  Stark  V  husband,  General  \ 
John  Stark,  the  hero  of  Bennington,  and  the  grand- 
parents of  Horace  Greeley,  were  members  of  the  same 
company.  General  Stark  was  the  cousin  of  Mary 
Stinson,  the  mother  of  Judge  Stinson. 

Ten  years  after  the   first  settlement    at   London- 
derry, John  Stinson  and  his  wife  Mary,  and  a  consid- 
erable number  of  his  friends  and  relatives,  emigrated  O 
to  that  place  from  Londonderry,  Ireland.     From  two 
of  their  sons — William  and  Samuel — descended  the 
line  represented  by  Judge  Stinson,  the  latter  being  ( 
his  great-grandfather  in  the  paternal  line  of  descent.    « 
William  Stinson  was  his  grandfather  in  his  mother's  t 
line.     The  brothers  removed,  on  attaining  independ 
ent  manhood,  to  a  point  farther  north  know 

«f*^*<® 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


"  Masonian  Grant  of  the  Province  of  New  Hamp- 
shire." To  fulfill  the  .provisions  of  the  "  grant,"  it  was 
necessary  to  occupy  the  allotments  of  land,  and  Will- 
iam Stinson  was,  in  1751-2,  one  of  the  three  found- 
(c^ers  of  Starkstown,  now  Dunbarton,  N.  H.,  where  he 
lived  for  a  time  alone  in  a  log  cabin  while  making 
his  "clearing."  While  living  thus  he  had  a  clergyman 
for  a  guest,  and  in  lieu  of  a  table  set  forth  the  hospi- 
talities of  his  house  on  an  inverted  basket.  The  cler- 
ical visitor  solicited  the  divine  interposition  in  behalf 
(of  the  "  basket  "  and  store  of  his  host.  The  petition 
Xijwas  amply  fulfilled,  as  Mr.  S.  reached  competency. 
>  He  was  born  in  Ireland  March  15,  1725,  and  died 
Aug.  21,  1803.  His  wife,  Agnes,  nee  Caldwell,  was 
born  in  June,  1734,  and  their  marriage  took  place 
.March  26,  1754.  Mary,  wife  of  Andrew  H.  Stinson, 
was  the  youngest  of  their  12  children,  and  was  born 
Jan.  25,  1782.  Captain  William  Stinson  was  a  de- 
)cided  character.  He  became  an  extensive  land- 
holder and  the  annual  productions  of  his  estate 
Xcomprised  large  crops  of  corn,  wheat  and  rye.  His 
^observation  had  led  him  to  a  discovery  of  the  fact 
££Jthat  the  average  prices  of  these  grains  were  about  50 
nts  for  corn,  75  cents  for  rye  and  a  dollar  for  wheat, 
n  accordance  with  his  idea  of  equity,  which  he 
accorded  with  the  same  rigidity  with  which  he  en- 
forced his  own  claims,  he  held  h 


-'ruling  rates  fell  below  his  average,  building  addi- 
tional storehouses  if  necessary.  When  the  prices 
went  above  his  standard  he  would  accept  no  more 
than  the  rate  he  himself  fixed,  and  he  would  only 
sell  to  the  poor  for  their  own  use.  He  came  to  be 
styled  in  all  the  region  where  he  lived  as  the  "  poor 
man's  friend."*  Samuel  Stinson,  son  of  Samuel  Stin- 
son above  mentioned,  removed  in  early  manhood  to 
Nova  Scotia,  where  he  was  married,  and  where  his 
son  Andrew  H.  was  born,  Dec.  25,  1789.  During  the 
boyhood  of  the  latter  the  family  removed  to'  Dun- 
barton,  where  Samuel  Stinson  died.  .  After  his  mar- 
riage, Maj.  A.  H.  Stinson  resided  for  a  time  at  Hop- 
kinton,  N.  H.,  and  than  went  to  Boston,  Mass.,' 
he  was  extensively  engaged  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  carriages  for  several  years,  and  later  he  be- 
came interested  in  the  manufacture  of  lumber  in  the 
State  of  Maine.  He  died  March  22,  1829,  at  Hop- 

fkinton,  N.  H.     Mary  Stinson,  his  wife,  died  May  21, 


Stephen  B.  Stinson  inherited  from  his  parents  only 
opportunity  and  a  disposition  to  struggle  to  place 
himself  at  least  above  mediocrity.  The  necessities 
which  he  found  upon  him  were  twofold.  His  appe- 
tite for  knowledge  was  as  insatiate  and  impelling  as 
the  needs  of  his  physical  nature.  Between  the  ages 
of  ii  and  16  years  he  had  only  the  advantages  of 
the  public  schools  of  the  winter  seasons,  and  he 
passed  the  remainders  of  those  years  in  farm  labor. 
But  he  mastered  the  entire  curriculum  of  English 
study  in  those  studious  winter  terms  of  common 
school,  and  was  fitted  for  teaching.  He  entered 
upon  the  duties  of  a  pedagogue  as  a  stepping  stone 
to  a  collegiate  course,  and  his  earnings,  coupled  with 
temporary  assistance  (afterward  fully  repaid),  enabled 
him  to  pursue  a  classical  course  of  two  years  at  the 
academy  at  Hopkinton,  N.  H.  In  1844  he  matricu- 
lated at  Dartmouth  College,  Hanover,  N.  H.,  where 
several  members  of  his  family  of  the  generation  which 
preceded  him  had  been  educated,  and  was  graduated 
with  honor  in  July,  1848,  in  a  class  of  50  members, 
among  whom  were  Hon.  J.  W.  Patterson,  afterward 
United  States  Senator  from  New  Hampshire,  and 
Rev.  James  C.  Beecher,  the  youngest  son  of  Dr. 
Lyman  Beecher. 

Judge  Stinson  was  hardly  22  years  of  age  when  he 
finished  his  educational  career,  and  he  availed  him- 
self of  the  first-  opportunity  which  presented  for 
activity  and  became  a  teacher  in  an  academy  at 
Thetford,  Vt.,  whence  he  went  after  a  brief  time  to 
the  office  of  Hon.  J.  D.  Willard,  of  Troy,  N.  Y.,  with 
whom  as  a  preceptor  and  in  whose  office  relations  he 
enjoyed  exceptional  advantages.  He  was  admitted 
to  the  Bar  at  Albany,  N.  Y.,  in  December,  1850. 

In  1851  he  came  to  Kendall  Co.,  111.,  where  he 
operated  about  five  years  as  a  farmer,  removing  in 
1856  to  Sandwich,  in  De  Kalb  County,  where  he  has 
since  practiced  his  profession. 

His  marriage  to  Mary  C.  Bull  took  place  June  7, 
1 85  2,  in  the  city  of  New  York,  and  they  are  the  par- 
ents of  one  son  and  three  daughters.  Mary  A.,  born 
July  26,  1855,  is  the  wife  of  Charles  H.  Adams,  M. 
D.,  of  Marseilles,  111.;  Hester  B.,  born  April  14,  1857, 
and  Frances  J.,  born  Oct.  8,  1860,  are  next  in  order 
of  birth.  Charles  L.,  born  Aug.  22,  1862,  married 
Mary  E.  Jones  and  is  in  business  at  Marseilles 
Lizzie,  born  March  2r,  1853,  died  April  19,  1858 
Mrs.  Stinson  was  born  at  Easton,  Washington  Co., 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


N.  Y.,  Feb.  17,  1833,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Isaac 
and  Hester  (Kittell)  Bull.  She  is  of  mixed  descent, 
being  of  English  lineage  on  the  father's  side,  and 
Holland  Dutch  in  the  maternal  line. 

In  his  profession  Judge  Stinson  is  a  judicious  and 
safe  counselor,  is  thoroughly  read  in  jurisprudence, 
and  since  his  establishment  of  his  business  in  De 
Kalb  County  his  prosperous  practice  is  sufficient 
evidence  of  the  general  estimate  in  which  he  is  held. 
As  a  citizen  he  is  favorably  known  in  the  interest  and 
consideration  he  never  fails  to  bestow  on  matters  per- 
taining to  the  well-being  of  the  people  of  whom  he  is 
one,  and  he  has  discharged  all  his  obligations  in  local 
official,  educational  and  religious  matters  in  the 
method  which  has  characterized  his  career.  He  has 
officiated  several  years  as  President  of  the  Board  of 
Education,  and  as  City  Attorney  of  Sandwich,  and  in 
1861  represented  Kane  and  De  Kalb  Counties  in  the 
State  Constitutional  Convention  at  Springfield,  in 
which  capacity  he  performed  efficient  service.  He 
served  about  three  years  as  Assistant  United  States 
Revenue^Assessor  for  the  same  counties.  In  July, 
1882,  he  was  appointed  by  the  Governor  to  fill  the 
residue  of  an  unexpired  term  as  County  Judge  of 
De  Kalb  County,  a  vacancy  having  occurred  by  the 
resignation  of  Hon.  G.  S.  Robinson.  In  November 
following  he  was  elected  to  the  same  office  for  a  full 
term  of  four  years.  He  was  compelled  by  ill  health 
to  resign  the  Judge'ship  in  February,  1883,  to  the 
great  regret  of  the  people  who  had  an  abiding  belief 
in  his  fitness  and  competency  for  the  position.  He 
has  acted  undeviatingly  with  the  Republican  party 
from  the  outset  of  his  political  career,  and  is  an 
earnest  adherent  of  the  principles  and  issues  of  that 
party.  Judge  Stinson  is  one  of  the  original  mem- 
bers of  the  Congregational  Church  at  Sandwich,  and 
has  been  for  many  years  a  Deacon  and  Trustee  in 
the  Society.  Pie  has  cherished  his  interest  in  edu- 
cational matters  from  the  days  of  his  early  strug- 
gles to  obtain  what  he  considered  a  degree  of 
knowledge  sufficient  to  enable  him  to  undertake  his 
share  of  the  world's  work  understandingly.  The 
cost  and  effort  necessary  to  the  accomplishment  of 
his  collegiate  course,  with  the  gratification  conse- 
quent upon  a  comprehensive,  classical  and  scientific 
education,  has  kept  alive  his  tastes  in  those  direc- 
tions, and  he  has  maintained  his  reading  of  Greek 
and  Latin  far  beyond  the  custom  of  busy  profes- 
sional men  who  have  not  passed  their  lives  in 


•teaching.  He  has  also  acquired  a  considerable  ac-^i1 
quaintance  with  several  modern  languages.  In 
addition,  he  has  kept  pace  with  the  world  of  lit- 
erature, and,  from  his  powers  of  criticism  and  as- 
similation, has  a  fund  of  useful  and  profitable 
information,  which  renders  him  a  valuable  accessory 
to  social  circles. 

The  portrait  of  Judge  Stinson  is  given  on  a  pre- 
ceding page.     His  inflexibility  in  the  conduct  of  his 
professional  business,  his    spotless    private  life,  the 
character  of  the    services    he  has    rendered    in    his 
several  official  capacities,  will  secure  for  the  picture 
a  hearty  welcome  from  the  entire  patronage  of  the   , 
DE  KALB  COUNTY  ALBUM,  which  would  be  signally  * 
incomplete  without  it.     The  photograph  from  which 
it  was  copied  was  taken  in  1882. 


ohn   M.   Schoonmaker,  resident  at  Field- 
ng,  is  a  farmer  by  vocation  and  an  extens- 
ve  buyer  and  shipper  of  stock.     He  was  i=i 
born  in  Hannibal  Township,  Oswego  Co.,  N.  5x 
Y.,   Aug.    16,    1827.     John  Schoonmaker,  his  En 
father,  was  born  in   Flatbush,  Kings  Co.,  on  -jv 
Long  Island.     He  went  thence  to  Oswego  County, 
where  he  was  married  to  Julia  Farnham,  and  was  a 
resident  of-that  county  until  his  removal  to  De  Kalb 
County  in  1845.     He  then  located  at  Hicks  Mills  in 
the  township  of  Franklin,  where  he  resided  principally 
until  his  death,  which  took  place  in  October,  1874, 
when  he  was  77  years  of  age.     He  was  a  blacksmith 
by  occupation.     The  mother  was  a  native  of  Shafts- 
bury,  Bennington  Co.,  Vt.,  and  was  of  pure   English 
extraction,  tracing  her  lineage  to  the  earliest  settle- 
ment of  the  colonies.     She  was  born  about  1797  and  ' 
died  about  1849,  in  Franklin  Township.     The  chil- 
dren were  four  in  number  and  included  three  daugh- 
ters and  a  son. 

Mr.  Schoonmaker  came  to  Illinois  with  his  parents 
when  he  was  18  years  of  age.  He  was  married 
Sept.  6,  1848,  in  Monroe  Township,  Ogle  Co.,  111.,  to 
Nancy,  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  (Grill)  Miller. 
They  became  the  parents  of  five  children.  Alice  is 
the  wife  of  C.  F.  Meyer,  a  farmer  of  Franklin  Town- 
ship. Elnora  married  B.  A.  Patten'  and  resides  at 
Silver  Lake,  Kan.  George  married  Florence  Ellis 
and  lives  on  the  Schoonmaker  homestead,  section  32, 

— ^€^ -I 


ind  is  completing  a  course  of  study  at  Aurora,  111. 
J^  Sylvester  was  born  Sept.  27,  1859,  and  died  March 
10,  1862.  Mrs.  Schoonmaker  was  born  Jan.  23, 
1828,  in  Steuben  Township,  Oneida  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and 
when  1 8  years  of  age  came  with  her  parents  to  Ogle 
Co.,  111.  She  is  the  ninth  of  twelve  children. 

After  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schoonmaker 
settled  on  a  farm  of  160  acres  located  on  section  32, 
which  they  purchased  from  the  Government.  They 
wrere  remote  from  the  other  settlers  of  the  township, 
ind  the  broad  acres  of  their  farm  had  never  known 
the  plow.  The  homestead  now  contains  250  acres, 
*  is  in  the  best  possible  condition  for  successful  farm- 
ing and  is  increased  in  value  and  appearance  by 
most  excellent  farm  buildings  and  a  splendid  resi- 
dence. 

In  1879,  Mr.  Schoonmaker  purchased  a  pleasant 
home  in  Fielding,  whither  he  removed  and  has  since 
engaged  in  the  business  stated. 

He  entered  the  army  of  the  United  States  during 
^  the  Rebellion,  enlisting  Aug.  7,  1862,  in  the  io5th 
=  Reg.  111.  Vol.  Inf.,  and  went  to  the  field  under  the 
;y|  command  of  Col.  Dustin,  of  Sycamore.     He  was  in 
i=*  action   in    the    engagements   at    Resaca,    Ringgold, 
'^  Kenesaw  Mountain,  Marietta  and  in  many  others  of 
^greater  or   less   importance.     Thirty  days  after  his 
enrollment  he  was  made  Sergeant  of  his  Company, 
and  acted  in  that  capacity  until  his  transfer   at  Ma- 
rietta, Ga.,  to  an  official  position  in  the  logth  U.  S. 
Regiment  of  colored  troops.     He  brought  the  organ- 
ization   to  Louisville,  Ky.,   where  he   was  commis- 
sioned First  Lieutenant,  and  the  command  was  con- 
f  nected  with  the  Army  of  the  James.     In  October, 
864,  Lieutenant  Schoonmaker  received  orders  from 
I  General  Sheridan  to  put  his  men  in  line  of  battle,  as 
the  rebel  General  Early  was  threatening  to  occupy 
Martinsburg,  which  movement  was  succeeded  Oct. 
19  by  "  Sheridan's  Ride  "  from  Westchester  to  Cedar 
Creek,   resulting   in  the  destruction  of  the  army  of 
General  Early.     He  was  also  in  the  engagements  at 
1  Petersburg,  which  terminated   in  the   surrender  of 
General  Lee,  his  troops  doing  effective  service  in  the 
the  skirmish  line.  After  the  collapse  of  the  Rebellion 
his  regiment  was  sent  to  Texas  in  the  corps  of  Gen- 
eral Sheridan,  where  it  was  in  service  until  the  year 
following/   Mr.  Schoonmaker  was  discharged  March 
12,  1866,  at  Louisville,  Ky.     During   his    absence 


from  home  his  efficient  wife  conducted  the  affairs  of 
the  farm,  to  which  she  gave  her  personal  oversight 
and  aid.  They  are  zealous  and  effective  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in  which  Mr.  S. 
has  been  Steward  and  Class-leader  eight  years. 

He  is  a  Republican  and  has  been  Trustee  of  his 
township  several  years  and  Assessor  two  terms. 


arrison  Mackey,  farmer,  section  n,  May- 
field  Township,  is  a  native  of  the  Empire 
State.  His  parents,  Levi  and  Rebecca 
(Scott)  Mackey,  natives  also  of  that  State, 
passed  their  entire  lives  there.  He  was  of 
German  ancestry,  and  died  about  1858,  and 
she,  of  American  parentage,  died  in  June,  1838. 
They  had  eight  children, — John,  Julia  A.,  Griffin, 
Gilman,  Harriet,  Harrison,  Thorn  M.  and  Mary  J. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Ulster  Co., 
N.  Y.,  April  22,  1813,  and  when  15  years  of  age  he 
left  home  and  proceeded  to  Orange  Co.,  N.  Y.,  for 
the  purpose  of  learning  the  blacksmith  trade,  in 
which  he  was  apprenticed  for  nearly  four  years. 
Next  he  followed  his  trade  nearly  a  year  in  New 
Jersey,  then,  in  succession,  he  spent  several  months 
in  his  native  county,  in  business  for  himself  in 
Orange  County  again  for  six  years,  and  in  the  spring 
of  1839  he  emigrated  to  this  county  and  settled  in 
Mayfield  Township,  where  he  has  ever  since  resided, 
spending  portions  of  three  years,  however,  in  Orange 
County.  He  is  now  the  possessor  of  more  than  500 
acres  of  land  in  Mayfield  and  Sycamore  Townships. 
He  is  now  occupying  part  of  his  land,  keeping  30  to 
40  head  of  cattle,  12  head  of  horses,  and  fattens 
yearly  25  to  50  head  of  hogs. 

Mr.  Mackey  has  held  many  local  offices  and  is  one 
of  the  leading  pioneers  of  De  Kalb  County,  coming 
here  before  the  land  was  surveyed.  About  the  year 
1855  an  effort  was  made  to  establish  in  Mayfield 
Township  a  postoffice  to  be  known  as  "  Mayfield," 
with  Mr.  M.  as  Postmaster ;  but  within  a  year  the 
office  was  discontinued,  as  the  circumstances  were 
found  not  to  justify  its  establishment.  Politically, 
Mr.  Mackey  is  identified  with  the  Democratic  party. 
He  was  first  married  in  Orange  Co.,  N.  Y.,  about 
1834,  to  Mary  Hall,  a  native  of  Sullivan  Co.,  N.  Y. 
By  this  marriage  there  were  three  children, — Mary 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


343 


R.,  Eliza  J.  and  Julia  A.  The  last  mentioned  died 
April  8,  1869.  Mrs.  M.  died  in  Mayfield  Township, 
Jan.  22,  1856,  and  Mr.  Mackey  was  again  married, 
in  York  State,  June  18,  1857,  to  Mrs.  Eliza  (Bond) 
Westlake,  widow  of  Benjamin  Westlake,  who  died 
in  Orange  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Nov.  18,  1853.  By  her  former 
marriage  there  have  b.een  seven  children,— David  B., 
Milton  G.,  Hannah  E.,  Mary  A.,  Charlotte  W.,  John 
O.  and  Morris  H.  Milton  G.  died  when  nearly  21 
years  of  age.  Mrs.  Mackey  was  born  in  Orange  Co., 
N.  Y.,  Dec.  i,  1811.  By  the  present  marriage  there 
are  no  children. 


organ  Losee,  retired  farmer,  resident  on 
section  20,  Franklin  Township,  was  born 
Dec.  14,  1811,  in  the  township  of  Ghent, 
Columbia  Co.,  N.  Y.  His  father,  David 
Losee,  was  born  in  Dutchess  Co.,  N.  Y.,  was  a 
farmer  in  Columbia  Co.,  N.  Y.,  for  a  time,  and 
married  Mariam  Griffin,  who  was  born  in  Dutchess 
County.  They  settled  in  Saratoga  County  in  1820,. 
locating  about  seven  miles  from  the  celebrated  min- 
eral springs.  There  the  mother  died  when  she  was 
80  years  of  age.  David  Losee  came  later  in  life  to 
reside  with  his  son,  but  returned  to  Saratoga  County 
and  died  there  at  88  years  of  age. 

Morgan  was  about  eight  years  of  age  when  he  ac- 
companied his  parents  to  Saratoga  County,  and  he  was 
there  educated  in  the  elementary  English  branches. 
He  was  also  married  there  to  Hannah  E.  Forbes, 
who  was  born  Oct.  15,  t8ii,  and  died  in  Niagara 
County  Dec.  22,  1837,  leaving  an  infant  daughter, 
Hannah  E.,  who  is  now  the  wife  of  Nelson  Dela- 
vergne.  (See  sketch.)  Mr.  Losee  was  a  second  time 
married  in  Warsaw,  Wyoming  Co.,  N.  Y.,  July  4, 
1841,  to  Phebe  A.  Buck.  She  was  born  Oct.  10, 
1820,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Ransom  D.  and  Betsey 
(Baker)  Buck,  who  were  natives  of  Vermont.  The 
former  was  born  May  15,  1795,  and  died  Jan.  16, 
1830.  The  latter  was  born  Nov.  22,  1800,  and  died 
Nov.  22,1845.  They  settled  in  Oxford,  Ont.,  after 
their  marriage.  Later  they  went  to  Allegany  Co., 
N.  Y.,  where  the  father  died  when  the  daughter  was 
10  years  old,  and  on  that  event  transpiring  she  went 
to  Vermont  and  was  cared  for  by  her  maternal  grand- 
parents until  the  second  marriage  of  her  mother  to 


J.  B.  Noble,  with  whom  she  resided  until  her  own 
marriage.  The  mother  died  in  Wyoming  Co.,  N.  Y., 
in  1845.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Losee  came  West  in  1842, 
and  first  located  in  Rockford,  remaining  there  but  a 
few  months  and  removing  thence  to  sections  19  and 
20  in  the  township  of  Franklin,  De  Kalb  County. 
They  secured  160  acres  of  land,  half  of  , which  was 
located  on  each  of  the  sections  named,  and  the  fam- 
ily residence  was  erected  on  section  20.  At  the  time 
Mr.  Losee  made  the  claim  the  land  was  all  in  an 
unimproved  condition.  It  has  all  been  placed  under  ^ 


the  best  improvements,  and  is  a  valuable  and  desira- 
ble place.  Mr.  Losee  and  his  wife  have  retired  from 
active  life,  and  are  enjoying  the  fruits  of  years  of  ex- 
ertion and  frugality  in  the  society  of  their  daughter 
and  her  family.  Mr.  L.  is  a  Republican,  and  holds 
to  decided  religious  sentiments,  although  not  a  mem- 
ber of  any  denominational  body.  He  and  his  wife 
are  the  parents  of  three  children.  Ransom  B.,  born 
June  14,  1842,  is  an  engineer  on  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad  and  resides  in  Amboy,  Lee  County.  Lyons 
E.  was  born  July  i,  1845.  He  is  a  farmer  in  Doug- 
lass Township,  Bremer  Co.,  Iowa.  Ophelia  E.  mar- 
ried Frank  Sharp,  a  farmer  in  Gove  Co.,  Kan.  She 
was  born  Nov.  18,  1849. 


ohn  Lloyd,  farmer,  section  27,  South  Grove 
Township,  was  born  May  9,  1827,  in  Pem- 
broke'shire,  South  Wales,  and  is  the  son  of 
John  Lloyd.  His  father  was  superintendent 
in  a  colliery,  and  died  in  his  native  country, 
about  1868.  His  mother,  Theodocia  (Davis) 
Lloyd,  died  in  Wales,  leaving  two  children.  Thomas, 
the  elder  son,  was  a  farmer  and  died  in  his  native 
land  in  1876. 

Mr.  Lloyd  is  the  only  living  representative  of  his 
family,  and  remained  in  Wales  until  1852.  He  ob- 
tained a  good  education,  and  at  the  age  of  17  years 
he  began  to  work  as  a  carpenter  under  a  manager, 
spending  three  years  in  his  apprenticeship,  and  work- 
ing as  a  builder  at  home  until  his  emigration  to  the 
United  States.  He  landed  at  the  port  of  New  York, 
and  soon  after  came  West,  making  his  first  stop  in 
Kane  Co.,  111.,  where  he  followed  his  trade  six  yes 
In  1858  he  came  to  De  Kalb  County  and  purchased 
80  acres  of  land  on  section  22,  in  the  same  township, 
^^^. »D^^@. 


&  , 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


.2) 


where  he  has  since  been  a  resident.  He  sold  his 
first  purchase,  and  bought  330  acres  on  which  he  has 
since  resided.  His  farm  is  of  great  value,  supplied 
with  buildings  of  superior  character,  and  well  stocked. 
Mr.  Lloyd  is  a  Republican  in  political  opinion,  and 
has  held  the  minor  offices  of  the  township. 

He  was  married  July  24,  1850,  in  Wales,  to  Cath- 
erine Jones,  a  native  of  that  country.  Her  father 
was  a  man  of  ability  and  integrity,  and  held  a  re- 
sponsible position  as  cashier  in  a  colliery.  Of  the 
union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lloyd,  ten  children  have  been 
born,  six  of  whom  are  living.  Anna  was  married 
Sept.  20,  1872,  to  Stephen  Worden,  a  farmer  of  South 
Grove.  Henrietta  was  married  in  1881,  to  William 
Adee,  also  a  farmer  in  South  Grove  Township. 
Bertha  is  the  wife  of  Benjamin  Worden.  Edith 
Phina  and  Myrta  are  the  names  of  the  younger  chil- 
dren. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lloyd  are  communicants  in  the 
Established  Church  of  England. 


§i|f^ffi«|iipple  A.  Harrington,  member  of  the  mer- 
Jlpyi^lL  cantile    firm    of  Gardner  &  Harrington, 
•£?    Ijij^ir)      doing    business   at   Kirkland,   was    born 
O*     *E&&.    Noy  ^  1844,  in  Franklin  Township,  and  is 
the  son  of  Sidney  P.  and  Polly  (Hicks)  Har- 
rington, whose  sketch  appears  elsewhere  in  this 
volume.     Mr.  Harrington  obtained  his  primary  edu- 
cation in  the  district  schools  and  studied  afterwards 
at  Beloit  College,  Wis.     Later  on  he  went  to  Rock- 
ford,  where  he  was  graduated  in  the  commercial  de- 
j    partment  of  the  schools  of  that  city. 

On  completing  his  education,  associated  with  his 
brother-in-law,  E.  Gardner,  now  of  Rochelle,  III.,  he 
established  a  trade  in  agricultural  implements  at 
Cherry  Valley,  Boone  Co.,  111.  After  operating  one 
year  they  exchanged  their  relations  in  that  enterprise 
for  wild  land  in  Chickasaw  Co.,  Iowa. 

Mr.  Harrington  was  married  Jan  20,  1871,  in  Bel- 
videre,  Boone  Co.,  111.,  to  Lucy  L.  Griggs.  She  was 
born  March  22,  1852,  in  the  township  of  Flora,  Boone 
County,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Calvin  and  Hannah 
Griggs.  Her  parents  were  farmers  in  New  England 
and  removed  thence  to  Boone  County,  where  they 
were  among  the  earliest  of  the  pioneer  settlers,  lo- 
cating there  in  1836.  The  father  died  in  Flora 
Township,  Dec.  21,  1883,  aged  68  years.  The 


(c!\ 


mother  resides  with  her  daughter  in  Floyd  Co.,  Iowa.  -* 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harrington  have  had  four  children, —  v  ? 
Emery  E.,  May  W.,  Clarence  E.  and  George.  The  i.  ', 
latter  died  in  infancy. 

Soon  after  the  event  of  his  marriage,  Mr.  Harring- 
ton removed  to  his  farm  in  Iowa  and  devoted  him- 
self to  its  improvement,  placing  240  acres  under 
cultivation,  and  remaining  thereon  resident  until 
1881.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  returned  to  Illinois 
and  again  embarked  in  business  at  Kirkland,  with  E. 
H.  Gardner.  In  1883  he  sold  one-half  his  farm  in 
Iowa,  and  purchased  property  in  the  village  of  Kirk- 
land. With  his  wife,  he  belongs  to  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  of  which  he  is  Steward.  Politic- 
ally he  is  a  Republican. 


illiam  T.  Adee,  general  farmer,  section  15, 
South  Grove  Township,  was  born  July  27, 
1824,  in  Delaware  Co.,  N.  Y.  His  par- 
ents, Jonathan  and  Jane  (Thompson)  Adee, 
were  farmers  all  their  lives  and  trained  their 
children  to  the  same  calling.  Their  son  was 
reared  at  home  until  he  was  18  years  of  age,  and  ac- 
quired a  good  education  at  the  common  schools.  His 
parents  removed  to  the  State  of  Illinois  in  the  fall  of 
1843,  and  his  father  bought  a  claim  of  160  acres  of 
land  on  section  1 4  of  the  township  of  De  Kalb.  The 
death  of  the  father  occurred  on  the  homestead  in  the 
fall  of  1873,  when  he  was  75  years  of  age.  The 
mother's  demise  took  place  seven  weeks  later.  She 
was  7 1  years  old.  Mr.  Adee,  senior,  was  one  of  the 
most  respected  and  honorable  citizens  of  the  county 
where  he  was  a  pioneer  citizen  and  resided  more 
than  30  years.  Of  their  12  children,  eight  are  now 
living.  All  were  residents  of  De  Kalb  County  until 
recently,  when  one  of  them  removed  to  Winnebago 
County,  same  State. 

Mr.  Adee  of  this  sketch  is  the  oldest  child,  and 
when  he  was  22  years  of  age  purchased  40  acres  in 
an  unbroken  portion  of  the  township,  with  the  inten- 
tion of  carving  out  an  independent  career.  He  soon 
increased  his  possessions  on  section  15  to  184  acres, 
and  also  owns  160  acres  on  section  1 6,  besides  10 
acres  of  timber  land  belonging  originally  to  the 
homestead  place.  His  entire  acreage  is  under  the 
best  type  of  modern  improvements,  his  buildings  are 
^ ^Si^^ 

^5<X^  :.  •      •  '\       * 


^ 


of  excellent  and  suitable  character  and  the  proprietor 
is  justly  ranked  among  the  leading  and  solid  farmers 
of  this  section  of  the  State.  He  conducts  general 
farming  and  ships  a  considerable  number  of  fatted 
stock  annually. 

He  was  married  Jan.  5,  1854,  to  Margaret,  daugh- 
ter of  Richard  and  Hannah  (Cronk)  Becker.  Their 
children  were  born  in  the  following  order :  William 
R.  (a  farmer  in  South  Grove  Township),  John,  George 
and  Frank.  They  are  well  educated  and  promising 
young  men.  'Mrs.  Adee  was  born  Aug.  7,  1835,  in 
Delaware  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  was  for  a  time  a  teacher  in 
her  native  State.  She  came  with  her  parents,  who 
were  pioneers  of  Illinois,  when  she  was  17  years  of 
age,  to  De  Kalb  County,  where  she  again  engaged  in 
teaching  until  her  marriage.  Her  father  died  in  1881, 
leaving  a  good  record  as  an  upright  citizen  and  hon-. 
orable  man.  The  mother  resides  with  her  son,  John 
T.  Becker. 

Mr.  Adee  is  a  Republican  of  the  most  decided  and 
reliable  character.  He  has  been  and  still  is  Town- 
ship Treasurer,  and  has  also  been  Supervisor  and 
Collector,  and  officiated. in  other  local  official  posi- 
tions. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Adee  are  both  professors  of 
religion. 


^amuel  H.  Stiles,  retired  farmer,  resident  at 
Genoa,  was  born  Jan.  5,  1829,  in  Ontario 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  is  the  son  of  Epaphroditus 
and  Roxanna  (Lincoln)  Stiles.  After  their 
marriage  his  parents  settled  in  Onondaga  Co., 
N.  Y.,  removing  thence  to  Ontario  County  in 
the  same  State,  where  the  father  died  about  1834. 
The  mother  became  a  resident  of  De  Kalb  County, 
and  died  in  Michigan  while  on  a  visit  to  her  daugh- 
ter in  that  State.  They  had  seven  children, — Har- 
riet, John  W.,  Maria,  Eliza,  Mary  J.,  Emmeline  and 
Samuel  H. 

Mr.  Stiles  obtained  a  common-school  education, 
and  continued  under  the  authority  of  his  parents 
until  he  was  of  age.  On  arriving  at  the  period  of 
his  independent  manhood  he  went  to  California,  via 
Cuba,  New  Orleans  and  Texas,  through  New  Mexi- 
co, and  across  the  Rocky  Mountains,  reaching  San 
Francisco  after  ten  months  and  five  days'  travel.  He 


arrived  in  the  "City  of  the  Golden  Gate"  Feb.  14, 
1 85 1 ,  and  had  spent  40  days  on  the  ocean  on  board 
an  old  Italian  brig.  His  first  meal  in  California 
consisted  of  a  loaf  of  bread,  for  which  he  gave  one 
dollar,  and  it  was  the  most  acceptable  food  he  ever 
ate.  He  returned  to  the  State  of  New  York  after  an 
experience  of  six  months'  duration  in  the  mines  of 
California,  making  his  journey  back  via  the  isthmus 
of  Panama.  On  finding  himself  once  more  on  his 
native  soil,  he  engaged  in  farming  in  Ontario  County, 
and  continued  in  that  occupation  there  until  his  re- 
moval to  Illinois,  when  he  located  in  Kingston,  De 
Kalb  County.  In  the  spring  following  he  obtained 
possession  of  four  yoke  of  oxen  and  went  to  Iowa 
for  the  purpose  of  taking  up  land  and  establishing  a 
permanent  home.  He  and  his  wife  made  their 
journey  all  the  way  in  a  "  prairie  schooner,"  camping 
out  nights  and  sleeping  in  their  wagon.  Mr.  Stiles 
located  a  claim  of  about  300  acres  of  land  in  Wright 
Co.,  Iowa.  In  the  summer  following  he  returned  to 
the  State  of  New  York,  and  while  passing  through 
Grundy  Co.,  Iowa,  on  his  return  eastward,  he  bought 
another  tract  of  choice  land,  containing  300  acres. 
In  the  next  autumn  he  went  back  to  Iowa,  traveling 
to  Chicago  on  the  lakes.  He  exchanged  the  prop- 
erty he  had  purchased  in  Grundy  County  for  a  farm 
in  Ontario  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  through  the  succeeding 
winter  resided  in  Delaware  County  in  the  Hawk-Eye 
State,  passing  the  time  in  hunting,  and  making  there- 
by five  dollars  a  day.  During  the  spring  ensuing  he 
decided  to  return  to  the  State  of  his  birth,  but  was 
there  only  a  few  months  when  he  was  summoned  to 
Belvidere,  Boone  Co.,  111.,  by  the  death  of  his  brother. 
He  determined  to  settle  in  De  Kalb  Co.,  and  became 
by  purchase  the  proprietor  of  275  acres  of  land  in 
the  township  of  Kingston.  He  was  its  occupant  15 
years,  when  he  sold  the  property  and  bought  another 
in  the  same  township,  comprising  half  a  section  of 
land.  On  this  he  settled  and  resided  until  Decem- 
ber, 1 884,  at  which  time  he  removed  to  the  village  of 
Genoa,  where  he  had  erected  a  fine  house  for  a  resi- 
dence for  his  years  of  retirement  from  active  life. 
He  is  the  proprietor  of  340  acres  of  finely  improved 
land. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Stiles  to  Charlotte  Sherratt 
occurred  Nov.  19,  1849,  in  Ontario  Co.,  N.  Y.  Mrs. 
Stiles  is  the  daughter  of  James  and  Elizabeth  (Scant- 
ling) Sherratt,  and  was  born  Dec.  2,  1822,  in  Yates 
Co.,  N.  Y.  Her  parents  were  natives  respectively  of 
r~^  Xn.-dMXfflr' ^ia,; 


England  and  America,  and  died  in  Yates  County. 
They  had  five  children, — Mary  A.,  Sarah  E.,  Joel  F., 

1"  Charlotte  and  William  R.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stiles  have 
no  children. 

(SJ  Mr.  Stiles  is  a  Republican  in  political  views  and 
connections,  and  he  has  held  numerous  official  posi- 
tions, and  enjoys  largely  the  esteem  and  respect  of 
the  generation  and  community  of  which  he  has  been 
a  part.  He  and  his  estimable  wife  are  very  appro- 
priately selected  as  representatives  of  the  highest 
9  class  of  citizens  whose  portraits  should  appear  in  this 
volume  ;  and  they  are  accordingly  given,  accompany- 
^  ing  the  above  sketch. 


^Ltephen  G.  Rowen,  retired  farmer,  resident 
at  Kirkland,  Franklin  Township,  was  born 
Sept.   24,    1820,  in  Batavia,  Genesee  Co., 
N.  Y.     He  is  the  son  of  William  H.  and  Betsy 
(Gorham)  Rowen,  and  the  biographical  notice 
of  their  lives  appears  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 
He  was  the  oldest  of  their  children,  nine  in  number, 
comprising   eight   sons  and    a  daughter.     He    was 
brought  up  at  home  to  the  age  of  17  years,  attending 
school  and  working  on  his  father's  farm.     At  that  age 
he  was  apprenticed  to  his  uncle,  James  Rowen,  to 
learn  the  trade  of  blacksmith.     He  remained  under 
his  charge  a   year,  and  during   the  year  following 
worked  with  another  uncle,  John  Rowen,  after  which 
he  spent  a  year  in  receiving  instructions  from  a  third 
uncle,  Robert  Rowen,  all  three  being  in   the  same 
^     line  of  business.     After  acquiring  a  thorough  knowl- 
A     edge  of  the  trade  he  purchased  a  stand  in  his  native 
township  and  did  an  extensive  business  for  some  time. 
In  1842  he  came   West  with   his  father,  the  family 
coming  through  the  entire  distance  with  teams.    His 
father  located  at  Janesville,  while  he  settled  at  Ra- 
cine, Wis.,  where  he  worked  a  year  at  his  trade  and 
came  then  to  De  Kalb  Co.,  111.,  whither  his  father 
had  preceded  him  a   few  months  earlier,  and  had 
made  a  purchase  of  land  in  Franklin  Township. 

Mr.  Rowen  found  employment  as  a  blacksmith  and 
also  became  a  farmer.  He  continued  his  joint  oper- 
ations until  1857,  when  he  exchanged  his  property 
for  his  father's  homestead,  which  he  still  retains.  He 
has  engaged  to  a  considerable  extent  in  traffic  in  real 
.estate,  and  now  owns  310  acres  of  land,  all  under 

svVgai&B zstoff1^ £^k 

C^X^V^vg^ 


good  improvement,  which  is  managed  by  his  son. 
About  the  date  of  the  transfer  of  his  property,  he  re- 
linquished his  business  as  a  blacksmith  and  devoted 
his  attention  to  farming  exclusively. 

Mr.  Rowen  has  taken  a  sincere  interest  in  political 
affairs,  local  as  well  as  general.  He  cast  his  first 
Presidential  vote  for  Harrison,  and  except  in  1844, 
when  he  voted  for  Polk,  he  has  supported  a  straight 
Republican  ticket.  He  has  officiated  two  years  as 
Supervisor,  two  as  Road  Commissioner,  and  the  ex- 
tent of  his  services  as  Assessor  covers  a  period  of  20  ^ 
years,  the  longest  term  served  by  any  man  in  that 
position  in  De  Kalb  County.  He  has  discharged  the  } 
obligations  of  other  minor  offices,  and  has  been  Post- 
master at  Kirkland  10  years. 

Mr.  Rowen  was  married  July  n,  1847,  in  Alabama 
Township,  Genesee  Co.,  N.  Y.,  to  Emmeline  Baker. 
She  was  born  Jan.  21,  1821,  in  Pompey  Township, 
Onondaga  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  was  the  daughter  of 
Nathan  and  Mahala  (Shattuck)  Baker.  The  mother 
died  a  few  years  after  her  marriage,  and  the  father, 
after  this  second  matrimonial  alliance,  came  to  Mich- 
igan and  settled  near  Battle  Creek,  where  he  died  in 
advanced  age.  Mrs.  Rowen  was  brought  up  and  edu- 
cated in  the  State  of  which  she  was  a  native  and 
she  was  a  teacher  for  some  time  previous  to  her  mar- 
riage. She  died  June  1 1,  1883,  leaving  five  children. 
Frank  S.  is  a  resident  of  Van  Horn,  Iowa,  where  he 
is  conducting  a  hotel  in  the  interests  of  the  St.  Paul 
Railroad  Company.  Fred  B.  is  a  resident  on  section 
36,  of  Franklin  Township.  Fremont  resides  on  his 
father's  homestead.  Harley  is  a  general  merchant 
in  Kirkland.  Emma  is  officiating  as  her  father's 
housekeeper. 


.lisha  A.  Kirk,  Supervisor  of  Franklin  Town- 
ship (1885),  is  a  resident  at  Kirkland  and 
engaged  in  the  sale  of  drugs.  He  is  the 
son  of  W.  T.  and  Loisa  (Riddle)  Kirk  (see  ^ 
sketch),  and  was  born  in  Franklin  Township, 
Feb.  3,  1845.  He  passed  the  years  of  his 
minority  on  his  father's  farm,  and  obtained  a  fair 
common-school  education,  completing  his  course  of 
study  at  Wheaton  College  in  Du  Page  County,  in 
1866.  Returning  from  school,  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing in  Franklin  Township,  in  which  he  was  occupied 
A 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


until  the  fall  of  1876,  the  date  of  his  removal  to 
Kirkland,  and  of  his  embarking  in  his  present  busi- 
ness enterprise.  He  retains  the  ownership  of  his 
farm  in  Franklin  Township,  which  is  under  excellent 
improvements  and  supplied  with  a  fair  type  of  farm 
buildings. 

He  was  married  Dec.  22,  1873,  in  Wheaton,  Du 
Page  County,  to  Lovina  M.  Howard,  and  three  chil- 
dren have  been  born  to  them,  Gracie  M.,  Alien  H. 
and  William  C.  Mrs.  Kirk  was  born  March  5,  1849, 
in  Du  Page  Co.,  111.,  and  is  the  daughter  of  C.  K. 
W.  and  Mary  (Stowe)  Howard.  Her  father  was  born 
in  the  State  of  Vermont  and  came  thence  to  Du  Page 
County,  where  he  is  yet  a  resident.  The  mother 
died  some  years  ago  in  Wheaton.  Mrs.  Kirk  was 
educated  at  the  collegiate  institute  in  her  native 
place.  Mr.  Kirk  is  a  radical  Republican,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Kirkland. 


f 


eorge  H.  Hill,  farmer,  section  21,  Kingston 
Township,  was  born  May  20,  1810,  in 
Rensselaer  Co ,  N.  Y.  He  received  a  fair 
English  education  in  the  place  of  his  nativity 
and  obtained  a  thorough  knowledge  of  saddlery 
and  harness-making.  He  worked  with  his 
father  until  he  was  21  years  old,  and  subsequently 
was  employed  in  various  places  in  the  same  business 
until  1835,  passing  the  last  two  years  in  Oneida  Co., 
N.  Y.  In  the  early  spring  of  the  year  named  he 
came  to  Illinois  and  located  a  claim  in  what  is  now 
Kingston  Township,  De  Kalb  County,  which  included 
1 60  acres  of  land.  Mr.  Hill  is  one  of  the  earliest 
settlers  of  the  county,  coming  prior  to  the  survey, 
completed  in  1837.  Mr.  Hill  came  from  Chicago  to 
Du  Page  County  with  a  team,  and,  leaving  his  horses 
and  family  there,  he  walked  to  the  point  where  he 
located  his  claim,  and  erected  a  shanty  for  shelter 
for  his  family  and  household  appurtenances.  Hav- 
ing made  ready*,  he  went  with  an  ox  team  to  Chicago, 
where  he  had  left  his  effects,  and  on  his  return 
through  Du  Page  County  stopped  for  his  family.  In- 
dians were  abundant  but  seldom  troublesome,  al- 
though they  were  addicted  to  petty  thieving,  and  on 
one  occasion  stole  Mrs.  Hill's  thimble. 

Mr.  Hill's  land  included  both  prairie  and  timber, 
and  Mr.  Hill,  whose  pioneer  life  was  brightened  by 


the  society  of  his  wife  and  one  child,  began  the  task 
of  constructing  a  home,  placing  his  house  on  the 
edge  of  the  timber  tract.  Within  the  first  year  the 
little  house  was  destroyed  by  fire,  and  the  inmates 
lost  everything  but  the  clothing  they  wore  at  the 
time.  The  cabin  was  rebuilt  upon  the  former  site, 
and  the  family  resided  there  three  years.  The  home 
was  removed  at  the  end  of  that  period  to  the  site 
now  occupied  by  the  modern  residence,  which  re- 
placed the  pioneer  log  cabin  in  1848.  The  latter 
house  is  entirely  the  work  of  his  own  hands,  as  his 
means  and  opportunities  precluded  his  hiring  assist- 
ance at  that  time. 

He  has  been  one  of  the  foremost  in  the  official 
affairs  of  De  Kalb  County  since  he  has  been  one  of 
its  citizens.  He  was  appointed  in  1835  one  of  a 
committee  of  five  to  settle  disputed  titles  to  claims, 
De  Kalb  County  being  at  that  date  a  part  of  La  Salle 
County.  He  was  made  Justice  of  the  Peace  at  an 
early  date  and  held  the  office  many  years.  He  was 
first  Treasurer  and  Assessor  of  De  Kalb  County  after 
its  separation  from  Kane  County,  and  he  held  the 
position  of  County  Commissioner  four  years.  In 
1848  he  was  a  member  of  the  Second  Constitutional 
Convention,  which  assembled  at  Springfield  that 
year.  At  that  time  the  office  of  County  Commissioner 
was  abolished  and  a  township  organization  adopted. 
Mr.  Hill  was  appointed  one  of  the  Associate  County 
Judges  and  discharged  the  responsibilities  of  the 
office  four  years.  In  1854  he  was  elected  County 
Judge  to  succeed  Hon.  E.  L.  Mayo,  of  Sycamore,  and 
was  the  incumbent  of  the  position  eight  years,  being 
succeeded  therein  by  Daniel  B.  James,  of  Sycamore. 
He  has  officiated  five  years  as  Supervisor  of  Kings- 
ton and  as  Treasurer  of  that  municipality  exactly  30 
years.  He  has  been  and  still  is  one  of  the  promi- 
nent and  leading  citizens  of  the  county,  and  has 
always  been  an  important  factor  in  its  general  devel- 
opment and  well-being. 

Joseph  and  Mercy  (Mortimer)  Hill,  the  parents  of 
Mr.  Hill,  were  natives  of  Connecticut  and  were  pio- 
neer settlers  of  Rensselaer  Co.,  N.  Y.,  where  they 
passed  most  of  their  lives,  and  where  the  mother 
died.  The  father  came  late  in  life  to  Kingston,  and 
died  at  the  home  of  his  son. 

Mr.  Hill  was  married  Sept  15,  1833,  in  Columbia 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  to  Sarah  B.  Wallace.  The  record  of  the 
children  born  of  this  union  is  as  follows  :  Ophelia 
was  bom  Oct.  18,  1834,  in  Oneida  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and 


KALB   COUNTY. 


J  f  the  wife  of  W.  P.  L.  Russell,  of  Lee  Co.,  111.  Will- 
iam  W.  was  born  Oct.  23,  1836,  in  De  Kalb  County, 
and  lives  on  the  homestead  where  he  was  born. 
Anna  E.,  wife  of  L.  J.  Bliss,  of  Kansas,  was  born 

(&j  Aug.  22,  1838.  Mary  A.,  born  Nov.  18,  1840,  mar- 
ried John  Heckman,  of  Kansas.  Sarah  J.,  born  Aug. 
22,  1842,  is  the  wife  of  A.  H.  Clark,  of  Kingston 
Township.  James  J.  was  born  March  14,  1844,  and 
died  June  r,  1861.  Geo.  H.,  Jr.,  was  born  Dec.  25, 
1846,  and  died  March  12,  1853.  Mrs.  Hill  is  the 
fifth  child  of  James  and  Betsey  B.  (Stacey)  Wallace, 
and  was  born  April  13,  1812,  in  New  Lebanon,  Co- 
lumbia Co.,  N.  Y.  Her  parents  were  natives  of  Con- 
necticut and  located  after  marriage  in  the  last 
mentioned  place,  where  the  death  of  her  father  oc- 
curred in  1834.  Several  years  subsequent  to  that 
event  his  widow  came  to  De  Kalb  County  with  her 
children  and  died  in  Genoa. 


;braham  D.  Graves,  farmer  and  stockman, 
section  30,  Franklin  Township,  was  born  in 
the  town  of  Guilford,  Piscataquis  Co.,  Maine, 
April  25,  1826!  His  father,  Nathaniel  Graves, 
was  born  in  i8or,  near  Scituate,  Mass.,  and  is 
still  living,  in  Green  Co.,  Iowa.  He  is  of 
mixed  Scotch  and  English  extraction,  and  of  New 
England  parentage.  He  was  a  farmer  and  came 
West  in  1845,  making  a  location  in  De  Kalb  County, 
before  its  township  organization.  About  1874  he  be- 
came a  resident  of  Iowa.  Anna  J.  (Young)  Graves, 
the  mother,  was  born  Dec.  i,  1803,  in  Lewiston, 
Maine.  She  was  the  child  of  a  clergyman,  who  fol- 
lowed that  calling  during  the  last  20  years  of  his  life 
in  his  native  State.  The  mother  of  Mr.  Graves  died 
at  Wall  Lake,  Iowa,  Aug.  10,  1882,  being  nearly  79 
years  of  age.  She  was  the  mother  of  four  sons  and 
five  daughters.  One  of  the  former  and  two  of  the 
latter  are  deceased  (1885).  Mr.  Graves  is  the  oldest 
child;  Andrew  died  at  Guilford,  Me.;  Julia- L.  lives 
in  Green  Co.,  Iowa;  J.  H.  resides  at  Wall  Lake, 
Iowa.;  Augusta  A.  is  a  resident  at  Marysville,  Kan.; 
Elvira  J.  died  in  infancy,  at  Parkman,  Me.;  Vesta 
A.  lives  at  Creston,  Ogle  Co,,  111.;  Hannah  died  at 
Wall  Lake,  Iowa;  N.  Frank  is  a  resident  at  West- 
moreland, Kan. 

Mr.  Graves  was  under  the  supervision  of  his  par- 
^g^ Q. 


ents  in  his  native  State,  where  he  attended  the  public 
schools  until  18  years  of  age,  when  he  entered  the 
village  academy  at  Foxcroft,  Me.  The  next  year  his 
father  came  West  and  settled  in  a  section  now  in- 
cluded in  Ogle  County,  and  situated  contiguous  to 
De  Kalb  County,  before  the  organization  of  the  latter 
into  townships.  He  became  a  teacher  during  the 
winter  seasons,  having  charge  of  schools  in  De  Kalb 
and  Boone  Counties  13  successive  winters.  During 
the  summers  intervening  he  engaged  vigorously  in 
breaking  up  prairie,  several  hundred  acres  lying 
within  Ogle  and  De  Kalb  Counties  being  first  placed 
in  tillable  condition  by  him. 

Mr.  Graves  was  married  April  13,  1850,  in  Frank- 
lin Township  to  Salina  L.  Churchill.  The  parents 
of  Mrs.  Graves,  Oliver  and  Pantha  L.  (Andrews) 
Churchill,  were  natives  of  Vermont  and  of  New 
England  ancestry.  They  removed  to  Cattaraugus 
County  in  the  State  of  New  York,  where  the  daughter 
was  born,  May  3,  r83r.  She  was  12  years  of  age 
when,  in  1844,  she  accompanied  her  parents  to  De 
Kalb  County,  where  they  were  among  the  earliest  of 
the  pioneer  settlers  in  Franklin  Township.  Her 
father  became  an  extensive  land-holder,  and  re- 
mained a  resident  of  the  township  during  the  re- 
mainder pf  his  life,  a  period  of  nearly  40  years,  and 
died  in  September,  1882.  Her  mother  was  killed 
July  4,  1850,  by  a  stroke  of  lightning.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Graves  have  been  the  parents  of  eight  children.  Eva 
S.  was  born  Jan.  7,  1852,  and  was  married  April  6, 
1870,  to  Milton  D.  Patten,  a  farmer  of  South  Grove 
Township.  Pantha  L.  was  born  Oct.  T2,  1854,  and 
died  Sept.  6,  1855.  Fred  was  born  July  7, 1856,  and 
was  married  Feb.  21,  1883,  to  Jennie  Wallace.  He 
is  a  practicing  physician  at  Rockford,  111.  He  was 
graduated  at  Bennett  Medical  College  in  Chicago,  in 
1881.  Charles  S.  was  born  Jan.  18,  1862,  and  is  a 
student  at  Evanston  College,  where  he  is  pursuing  a 
course  of  classical  study  preparatory  to  the  study  of 
law.  He  was  a  graduate  of  ihe  High  School  at 
Sycamore  in  1882.  Nathaniel  A.,  born  July  5,  1864, 
is  a  student  at  Bennett  Medical  College.  Amos 
C.  was  born  Feb.  10,  1867  ;  Bertie  E.  was  born  Aug. 
27,  1872;  John,  born  Jan.  12,  1875,  died  March  13, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Graves  have  been  residents  of 
Franklin  Township  during  their  entire  married  lives 
with  the  exception  of  a  single  year.  The  homestead 
includes  160  acres  of  excellent  land  in  a  high  state] 

~       "^ -4m@/ 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


of  cultivation.  Mr.  Graves  is  a  Republican  of  a  de- 
cided type,  and  has  officiated  in  the  several  local 
positions  of  importance  in  his  township.  He  has 
been  Assessor,  and  has  served  seven  years  as  Town- 
ship Clerk,  and  has  discharged  the  duties  of  Treas- 
urer 15  years.  He  is  a  Steward  of  the  Methodist 
Church  society,  of  which  he  and  his  wife  have  long 
been  members. 


["ames  R.  Graham,  farmer,  residing  on  sec- 
tion 1 1 ,  Mayfield  Township,  is  a  son  of 
Robert  and  Louisa  (Parker)  Graham,  the 
former  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  latter 
of  New  York.  They  were  married  and  settled 
in  Kentucky,  whence  they  moved  to  this  State 
in  1835.  They  remained  at  Ottawa,  La  Salle  Coun- 
ty, this  State,  during  the  winter  of  that  year,  and  in 
the  spring  of  1836  came  to  this  county  and  settled 
in  Mayfield  Township.  His  father  followed  farming 
as  a  vocation  in  the  township  mentioned  until  his 
death,  which  event  occurred  March  7,  1860.  Two 
children  were  born  of  their  union,  namely,  Sarah 
Elizabeth  and  James  R.  The  former  died  in  1860, 
aged  30  years. 

James  R.  Graham  is  the  only  surviving  child  of 
his  father's  family,  and  was  born  in  Campbell  Co., 
Ky.,  Dec.  i,  1832.  He  was  but  three  years  of  age 
when  his  parents  came  to  this  county,  and  resided 
with  them  in  Mayfield  Township  until  his  father's 
death.  His  years  of  minority  were  passed  on  the 
farm  and  attending  the  common  schools.  On  the 
death  of  his  father  he  became  owner  of  the  old 
homestead  by  inheritance.  It  consists  of  200  acres 
of  land  on  sections  n  and  14,  Mayfield  Township, 
most  of  which  is  in  a  good  tillable  condition.  Mr. 
Graham  is  considered  one  of  the  progressive  fanners 
of  his  township.  He  keeps  about  45  head  of  cattle 
and  six  horses,  and  fattens  from  30  to  50  head  of 
hogs  yearly. 

Politically  he  is  a  Republican,  and  has  held  the 
office  of  Highway  Commissioner  and  School  Di- 
rector. 

Mr.  Graham  has  been  twice  married.  His  first 
wife  was  a  Miss  Mary  E.  Loossey,  and  their  union 
occurred  in  Campbell  Co.,  Ky.,  Jan.  24,  1856.  She 
was  a  daughter  of  Stephen  and  Sarah  (Richardson) 


Loossey,  parents  of  six  children,  namely  :  Mary  E., 
Lucinda,  Nancy,  William,  James  and  Lydia.  Mary 
E.',  wife  of  Mr.  Graham,  was  born  in  Kentucky  in 
1839,  and  was  the  mother  of  one  child,  Mary  E., 
only  issue  of  their  union.  She  is  now  the  wife  of 
Winfield  Divine,  resident  of  Sycamore.  Mrs.  Gra- 
ham died  in  Mayfield  Township,  Feb.  28,  1857,  and 
Mr.  Graham  was  again  married,  in  Kingston  Town- 
ship, Jan.  12,  1858,  to  Miss  Nancy  Stilwell.  She 
was  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Martha  (Barrackman) 
Stilwell,  natives  of  Kentucky,  in  which  State  they 
r.esided  until  their  death.  They  were  the  parents  of 
eight  children,  namely  :  Mary  A.,  John  W.,  William, 
Eliza,  Catherine  J.,  Nancy,  Robert  and  James. 

Nancy  Graham  was  born  in  Campbell  Co.,  Ky., 
Nov.  23,  1830,  and  is  the  mother  of  six  children  by 
Mr.  G.  They  were  born  as  follows :  Lorenzo,  Rob- 
ert, Charles  W.,  Carrie  B.,  Jennie  A.  and  William  H., 
and  are  all  living  except  Lorenzo,  who  died  in  in- 
fancy. 


.ugh   McQueen,  farmer,  section  29,  South  (@> 
Grove  Township,  was  born  July  29,  1829,  =rt 
in  the  Scottish  Lowlands,  at  a  place  about  ^ 
12  miles  from  Ayr,  where  Robert  Burns  was  » 
born.     His  father  died  when  he  was  between 

I  three  and  four  years  old,  and  when  10  years  old 
he  was  thrown  upon  his  own  resources  for  self-main- 
tenance. He  received  a  fair  education  through  the 
aid  of  his  friends  and  the  energetic  application  of  his 
own  energies,  and  he  operated  as  a  farm  laborer  in 
his  own  country,  being  thus  engaged  until  his  mar- 
riage. 

He  was  married  June  7,  1847,  in  Ayrshire,  to  Jane 
McKenzie.  She  was  born  June  25,  1827,  and  is  the 
daughter  of  John  and  Ellen  (Key)  McKenzie.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  McQueen  have  had  10  children,  three  of 
whom  are  deceased.  Those  who  are  living  are  John, 
Hugh,  Jr.,  Mary,  Ellen  (2d),  Frank,  Jane  and  Will- 
iam A.  Ellen  is  the  wife  of  Fred  Vodden,  a  farmer 
of  South  Grove  Township.  Jane,  Elizabeth  and 
Ellen  are  the  names  of  those  who  are  not  living. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  McQueen  engaged  in  the 
brick  and  tile  trade  in  his  native  country,  and  was 
interested  in  that  business  about  20  years.  In 
August,  1867,  he  came  to  America  with  his  family 
and  landed  at  the  port  of  New  York.  After  a  very 

\--\.A 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


brief  delay  they  proceeded  to  De  Kalb  County,  where 
r^    the  parents  of  Mrs.  McQueen  had  settled  some  years 

JH  bef°re- 

In  1871  Mr.  McQueen  purchased  160  acres  of 
land,  and  he  has  increased  his  estate  by  later  addi- 
tions until  he  is  now  the  proprietor  of  480  acres  of 
land,  situated  at  three  different  points.  He  is  specially 
engaged  in  raising  Short-Horn  and  Durham  cattle, 
and  is  ranked  among  the  leading  operators  in  that 
line  in  the  county.  Formerly  he,  bred  the  Berkshire 

.  swine  to  a  considerable  extent,  but  is  now  giving  his' 
-ttention  to.  raising  swine  of  the  Poland  variety. 
Mr.  McQueen  is  an  ardent  Republican  in  politics, 

\  and  with  his  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Scotch  Presby- 
terian Church.  The  parents  of  Mrs.  McQueen  are 
deceased. 


'ohn  N.  McDowell,  farmer,  section  25, 
Franklin  Township,  was  born  in  the  same 
township  in  De  Kalb  County,  on  section 
12,  Oct.  1 8,  1840.  His  parents,  John  and 
Martha  (Biddle)  McDowell,  were  born  respect- 
ively in  Pennsylvania  and  Tennessee.  Both 
came  to  De  Kalb  County  in  early  life  and  were  mar- 
ried here.  They  have  since  resided  on  a  farm  in 
Franklin  Township,  where  the  son  was  born.  Both 
are  still  living,  at  the  ages  of  72  and  66  years. 

Mr..  McDowell  was  brought  up  at  home,  attended 
the  common  schools  in  boyhood  and  in  youth  went 
to  the  seminary  at  Wheaton,  Du  Page  Co.,  111.  At 
the  age  of  21  years  he  began  his  independent  ex- 
istence as  a  farmer  on  a  piece  of  land  deeded  to  him 
by  his  father.  This  he  afterwards  sold,  and  in  1864 
purchased  90  acres  in  another  part  of  the  same 
township,  on  which  he  had  a  brief  residence,  and 
went  thence  to  South  Grove  Township,  settling  on 
160  acres  of  land  on  section  n,  on  which  he  resided 
eight  years.  He  returned  afterward  to  his  native 
township,  and  later  proceeded  to  Missouri,  whence  he 
came  back  two  years  afterward  to  his  former  home. 
He  has  since  resided  on  180  acres  of  land  situated 
near  Kirkland  village,  owned  by  his  mother  and  aunt. 
He  is  a  Democrat  in  political  principles. 

He  was  married  in  Flora  Township,  Boone  Co., 
111.,  to  Evaline  Newton,  who  became  his  wife  Marcli 
28,  1861.  She  was  born  June  20,  1844,  in  the  State 


of  New  York,  and  is  the  daughter  of  William  and 
Margaret  (Tuttle)  Newton.  Her  parents  were  farm- 
ers and  natives  of  New  York.  She  came  with  her 
parents  to  Boone  Co.,  111.,  when  a  child  of  four  years, 
and  there  acquired  a  district-school  education.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  McDowell  have  had  nine  children,— Adel- 
bert,  William,  Clayton,  Fred,  Porter,  Paul,  Edgar 
and  Ivan  (twins)  and  John. 


heodore  D.  Driscoll,  farmer,  section  n, 
South  Grove  Township,  was  born  April  5, 
1 838,  on  the  farm  on  which  he  now  resides. 
His  parents,  William  and  Margaret  (Losier) 
Driscoll,  were  the  first  settlers  in  South  Grove 
Township.  They  were  born  respectively  in 
Ohio  and  Pennsylvania.  They  made  a  homestead 
claim  of  150  acres  of  land  in  1836,  previous  to  the 
Government  survey,  and  it  was  the  first  claim  made 
in  the  township  by  permanent  settlers.  Their  expe- 
riences were  the  same  as  those  so  often  repeated, — 
no  neighbors,  supplies  obtainable  only  from  remote 
points,  the  nearest  mill  being  at  Ottawa,  50  miles 
distant,  where  they  were  obliged  to  make  their  way 
with  an  ox  team.  The  family  included  eight  chil- 
dren. 

Mr.  Driscoll  was  the  seventh  child,  and  was  only 
three  years  of  age  when  the  death  of  his  father  oc- 
curred. He  continued  to  live  with  his  mother  until 
he  was  of  age,  and  obtained  a  practical  common- 
school  education.  In  1859  he  became  the  proprietor 
of  the  homestead,  and  has  had  charge  of  the  com- 
fort and  welfare  of  his  mother  since  he  was  qualified 
by  age  and  circumstances  foi>  the  duty.  '  He  is  the 
owner  at  present  of  430  acres,  all  under  cultivation, 
supplied  with  a  good  residence  and  one  of  the  larg- 
est and  most  convenient  barns  in  De  Kalb  County. 
Mr.  Driscoll  is  skilled  in  the  rearing  of  stock  and 
annually  fattens  a  large  number  of  cattle  and  hogs 
for  market.  He  is  a  loyal  and  zealous  Republican, 
any  has  held  various  local  township  offices. 

He  was  married  Jan.  6,  1876,  to  Harriet  A.  Tin- 
dall,  and  they  have  four  children,— Jesse,  Elizabeth 
J.,  Harriet  L.  and  Arthur.  Jesse  and  Mary  (Barber) 
Tindall,  the  parents  of  Mrs.  Driscoll,  were  natives  of 
New  Jersey  and  New  York,  and  came  to  this  county 
about  1842.  She  was  born  in  South  Grove  Town- 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


ship  Jan.  21,  1843.  She  was  reared  in  this  county 
and  was  well  educated,  becoming  a  teacher  and  fol- 
lowing that  profession  until  her  marriage. 

Mr.  Driscoll  was  the  first  white  child  born  in  the 
township ;  his  wife  was  born  at  an  early  period  in  its 
history. 


\  ilham  Carpenter,  farmer,  section  16,  May- 
field  Township,  is  a  son  of  John  and 
Joanna  Carpenter,  natives  of  New  York 
and  Massachusetts.  They  were  the  parents 
of  1 1  children,  namely:  John,  Elizabeth, 

f'  Delinda,  Harriet,  Ira,  Mary,  William,  Elias, 
Charles,  Joanna  and  Alexander. 

William  Carpenter,  subject  of  this  biographical 
notice,  was  born  in  Schoharie  Co.,  N.  Y.,  March  26, 
1813.  His  father  was  a  blacksmith,  which  trade 
William  learned  and  followed,  contributing  his  earn- 
ings toward  the  support  of  the  family  until  23  years 
of  age.  On  account  of  his  father's  limited  means  and 
large  family  to  support,  William  was  unable  to  take 
advantage  of  the  opportunities  afforded  by  the  com- 
mon schools,  and  received  only  such  education  as  a 
determined  mind  could  acquire  from  home  study  and 
parental  assistance. 

He  worked  at  his  trade,  after  leaving  home,  for 
about  a  year  and  a  half  in  his  native  State,  and  then 
went  to  Portage  Co.,  Ohio,  where  he  continued  to 
follow  his  trade  until  1848. 

In  the  fall  of  the  latter  year,  Mr.  C.  came  to  this 
county,  traveling  the  entire  distance  with  a  team  of 
horses  and  occupying  17  days.  He  was  accom- 
panied by  his  wife  and  two  children,  and  on  his  ar- 
rival here  purchased  80  acres  of  school  lands  on 
section  16,  Mayffeld  Township,  on  which  he  settled 
and  at  present  resides.  He  now  has  86  acres,  all  of 
which  is  in  a  good  tillable  condition. 

Mr.  Carpenter  was  united  in  marriage,  Feb.  12, 
1835,  in  Delaware  Co.,  N.  Y.,  to  Miss  Clarissa  C. 
Whitely.  Four  years  later,  in  1839,  his  wife  died, 
and  Jan.  12,  1840,  in  Portage  Co.,  Ohio,  he  was  a 
second  time  married  to  Miss  Mary  S.  Frost.  She  is 
a  daughter  of  Levi  and  Elizabeth  (Slocum)  Frost, 
natives  of  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut  respect- 
ively. They  came  to  this  county  in  1851,  and  after 
residing  here  about  three  years  removed  to  Iowa, 
irhere,  in  Floyd  County,  July  21,  1865,  her  fa 

\§&®fc **^ @ 


died.  Her  mother  then  returned  to  this  county  and 
died  in  Mayfield  Township,  Feb.  23,  1870.  They 
were  the  parents  of  10  children,  namely,  John  S., 
Eliza  W.,  Mary  S.,  Levi,  Jr.,  Laura  G.,  Amos  B.,  Delia 
P.,  Oliver  D.,  James  M.  and  Edmond  E. 

Mrs.  Carpenter  was  born  in  St.  Lawrence  Co.,  N. 
Y.,  March  26,  1814.  She  was  the  mother  of  two 
children  by  Mr.  Carpenter,  namely,  Mary  C.,  born 
Nov.  2,  1840,  and  William  D.,  born  Nov.  3,  1843. 
Mrs.  C.  died  in  Portage  Co.,  Ohio,  Nov.  3,  1843,  and 
Mr.  Carpenter  was  a  third  time  married  Jan.  i,  1844, 
in  Portage  County.  The  lady  of  his  choice  was  Miss 
Laura  G.  Frost,  a  sister  of  his  former  wife.  She  was 
born  in  St.  Lawrence  Co.,  N.  Y.,  April  12,  1818. 

Politically,  Mr.  Carpenter  is  a  Republican.  He 
has  held  the  office  of  School  Director  and  Commis- 
sioner of  Highways. 


"ohn  Hatch,  farmer,  section  21,  De  Kalb 
Township,  was  born  May  15,  1817,  in  Ot- 
sego  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  is  the  son  of  Sylvanus 
id  Edith  (Gardner)  Hatch,  who  were  also 
born  in  the  Empire  State.  They  removed  to 
Jefferson  County  when  their  son  was  two  years 
of  age,  and  he  passed  his  life  in  that  county,  chiefly 
engaged  in  teaming,  until  his  removal  to  Aurora,  111., 
in  1855.  He  continued  to  reside  in  Aurora  and  in 
that  vicinity  until  1862,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
farming,  when  he  purchased  90  acres  of  land  in  De 
Kalb  County,  where  he  has  since  resided  and  con- 
ducted his  agricultural  projects.  He  keeps  20  milch 
cows  and  raises  a  very  fine  grade  of  horses.  His 
entire  acreage  is  under  advanced  cultivation. 

Mr.  Hatch  is  a  Republican  in  political  preference 
and  has  held  several  local  official  positions.  His 
marriage  to  Irena  Willey  took  place  in  Jefferson  Co., 
N.  Y.,  Dec.  17,  1838;  and-one  child,  Mary  P.,  was 
born  to  them  Sept.  17,  1850.  He  has  also  raised  five 
children,  which  he  has  taken  from  various  poor  farms. 
Mrs.  Hatch  was  born  Aug.  24,  1815,  in  Jefferson 
County,  and  she  is  the  daughter  of  Eleazer  and 
Wealthy  (Marsh)  Willey,  who  were  both  natives  of 
Oneida  Co.,  N.  Y. 

Among  the  numerous  portraits  given  in  this  ALBUM 
way  be  found  that  of  Mr.  Hatch.     This  portrait  was 
defrpm  a  photQgrajjh  taken  in  i! 


I    , 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


} 


eneral  Everell  Fletcher  Dutton,  Presi- 
dent of  the  Sycamore  National  Bank,  was 
born  Jan.  4,  1838,  in  Charlestown,  N.  H., 
and  is  the  second  child  of  William  P.  and 
Lucinda  J.  (Blood)  Dutton.  The  former  was 
born  Oct.  i,  1817,  and  was  reared  under  the 
New  England  regime  for  the  training  of  farmers' 
sons, —  common-school  education  and  agricultural 
labor.  He  was  married  in  1835  and  was  a  farmer  in 
the  Granite  State  until  1844,  the  date  of  his  removal 
with  his  family  to  St.  Charles,  Kane  Co.,  111.,  whence 
he  went  to  Dupage  County,  and  subsequently,  in 
1846,  to  Sycamore,  De  Kalb  County,  where  he  was 
a  resident  until  the  spring  of  1857.  He  conducted 
the  affairs  of  the  Sycamore  House  several  years,  after 
which  he  was  appointed  Deputy  Sheriff  under  Morris 
Walrod,  and  succeeded  to  the  same  incumbency 
under  E.  P.  Young  and  Joseph  F.  Glidden,  during 
which  periods  he  was  practically  chief  official.  In 
1854  he  established  a  commercial  business  at  Syca- 
more, and  later  admitted  E.  H.  Barnes  as  a  partner. 
Political  events  and  national  affairs  generally  at 
the  time  when  he  reached  manhood  were  of  a  charac- 
ter which  tended  to  awaken  every  latent  principle  of 
patriotism  and  sense  of  justice  and  right  that  might 
be  slumbering  within  a  man's  consciousness.  He  was 
a  born  and  bred  Democrat  of  the  Jackson  school, 
and,  true  to  the  element  with  which  he  had  drifted 
up  to  1856,  he  had  accepted  the  issues  of  the  party 
without  question.  Always  fearless  in  the  expression 
of  his  sentiments,  his  ardor  was  rewarded  by  his 
appointment  as  Postmaster  at  Sycamore.  Early  in 
1856  he  went  to  Kansas,  rooted  and  grounded  in  the 
belief  that  the  free-State  element  was  the  very  head 
and  front  of  anarchy  and  treason,  and  confidently 
anticipating  that  the  results  of  his  investigation  of 
existing  conditions  would  redound  materially  to  the 
prestige  of  the  Democratic  party.  To  a  man  of  his 
temperament,  the  outrages  he  witnessed  could  bear 
but  one  significance,  and  he  returned  to  Sycamore  a 
declared  free-State  man.  His  intrepid  denunciations 
of  the  operations  of  the  border  ruffians  cost  him  his 
political  head,  and  in  consonance  with  his  instincts  he 
removed  his  interests  to  Kansas,  in  February,  1857. 
He  located  at  Stanton  (then  Lykins)  County,  and 
engaged  in  farming.  Within  a  year  he  was  elected 

JL. 2a£%0£       o/- 


the  first  Treasurer  of  his  county,  and  served  two 
years.  In  1859  he  was  a  member  of  the  Constitu- 
tional Convention  at  Wyandotte,  and  was  a  factor  in 
framing  the  Constitution  of  the  State.  In  1861  he 
was  elected  Sheriff  of  the  county,  the  name  of  which 
had  been  changed  to  Miami,  and  he  removed  to 
Paola,  where  he  resided  until  1873.  He  was  re- 
elected  Sheriff  in  1863.  He  was  conspicuous  in 
Kansas  history  during  the  war,  was  the  leader  of 
the  citizens  whose  determined  attitude  averted  the 
fate  of  Lawrence  from  Paola  in  1863,  and  he  acted 
as  aid  to  the  Governor. 

In  1873  he  returned  to  Illinois  and  again  engaged 
in  farming.  He  moved  again  to  Paola  in  1876, 
where  he  operated  for  a  time  as  a  business  man  and 
is  now  retired  from  active  life.  The  mother  of  Gen. 
Dutton  was  born  Jan.  18,  1818,  and  died  at  Syca- 
more June  15,  1875.  Emma,  the  oldest  child  of 
William  P.  Dutton  and  his  wife,  married  Aaron  K. 
Stiles,  now  of  Chicago,  President  of  the  Van  De- 
poele  Electric  Light  Company,  and  who  is  extensively 
interested  in  the  manufacture  of  barbed  wire.  Charles 
E.  is  a  printer  in  San  Franciscp,  Cal.  Joel  W.  died 
at  Sycamore  Feb.  3,  1855,  when  he  was  n  years  old. 

General  Dutton  was  a  lad  of  eight  years  when  his 
parents  located  at  Sycamore,  and  during  the  1 1  years 
that  intervened  before  their  removal  to  Kansas,  he 
passed  the  time  as  an  assistant  in  his  father's  store 
and  in  the  postoffice,  meanwhile  attending  the  com- 
mon school,  finishing  his  education  by  a  year  of  study 
at  Mt.  Morris  Seminary  and  a  similar  period  at  Beloit 
College,  Wis.  He  went  with  his  parents  in  Febru- 
ary, 1857,  to  Kansas,  where  he  passed  nearly  two 
years  in  unremitting  toil  on  an  unbroken  prairie  farm, 
varying  his  days  of  labor  in  driving  four  yoke  of  oxen 
breaking  the  soil,  by  splitting  rails  and  other  work 
requiring  proportionate  outlay  of  physical  effort.  In 
the  fall  of  1858  he  returned  to  Sycamore  to  enter 
upon  the  duties  of  Deputy  County  Clerk,  under  A. 
K.  Stiles,  and  held  that  incumbency  until  April, 
1861. 

The  seed  sown  in  De  Kalb  County  during  the 
portentious  period  that  preceded  the  tangible  expres- 
sion of  the  culmination  of  Southern  hate  and  fury  in 
Charleston  Harbor,  yielded  spontaneous  harvest 
when  the  reverberations  from  the  attacking  guns  at 
Sumter  swept  over  the  prairies,  freshening  under  the 
vernal  sun,  and  imparting  hope  to  those  who  gloried 
in  their  possibilities,  and  to  whom  the  beautiful  acres 

K»y^y^ 


^  - 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


9 


& 


within  their  ken  typified  their  country, — their  whole 
country.  Its  threatened  dismemberment  roused  a 
desire  for  immediate  action  in  the  breasts  of  hun- 
dreds, and  in  less  than  a  week  the  streets  of  Syca- 
more were  patroled  by  crowds  of  volunteers  with 
but  a  single  thought, — the  Nation's  danger,  and  the 
necessity  of  intelligent  preparation  for  duty  in  the 
exigency  that  seemed  imminent.  It  is  ludicrous,  but 
no  less  true,  that  these  self-constituted  recruits  for 
the  military  service  of  the  United  States,  organized 
for  preparation,  and,  in  the  lack  of  regulation  arma- 
ment, pressed  broom-sticks  and  hoe-handles  into  ser- 
vice as  auxiliary  to  their  purpose,  and  with  these 
harmless  representatives  of  legitimate  weapons  they 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  mimic  warfare.  Presi- 
dent Lincoln  made  his  first  call  for  troops  April  16, 
and  two  days  later  young  Dutton  enrolled  his  name, 
constituting  himself  a  member  of  one  of  the  two 
companies  of  volunteers  from  De  Kalb  County,  who 
anticipated  the  action  of  the  Governor  and  held 
themselves  in  readiness  to  answer  a  possible  sum- 
mons. While  red  tape  was  adjusting  its  kinks,  the 
volunteers  proceeded  with  their  preparations.  One 
of  the  chiefest  honors  which  rests  upon  the  members 
of  the  two  organizations  that  moved  heaven  and 
earth  to  obtain  an  opportunity  to  lay  their  lives  on 
the  shrine  of  a  united  government,  is  the  singleness 
of  purpose  that  constituted  their  motive.  The  or- 
organization  to  which  private  Dutton  belonged  was 
designated  "  Company  F,"  and  was  assigned  to  the 
1 3th  Illinois  Regiment,  going  to  Dixon,  111.,  under 
the  leadership  of  Capt.  Z.  B.  Mayo.  The  comple- 
tion of  the  organization  of  the  company  resulted  in 
the  election  of  Mr.  Dutton  as  First  Lieutenant,  and 
he  was  mustered  into  the  service  of  the  State  as  the 
incumbent  of  that  position  May  10,  1861.  The  reg- 
iment was  mustered  into  the  United  States  service 
May  24  of  the  same  year.  June  16  it  was  sent  to 
Caseyville,  111.,  a  town  near  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  where  it 
was  detailed  for  the  surveillance  of  the  rebel  ele- 
ment of  that  city,  moving  forward  to  Rolla,  Mo., 
July  6,  following. 

The  "  1 3th  Illinois"  was  the  first  Union  regiment 
that  crossed  the  Mississippi  River  into  Missouri, 
where  their  presence  accomplished  much  good  in 
many  directions.  At  Rolla,  Aug.  13,  Captain  Mayo 
resigned  his  position,  and  was  succeeded  by  Lieuten- 
ant Dutton.  The  regiment  remained  at  Rolla  until 


Oct.  2g,  and,  in  addition  to  the  routine  of  military 
duty,  performed  cavalry  service,  chasing  guerrillas 
and  bushwhackers.  On  the  day  named  above  the 
command  joined  the  army  of  General  Fremont  at 
Springfield,  having  marched  120  miles  in  four  days 
and  doing  heavy  skirmish  work  on  the  way.  Gen- 
eral Fremont,  noting  the  valor  and  discipline  dis- 
played, assigned  the  regiment  to  an  honorable  posi- 
tion ;  but,  being  removed,  his  command  was  scattered 
to  various  points,  the  i3th  returning  to  Rolla.  The 
influence  through  which  Fremont  was  subjected  to 
such  humiliation,  or  the  purposes  served  thereby, 
will  ever  remain  an  unsatisfactory  mystery  to  the 
members  of  his  command.  March  6,  1862,  the  reg- 
iment was  ordered  from  Rolla  to  support  General 
Curtis,  and  marched  again  to  Springfield  almost  at 
the  speed  of  "  double  quick,"  and  thence  to  North- 
western Arkansas,  joining  the  army  of  Curtis  at  Pea 
Ridge,  averaging  more  than  25  miles'  march  daily. 
The  command  moved  through  Northern  Arkansas, 
made  a  feint  of  attacking  Little  Rock,  and  accom- 
plished some  lively  skirmishing.  It  encountered  the 
severer  hardships  of  war  in  supplies  being  cut  off, 
the  men  being  compelled  to  live  on  parched  corn 
and  green  whortleberries  for  several  days.  The 
forced  march  previous  to  and  down  the  White  River 
was  one  of  the  most  terrible  in  the  history  of  the 
the  regiment.  At  first  cold,  insufficient  food,  inces- 
sant rain  and  dangers  from  the  marauders  who 
infested  that  region,  made  it  a  most  dismal  experi- 
ence, which  became  misery  during  the  close  of  the 
march,  the  cold  having  changed  to  intense  heat,  and 
there  being  no  water  save  in  the  cypress  swamps, 
abounding  in  reptiles  and  filth,  the  wells  being  poi- 
soned or  otherwise  rendered  unfit  for  use  by  the 
citizens  as  the  troops  approached.  This  expe- 
rience lasted  more  than  three  months ;  the  regi- 
ment reached  Helena,  Ark.,  July  14,  with  half  its 
numbers  sick  from  the  effects  of  hardship  and 
privation.  Captain  Dutton  was  sent  home  on  sick 
leave  in  August,  and  on  the  second  of  September, 
1862,  was  made  Major  of  the  105111  111.  Vol. 'Inf., 
which  was  raised  in  De  Kalb  and  Du  Page  Counties, 
under  the  call  "  for  300,000  more."  He  was  trans- 
ferred by  special  order  of  the  Secretafy  of  War  to  the 
latter  command  Sept.  22,  and,  eight  days  after,  pro- 
ceeded to  Louisville,  Ky.  Thenceforward,  until  the 
regiment  joined  the  army  of  General  Rosecrans  near 


s!  )  Bowling  Green,  the  raw  troops  encountered  the  reali- 
5^  ties   of  soldier  life.     Forced    marches,   guard    and 
(?  V  picket  duty,  skirmishes  of  greater  or  less  importance, 
'"•  *  disease  and  privations  made  up  the  catalogue  of  pain- 
ful variety.     Nov.  n,  the  brigade  was  ordered   to 
Q  Scottsville,   Ky.,   and  on   the  25th   of  of  the  same 
month  proceeded  to  Gallatin,  Tenn.,  where  it  went 
into  winter  quarters,  Dec.  10, — all  but  the  "  rosth," 
which  moved  on  the   nth  to  South  Tunnel,  where 
the  main    body  remained   until   Feb.    i,   1863,  and 
suffered  greatly  from  sickness.  At  that  date  it  rejoined 
i  the  brigade,  which  remained    at  Gallatin  until  the 
close  of  spring.     The  services  of  Major  Button  dur- 
ing the  six  months  of  arduous  labors  performed  by 
his   regiment   are    specially    mentioned.      He    had 
charge  of  the  scouts  from  the  brigade, — 250  in  num- 
ber,— and  spent  days  and  nights  in   the  saddle  for 
weeks,  capturing  prisoners,  cotton  bales,  horses  and 
mules.     June    i,   1863,  the  regiment  proceeded   to 
)  Lavergne,  and  a  month  later  to  Murfreesboro,  whence 
>  it  returned  to  Lavergne,  and  on  the  igth  of  August 
J\  entered  -Fort  Negley  at  Nashville,  where  it  remained 
j=i  until  February,  1864.     Many  of  its  officers  and  men 
5*  were  detailed  for  special  duty.     Major  Button  was 
a  made  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Examination,  consti- 
tuted  by  the  Bepartment  at  Washington  for  the  pur- 
[  pose  of  assigning  officers  to  the  colored  regiments, 
and  he  discharged  the  duties  of  the  position  until 
May,  1864.     On  the  first  day  of  that  month  the  regi- 
ment  received   marching  orders  for  the  immediate 
front,  and  on  the  day  following  the  command  moved 
forward  to  become  ah  actor  in  one  of  the  most  splen- 
did movements  recorded  in  the   history  of  modern 
warfare,  and  which  resulted  in  a  decisive  triumph  of 
(  the  Union  forces.    The  first  time  the  io5th  was  in 
active  service  as  a  regiment,  was  at  the  battle  of 
Resaca,   when -the   conduct   of  its    members    won 
special  mention  from  its  superior  officer,  one  of  the 
most  intrepid  and  competent  in  the  history  of  the 
war ;  and  throughout  the  campaign  through  Georgia 
and  the  Carolinas,  their  achievements  were  the  sub- 
ject of  general  comment.     In  the  subsequent  history 
of  his  regiment,  the  several  special  mentions  of  Gen- 
eral Button  particularize  his  "  gallantry  and  dash." 
*|»  July  13,  1864,  Colonel  Bustin  returned  to  Sycamore 
on  a  furlough,  and  Major  Button  succeeded  to  the 
j      vacancy,  remaining  in  command  till  Aug.  4.    Buring 
this  time  occurred  the  battle  of  Peach-Tree   Creek 
(July  20),  in  which  the  rosth  was   heavily   engaged, 


capturing  the  flag  of  the  i2th  Louisana  regiment. 
On  return  of  the  Colonel,  the  Major  was  mustered 
in  as  Lieutenant  Colonel.  Soon  afterward  Colonel 
Bustin  acceded  to  the  command  of  the  Bivision, 
and  that  of  the  io5th  devolved  upon  his  junior 
officer,  who  discharged  the  duties  of  the  position 
until  the  close  of  the  war. 

From  Atlanta  the  regiment  marched  "  to  the  sea," 
to  Savannah,  thence  through  South  Carolina  and 
North  Carolina  to  Goldsboro  and  Raleigh,  and 
thence  through  Richmond  to  Washington,  partici- 
pating in  the  battles  of  Lawtonville,  Feb.  2,  1865; 
Smith's  Farm,  March  15,  and  Bentonville  the  igth. 
At  Smith's  Farm,  or  Averysboro,  the  105  th  drove 
the  enemy  from  his  works,  capturing  two  1 2-pounder 
guns,  which  Col.  Button  and  some  of  his  men  turned 
and  fired  on  the  retreating  enemy;  and  in  token  of 
the  regiment's  gallantry  at  this  point  and  in  the  At- 
lanta campaign,  Col.  Button,  its  commander,  received 
from  the  President  the  appointment  of  Brigadier 
General  by  brevet,  his  promotion  dating  from  March 
15,  1865,  for  "gallantry  and  meritorious  service  in 
the  campaign  in  Georgia  and  the  Carolinas,  and  for 
distinguished  services  at  the  battle  of  Smith's  Farm, 
N.  C." 

At  Raleigh  the  army  was  made  sad  by  hearing  of 
President  Lincoln's  assassination,  and  later  joyous 
by  Lee's  and  Johnston's  surrender,  and  then  the 
homeward  march  to  Washington,  where  the  regiment 
took  part  in  the  Grand  Review.  General  Button 
was  mustered  out  at  the  Capital,  June  7,  1865,  after 
a  continuous  period  of  service  of  over  four  years  and 
two  months. 

On  leaving  the  army,  General  Button  returned  to 
Sycamore.  In  1868  he  was  elected  Clerk  of  the 
Circuit  Court,  in  which  capacity  he  officiated  eight 
years. 

In  the  winter  of  1877,  during  the  3oth  General 
Assembly  of  Illinois,  he  served  as  Clerk  of  the  House 
of  Representatives.  He  was  elected  Clerk  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  Northern  Grand  Bivision  of 
Illinois  in  1878,  and  held  the  position  until  Bee.  i, 
1884. 

In  June,  1883,  Gen.  Button  secured  a  large  pro- 
portion of  the  stock  of  the  Sycamore  National  Bank, 
and  on  the  death  of  J.  S.  Waterman  became  its 
President.  He  is  also  President  of  the  Beadle 
County  (Bak.)  National  Bank.  He  is  an  extensive 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


operator  in  real  estate  in  Iowa  and  Illinois,  and  he 
owns  400  acres  of  improved  land  near  Genoa,  de- 
voted to  dairy  purposes.  With  his  father-in-law; 
Harmon  Paine,  he  owns  250  acres  near  Cortland, 
which  is  also  a  dairy  farm.  In  Iowa  and  Minnesota 
he  is  the  proprietor  of  about  4,000  acres  of  chiefly 
wild  land. 

General  Dutton  was  married  Dec.  31,  1863,  at 
Sycamore,  to  Rosa  A.  Paine.  She  was  born  in 
Herkimer  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Harmon 
and  Clarinda  (Van  Horn)  Paine.  The  children  of 
this  marriage  are  George  E.,  born  May  8,  1866,  and 
William  P.,  born  April  25.  1872.  Harmon  Paine 
was  born  July  25,  1822,  at  German  Flats,  Herkimer 
Co.,  N.  Y.  His  wife  was  born  in  Springfield,  N.  Y., 
Feb.  26,  1824.  Their  marriage  occurred  Jan.  13, 
1842,  and  they  have  three  children  living, — Rosa  A. 
Button,  Ida  D.  Boynton  and  W.  Burt  Paine.  The 
family  removed  to  Sycamore  in  1853,  where  the 
father  became  proprietor  of  the  hotel  property  now 
known  as  "  Ward's  Hotel."  It  passed  from  Mr. 
Paine's  ownership  in  1869,  since  which  date  he  has 
engaged  in  farming,  associated  with  his  son. 


fames  H.  Woods,  a  farmer  of  Franklin 
Township,  located  on  section  29,  was  born 
in  Frederick  Township,  Washington  Co., 
Pa.,  May  19,  1847.  William  Woods,  his  father, 
was  a  farmer  and  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  was  of  English  descent.  His  mother, 
Amelia  C.  Gapen,  was  a  native  of  the  same  State  and 
of  English  lineage.  They  had  five  children,  of 
whom  James  is  the  third  in  order  of  birth.  He  was 
eight  years  of  age  when  his  parents  became  residents 
of  Franklin  Township.  His  father  died  there,  on 
the  home  farm,  Jan.  15,  1859.  The  death  of  his 
mother  occurred  Aug.  i,  1863.  The  home  estate  was 
divided  among  the  children  after  the  deaths  of  the 
parents,  and  James  finally  purchased  the  whole  es- 
tate, which  included  160  acres.  He  had  lived  at 
home  without  intermission  until  the  demise  of  both 
father  and  mother.  The  farm  is  now  in  an  advanced 
condition  of  improvement,  with  good  farm  buildings. 
Mr.  Woods  was  married  Jan.  i,  1868,  in  Belvidere, 
Boone  Co.,  111.,  to  Marilla  Shannon.  She  was  born 
Dec.  4,  1847,  >n  tne  township  of  Spring  in  Boone  Co., 
111.,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Robert  and  Jane  A. 


(Main)  Shannon.  Her  parents  were  natives  of  the 
State  of  New  York  and  were  of  New  England  an- 
cestry. Her  father  was  a  farmer  by  birth  and  in- 
heritance, and  came  to  Boone  Co.,  111.,  in  1845,  where 
he  was  a  pioneer  settler  in  the  township  of  Spring. 
They  are  now  living  in  Flora  Township  in  the  same 
county. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Woods  have  two  children — Clarence 
H.,  born  Aug.  26,  1876,  and  Bertha  A.,  born  June 
23,  1884. 

Mr.  Woods  is  a  supporter  of  the  principles  of  the 
Republican  element  in  politics. 


arcus  W.  Cole,  of  the  hardware  firm  of 
Heckman  &  Cole,  Kingston,  was  born 
Feb.  8,  1836,  in  Lockport,  Niagara  Co., 
N.  Y.  His  parents,  Washington  and  Har- 
riet (Stiles)  Cole,  were  natives  of  the  State  of 
New  York,  and  located  in  1858  in  Kingston 
Township,  on  section  4,  where  they  have  since  lived. 
Alma  B.,  Maria  M.,  John  A.  and  Walter  L.  are  the 
names  of  the  brothers  and  sisters  of  Mr.  Cole,  who 
are  all  younger  than  he.  His  father  came  with  his 
family  to  Clark  Co.,  111.,  in  1837,  and  he  continued 
a  resident  at  home  until  he  was  20  years  old,  when 
he  came  to  Kingston  Township  and  became  a  farm 
laborer,  and  worked  two  years  by  the  month.  He 
next  took  a  farm  to  work  on  shares,  and  operated  in 
that  method  one  year.  He  came  to  Kingston  Town- 
ship in  1858  and  engaged  in  farming,  in  which  he 
continued  until  January,  1882.  In  that  month  he 
bought  the  hardware  interest  of  W.  Shaub,  and  be- 
came an  associate  in  business  with  Philip  Heckman. 
The  firm  have  since  operated  with  success  and 
profit.  Mr.  Cole  is  the  owner  of  180  acres  of  land  in 
Kingston  Township,  of  which  160  is  under  improve- 
ments. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  Sept.  12,  1858,  at  the 
residence  of  H.  H.  Little,  in  Kingston  Township,  to 
Anna  Eliza  Little.  She  was  born  in  Erie  Co.,  N.  Y., 
July  24,  1840,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Henry  and  Eva 
(Bingham)  Little.  (See  sketch  of  H.  Little.)  Alice 
E.,  born  April  21,  1861,  is  the  only  child  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Cole.  She  was  graduated  at  the  High  School 
at  Genoa,  June  TO,  1881. 

Mr.  Cole  has  been  Constable  five  years.  He  has 
officiated  seven  years  as  Tax  Collector  and  eight 


} 


years  as  Treasurer,  of  which  latter  position  he  is  the 
present  incumbent  (1885).  In  his  political  faith  and 
connections  he  is  a  Republican.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Free-Will  Baptist  Church,  and  has  been  Clerk  of 
the  society  to  which  he  belongs  for  20  years.  He 
has  acted  six  years  in  the  capacity  of  Clerk  of  the 
Fox  River  Quarterly  Meeting.  He  has  been  an  in- 
fluential member  of  the  Masonic  Lodge,  No.  288,  at 
Genoa,  for  19  years.  Mr.  Cole  is  a  practical  printer 
by  trade,  having  obtained  a  complete  and  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  details  of  that  business  while  a 
residenfc  of  Marshall,  Clark  Co.,  111.,  but  has  never 
pursued  it  as  a  vocation.  He  is  the  local  corre- 
spondent of  the  Genoa  Issue. 


•oyd  D.  Bowan,  banker  and  real-estate 
broker,  resident  at  Kirkland,  was  born 
March  9,  1824,  in  Genesee  Co.,  N.  Y., 
and  is  the  third  son  of  W.  H.  and  Betsy 
(Gorham)  Rowan.  His  great- grand  parents 
on  his  father's  side  came  from  Ireland  to 
America,  and  settled  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  State 
of  New  York,  where  they  reared  their  family  and 
passed  their  lives  among  the  farming  community,  to 
which  they  belonged.  The  father  of  Mr.  Rowan  left 
his  native  State  and  went  to  Racine,  Wis.,  where  his 
residence  was  brief,  and  he  came  to  De  Kalb  County, 
where  he  pre-empted  a  farm,  and  was  among  the 
earliest  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Franklin  Township. 
Mr.  Rowan,  senior,  died  April  4,  1880,  aged  80  years 
and  four  months.  The  mother  was  a  native  of  Ver- 
mont, of  English  ancestry,  and  died  in  Franklin 
Township,  in  1860,  aged  54  years.  After  her  death, 
her  husband  contracted  a  second  marriage.  She  was 
survived  by  her  nine  children,  all  of  whom  are  still 
living  excepting  Perry,  the  youngest,  who  was  killed 
at  the  battle  of  Murfreesboro,  in  1862. 

Mr.  Rowan  was  18  years  -old  when  his  parents 
came  with  their  nine  children  to  Illinois.  They  were 
in  straitened  circumstances,  and  the  children  were 
early  made  familiar  with  the  labors  of  a  farm  in  a 
new  county.  Mr.  Rowan  assisted  his  father  in  bear- 
ing the  burdens  of  his  large  family  and  reduced 
means  until  he  was  22  years  of  age,  meanwhile  pre- 
empting 1 60  acres  of  land  in  Franklin  Township. 
He  borrowed  money  at  20  per  cent  to  secure  his 
claim,  and  at  the  end  of  five  years,  by  his  energies, 


thrift  and  untiring  industry,  he  was  cleared  from 
debt.  The  difficulties  in  the  case  may  be  understood 
from  the  fact  that  Chicago  was  65  miles  distant,  and 
was  their  nearest  market  for  produce,  a  fact  made 
interesting  and  memorable  by  the  lack  of  railroad 
facilities  as  well  as  by  the  beauties  and  attraction's  of 
a  prairie  highway,  which  are  not  yet  by  any  means 
traditional.  Mr.  Rowan  pressed  his  plans  in  agri- 
cultural venture  and  engaged  extensively  in  traffic  in 
stock,  adding  to  his  estate  until  he  is  the  proprietor 
of  240  acres  of  land,  all  but  40  of  which  lies  in  De 
Kalb  County.  The  remainder  is  situated  in  Ogle 
County,  and  the  entire  acreage  is  under  cultivation. 
Mr.  Rowan  owns,  besides,  480  acres  in  Iowa  and 
1 60  acres  in  Nebraska,  also  several  town  lots  in 
Kirkland.  In  1882  he  erected  a  building  for  the 
transaction  of  his  business  as  a  banker,  which  is 
characterized  as  the  best  for  the  purpose  in  De  Kalb 
County,  being  entirely  fire-proof.  In  August,  1883, 
he  established  the  enterprise  in  which  he  became 
associated  with  B.  N.  Deane,  and  has  been  conduct- 
ing operations  in  that  line  with  gratifying  results. 
He  has  been  connected  with  the  Republican .  party 
since  its  organization.  In  his  religious  belief  he  is, 
in  the  Bible  sense,  an  "  infidel."  Mr.  Rowan's  mar- 
riage to  Mary  L.  Thomas  took  place  March  4,  1847. 
She  was  born  May  i,  1826,  in  Genesee  Co.,  N.  Y., 
and  is  the  daughter  of  R.  B.  and  Eliza  Thomas. 
Her  parents  came  to  Illinois  when  she  was  12  years 
of  age,  first  settling  in  Winnebago  County.  She  was 
20  years  old  when  they  removed  to  De  Kalb  County, 
where,  soon  after,  she  was  married.  The  father  died 
in  Boone  Co.,  111.  A  brother  of  Mrs.  Rowan  died  in 
Kingston  Township,  of  consumption.  Henry,  an- 
other brother,  is  married  and  a  resident  on  the  family 
homestead.  Mrs.  Rowan  is  the  second  child  of  her 
parents.  Mr.  Rowan  and  wife  have  made  nine  trips 
to  California  to  spend  the  winter,  and  his  wife  is  there 
this  (the  tenth)  winter. 


eorge  J.  Dettmer,  farmer,  section  1 9,  South 
Grove  Township,  was  born  Feb.  26,  1847, 
in  Hesse  Darmstadt,  Germany,  and  is  the 
i  of  William  and  Willmina  (Alberding)  Dett- 
mer.    When  he  was  between  three  and  four 
years   old  his  parents  emigrated  to  America 
d  settled  for  a  time  in  the  State  of  New  York, 

—^€3^ 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


coming  thence  to  De  Kalb  County  in  1858  and  set- 
tled on  section  20,  South  Grove  Township.  The 
mother  died  in  1872,  aged  about  62  years.  The 
father  resides  with  his  son  and  is  77  years  of  age. 
They  became  the  parents  of  six  children,  five  of 
whom  are  now  living,  and  are  residents  of  South 
Grove  Township. 

Mr.  Dettmer  is  the  fourth  child  in  order  of  birth, 
and  in  1870  became  a  land-holder  by  the  purchase 
of  240  acres  of  land.  He  is  an  agriculturist  of  some- 
what extensive  relations,  all  his  own  tract  of  land 
being  under  improvement,  and  being  also  the  man- 
ager of  the  homestead  property,  still  owned  by  his 
father.  He  is  also  dealing  largely  in  stock.  Mr. 
Dettmer  is  a  Republican  of  the  true  ring,  and  has 
been  active  in  several  local  offices. 

He  was  married  March  8,  1880,  in  Fielding,  Ogle 
Co.,  111.,  to  Amanda  Koch.  She  was  born  Sept.  4. 
1855,  in  Ogle  County,  of  German  parentage,  descen- 
dants from  some  of  the  early  settlers  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  now  living  in  Ogle  County.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Dettmer  have  one  child, — William  E.,  born  March 


arvey  A.  Jones,  attorney,  senior  member  of 
the  law  firm  of  Jones  &  Bishop,  at  Syca- 
more, was  born  on  Grand  Prairie,  near  La- 
fayette, Ind.,  Oct.  17,  1837,  where  his  parents 
had  settled  among  the  first  of  the  early  pioneers 
of  the  Wabash  Valley.  His  father,  David  Jones, 
who  was  an  energetic  man  and  prominent  farmer, 
was  born  near  Morganstown,  Monongahela  County, 
West  Virginia,  Feb.  18,  1798.  His  mother,  Mary 
(Owens)  Jones,  of  Welsh  and  Scotch-Irish  extraction, 
was  born  July  19, 1802,  near  the  city  of  Savannah,  Ga. 
Amanda  (Mrs.  Morehouse),  their  first-born  child,  is 
now  deceased.  John  M.  C.  went  to  California  in 
1848  during  the  first  days  of  the  mining  excitement 
in  the  Golden  State,  arriving  at  Yreka,  where  he 
made  a  permanent  location,  became  Sheriff  of  Siski- 
you  County,  and  died  Aug.  12,  1882,  aged  52  years. 
Abel  is  a  mine  operator  in  Oregon.  James  O.  was 
graduated  in  the  Law  Department  of  the  University 
of  Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor,  and  is  a  farmer  of  Grand 
Prairie,  Ind.,  engaging  semi-occasionally  in  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession.  Deborah  (Mrs.  Hill)  is  de- 
ceased. Lewis  is  a  farmer  in  the  vicinity  of  Chilli- 


cothe,  Mo.  Levi  M.  is  a  prominent  citizen  and  at- 
torney of  Fort  Wayne,  Ind.,  and  is  also  engaged  in  real- 
estate  brokerage,  and  has  platted  and  built  a  valuable 
addition  to  the  city.  David  C.,  deceased,  was  a 
graduate  in  the  Law  Department  of  the  University 
of  Michigan,  and  figured  prominently  in  local  poli- 
tics in  Tippecanoe  Co.,  Ind.;  Asa  F.  is  a  popular 
physician  and  a  resident  on  the  family  homestead  on 
Grand  Prairie,  Ind. 

Mr.  Jones  of  this  sketch  is  the  seventh  child  of 
his  parents.  He  followed  the  labors  of  the  farm  dur- 
ing the  summer  and  attended  school  winters  until  he 
was  17  years  of  age,  when  he  became  a  student  at 
Wabash  College,  Crawfordsville,  Ind.,  and  pursued 
his  studies  at  that  institution  in  1854-5.  He  was 
then  lame  from  necrosis  affecting  the  knee.  He  was 
often  compelled  to  climb  to  the  fifth  floor  on  one  leg 
and  cane.  He  went  thence  to  Lombard  University, 
Galesburg,  111.,  continuing  his  educational  course 
there  until  February  1861.  In  the  .spring  following 
he  went  to  Missouri  and  engaged  in  teaching,  in 
which  he  was  occupied  through  the  summer  and  fall, 
when  the  contingencies  of  civil  war  necessitated  a 
change  of  base. 

Coming  North  to  Illinois,  he  became  a  student  of 
law  in  the  office  of  Hon.  A.  M.  Harrington,  of  Ge- 
neva, under  whose  supervision  he  read  for  his  pro- 
fession two  years.  In  1863  he  entered  the  Law  De- 
partment of  the  University  of  Michigan,  where  he  was 
graduated  in  the  spring  of  1865. 

Coming  to  Sycamore  soon  after,  he  formed  a  part- 
nership with  Hon.  Daniel  B.  James,  County  Judge. 
Their  business  relations  terminated  in  1869.  Mr. 
Jones  conducted  the  affairs  of  his  office  singly  until 
1880,  when  he  entered  into  his  present  connection 
with  Charles  A.  Bishop,  who  had  prepared  for  his 
profession  as  attorney  under  his  senior's  instructions. 
They  are  conducting  a  business  which  places  them 
in  the  foremost  rank  in  the  legal  fraternity  of  De 
Kalb  County,  a  condition  which  is  largely  the  out- 
growth of  the  repute  earned  by  Mr.  Jones  in  his  un- 
remitting attention  to  the  responsibilities  and  func- 
tions of  his  profession  for  nearly  a  score  of  years, 
during  which  he  has  maintained  his  office  at  the 
same  location  in  Sycamore,  No.  i,  George's  Block,  on 
State  Street.  Mr.  Jones  is  a  practitioner  in  the 
State  and  Federal  Courts  and  has  been  and  is  con- 
nected with  some  of  the  most  important  cases  asso- 
ciated with  the  history  of  the  section  of  which  De 


\\ 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


\\ 


Kalb  County  forms  a  part,  and  it  can  be  truly  said 
that  he  is  equally  at  home  in  the  office  and  as  an 
advocate  at  the  Bar.  In  political  affiliation  he  has 
been  an  ardent  and  active  Republican,  and  aided 
materially  in  the  formation  and  organization  of  the 
party  in  Indiana  and  Iowa,  where  he  operated  as  a 
stump  speaker,  and  did  valiant  service,  although 
laboring  under  the  disadvantage  of  youth,  being  but 
1 8  years  of  age.  He  has  been  prominent  in  the 
ranks  of  temperance  and  has  striven  to  accomplish 
all  possible  things  in  that  direction  by  connecting 
himself  with  and  laboring  in  the  furtherance  of  the 
Order  of  Good  Templars,  and  latterly  has  favored 
the  advancement  of  the  prohibition  element.  He 
has  also  aided  as  he  might  by  occasional  contribu- 
tions to  the  press.  He  is  a  student  as  well  as  a  law- 
yer, and  his  studies  have  by  no  means  been  confined 
to  the  narrow  limits  of  the  law,  but  have  taken  a 
comparatively  wide  range  in  theology  and  general 
literature,  in  which  last  he  has  been  greatly  assisted 
and  encouraged  by  his  wife,  whose  natural  love  for 
literature  has  made  her  home  a  place  of  study. 

The  family  patronymic  is  of  Welsh  origin,  and  the 
lineage  is  distinct  from  three  brothers,  James,  David 
and  Enoch  Jones,  who  came  to  this  country  just  pre- 
vious to  the  War  of  the  Revolution.  James  was  a  phy- 
sician and  surgeon  in  the  Colonial  Army  during  the 
struggle  for  independence.  The  second  was  a  Cal- 
vinistic  Methodist  clergyman,  a  graduate  of  theTra- 
vena  College,  founded  by  Lady  Huntingdon.  It 
is  supposed  that  the  third  was  a  farmer.  They 
located  on  the  Welsh  tract  near  Wilmington, 
Del.  Daniel  Jones,  the  grandfather  of  Mr.  Jones  of 
this  sketch,  was  born  on  that  tract  April  10,  1754, 
and  married  Mary  Alston,  who  was  born  Nov.  n, 
1770,  in  Philadelphia.  Her  parents  were  Joseph  and 
Mary  (Berry)  Alston,  and  her  father  was  a  merchant 
in  Philadelphia.  He  conducted  extensive  com- 
mercial interests  and  was  the  owner  of  several  mer- 
chantmen in  the  trade  between  the  Continental 
ports  and  those  of  this  country.  He  was  English 
by  birth,  and  had  brothers  in  the  British  Army;  yet, 
sympathizing  with  the  colonies  and  still  being  loyal  to 
his  native  land,  he  determined  to  take  no  part  in  the 
then  impending  conflict,  and  accordingly 'sought  a 
residence  in  the  West  Indies,  where  he  died.  Daniel 
and  Mary  Jones  became  the  parents  of  13  children, 
Enoch,  Susan,  James  A.,  John,  Lewis,  David,  James 
jd),  Abel,  Levi,  Mary,  Alston,  Margaret  and  Isaiah 


David  Jones  died  Nov.  u,  1849,  near  Lafayette, 
Ind.  His  wife,  a  most  estimable  wife  and  mother, 
died  June  28,  1865. 

Harvey  A.  Jones  was  married  Feb.  28,  1861,  to 
Sarah  Dudley  Perkins,  who  was  born  Oct.  14,  1838,  in 
Charleston,  now  St.  Charles,  Kane  Co.,  111.,  and  is 
the  daughter  of  Otho  W.  and  Nancy  K.  Perkins.  Her 
father  was  born  June  16,  1807,  in  Grafton  Co.,  N. 
H.,  and  died  in  Kane  Co.,  111.,  Sept.  13,  1870.  He 
was  a  settler  in  that  county  in  1835,  in  its  early 
period  of  development,  and  became  prominently 
identified  with  its  progress.  His  wife,  Nancy  (Kelley) 
Perkins,  was  born  July  3,  1808,  in  Belknap  Co.,  N. 
H.,  and  died  June  30,  1863.  Two  sons  were  born  to 
them, — Jonathan  D.,  May  21,  1840,  and  Otho  W., 
Jr.,  April  21,  1842:  both  are  deceased.  Mrs.  Jones 
is  the  oldest  and  only  surviving  child.  She  was  edu- 
cated at  the  convent  of  St.  Agatha  of  the  Lake,  in 
Chicago,  and  completed  her  studies  at  Lombard 
University  at  Galesburg,  111.,  where  she  was  a  student 
four  years.  She  is  a  lady  of  superior  attainments,  is 
well  versed  in  current  and  classical  literature,  and 
has  written  considerably  for  the  press. 

Of  seven  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jones,  but 
two  survive.  Dudley  Kelley,  born  May  5,  1862,  died 
on  the  day  of  birth.  Mary  Fuller  was  born  May  10, 
1863;  Owen  Dudley,  born  .Nov.  21,  1865,  died  Jan. 
22,  1867  ;  Anna  K.  was  born  Feb.  10,  1869 ;  Harvey 
Alston,  Jr.,  born  October  28,  1871,  died  April  n, 
1880.  Sarah  Dudley,  born  June  24,  1873,  died  July 
15  following.  David  Dudley,  born  July  24,  1874,  died 
April  5,  1880.  The  deaths  of  two  promising  and 
beautiful  sons  occurred  within  the  same  week,  of 
malignant  diphtheria.  The  oldest  surviving  daugh- 
ter, Mary  Fuller,  was  married  on  Thanksgiving  Day, 
Nov.  28,  1884,  to  Elmer  Jerome  Baker,  of  the  pub- 
lishing house  of  Baker,  Collings  &  Co.,  Chicago,  and 
editor  and  publisher  of  the  Farm  Implement.  She 
is  a  graduate  of  the  High  School  at  Sycamore,  was 
a  pupil  one  year  at  the  Musical  Conservatory  at  Fort 
Wayne,  Ind.,  and  was  a  student  two  years  at  Vassar 
College,  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y. 

Since  Mr.  Jones  came  to  Sycamore  and  identified 
himself  with  its  Bar  and  with  its  society,  he  has  been 
a  prominent  factor  in  both.  When  some  of  the  traits 
of  his  mind  are  studied,  and  notice  is  taken  of  the 
persistence,  energy  and  care  with  which  he  prose- 
cutes his  profession,  coupled  with  the  added  power 
:-x^_£Ti^ ^Ai/syXj 


£>E  KALB   COUNTY. 


given  by  his  well-stored  mind,  both  of  legal  and 
general  knowledge,  and  his  ability  to  present  his 
arguments  in  a  forcible  manner,  we  have  the  solution 
of  his  unusual  success  at  the  Bar.  Unlike  most  col- 
lege graduates,  he  -has  continued  his  studies,  with 
even  a  growing  interest,  since  he  left  the  college  hall. 
The  hour  of  midnight  often  finds  him  poring  over 
some  valuable  book,  more  with  the  desire  to  inform 
his  mind  than  for  entertainment.  As  a  gentleman, 
worthy  as  a  representative  of  his  profession,  as  well 
as  a  citizen  of  De  Kalb  County,  we  place  Mr.  Jones 
portrait  in  this  volume.  It  is  engraved  from  a  pho- 
tograph taken  in  1884. 


illiam  H.  Townsend,  a  farmer  on  section 
n,  of  May  field  Township,  is  a  native  of 
the  same  township.  His  father,  Stephen 
Townsend,  was  born  in  Sullivan  Co.,  N.  Y., 
June  30,  1807,  and  his  mother,  Ann  (Den- 
man)  Townsend,  was  born  in  the  same  county 
15,  1809.  They  came  to  this  county  in  1840, 
settling  in  Mayfield  Township,  where  he  died  March 
25,  1883.  She  is  still  living  on  the  old  homestead. 
They  had  six  children,— Amos  W.,  Nancy  D.,  Ellen, 
Kate  A.,  William  H.  and  Hattie  E. 

Mr.  Townsend,  of  this  sketch,  was  born  March  16, 
1847,  and  was  married  in  Mayfield  Township  Oct. 
12,  1871,  to  Lorena  Sherwood.  Her  father,  C.  W. 
Sherwood,  was  born  Feb.  9,  1830,  in  the  State  of 
New  York,  whence  he  moved  to  Whiteside  Co.,  111., 
when  he  was  15  years  of  age.  He  was  married  to 
Mary  Landis,  Nov.  n,  1849,  who  was  a  native  of 
Union  Co.,  Ind.,  and  was  born  Jan.  9,  1828.  They 
moved  to  De  Kalb  County  from  Carroll  County, 
where  they  had  been  residents  for  about  two  years. 
He  was  a  minister  of  the  Christian  Church,  which 
calling  he  followed  for  22  years.  He  died  in  Cerro 
GordoCo.,  Iowa,  July  7,  1878,  where  he  had  been 
living  about  one  week.  They  were  the  parents  of 
seven  children. — Lorena,  Henry  M.,  Fanny  E.,  Sarah 
J.,  William  F.,  Emma  and  Edward.  Mrs.  Townsend 
was  born  in  Whiteside  Co.,  111.,  Aug.  10,  1850.  The 
children  in  her  family  now  are  Hattie  B.,  born  July 
17,  1872;  R.  Clyde,  born  Aug.  10,  1873,  and  died 
vhen  three  months  old;  Winnifred,  born  March  12, 
1875  ;  Floyd  S.,  born  July  28,  1882,  and  an  infant. 


Mr.  Townsend  has  held  the  office  of  Township 
Treasurer  ten  years,  and  is  the  present  incumbent  of 
that  office.  He  has  also  been  Township  Clerk  eight 
years,  Road  Commissioner,  School  Director,  etc.  He 
is  a  Republican  in  political  matters,  and  in  religion  \t. 
both  himself  and  wife  belong  to  the  Christian  Church. 


S.  Joiner  is  a  farmer  on  section  26, 
Mayfield  Township.  His  parents,  Syl- 
vanus  and  Beulah  (Smith)  Joiner,  natives 
of  Vermont,  first  settled  in  Wolcott,  Wayne 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  then  in  Pike,  Allegany  Co.,  same 
State.  In  1842  they  came  and  settled  in 
Mayfield  Township,  this  county,  where  they  spent 
the  remainder  of  their  days.  She  died  Sept.  16, 
1863,  and  he  Dec.  30,  1866.  They  had  nine  chil- 
dren,— Alta,  Andrew,  Cyrus  S.,  Osgood  C.,  Corinna, 
Henry  J.,  Daniel  P.,  Floretta  and  Hudson  H. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Wolcott, 
Wayne  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Oct.  5,  1813,  and  when  16 
years  old  he  went  to  Pike,  Allegany  Co.,  N.  Y.  In 
1837  he  came  to  De  Kalb  Co.,  111.,  with  his  wife, 
and  settled  where  he  still  lives,  one  of  the  oldest 
pioneers  in  the  county.  His  landed  estate  he  has 
increased  from  107  to  147  acres,  130  of  which  is  in 
good  cultivation.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican, 
and  has  held  the  office  of  Road  Commissioner. 

Mr.  Joiner  was  married  in  Chautauqua  Co.,  N.  Y., 
April  24,  1836,  to  Miss  Eltnina,  daughter  of  Jonathan 
and  Lois  (Battles)  Lyon,  who  were  natives  of  Ver- 
mont and  came  to  De  Kalb  County  in  1837,  settling 
in  De  Kalb  Township,  where  they  resided  until  their 
death;  she  died  in  February,  1839,  and  he  in  April, 
1860.  Their  children  were  Elmina,  George  W.  and 
Alta.  Mrs.  J.  was  born  in  Naples,  Ontario  Co.,  N. 
Y.,  Oct.  3,  1814.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Joiner  are  the  par- 
ents of  six  children, — Oscar  F.,  Francisco  H.,  Helen 
L.,  Orlando  A.,  Flora  M.  and  Alta  E.  Oscar  F.  was 
born  in  De  Kalb  Township,  April  2,  1838,  and  mar- 
ried Sylvia  Patridge.  She  was  born  in  Allegany  Co., 
N.  Y.  They  are  the  parents  of  two  children,^Carrie 
E.  and  Burt,  who  now  reside  at  Independence,  Kan. 
Francisco  H.  was  born  Jan.  23,  1840,  and  died  Sept. 
1 6,  1847.  Helen  L.  was  born  Oct.  27,  1843,  and 
died  Feb.  8,  1848.  Orlando  A.  was  born  July  27, 
1849,  in  Mayfield  Township.  He  married  Miss 
Laura  Esther  Camp.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Frank- 

•mtJSIS\jy A; 


r 


\, 


COUNTY. 


lin  and  Eliza  B.  (Dow)  Camp,  natives  of  New  Hamp- 
shire. She  was  bom  June  4,  1851,  in  Mayfield 
Township.  They  are  the  parents  of  three  children, 
— Arthur  D.,  born  Oct.  22,  1873  ;  Leon  A.,  born 
June  24,  1876;  and  Elmer  F.,  born  June  29,  1881. 
They  are  residing  on  the  homestead  with  the  parents 
of  Mr.  J.  Flora  M.  was  born  Feb.  27,  1849,  and  is 
the  wife  of  E.  P.  Smith.  She.  was  married  Jan.  6, 
1870.  They  have  one  child, — Albert  P., — and  re- 
side in  Mayfield  Township.  Alta  E.  was  born 
March  19,  1852,  and  died  May  30,  1858. 


dward  Barringer,  farmer,  section  25, 
Franklin  Township,  was  born  March  30, 
1828,  six  miles  from  the  city  of  Troy,  N. 
Y.,  in  Rensselaer  County,  and  is  the  son  of 
Martin  and  Mary  A.  (Ives)  Barringer,  born  and 
J  bred  farmers  in  the  Empire  State.  When  the 
son  was  six  years  old  his  parents  removed  to  Genesee 
County,  in  the  State  of  New  York,  coming  thence  in 
1844  to  Franklin  Township,  where  they  resumed 
their  accustomed  vocation,  becoming  landholders. 
The  mother  died  at  Belvidere  June  27,  1877;  th-i 
father  died  in  Florida,  in  November,  1880. 

Mr.  Barringer  was  married  at  Belvidere,  June  5, 
1856,  to  Maryette  Rote.  She  was  born  Jan.  12, 
1831,  in  Lycoming  Co.,  Pa.  Her  father,  Rev.  Daniel 
Rote  (see  sketch  of  Francis  Rote  on  another  page  of 
this  work),  descended  from  Holland  ancestry,  was  a 
minister  in  the  Keystone  State  for  many  yea'rs  and 
followed  the  same  calling  after  his  removal  to  De 
Kalb  County  in  1846.  He  died  in  Franklin  Town- 
ship in  1864.  The  mother,  Mary  (Kitchen)  Rote, 
was  born  in  Vermont  and  died  in  1865,  aged  77 
years.  The  father  was  73  years  old  when  his  de- 
mise occurred.  Mrs.  Barringer  was  15  years  of  age 
when  she  accompanied  her  parents  to  the  State  of 
Illinois.  Her  children  are  three  in  number.  Carrie 
is  a  medical  practitioner  at  Alden,  McHenry  Co., 
III.;  Emma  is  the  wife  of  S.  P.  Crosby,  who  is  manag- 
ing the  Barringer  homestead  ;  and  Carrie  A.,  who 
died  when  18  years  old. 

After  their  marriage,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barringer  set- 
tled on  80  acres  located  on  section  25  of  Franklin 
Township.  The  homestead  property  includes  240 
acres,  all  under  good  cultivation,  with  fine  farm 


buildings.  The  place  is  a  good  sample  of  the  rapid 
development  possible  in  a  prairie  State  under  the 
impetus  of  energy  and  judgment. 

Mr.  Barringer  is  a  staunch  and  active  Republican. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church,  and  his  wife 
belongs  to  the  denomination  known  as  "Christians." 


enry  M.  Thomas,  farmer,  section  30,  Kings- 
ton Township,  was  born  Sept.  8,  1830,  in 
Chautauqua  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  is  the  son  of 
R.  B.  and  Eliza  C.  (Tuttle)  Thomas,  the  former 
a  native  of  New  York,  the  latter  of  Massachu- 
setts. They  had  three  children,  of  whom  Mr. 
Thomas  is  the  youngest.  He  was  about  nine  years 
of  age  when  his  parents  removed  their  family  to 
Ogle  Co.,  111.,  and  they  removed  thence  to  De  Kalb 
County  six  years  later,  settling  in  Kingston  Town- 
ship. Mr.  Thomas  engaged  in  farming,  which  he 
has  since  pursued,  and  he  is  the  owner  of  200  acres 
of  land,  nearly  all  of  which  is,  improved.  During 
the  course  of  the  Civil  War  he  was  drafted,  but  sup- 
plied a  substitute,  to  whom  he  paid  $808. 

Mr.  Thomas  was  married  Dec.  23,  1855,  in  Chi- 
sago  Co.,  Minn.,  to  Mary  Ring,  and  their  four  chil- 
dren were  born  as  follows:  R.  B.,  Aug.  7,  1864; 
Eliza  B.,  Aug.  23,  1866;  Cornelius  T.,  born  May  2, 
1858,  died  Sept.  5  of  the  same  year;  and  Minnie  L., 
born  April  21,  1863,  died  May  26,  1879.  Mrs. 
Thomas  is  the  daughter  of  Cornelius  and  Ellen 
Ring,  and  was  born  March  22,  1837,  in  Erie  Co., 
Pa.  Her  parents  were  born  in  Ireland.  They  re- 
moved in  her  childhood  to  Peru,  111.,  where  her 
father  died,  and  later  her  widowed  mother  went  to 
Minnesota.  Mr.  Thomas  is  an  uncompromising  Re- 
publican. 


artin  L.  Ives,  resident  of  Kirkland,  was 
born  -n  Troy,  N.  Y.,  Nov.  18,  1834.    His 
parents,   Jacob    and    Louisa   (Quacken- 
bush)  Ives,  belonged  to  the  farming  com- 
munity in  the  State  of  New  York,  and  were  1  f 
residents  of  Genesee  County,  where  the  mother  ^ 
died  in  1838.     In  1848,  the  father  came  to  Franklin  ) 
Township  with  two  young  children,— Martin  and 
daughter.     They  settled  on  40  acres  of  land  pur- 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


chased  by  the  father.  His  death  in  March,  1849, 
deprived  the  little  ones  of  a  father's  care  and  left 
them  wholly  orphaned.  They  were  therefore  placed 
in  charge  of  a  sister,  who  had  removed  to  the  same 
township  two  years  previous.  Mr.  Ives  remained 
with  her  some  time  and  obtained  a  fair  degree  of 
schooling.  When  he  was  old  enough  he  became  a 
farm  laborer,  and  was  employed  at  various  points 
until  his  marriage,  Dec.  i,  1861,  to  Eliza  C.,  daugh- 
ter of  Leonard  and  Margaret  W.  (Dibble)  Aurner. 

{  Her  parents  were  natives  respectively  of  Pennsylva- 
nia and  New  York,  and  were  of  German  and  Scotch 

»  descent.  Their  marriage  took  place  in  Michigan, 
and  they  settled  in  Illinois  in  1837.  Mrs.  Ives  was 
born  July  12,  1839,  on  her  father's  homestead,  and 
was  reared  and  educated  in  the  same  township. 
When  she  was  17  years  of  age  she  became  a  teach- 
er, and  pursued  that  calling  as  a  vocation  until  her 

\  marriage.  She  is  the  mother  of  two  childreh.  Ada 
M.  was  married  Feb.  7,  1882,  to  John  G.  McKee,  a 

».  native  of  Pennsylvania.      They  have  one   child, — 

i  Roy  I.     The  second  child  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ives  is 

J  named  William  G. 

*       Mr.  Ives  purchased  120  acres  of  land  in  Kingston 

?  Township,  situated  on  section  30,  on  which  the  fam- 
ily lived  and  were  engaged  in  the  pursuits  common 
/I  to  agriculture  until  1884.  In  that  year  they  removed 
to  Kirkland  and  purchased  village  property,  on 
which  they  established  their  home  for  their  declining 
years.  Mr.  Ives  is  the  proprietor  of  a  valuable  farm, 
comprising  280  acres  in  Kingston  Township.  In  his 
political  faith  he  is  an  uncompromising  Republican, 
and  has  held  the  position  of  School  Director  21 
JF  years,  besides  occupying  the  incumbency  of  nearly 
&  \  every  other  township  office.  Mrs.  Ives  has  been  an 
active  and  useful  member  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church  since  she  was  14  years  of  age,  and  has 
officiated  as  Superintendent  of  the  .Sunday-school  in 
the  village  of  Kirkland  for  the  last  three  years. 


»*-«- 


-S— 5-< 


fames  L.  Clark,  clergyman  and  farmer,  sec- 
tion   10,  Mayfield  Township,  is   a  son  of 
Nathaniel  and  Mary  A.  (Flemming)  Clark, 
natives  of  the  North  of  Ireland.      They   were 
married  and  resided  in  that  country  until  the 
spring  of    1838,  when  they  emigrated  to  the 
United  States,  locating  at  Pittsburg,  Pa.     In  the  fall 

" 


of  1842  they  came  to  this  State  and  for  21  years, 
until  1863,  they  were  residents  of  La  Salle  County. 
In  the  spring  of  the  latter  year  they  removed  to 
Somonauk,  this  county,  and  after  a  residence  there 
of  14  years,  until  1877,  they  removed  to  Mayfield 
Township,  where  they  are  at  present  residing.  Their 
family  comprised  seven  children,  three  of  whom  are 
yet  living,  namely:  James  I.,  William  and  John  D.; 
Margaret  and  Eva  died  at  the  age  of  10  years  each; 
two  died  in  infancy. 

James  L.,  the  eldest  son,  and  subject  of  this  no- 
tice, was  born  in  Ireland,  Jan.  i,  1837.  The  follow- 
ing spring  his  parents  emigrated  to  the  United 
States,  and  James  remained  under  the  parental  roof- 
tree,  assisting  his  father  and  attending  the  com- 
mon schools  until  he  had  attained  the  age  of  16 
years.  On  arriving  at  that  age  he  entered  Wheaton 
College,  at  Wheaton,  Du  Page  County,  this  State, 
and  was  there  engaged  in  prosecuting  his  studies, 
a  portion  of  five  years,  assisting  his  father  during 
the  summer  seasons  on  the  farm. 

After  leaving  Wheaton  College,  Mr.  Clark  engaged 
in  teaching,  which  profession  he  followed  for  a  period 
of  nine  years,  meeting  with  unqualified  success. 

Abandoning  the  profession  of  a  teacher,  he  assist- 
ed an  Elder  of  the  Wesleyan  Methodist  Church 
on  his  circuit,  and  in  the  fall  of  1867  came  to  May- 
field  Township,  this  county,  and  engaged  in  preach- 
ing the  faith  of  that  Church,  being  ordained  in 
the  fall  of  1868.  He  was  attached  to  the  Rock 
River  Circuit,  of  the  Illinois  Conference,  and  for 
three  years  followed  his  profession  on  that  circuit. 
He  was  President  of  the  Conference  six  years,  and 
Secretary  three  years.  From  there  he  went  to  Boone 
County,  this  State,  at  which  place  he  was  engaged 
in  the  ministry  for  anothen  three  years,  converting 
many  to  the  faith  he  preached. 

From  Boone  County  he  returned  to  Sycamore, 
this  county,  and  was  in  charge  of  the  Wesleyan 
Methodist  Church  of  that  city  for  three  years.  He 
then  moved  on  his  farm  of  160  acres,  on  section  10, 
Mayfield  Township,  where  he  is  at  present  residing. 
Rev.  Clark  has  not  abandoned  the  ministry,  although 
he  follows  the  vocation  of  a  farmer,  and  preaches  in 
the  Wesleyan  Methodist  Church  at  Mayfield  and 
also  ^t  Sycamore.  His  farm  of  160  acres  has  about 
100  acres  under  cultivation. 

Rev.  Clark  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Martha 


I* 
/ 


j  i 

I 

I 

4 

c) 


~yv — ^17  >iw 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


Henderson,  in  Harding,  La  Salle  Co.,  this  State,  April 
5,  1860.  She  is  a  daughter  of  John  H.  and  Elizabeth 
E.  (Powell)  Henderson,  natives  of  Kentucky  and 
North  Carolina  respectively.  They  were  married 
and  settled  in  Brownsville,  Haywood  Co.,  Tenn. 
Her  father  was  so  strongly  an  advocate  and  lecturer 
on  anti-slavery  that  he  concluded  the  climate  of 
Tennessee  was  "unhealthy"  for  one  entertaining  those 
views,  and  especially  one  who  had  the  courage  to 
proclaim  them,  and  concluded  to  move  North.  He 
accordingly  came  to  La  Salle  County,  this  State,  with 
his  family  and  located  on  Indian  Creek,  that  county, 
in  June,  1829.  They  were  driven  from  that  county 
on  account  of  Indian  troubles,  and  for  three  years 
Mr.  Henderson  taught  school  in  Sangamon  County, 
this  State,  whence  he  had  moved  his  family.  He 
then  returned  to  his  home  in  La  Salle  County,  where 
he  resided  until  his  death,  which  event  occurred  in 
1848.  They  were  the  parents  of  seven  children, 
namely :  Mary,  George  W.,  Francis,  Erastus  F.> 
Martha,  Sarah  and  Annetta.  .  .. 

Mrs.  Clark  was  born  in  Freedom,  La  Salle  Co., 
this  State,  Sept.  17,  1841.  .She  is  the  mother  of 
seven  children  by  Mr.  Clark.  Five  of  them  are 
living,  namely:  Victor  I.,  born  March  22,  1862  > 
James  M.,  born  Dec.  20,  1866;  John,  born  July  16' 
1869;  Mary  E.,  born  Dec.  28,  1871  ;  and  Arthur  J. 
F.,  born  June  30,  1880.  Evangeline,  born  Dec.  28; 
1864,  died  March  4,  r875  ;  and  one  died  in  infancy. 

Politically,  Mr.  Clark  affiliates  with  the  Republican 
party ,but  is  a  strong  temperance  man,  and  last  Novem- 
ber voted  with  the  Prohibition  party.  He  has  held 
the  office  of  Town  Trustee  for  about  two  terms,  and 
is  a  respected  and  esteemed  citizen  of  the  county. 


^amuel  H.  Harrington,  farmer,  section  32, 
Franklin  Township,  is  the  son  of  S.  P.  and 
Polly  (Hicks)  Harrington,  and  was  born  on 
section  20,  April  24,  1849.  He  passed  the 
years  of  his  minority  in  alternate  labor  on  his 
father's  farm  and  in  attendance  at  the  public 
school.  When  he  became  of  age  he  assumed  the 
management  of  the  homestead  estate.  He  was  mar- 
ried Jan.  i,  1873,  in  Belvidere,  Boone  Co.,  IH.,  to 
Sarah  B.  Blanchard.  She  was  born  in  Flora  Town- 
ship, Boone  Co.,  111.,  and  is  the  oldest  of  four  chil- 


dren. Her  parents,  Roswell  and  Elizabeth  (Whiting) 
Blanchard,  were  natives  respectively  of  New  York 
and  Maine,  and  came  in  early  life  to  Boone  County, 
where  they  met  and  were  married.  They  became 
farmers  in  that  county,  and  a  few  years  later  sold 
their  property  in  Flora  Township,  removing  thence  to 
Genoa  Township  in  De  Kalb  County,  purchasing  a 
large  farm,  which  they  continued  to  conduct  until 
1880,  the  date  of  their  settlement  in  the  village  of 
Genoa.  They  are  still  resident  there  and  aged  63 
and  58  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harrington  have  three 
children  — Ina  E.,  Ralph  E.  and  Oldis  I. 

Mr.  Harrington  became  proprietor  of  his  father's 
farm  by  purchase  after  his  marriage.  The  homestead 
included  160  acres,  which  he  has  increased  by  later 
purchase  to  200  acres,  and  the  entire  acreage  is  under 
improvement.  He  has  recently  become  interested  in 
raising  Durham  cattle.  Politically  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican, and  is  active  and  influential  in  the  local  ranks 
of  that  element. 


.iram  G.  Vandeburgh,  farmer,  section  32, 
Kingston  Township,  has  been  a  resident  of 
De  Kalb  County  since  1847.  His  parents, 
Cornelius  and  Nancy  (Swartwood)  Vandeburgh, 
were  born  respectively  in  New  Jersey  and  New 
York.  After  their  marriage  they  located  in  the 
latter  State  and  subsequently  removed  to  Pennsylva- 
nia, going  thence  to  Ohio.  The  mother  died  in  that 
State,  and  the  senior  Vandeburgh  came  with  his 
family  to  De  Kalb  County,  dying  in  Kingston  Town- 
ship, Jan.  15,  1870. 

Mr.  Vandeburgh  is  the  youngest  of  10  children, 
and  was  born  Aug.  4,  1827.  He  obtained  the  limited 
common-school  education  possible  at  the  time  when 
his  parents  resided  in  Ohio,  whither  they  removed 
when  he  was  two  years  of  age,  and  he  lived  with 
them  in  the  Buckeye  State  during  their  residence 
there,  and  came  in  1847  with  the  father  to  De  Kalb 
County.  He  has  lived  since  continuously  in  Kings- 
ton Township,  with  the  exception  of  four  years  which 
he  spent  at  Kalamazoo,  Mich.,  engaged  in  carpen- 
tering. In  1849  he  became  the  proprietor  of  80 
acres,  and  now  owns  180^  acres  of  land,  which  in- 
cludes 20  y2  acres  in  timber. 

Mr.  Vandeburgh  was  married  Oct.  i,  1854,  in  the 


1 


^\Vpr^zJ5 

J*  ><^:'>.-- 


THE  LIBRARY 
3FT8E 


••••••••••••i 


i 

1 


township  of  Mayfield,  to  Caroline  E.  Fairclo,  a  native 
of  Illinois.  She  died  in  Kingston,  Mays,  1 86  Cleav- 
ing two  children :  Isaiah,  born  Aug.  28,1855;  an<^ 
Orilla,  Sept.  14,  1860.  The  daughter  is  the  wife  of 
C.  W.  Parker,  of  Kingston  Township.  Mr.  V.  was 
again  married  March  4,  1865,  in  Mayfield  Town- 
ship, to  Mary  E.,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Mary 
(Tower)  Knight.  Her  parents  were  born  respect- 
ively in  the  States  of  Maryland  and  Vermont.  After 
their  marriage  they  settled  in  Illinois,  and  in  1845 
located  in  De  Kalb  County,  where  they  are  among 
the  useful  and  substantial  citizens,  and  among  the 
first  settlers.  They  have  had  10  children,  and  Mrs. 
V.  is  the  second  in  order  of  birth.  She  was  born  in 
Columbus,  Adams  Co.,  111.,  May  24,  1842.  She  is 
the  mother  of  one  child, — Lydia  A.,  born  in  Kings- 
ton, July  6,  1868. 

Mr.  V.  is  a  Republican  in  political  belief  and  con- 
nections. 

-*— **«§«&'£»*•»--! 

form  M.  Severy,  stockman  and  farmer,  sec- 
tion 27,  Somonauk  Township,  was  born 
Nov.  4,  1829,  in  Oxford  Co.,  Maine,  in  the 
town  of  Dixfield.  His  father,  Jacob  Sever}', 
was  born  Feb.  3,  1795,  in  Sutton,  Mass.,  which 
was  also  the  birthplace  of  John's  mother,  Re- 
becca (Stevens)  Severy.  She  was  born  Feb.  1 1, 1787, 
and  died  in  Dixfield,  on  her  birthday  in  1832.  Jacob 
Severy  was  born  Feb.  3,  1795,  and  died  in  Jay, 
Maine,  Aug.  15,  1877.  They  were  members  of  the 
agricultural  class  and  had  four  children.  One  is  de- 
ceased. Dexter  is  a  breeder  of  and  dealer  in  Hol- 
stein stock  in  Victor  Township.  Satira  is  not  living. 
Hiram  is  a  Holstein  stock-raiser  in  Adams  Town- 
ship, La  Salle  Co.,  111. 

Mr.  Severy  is  the  youngest  child  and  is  a  farmer 
by  training  and  inheritance,  having  been  brought  up 
to  that  calling.  He  also  learned  the  details  and  art 
of  house  and  sign  painting,  which  he  pursued  seven 
years.  In  1853  he  bought  80  acres  of  land  in  Som- 
onauk Township,  on  which  he  has  since  resided  and 
prosecuted  his  business.  He  has  132  acres  in  his 
present  estate.  For  more  than  a  score  of  years  he 
was  extensively  interested  in  raising  fine  Poland- 
China  swine,  and  in  1882  he  inaugurated  his  busi- 
ness in  Holstein  cattle  by  the  purchase  of  six  thor- 
oughbreds. His  herd  includes  14  thoroughbreds 
/f>2,/ft >«nU?x«Xi^' /">  A. 


(fifteen-sixteenths)  and  1 8  high  grades  (seven-eighths). 
He  has  one  fine  registered  animal,  Prince  of  Keno- 
sha,  numbered  1,728  in  the  H.  H.  B.  His  drove  ot 
swine  contains  commonly  about  125  head,  and  his 
place  has  all  the  modern  facilities  for  cattle  breeding. 
Mr.  Severy  was  united  in  marriage  Jan.  17,  1855, 
in  Lowell,  Mass.,  by  Rev.  A.  Brewster,  to  Sarah 
Hubbard,  and  they  have  two  children, — Francis  E., 
born  Feb.  9,  1859,  wife  of  Edward  Martin,  and  resi- 
dent on  her  father's  farm;  John  M.  was  born  Oct.  I, 
1867;  two  children — Sarah  J.  and  John  M.  (ist) — 
are  deceased.  Mrs.  Severy  is  the  daughter  of  Jeremiah 
and  Jemima  (Stewart)  Hubbard,  and  was  born  Oct. 
23,  1829,  in  Wells,  Maine. 


ames  Richards,  farmer,  section  19,  South 
Grove  Township,  was  born  Sept.  3,  1818, 
at  Saratoga  Springs,  N.  Y.  Jacob  Rich- 
ards, his  father,  was  of  Welsh  lineage  and 
New  England  parentage,  his  ancestors  having 
removed  from  that  section  of  the  United  States 
to  the  neighboring  State  of  New  York,  in  its  pioneer 
period.  He  married  Nancy  wood,  who  was  born  in 
Greenfield,  Saratoga  County,  and  was  a  resident  of 
that  county  throughout  her  entire  life.  Her  death 
occurred  in  1859,  when  she  was  73  years  old.  The 
father  died  in  May,  1842.  Their  family  included  10 
children,  of  whom  two  are  deceased. 

Mr.  Richards  was  the  seventh  child  of  his  parents, 
and  continued  under  the  parental  roof  until  of  age. 
He  was  educated  at  the  academy  at  Stillwater,  N.  Y., 
and  in  the  year  following  that  in  which  he  attained 
his  majority  he  began  teaching  in  Saratoga  County, 
which  he  made  his  vocation  until  his  marriage,  Sept. 
20,  1849,  to  Lucretia  Ward.  The  ancestral  stock 
from  which  Mrs.  Richards  descended  was  originally 
Scotch.  Six  generations  of  Wards  who  preceded  her 
father  were  descended  from  three  families  bearing 
the  family  name  who  came  to  this  country  from 
Scotland,  and  from  them  the  name  is  diffused  through- 
out the  New  World.  William  and  Harriet  (Ross) 
Ward,  the  parents  of  Mrs.  Richards,  trace  their  im- 
mediate descent  from  New  England  branches,  some 
of  whose  members  were  soldiers  of  the  war  for  inde- 
pendence. The  father  died  in  Worcester  Co.,  Mass.; 
the  mother  died  in  Saratoga  County,  in  1884,  at  the 
age  of  86  years.  Mrs.  Richards  was  born  April  10, 

*<& ^^^ 


& 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


20,   in    Petersham,   Worcester   Co.,    Mass.      Her 
father  died  when  she  was  five  years  of  age,  and  she 
remained  under  the  control  of  her  mother  until  she 
was  13  years  old;  when  she  began  to  fit  herself  for  a 
(c>;  teacher.     She   commenced  her  labors   in   that  line 
when  1 6  years  old,  passing  alternate  seasons  between 
school  and  teaching,  and  afterwards  in  study  at  the 
State    Normal   School   at   Albany,    where    she   was 
graduated  in  1845,  in  the  first  class  that  graduated 
at  that  school.     Of  her  marriage,  four  children  have 
(  been  born,  and  three  are  living.     Harriet  W.  mar- 
j>  ried  Harry  Wadey,  a  farmer  of  Lynnville  Township, 
i  Ogle  Co.,  111.     Their   marriage   occurred   in    1870. 
Martha  A.   is  the  wife  of  George  Tindall,  of  South 
Grove   Township.     Jessie   L.  married  Solomon  M. 
Hollis,  of  Kane  County,  who  is  engaged  in  the  wind- 
mill business.     The  deceased  child  was  a  daughter 
and  was  named  Carrie  C. 

Immediately  after  their  marriage,  Mr.   and  Mrs. 
Richards  settled  in  Winnebago  Co.,  111.,   and  soon 
-.   afterward  bought  a  farm  in  Creston,  which  he  sold 
•jSj  later  and  became,  in  1868,  by  purchase,  the  pro- 
Jr?  prietor  of  93  acres,  on  which  he  has  since  resided,  in 
*2-  De  Kalb  County.     The  tract  is  all  under  cultivation, 
=  and  has  excellent  farm  buildings. 
Vr       Mr.  Richards  is  an  enthusiast  in  politics   and  has 
^  contributed  for  a  number  of  years  to  the  local  press, 
)  being  a  candid  and  forcible  writer.     He  has  been 
Postmaster  of  Deerfield  Prairie  since  1868,  and  has 
other   important   local   positions,  among  which  are 
those  of  Assessor  and  Trustee. 

Among  the  prominent  and  representative  citizens 
of  the  county  whose  portraits  we  present  in  this  book, 
i  we  take  pleasure  in   giving  that  of  Mr.  Richards, 
x*  J  which  was  engraved  from  a  photograph  taken  in  1884. 


».enry  T.  Merrill,  farmer,  section  25,  Frank- 
lin Township,  is  an  apiarist  and  manufac- 
turer of  cider  and  butter.  He  was  born 
Sept.  26,  1814,  in  Delaware  Co.,  N.  Y.  His 
father,  William  Merrill,  was  born  in  Connecti- 
cut, and  was  a  shoemaker  by  trade,  and  also  a 
tanner  and  currier.  His  marriage  to  Catherine  Wil- 
ber  took  place  in  Delaware  County,  where  she  was 
born  and  passed  her  entire  life,  dying  July  8,  1850, 
it  the  age  of  62  years.  She  became  the  mother  of 
S«^ g- 


it  children.  In  1838  the  father  came  West  and 
died  Oct.  7,  of  the  same  year,  at  the  residence  of  his 
daughter,  Mrs.  Mary  Olmstead.  He  was  53  years 
of  age. 

Mr.  Merrill  was  the  sixth  child  of  his  parents,  and 
was  one  of  the  four  who  survived  their  earliest 
youth.  He  was  brought  up  and  educated  in  his  native 
county,  obtaining  a  good  common-school  education, 
which  he  supplemented  by  a  course  of  commercial 
study  at  the  business  college  at  Albany,  N.  Y. 

He  was  married  Feb.  n,  1839,  in  Oswego  Co.,  N. 
Y.,  to  Mrs.  Catherine  Merrill,  daughter  of  John  I. 
and  Sarah  (Lucky)  Burst.  Her  parents  were  mem- 
bers of  the  agricultural  class  of  the  State  of  New 
York,  and  in  the  maternal  line  were  descendants 
from  the  French  Huguenots.  They  passed  the  clos- 
ing years  of  their  lives  with  their  children  at  Frank- 
linville,  McHenry  Co.,  111.  Mrs.  Merrill  was  born 
Oct.  9,  1815,  in  Schoharie  Co.,  N.  Y.  She  was  a 
pupil  at  school  in  her  native  county,  where  she  lived 
until  her  marriage  to  her  first  husband,  John  W. 
Merrill,  by  whom  she  had  two  children.  Sarah  is 
the  wife  of  David  Johnson,  of  Marengo,  McHenry 
Co.,  111.  She  died  April  6,  1867.  Lewis  is  a  farmer 
and  resides  in  Kingston  Township.  Of  her  second 
marriage,  five  children  have  been  born :  John,  Jan. 
29,  1849;  Sanford,  Jan.  13,  1852;  Maria  E.,  March 
4,  1855  ;  Mary  was  born  Dec.  6,  1842,  and  married 
March  4,  1874,  to  Hiram  Burchfield,  and  resides  in 
Kingston  Township;  Clara  was  born  Aug.  14,  1856, 
and  was  married  Nov.  26,  1881,  to  Byron  G.  Bur- 
bank,  an  attorney  and  now  a  professional  teacher, 
which  is  also  the  vocation  of  his  wife.  They  are 
perfecting  their  knowledge  of  the  German  language 
at  Hamburg. 

In  1851  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Merrill  located  in  Franklin 
Township,  where  the  former  established  himself  in 
the  business  of  a  merchant,  in  which  he  had  been 
engaged  in  the  State  of  his  nativity.  He  erected  the 
first  building  for  the  exclusive  purpose  of  mercantile 
business  in  the  township,  and  he  was  the  means  of 
the  establishment  of  one  of  the  first  postoffices  in 
the  county,  which  was  designated  Lacy.  He  con- 
tinued its  official  for  a  period  of  nearly  20  years,  and 
is  the  senior  Postmaster  in  the  county,  as  well  as  the 
longest  in  office.  He  is  the  owner  of  101  acres  of 
land,  and  attends  to  the  several  varieties  of  business 
specified  at  the  beginning  of  this  sketch.  In  politi- 
5?  ^Sgsjsr  -^f^S^v^ 


KALB  COUNTY. 


cal  faith  and  connections  he  is  a  Republican,  and 
has  discharged  the  duties  of  nearly  every  local  posi- 
tion in  his  township.  The  family  attend -the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church,  of  which  the  mother  is  an 
earnest  and  active  member. 


hilander  Murdock  Alden,  cashier  of  the 
Sycamore  National  Bank,  was  born  Jan.  27, 
1835,  in  Lyme,  Grafton  Co.,  N.  H.  He  is  a 
lineal  descendant  of  the  historic  pair  at  Plym- 
outh, John  Alden  and  Priscilla  Molines  or 
Mullens,  who  discussed  the  claims  of  Miles 
Standish  to  the  lady's  favor,  which  resulted  in  her 
question,  "Why  don't  you  speak  for  yourself,  John?" 
Joseph  Alden,  the  second  son  of  John  and  Priscilla, 
was  born  in  1624  and  became  the  father  of  six  chil- 
dren. His  son  John  was  born  about  1669.  David, 
oldest  son  of  the  latter,  was  born  in  1702,  and  by  his 
marriage  eight  children  were  born.  David,  second 
son,  was  born  in  1730,  and  became  the  father 
of  four  sons  and  two  daughters.  Andrew,  young- 
est son,  was  born  about  1765,  and  his  second 
son,  Philander,  was  born  in  1799, — on  the  loth 
day  of  November.  Of  the  marriage  of  the  latter 
to  Polly  L.  Murdock,  six  sons  and  a  daughter  were 
born.  P.  M.  Alden,  of  this  sketch,  who  is  the  young- 
est of  the  sons,  represents  the  present  generation,  and 
is  the  sixth  in  direct  line  of  descent  from  his  illustri- 
ous ancestor,  who  was  the  last  male  survivor  of  the 
Mayflower  emigrants,  and  who  signed  the  compact 
in  her  cabin  before  landing  at  Plymouth  Rock.  We 
have  no  record  of  his  ancestry  in  England  previous  to 
the  emigration.  Philander  Alden  died  March  8, 
1835,  at  Lyme.  His  wife  was  born  Aug.  20,  1801, 
and  is  still  living  at  Sycamore,  at  the  advanced  age 
of  83  years.  Calvin  Murdock,  maternal  grandsire  of 
P.  M.  Alden,  was  born  Oct.  10,  1775,  and  died  Oct. 
9,  1807.  His  wife,  Polly  (nee  Leonard)  Murdock, 
was  born  in  1780  and  died  in  1859.  They  were 
Scotch  by  descent.  Of  the  family  of  Philander  and 
Polly  Alden,  four  children  survive;  George  L.,  mer- 
chant at  Middleboro,  Mass.;  Thomas  J.,  freight  agent 
at  Campello,  Mass.;  Mary  L.,  wife  of  Hon.  Samuel 
Alden,  of  Sycamore  ;  and  Philander  M.,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch.  Martha  Jane,  wife  of  A.  W.  Sawyer, 
of  Sycamore,  is  a  half  sister. 

Mr.  Alden  obtained  a  good  common-school  educa- 


tion, and  completed  his  studies  at  the  High  School  in 
his  native  place,  coming  West  at  the  age  of  20  years. 
During  the  first  year  of  his  stay  in  De  Kalb  County, 
he  was  occupied  as  a  farm  assistant  in  the  township 
of  Mayfield.  He  taught  school  the  following  winter, 
and  in  1856  came  to  Sycamore,  where  he  followed 
the  bent  of  inclination  and  acquired  a  complete 
knowledge  of  the  art  of  making  daguerreotypes  and 
ambrotypes.  He  made  a  success  of  that  line  of  busi- 
ness until  the  crisis  of  1857,  when  the  stringencies  of 
the  times  wrought  such  a  change  in  the  faces  of  his 
patrons  as  precluded  their  reproduction  on  plates  or 
in  ordinary  cameras  (unless  in  sections)  from  in- 
ordinate length  (!),  and  Mr.  Alden  disposed  of  his 
business.  Within  the  sarne  year  he  obtained  the 
position  of  Clerk  in  the  Recorder's  office  at  Sycamore, 
under  James  H.  Beveridge,  where  he  officiated  until 
1859.  In  that  year  he  entered  the  banking  house  of 
the  late  J.  -S.  Waterman.  He  discharged  the  duties 
of  cashier  and  confidential  clerk  in  that  institution 
until  1864,  with  no  intermission  save  a  period  of 
three  months  in  1861,  which  he  passed  m  the  mili- 
tary service  of  the  United  States,  as  leader  of  the 
1 3th  Illinois  regimental  band  (recruited  and  organized 
by  his  efforts),  with  the  rank  of  Lieutenant.  In  1864 
he  accepted  an  appointment  in  the  State  Savings 
Bank  of  Chicago,  where  he  was  employed  two  years. 
In  1866  he  became  a  traveling  agent  in  the  interests 
of  various  fire  insurance  companies,  as  a  general  ad- 
juster of  losses  and  supervisor  of  agencies.  In  1870  he 
became  assistant  and  acting  secretary  of  the  Lamar 
Insurance  Company  of  Chicago,  a  corporation  of 
which  the  Hon.  Leonard  Swett  was  President.  His 
connection  with  that  body  was  terminated  by  the 
great  fire  of  October,  1871.  At  the  earnest  solicita- 
tion of  J.  S.  Waterman  and  others,  he  returned  to 
Sycamore  and  was  elected  to  the  responsible  position 
which  he  has  since  held  in  the  National  Bank,  and 
in  which  he  is  now  a  heavy  stock-holder.  Since 
the  death  of  James  S.  Waterman  in  July,  1883,  Mr. 
Alden,  having  been  named  in  the  will  as  one  of  the 
executors  of  the  estate,  has  borne  the  chief  responsi- 
bility in  the  settlement  of  the  extensive  connections 
of  the  property,  which  is  estimated  at  a  value  of  more 
than  half  a  million  dollars.  He  is  also  executor  and 
administrator  of  the  estates  of  John  S.  Hunt  and 
John  C.  Waterman,  deceased.  The  manner  in  which 
Mr.  Alden  has  executed  the  responsibilities  of  the 
trusts  devolving  upon  him,  proves  the  genuineness  of 


' 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


his  integrity  and  the  justice  of  the  reputation  he  has 
earned  for  energy  and  executive  ability,  as  well  as 
probity  and  unswerving  rectitude. 

Mr.  Alden's  general  relations  with  the  interests  of 
Sycamore  are  as  extensive  as  those  of  any  of  its  citi- 
zens, and  he  gives  considerate  attention  and  substan- 
tial aid  to  all  schemes,  religious,  educational,  or  in 
any  sense  conducive  to  the  general  welfare.  He  has 
been  identified  with  many  of  the  manufacturing  en- 
terprises established  at  various  periods  at  Sycamore. 

On  the  organization  of  the  Board  of  Education  he 
was  elected  a  member  thereof  and  made  its  Secre- 
tary. He  officiated  in  that  office  six  years,  taking  a 
special  interest  in  and  giving  much  personal  attention 
to  matters  pertaining  to  educational  affairs.  He  is  at 
present  (1885)  Township  Treasurer  of  Sycamore, 
having  be^n  appointed  his  own  successor  in  that  re- 
sponsible office.  As  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Mana- 
gers, and  as  Secretary  and  Treasurer  of  the  Elmwood 
Cemetery  Company,  in  which  positions  he  has  offici- 
ated a  number  of  years,  he  has  accomplished  much  in 
the  way  of  improving  and  beautifying  the  grounds 
connected  according  to  the  purpose  for  which  they 
are  set  apart.  Together  with  other  business  interests 
at  Sycamore,  he  established  an  insurance  agency, 
and  has  since  conducted  extensive  and  successful 
relations  in  that  avenue,  being  at  the  date  of  this 
writing  assisted  by  his  son,  Fred  H.  Alden.  He  rep- 
resents 14  leading  home  and  foreign  fire  insurance 
companies,  with  an  aggregate  capital  of  nearly 
$100,000,000. 

Mr.  Alden  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
Church,  an  officerof  the  society,  and  an  active  worker 
in  the  Sunday-school.  He  has  been  Superintendent 
for  several  years,  also  a  prominent  member  of  the  choir, 
and  characteristically  interested  and  alert  in  discern- 
ing and  promoting  the  welfare  of  the  Church.  The 
entire  family  of  Mr.  Alden  are  members  of  the  same 
Church;  a  fact  worthy  of  note. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Alden  to  Laura  J.  Sawyer,  of 
Sycamore,  took  place  Feb.  29,  1860.  SJie  is  the 
daughter  of  Alfred  and  Margaret  Sawyer,  and  was 
born  in  Massachusetts,  March  13,  1843.  The  union 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Alden  has  been  blessed  by  the  birth 
of  four  children.  The  first — Henry  L. — died  in  in- 
fancy. The  others— Susie  E.,  Abbie  W.  and  Frjd 
H. — are  still  joyous  members  of  a  model  household, 
md  bless  and  brighten  the  home  circle.  The  family 
residence  is  on  Somonauk  Street.  It  is  known  as  the 


highest  of  earth's  treasures,  a  happy  home  enshrin- 
ing happy  parents  and  happy  children. 

Mr.  Alden,  in  his  character  and  daily  walk,  is  a  fine 
representative  of  the  stock  from  which  he  springs. 
He  inherits  all  the  traits  of  the  best  elements  of 
New  England,  which  has  supplied  the  material  for 
men  who  ha-ve  constructed  the  West.  Like  his  an- 
cestors, he  is  a  self-made  man.  He  is  not  only  tem- 
perate in  his  habits,  but  he  also  is  and  has  always 
been  a  total  abstainer  from  the  use  of  tobacco  or 
liquor  in  any  form. 


orton  McKeague,  farmer,  section  32,  King- 
ston Township,  was  born  July  15,  1830,  in 
the  county  of  Durham,  Ont.,  and  is  the 
son  of  William  and  Charlotte  (McDonald) 
McKeague,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  Canada, 
of  Scotch  ancestry.  They  continued  to  reside 
in  Canada  after  their  marriage,  and  there  passed 
their  entire  lives,  where  they  reared  their  six  chil- 
dren, named  Norton,  Diana,  William,  George,  Helen 
and  Mary. 

Mr.  McKeague  was  educated  in  the  excellent 
schools  of  the  Dominion,  remaining  until  he  was  18 
years  of  age,  receiving  a  thorough  course  of  instruc- 
tion in  agricultural  pursuits.  At  the  age  mentioned 
he  went  to  the  State  of  New  York  and  passed  three 
years  in  Livingston  County,  and  subsequently  re- 
turned to  Canada.  He  remained  there  about  18 
months,  and  in  October,  1853,  he  came  to  Kane  Co., 
111.  He  operated  there  four  years,  and  in  1857  re- 
moved to  De  Kalb  County.  He  purchased  85  acres 
in  Kingston  Township,  which  has  since  been  his 
homestead.  Five  acres  of  his  estate  are  in  timber. 
He  has  spent  six  years  in  Grand  Traverse  Co., 
Mich.,  where  he  was  employed  between  two  and 
three  years  in  a  saw-mill,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time- 
he  built  a  grist-mill,  and  he  continued  its  manage- 
ment more  than  two  years. 

In  political  faith  and  principles  Mr.  McKeague  is 
a  Republican.  He  has  officiated  two  terms  as 
School  Director,  and  the  same  length  of  time  as 
Overseer  of  Highways. 

He  was  married  March  5,  1854,  in  Kane  Co.,  111., 
to  Mary  A.,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Catherine  Ault. 
Her  parents  were  born  in  Pennsylvania,  and  came 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


fi 


to  Kane  County  in  1 85 1 .  Two  years  after,  they  set- 
tled in  the  township  of  Kingston.  The  mother  died 
March  28,  1866;  the  father's  death  occurred  Nov. 
17,  1868.  Mrs.  McKeague  was  born  March  9,  1826, 
in  Lycoming  Co.,  Pa.  Of  her  marriage  six  children 
have  been  born:  William  B.,  Dec.  27,  1854;  Sam- 
uel F.,  Aug.  24,  1856;  Catherine,  May  16,  1858; 
Addison  A.,  March  19,  1860;  Clara,  Aug.  23,  1861 ; 
Myron,  Dec.  23,  1864. 


eorge  W.  Gurley,  of  Sandwich,  is  the 
fifth  lineal  descendant  from  William  Gur- 
ley, a  younger  son  of  a  Scotch  earl  who 
ras  born  in  Scotland  in  1665,  and  surrepti- 
:iously  brought  thence  to  America  when  he  was 
4  years  of  age.  He  was  reared  at  Northamp- 
ton, Mass.,  was  married  there  and  lost  his  life  by 
drowning  when  22  years  old.  He  left  a  son,  Samuel 
Gurley,  who  was  born  May  17,  1687,  and  died  Feb. 
23,  1760.  He  became  the  father  of  two  sons  and 
eight  daughters.  Samuel  (2d),  the  third  child  and 
youngest  son,  was  born  June  30,  1717,  married  Sarah 
Ward,  and  after  her  death  became  the  husband  of 
Hannah  Walker.  Five  children  were  born  to  him, — 
Nahum,  Hannah,  Lois,  Zenas  and  Margaret.  Zenas, 
the  youngest  son,  was  married  to  L.  Dimock  and 
afterward  to  E.  Hovey,  becoming  by  the  second  mar- 
riage the  father  of  four  children, — Henry,  Eunice, 
Lovinia  and  Zenas  H.  The  last  named  was  born  in 
1 80 1  and  married  Margaret  Hickey,  Sept.  18,  1825. 
He  died  Aug.  28,  1872.  To  him  and  his  wife  u 
children  were  born,  four  dying  in  infancy.  Of  those 
who  attained  mature  age,  Samuel,  Louisa  and  Julia 
M.  were  married  and  are  now  deceased ;  the  two  latter 
left  families.  Col.  John  E.  Gurley  is  also  deceased. 
Zenas  is  a  resident  at  Pleasanton,  Decatur  Co., 
Iowa,  and  has  a  wife  and  five  children.  Mr.  Gurley 
is  next  in  order.  Edwin  H.,  a  resident  of  Lamoni, 
Decatur  Co.,  Iowa,  has  a  wife  and  two  sons, — 
Zenas  and  Edwin.  The  two  brothers  last  named  are 
ministers.  John  E.  was  a  practicing  attorney  at 
Shullsburg,  Lafayette  Co.,  Wis.,  and  became  a 
soldier  for  the  Union.  He  raised  and  organized  a 
company  of  volunteers  and  was  made  its  Captain.  It 
rent  to  the  field  as  Co.  E,  33d  Wis.  Vol.  Inf.,  and 
ras  in  active  military  service  throughout  the  entire 


war.  He  was  a  brave  soldier  and  a  competent 
officer,  and  returned  to  Wisconsin  after  the  termina- 
tion of  the  conflict,  with  the  rank  of  Colonel.  His 
long  and  arduous  service  was  the  cause  of  his  death, 
in  April,  1868.  Zenas  H.  Gurley,  the  father,  was 
for  a  number  of  years  a  clergyman,  and  at  the 
time  of  his  death  was  a  minister  in  the  denomination 
known  as  the  Latter-Day  Saints.  He  died  on  Buffalo 
Prairie,  111. 

Mr.  Gurley  of  this-  sketch  was  born  Dec.  i,  1847, 
at  Elizabeth,  Jo  Daviess  Co.,  111.  His  parents  re- 
moved soon  after  to  Lafayette  Co.,  Wis.,  remaining 
there  about  ten  years  and  locating  next  on  a  farm 
near  Galesburg,  111.  In  1864  they  settled  in  Ken- 
dall County,  two  miles  east  of  Sandwich.  When  he 
was  15  years  old,  Mr.  Gurley  entered  the  High 
School  at  Mount  Carroll,  111.,  where  he  was  a  stu- 
dent through  four  successive  winters,  passing  his 
spare  time  in  working  for  his  board  and  tuition  and 
he  also  sawed  wood  to  pay  for  his  books.  When  he 
was  17  years  of  age  he  bought  his  time  and  engaged 
in  teaching,  two  miles  east  of  Sandwich,  in  what  was 
then  Tollman's  district,  where  he  engaged  in  that 
profession  winters,  at  $40  dollars  per  month.  In  the 
summer  of  1866  he  finished  his  course  of  study  at 
the  High  School  at  Mount  Carroll. 

In  the  spring  of  1867  he  engaged  as  a  salesman  in 
the  store  of  A.  B.  Crofoot  at  Sandwich,  receving  for 
his  services  $15  per  month.  He  continued  in  the 
position  nearly  two  years,  when  he  took  charge  of  a 
branch  store  at  Piano,  in  the  interest  of  the  same 
employer,  being  there  six  months.  He  went  to  Mex- 
ico, Mo.,  where  he  was  employed  two  years,  at  a 
yearly  salary  of  $800,  and  expenses.  On  the  ter- 
mination of  that  engagement  he  went  to  Wisconsin 
and  entered  the  employment  of  his  brother  in  a 
general  mercantile  establishment.  The  business  asso- 
ciate of  his  brother  died,  and  Mr.  Gurley  settled  the 
estate,  after  which  he  returned  to  Sandwich  (1873). 
He  engaged  as  a  salesman  in  a  store,  and  two  years 
later  formed  a  co-partnership  in  the  sale  of  general 
merchandise,  under  the  firm  style  of  Pratt,  Good- 
man &  Gurley.  After  operating  three  years  the  house 
became  Pratt  &  Gurley,  the  new  firm  prosecuting 
their  affairs  jointly  about  four  years.  Mr.  Gurley 
sold  out  in  1882  and  entered  the  employment  of  the 
Sandwich  Manufacturing  Company,  operating  at  first 
as  an  expert  in  the  machine  department  and 

/->  ^^Myr-  cc&V®->J&a) 

1  '  ) ^ps>4flpK- ^ ^^^^"     **^rTiiJcj/V\S-' 


r 


COUNTY. 


Llf 


salesman,  also  acting  as  collector  and  in  the  transac- 
tion of  general  business.  On  the  first  day  of  Sep- 
tember, 1884,  he  was  placed  in  the  office  and  the 
department  of  collection  entrusted  to  his  charge, 
which  he  has  since  conducted,  its  duties  requiring 
the  aid  of  two  assistants.  Mr.  Gurley  officiated  as 
City  Clerk  nearly  two  years.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
fraternity  of  Odd  Fellows  and  belongs  to  Sandwich 
Lodge,  No.  212.  He- is  also  a  member  of  Meteor 
Lodge,  No.  283,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Sandwich  Chapter, 
No.  107,  and  of  No.  22,  Aurora  Commandery. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  in  Sheridan,  La  Salle 
Co.,  111.,  June  10,  1875,  to  Jennie  Griswold.  Their 
two  children  were  born  in  Sandwich,  as  follows  : 
Mabel,  Feb.  28,  1876,  and  died  Feb.  6,  1877  ;  Edna 
May,  March  27,  1879.  Mrs.  Gurley  is  the  daughter 
of  Norman  R.  and  Dora  A.  (David)  Griswold,  and 
was  born  Aug.  28,  1856,  in  Honesdale,  Pa.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Gurley  are  members  of  the  Congregational 
Church. 

Mr.  Gurley  has  a  photograph  of  the  coat-of-arms 
which  constituted  the  insignia  of  rank  of  his  noble 
ancestors,  an  original  being  in  the  possession  of 
other  members  of  the  family. 


[.  White,  farmer,  section  29, 
Dnauk  Township,  was  born  on  the 
farm  where  he  now  resides,  July  2,  1859. 
His  father,  Thomas  White,  was  a  shoemaker 
in  early  life  and  was  a  native  of  Washington 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was  born  Feb.  15,  1815. 
The  mother,  Ann  E.  (Tucker)  White,  was  born  in 
Washington  Co.,  N.  Y.,  June  2,  1815.  The  family 
removed  to  Somonauk  Township  in  the  spring  of 
1856,  and  took  up  their  residence  on  section  9  on 
a  rented  farm  160  acres  in  extent.  Later  they  re- 
moved to  a  rented  farm  in  Squaw  Grove  Township, 
where  the  parents  lived  until  1859.  In  that  year 
the  farm  on  section  29  was  purchased,  and  there  the 
father  died,  Feb.  18,  1882.  The  demise  of  the 
mother  occurred  on  the  homestead,  Sept.  4,  1883. 
The  family  included  10  children,  of  whom  but  three 
are  living.  Emily  A.  is  the  wife  of  William  J. 
Randies,  a  farmer  of  Clinton  Township. 

Mr.  White  is  the  only  surviving  son,  and  his  birth 
was   the  event  that  marked  the  year  in  which  the 

^^^ ^H> 


farm  was  purchased,  where  he  has  always  lived, 
and  where  he  is  engaged  in  the  successful  prosecu- 
tion of  the  business  in  which  his  father  passed  the 
the  greater  part  of  his  life.  He  has  a  fine  herd  of 
15  Short-Horn  Durham  cows,  and  conducts  a  profit- 
able dairy  business.  He  is  a  Democrat. 

Mr.  White  was  married  Jan.  3,  1883,  to  Cornelia 
M.,  daughter  of  James  and  Jeannette  (Rickey)  Mar- 
shall, of  Henderson  Co.,  111.,  where  she  was  born, 
Aug.  17,  1861.  With  her  husband,  she  belongs  to 
the  United  Presbyterian  Church. 


tacy  P.  Kenyon,  Justice  of  the  Peace,  No- 
tary Public  and  real-estate  agent,  at  Syca- 
more, was  born  Nov.  7,  1826,  in  Washing- 
ton Co.,  N.  Y.  His  father,  John  Kenyon,  was 
born  July  14,  1800,  in  the  State  of  New  York, 
and  married  Betsey  Potter,  who  was  born  May 
7,  1803,  in  Washington  Co.,  N.  Y.  The  family  re- 
moved in  1840  to  Elgin  Township,  Kane  Co.,  111., 
where  the  father  purchased  220  acres  of  land  and 
made  additions  to  his  possessions  until  he  was  the 
owner  of  nearly  400  acres  of  land,  all  under  fine  im- 
provement. In  1846  he  bought  240  acres  of  land  in 
the  township  of  Virgil,  Kane  Co.,  111.,  and  became  a 
resident  there,  remaining  until  the  fall  of  1875,  the 
date  of  his  removal  to  Sycamore. "  In  the  spring  of 
the  following  year  he  was  elected  to  the  position  of 
Justice  of  the  Peace  and  has  been  re-elected  suc- 
cessively since.  In  1880  he  became  a  Notary  Public. 
He  is  also  agent  for  the  fire  insurance  companies 
known  as  the  German  of  Freeport,  the  Agricultural 
of  Boston,  the  Watertown  of  New  York,  and  the 
Mutual  Life  of  New  York  City ;  he  also  deals  in  real 
estate.  Mr.  Kenyon  is  a  member  of  the  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows, — subordinate  Lodge  and  Encampment. 
He  was  married  Feb.  14,  1850,  in  New  York,  to 
Betsey  Lee,  and  they  had  four  children.  David  L. 
is  a  practicing  physician  in  Worthington,  Noble  Co., 
Minn. ;  John  C.  is  an  attorney  at  Sycamore ;  Mary 
H.  married  John  Janes,  a  farmer  of  Dakota ;  Charles 
W.  is  a  barber  at  Sycamore.  Their  mother  died  May 
7,  1860,  and  Mr.  Kenyon  was  again  married,  Feb. 
24,  1 86 1,  in  Kane  County,  to  Clara  Walker.  The 
issue  of  this  union  was  three  children.  Nettie  is 
teacher  in  Mayfield  Township.  William  C. 

— ^€3^ »»£® 


<y 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


farmer  in  Dakota.  Morris  is  a  printer  in  Sycamore. 
Mr.  Kenyon's  second  wife  died  in  Virgil  Township, 
March  26,  1868,  and  he  contracted  a  third  matri- 
monial alliance,  in  Sycamore ,  Nov.  18,  1868,  with 
Elmira  White,  a  native  of  Sycamore.  They  have 
four  children, — Parries  F.,  Nellie,  Glenn  and  Lewis. 


Ivor  Montgomery,  attorney  at  Sandwich, 
whose  portrait  appears  on  the  preceding 
page,  was  born  March  13,  1847,  in  the 
township  of  Dayton,  La  Salle  County,  111. 
John  N.  Montgomery,  his  father,  was  the  fourth 
in  the  line  of  descent  from  the  generation  to 
which  Gen.  Richard  Montgomery,  the  hero  of  Que- 
bec, belonged,  and  to  whom  he  bore  the  relation  of 
nephew  in  the  third  remove,  his  great-grandfather 
having  been  the  brother  of  him  who  fell  in  the  siege 
of  Quebec. 

The  lineage  runs  in  this  wise  :  Thomas,  brother  of 
General  Montgomery,  was  born  in  1739,  in  Ireland, 
and  emigrated  in  1768  to  the  northern;  part  of  the 
State  of  New  York,  and  during  the  Revolutionary 
contest  was  an  officer  in  the  Colonial  army.  Wil- 
liam Montgomery,  son  of  Thomas,  was  born  in  1770, 
in  the  State  of  New  York,  where  he  died,  in  1825. 
John  Harper  Montgomery,  son  of  William,  was  born 
in  New  York,  in  1793,  and  in  early  life  removed  to 
the  western  part  of  Pennsylvania.  He  inherited  the 
loyalty  of  his  progenitors,  became  a  soldier  of  1812, 
and  participated  in  that  war  throughout  its  entire 
course.  He  was  a  Captain  in  Kimball's  Ohio  Militia 
Volunteers,  and  was  one  of  33  refugees  from  the  mas- 
sacre of  the  river  Raisin.  He  was  a  personal  friend  and 
counselor  of  General  Harrison.  After  the  war  he  mar- 
ried Melinda  Platt,  in  Northeastern  Ohio,  where  her 
relatives  still  reside.  He  located  at  Dayton,  La 
Salle  Co.,  III.,  in  1847,  where  he  became  prominent 
in  local  affairs  and  officiated  in  several  positions  of 
trust  and  importance.  His  death  occurred  in  1864, 
and  his  widow  survived  him  seven  years.  John  N. 
Montgomery,  son  of  the  latter,  was  born  May  30, 
1825,  in  Crawford  Co.,  Pa.,  and  married  Luceva 
Ward.  They  came  in  1846  to  La  Salle  Co.,  111.,  set- 
tling at  Dayton,  where  their  only  child  was  born. 
The  mother  was  born  in  Crawford  Co.,  Pa.,  May  30, 
1824,  and  died  June  7,  1850.  She  was  thedaughter 
©Aga^JL. ^^ff  < 

^yx^v^^s  •     •• 


of  William  Ward,  whose  wife  was  a  direct  descendant 
from  a  French  Huguenot  family.  Their  children 
were  Jacob  and  Abram,  Hannah  Lewis,  Eleanor 
Tracy,  Eliza  Phillips,  and  Polly  Goldfinch,  of  Craw- 
ford Co.,  Pa.  After  the  death  of  his  wife,  J.  N. 
Montgomery  married  Amanda  Springstead,  and  they 
have  the  following  children :  Luceva,  Florilla, 
Minnie,  William,  Lee  and  Annie  E.  The  entire 
family  reside  at  or  near  Iowa  Falls,  Iowa,  whither 
the  parents  moved  in  1867. 

Mr.  Montgomery  of  this  sketch  was  occupied  in 
the  duties  incumbent  on  a  farmer's  son  in  his  native 
county  until  he  was  16  years  of  age,  and  in  obtaining 
his  preliminary  education.  He  engaged  at  that  age 
in  teaching  in  La  Salle  County,  and  spent  about  nine 
years  in  that  capacity.  During  the  time  he  filled  the 
position  of  Deputy  School  Superintendent  of  La 
Salle  County  four  years,  meanwhile,  also,  reading 
law.  He  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  on  examination 
at  Ottawa,  in  October,  1869.  On  receiving  his  cre- 
dentials he  opened  an  office  at  Leland,  in  his  native 
county,  where  he  practiced  until  1875.  In  the  year 
last  named  he  located  his  business  at  Sandwich, 
where  he  has  since  prosecuted  its  relations.  He  is 
at  present  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  popular  and  exten- 
sive legal  practice  in  the  State  and  Federal  Courts, 
and  is  a  prominent  and  competent  member  of  his 
profession.  He  has  officiated  two  years  as  City  At- 
torney of  Sandwich,  and  four  years  as  Justice  of  the 
Peace. 

Mr:  Montgomery  is  one  of  the  most  industrious, 
thoroughgoing  lawyers  of  De  Kalb  County,  and  has 
attained  a  position  as  an  attorney  second  to  none 
in  point  of  reliability.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Ma- 
sonic fraternity  and  the  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  in  Northville  Town- 
ship, La  Salle  Co.,  111.,  May  2r,  i87r,to  Mary  A. 
Lett.  Three  children  are  now  members  of  the 
household, — Jessie,  born  March  30,1872;  Florian, 
Sept.  3,  1877;  and  Ward,  Oct.  24,  1879.  Mrs. 
Montgomery  was  born  in  Northville  Township,  Dec. 
1,1853,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Thomas  Lett  and 
Merrilla  (Pease)  Lett.  The  family  to  which  Mrs. 
Montgomery  belongs  has  been  made  prominent 
through  circumstances  which  render  it  essentially  the 
property  of  the  historian.  The  Lett  family  were 
originally  Hollanders  who  went  to  England  with  Wil- 
liam III,  whence  they  emigrated  to  Wexford,  Ire- 
land. Elizabeth  Jacobus,  great-grandmother  of 


\ 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


Mrs.  Montgomery  in  the  paternal  line,  was  born  in 
Holland.  Her  father's  mother,  Elizabeth  Warren; 
was  a  member  of  an  English  family  named  Warren, 
and  a  French  family  named  Pileaux.  Elizabeth 
Warren  was  n  years  of  age  when,  in  1798,  the  Irish 
Rebellion  broke  out,  and  she  was  imprisoned  twice 
to  be  burned.  She  was  saved  both  times  by  the 
British  soldiery,  but  her  only  brother  was  murdered. 
In  June,  1819,  Samuel  Lett  and  his  wife,  Elizabeth 
Warren,  came  from  Ireland  to  Chatham,  Montreal 
District,  with  their  sons  Robert,  Thomas  and  Benja- 
min, and  daughters,  Elizabeth  and  Ann.  At  that 
time  there  was  but  one  abode  of  civilization  between 
the  Lett  homestead  and  the  North  Pole.  Samuel 
Lett  died  by  accident,  in  September,  1824.  The 
widow  and  her  children  removed  nine  years  later  to 
Darlington,  Ont.  In  1837  the  Patriot's  Rebellion 
agitated  Canada  and  convulsed  all  Britannia.  The 
brothers  Thomas  and  Benjamin  Lett  were  among 
the  rebellious  element,  the  latter  being  perhaps  the 
most-  dangerous  of  all  the  individuals  concerned  in 
the  attempt  to  overthrow  the  British  authority  in 
Canada.  He  was  made  the  object  of  a  persecution 
which  terminated  only  when  his  death  had  been  ac- 
complished. A  price  was  set  on  his  head  and  he 
was  tracked  by  Canadian  spies,  arrested,  tried,  con- 
victed, sentenced  and  imprisoned,  for  a  crime  which, 
it  was  proven,  had  never  been  committed  by  any 
one.  He  was  confined  in  the  State  prison  at  Auburn, 
N.  Y.,  from  1840  to  1845,  when  he  was  pardoned 
through  the  certificate  of  his  physician.  He  was 
the  destroyer  of  Brock's  monument  and  the  instiga- 
tor of  the  scheme  for  the  destruction  of  the  locks  in 
Welland  Canal,  and  was  the  main  reliance  of  the 
rebels  in  the  accomplishment  of  any  special  purpose 
requiring  an  unusual  degree  of  courage  and  daring. 
His  exploits  were  never  forgotten  nor  forgiven ;  and 
although  McKenzie,  the  chief  element  in  the  move- 
ment was  pardoned,  Benjamin  Lett  was  considered 
and  dealt  with  as  an  outlaw. 

The  Lett  family,  with  the  exception  of  Benjamin, 
went  from  Canada  to  Texas,  in  order  to  put  as  great 
a  distance  as  possible  between  themselves  and  the 
scenes  of  their  difficulties.  The  mother  died  in 
Texas  and  the  remaining  members  of  the  family 
came  in  1840  to  Northville,  La  Salle  Co.,  111.,  and 
Benjamin  Lett  repaired  there  on  being  released  from 
prison,  and  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  In 
October,  1858,  he  went  to  Chicago  to  aid  in  the 

(yyV^g^sa ^t£5&l£ Q 

^jy^sr^^ 


prosecution  of  a  scheme  for  trading  between  the  lake 
ports,  and  failed  to  return  at  the  appointed  time  to 
his  home.  Preparations  were  making  for  a  search 
for  him,  when  a  telegram  announced  his  impending 
death.  The  message  was  withheld  until  after  his 
death,  which  took  place  at  Milwaukee  Dec.  9,  1858. 
The  post-mortem  examination  showed  that  he  had 
been  poisoned  with  strychnine,  the  result  of  the  per- 
secutions which  -pursued  him  relentlessly  for  21 
years.  Thomas  Lett  has  erected  two  monuments  to 
his  memory  in  the  family  burial  lot  in  Northville,  La 
Salle  County.  The  foot-stone  is  nine  feet  in  height 
from  its  base,  and  the  main  column  is  1 1  feet  above 
the  pedestal,  which  is  four  feet  square.  They  are  of 
marble  and  are  covered  with  inscriptions  commemor- 
ating the  progress  of  the  operations  which  at  last  ter- 
minated in  his  cowardly  murder.  The  entire  affair 
outstrips  the  vagaries  of  romance. 

Thomas  Lett  entered  Government  land  .in  La  Salle 
County  in  1840,  and  is  still  its  owner.  In  1842  he 
broke  the  prairie  sod  of  20  acres  where  Sandwich 
now  stands,  and  he  is  now  (1885)  a  resident  of  the 
place.  He  is  a  man  of  superior  intellectual  attain- 
ments, and  is  surpassed  by  none  in  his  knowledge  of 
ancient  and  modern  history. 


illiam  Converse  Phelps,  Assistant  Secre- 
tary of  the  Sandwich  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, was  born  June  16,  1849,  in  Kirkland, 
Oneida  Co.,  N.  Y.  His  father,  Alonzo  E. 
Phelps,  was  born  Jan.  17,  1804,  in  Caze- 
novia,  N.  Y.,  and  married  Juliet  Bradley,  who 
was  born  in  Cayuga  Co.,  N.  Y.  Dr.  Phelps  removed 
to  Sandwich  in  October,  1 869,  and  after  practicing 
his  profession  a  short  time,  he  retired.  He  died  at 
Sandwich,  Nov.  14,  1882.  The  mother  of  Wm.  C. 
died  at  Sandwich,  only  a  short  time  subsequent  to 
removal  hither,  her  demise  occurring  Dec.  25,  1869. 
They  had  seven  children :  Mary  B.  and  Juliet  B. 
were  twins.  The  former  is  the  wife  of  J.  P.  Adams, 
of  Sandwich,  and  the  latter  married  William  Barnes, 
a  farmer  in  Kirkland,  Oneida  Co.,  N.  Y.  Francis  B. 
is  a  machinist  in  the  employment  of  the  Sandwich 
manufacturing  Company. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  youngest  of  th 
four  surviving  children.     When  he  was  15  years  of 


(\ 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


age  he  entered  a  variety  store  in  Clinton,  N.  Y., 
where  he  was  employed  two  years,  after  which  he 
became  assistant  book-keeper  in  Clark's  cotton  mills 
in  New  York  State,  and  operated  in  that  capacity  two 
years.  He  next  obtained  a  situation  in  the  office  of 
a  wholesale  hardware  manufacturing  company  in  the 
city  of  New  York,  where  he  remained  four  years,  dis- 
charging the  duties  of  order  clerk  and  managing  the 
entire  routine  of  affairs  pertaining  to  that  department. 
He  entered  upon  the  work  of  book-keeper  of  the 
corporation  in  whose  interests  he  is  now  engaged,  in 
February,  1871.  Two  years  subsequently  he  was 
elected  to  the  position  he  now  fills  and  operated  in 
the  local  office  until  the  fall  of  1880.  At  that  date 
he  went  to  Lincoln,  Neb.,  in  order  to  conduct  a 
branch  house  of  the  company  and  continued  in  that 
avenue  of  business  until  November,  1881,  and  dur- 
ing that  time  opened  up  a  large  business  for  his 
company  in  that  particular  field.  On  his  return  to 
Sandwich  he  was  again  elected  to  his  former  position, 
in  which  he  has  since  officiated.  Mr.  Phelps  is  the 
present  City  Treasurer  of  Sandwnch.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  also  belongs  to  the 
order  of  Mutual  Aid  of  Illinois. 

His  marriage  to  Frances  J.  Root  occurred  Nov.  8, 
1871,  at  Sandwich.  Three  children  have  been  bom 
to  them  as  follows;  Clara  A.,  Aug.  19,  1872;  Mary 
B.,  Aug.  26,  1875  ;  Ethel  J.,  Oct.  18,  1877.  Mrs. 
Phelps  was  born  Sept.  26,  1850,  in  Utica,  N.  Y.,  and 
is  the  daughter  of  George  W.  and  Salina  A.  Root. 


i  illiam  Patten,  farmer,  section  13,  Somo- 
nauk  Township,  was  borri  Jan.  21,  1817, 
in  -Greenwich,  Washington  Co.,  N.  Y. 
His  father,  James  Patten,  was  a  native  of 
Ireland  and  was  brought  to  the  United  States 
by  his  parents  when  an  infant  1 1  months  old, 
in  June,  1794.  He  learned  the  trade  and  busi- 
ness of  harness-making,  and  later  in  life  engaged  in 
farming.  He  died  at  Salem,  N.  Y.,  Dec.  21,  1827. 
The  mother,  Mary  (Robertson)  Patten,  was  born  in 
Argyle,  N.  Y.,  and  is  still  living,  in  her  g2d  year. 

Mr.  Patten  is  the  only  survivor  of  five  children. 
He  received  the  training  of  a  farmer  and  a  common- 
school  education.  When  he  reached  the  age  of  14 
years,  he  entered  the  store  of  his  uncle,  Moses 


Robertson,"  where  he  operated  as  a  salesman  four 
years,  resuming  his  occupation  of  farmer  at  the  end 
of  that  time  in  his  native  place.  May  17,  1843,  he 
came  to  De  Kalb  County  and  entered  the  employ- 
ment of  George  Beveridge,  of  Somonauk  Township, 
as  a  farm  assistant  and  continued  in  that  situation 
through  one  summer.  In  the  fall  he  went  back  to 
the  county  where  he  was  born,  and  was  married  Oct. 
1 1,  to  Elizabeth  Pratt.  Immediately  after  that  event 
he  returned  to  De  Kalb  County  and  entered  a  claim 
of  80  acres  of  land,  which  has  since  been  his  home- 
stead,— a  period  of  more  than  40  years.  He  con- 
ducted his  farming  operations  with  success  and 
profit,  and  added  to  his  estate  until  he  owned  440 
acres  of  land.  He  managed  his  agricultural  affairs 
with  judgment  and  wisdom,  and  greatly  added  to  the 
value  and  appearance  of  the  place  by  his  method  of 
conducting  his  farm  and  by  the  excellent  class  of 
buildings  which  he  erected.  In  March,  1884,  he 
sold  his  place  to  his  son  Charles,  who,  in  addition  to 
his  general  farming  operations,  is  making  a  specialty 
of  raising  fine  grades  of  Durham  cattle,  of  which  he 
owns  a  herd  numbering  165  head.  He  also  exhibits 
some  fine  Norman  Percheron  and  English  draft 
horses. 

In  usefulness  to  his  generation  and  as  a  factor  in 
the  permanent  welfare  of  the  general  public,  Mr. 
Patten  is  a  prominent  and  trusted  citizen,  and  his 
disinterested  devotion  to  the  interests  of  the  com- 
munity to  which  he  belongs,  as  well  as  his  abilities 
and  qualifications  for  responsible  positions,  have  won 
a  recognition  creditable  to  himself  and  his  suppor- 
ters. He  has  been  an  adherent  of  the  Republican 
element  in  political  affairs,  and  in  the  fall  of  1854 
he  was  elected  Representative  to  the  Legislature  of 
Illinois  from  De  Kalb  County,  and  received  a  re- 
election in  1858.  In  1866  he  was  elected  to  the 
State  Senate  for  the  long  term  and  served  four  years. 
He  has  discharged  the  duties  of  Supervisor  of  Somo- 
nauk Township  six  years,  and  been  appointed  a  Del- 
egate numberless  times  to  the  Republican  State  and 
County  Conventions. 

During  the  war  of  the  Rebellion  he  was  indefatig- 
able in  his  efforts  to  aid  the  Government  in  its  sup- 
pression of  the  colossal  mischief,  and  was  one  of  the 
earliest  to  comprehend  the  extent  of  the  danger  that 
menaced  the  Union.  In  April,  1861,  he  was  instru- 
mental in  raising  Co.  H,  roth  111.  Vol.  Inf.,  which  he 
accompanied  on  its  way  to  the  front  as  far  as  Cairo. 


VX 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


In  1864  he  raised  Co.  H,  iS6th  111.  Vol.  Inf.,  and 
went  to  the  field  as  its  Captain,  but  was  never  in  ac- 
tual  military    service.     In    religious   matters    he   is 
equally   zealous   and   efficient,  and  is  a  prominent 
member  of  the  United   Presbyterian    Church.     He 
was  one  of  the  first  Elders  after  the  organization  of 
the  society  to  which  he  belongs,  and  interested  him- 
self actively  in  the  construction  of  the  church  edifice. 
He  has  represented  the  society  twice  as  a  Delegate 
to  the  General  Assembly  held  at  Philadelphia.     Mr. 
Patten  is  the  owner  of  500  acres  of  farming  land  in 
Story  Co.,  Iowa,  situated  on  the  line  of  the  Milwau- 
i    kee   Railroad,   which    is    managed  by  his  son   and 
where  he  spent  the  greater  part  of  several  summers. 
He  has  been  twice  married,  and  had  five  children 
by  his  first  wife,  three  of  whom  are  living.     Edward 
is  a  farmer  in  Collins,  Story  Co.,  Iowa;  Simon  N. 
and  Jennie  are  at  home.     James  and  Simon  (ist) 
are  deceased.     The  mother  died  in  Somonauk,  Jan. 
8,  1856,  and  Mr.  Patten  was  again  married  in  August, 
1856,  to  Jane  Somes,  a  native  of  Greenwich,  Wash- 
££  ington  Co.,  N.  Y.     They  became  the  parents  of  five 
Fj?  children, — Charles,  Anna,  Alexander,  William  and 
|g  Fred. 

&  — 


3nry    Miller,   general   farmer,   located  on 
section  31,  Franklin  Township,  was  born 
March  9,  1830,  in  Oneida  Co.,  N.  Y.    John 
Miller,  his  father,  was  a  farmer  in  the  State  of 
New   York   and   married   Mary   Grill.      Their 
|      children  included  six  sons  and  six  daughters. 
In  1845  they  located  in  Monroe  Township,  in  Ogle 
Co.,  111. 

Mr.  Miller  is  of  mixed  German  and  Yankee  (so- 
called)  descent  and  is  the  third  child  of  his  parents. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  paternal  household  until 
he  was  26  years  of  age,  when  he  took  steps  to  enter 
upon  an  independent  career.  He  was  married  Feb. 
14,  1836,  in  Franklin  Township,  to  Matilda  Patten, 
and  they  have  had  three  children.  Julia  C.  is  the 
wife  of  Peter  Hyser,  a  native  of  Schenectady,  N.  Y., 
and  a  farmer  on  section  i,  South  Grove  Township. 
Holt  D.  married  Edna  Taylor,  Dec.  1 9,  1 884,  who  is 
the  daughter  of  C.  S.  and  Hannah  (Reder)  Taylor, 
natives  of  Genesee  Co.,  N.  Y.  Lillie  M.  is  a  pupil 
at  Aurora,  111.,  where  she  is  preparing  for  the  profes- 
3n  of  a  teacher.  The  mother  was  born  in  Herki- 


mer  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  came  in  youth  with  her  parents 
to  Ogle  Co.,  111.  She  acquired  a  good  education, 
which  she  made  available  in  teaching,  previous  to 
her  marriage.  After  that  event  she  and  her  hup- 
band  located  on  a  farm  in  Lynnville  Township,  in 
Ogle  County,  where  they  were  residents  until  1870, 
the  date  of  their  removal  to  the  farm  in  Franklin 
Township.  The  place  comprises  160  acres  of  land, 
all  under  excellent  improvement,  on  which  the  propri- 
etor has  erected  farm  buildings  of  modern  style  and 
a  fine  residence.  The  estate  of  Mr.  Miller  in  Ogle 
and  De  Kalb  Counties  contains  565  acres  of  land. 
He  is  a  Republican  of  unwavering  principles,  and 
with  Mrs.  Miller  attend  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  in  whose  interest  both  are  actively  occupied. 


red.  S.  Douglas,  of  the  firm  of  Barnes  & 
Douglas,  editors   and    proprietors   of  the 
Sandwich  Free  Press,  was  born  May  26, 
1859,  in  East  Chazy,  Clinton  Co.,  N.   Y.,  and 
is  the  son  of  John  F.  and  Elizabeth  E.  (Per- 
rigo)  Douglas.     His  parents  are  residents  of 
Sandwich,  his  father  having  retired  from  business. 

Mr.  Douglas  is  an  only  child,  and  accompanied  his 
parents  from  his  native  place  to  Sandwich  in  1871. 
He  attended  school  until  1873,  when  he  entered  the 
office  of  the  Gazette  to  learn  the  printer's  craft,  and 
while  serving  a  period  of  apprenticeship  he  published 
two  juvenile  papers, — Sandwich  Boys  and  Rising 
Generation.  In  1877  he  went  to  Marseilles,  111.,  and, 
associated  with  Charles  E.  Baldwin,  became  inter- 
ested in  the  publication  of  the  Herald,  under  the 
firm  style  of  Baldwin  &  Douglas.  Eight  months  later 
he  returned  to  Sandwich  and  started  the  Evening 
Herald.  This  enterprise  existed  about  eight  months, 
when  Mr.  Douglas  accepted  a  position  on  the  Gazette, 
and  assisted  its  proprietor  to  some  extent  in  the 
duties  of  the  postofnce.  In  the  spring  of  1883  he 
went  to  Huron,  Dakota,  and  became  city  editor  of  the 
Huron  Daily  Leader,  operating  in  that  capacity  until 
the  fall  of  the  same  year,  when  he  returned  to  Sand- 
wich, and,  in  company  with  W.  B.  Barnes,  bought 
the  Free  Press  printing  establishment,  and  has  since 
prosecuted  all  its  business  relations,  journalistic  and 
jobbing,  with  satisfactory  results.  The  literary  abil- 
ities of  Mr.  Douglas  beyond  the  enterprise  in  which 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


O 


9 


he  is  engaged,  are  recognized  by  the  Chicago  Times, 
Inter-Ocean,  News,  and  the  St.  Louis  Globe-Dem- 
ocrat. He  belongs  to  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  is 
Secretary  of  Meteor  Lodge,  No.  283,  at  Sandwich, 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  Press  Association 
and  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  Jan.  2,  1884,  in  Sand- 
wich, to  Ella  J.,  daughter  of  Thomas  E.  and  Sarah 
(Green)  Culver.  Mrs.  Douglas  was  born  June  9, 
1859,  in  Washington  Co.,  N.  Y. 


w 


tephen  D.  Wright,  farmer,  section  27, 
Somonauk  Township,  was  born  May  12, 
1823,  in  Genesee  Co.,  N.  Y.  His  father, 
Levi  Wright,  was  born  in  New  Hampshire 
and  was  a  farmer  there  and  in  Northville 
Township,  Lasalle  Co.,  111.,  whither  he  removed 
in  1843,  and  where  he  died  Nov.  2,  1865.  The 
mother,  Arathusa  (Brigham)  Wright,  was  born  in 
Worcester,  Mass.,  and  died  when  her  son  was  a  child 
of  tender  years. 

Mr.  Wright  is  the  second  of  six  children  born  to 
'  his  parents,  and  he  was  reared  to  the  calling  of  a 
farmer.  He  was  20  years  of  age  when  his  father 
transferred  his  family  and  interests  to  the  State  of 
Illinois,  and  he  was  employed  for  a  time  on  the  home 
estate,  which  at  first  consisted  of  80  acres,  and  was 
extended  by  later  purchase  until  it  included  about 
230  acres,  a  part  of  which  lay  in  Somonauk  Town- 
ship, on  section  33. 

In  1850  Mr.  Wright  went  to  California,  where  he 
spent  a  year  prospecting  for  gold.  On  his  return  to 
Illinois  in  1854  he  bought  a  farm  of  98  acres,  on 
which  he  has  since  resided.  He  now  owns  240 
acres,  all  under  the  best  cultivation  and  devoted 
largely  to  dairy  purposes.  His  cattle  are  fine  graded 
Holsteins,  and  his  herd  includes  about  30  head. 

Mr.  Wright  was  married  in  Webster,  Monroe  Co., 
N.  Y.,  Dec.  23, 1855,  to  Ruby  M.  Johnston,  and  they 
have  one  son — Edgar  O. — who  was  born  Sept.  7, 
1856.  Mrs.  Wright  was  born  May  n,  1833,  in  Au- 
burn, Cayuga  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  is  the  daughter  of 
James  and  Mehitable  (Olcott)  Johnston. 


rastus  B.  Little,  farmer,  section  n,  Kings- 
ton Township,  was  born  Jan.  20,  1845,  in 
Erie  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  is  the  son  of  Henry 
and  Amy  (Bingham)  Little.  (A  biographical 
account  of  his  parents  may  be  found  in  con- 
nection with  that  of  Henry  H.  Little.)  He  was 
still  in  early  childhood  when  his  parents  located  in 
De  Kalb  County,  and  his  home  has  since  been  in  the 
township  of  Kingston.  He  entered  the  army  of  the 
United  States  in  the  last  part  of  the  Civil  War,  en- 
listing Jan.  5,  1864,  in  the  Ninth  111.  Vol.  Cav.  He 
was  in  the  service  during  the  remainder  of  the 
struggle,  participating  in  the  battles  of  Nashville, 
Franklin  Pike,  Hurricane  Creek,  Guntown,  Miss.,  and 
Grenada,  Miss.  On  obtaining  his  discharge  he  re- 
turned to  his  home. 

He  is  the  proprietor  of  370  acres  of  land,  in  a  fine 
and  valuable  condition  and  favorably  located  in  the 
townships  of  Kingston  and  Genoa,  240  acres  of 
which  is  tillable.  In  his  political  faith  and  relations 
Mr.  Little  is  a  Republican  and  has  discharged  the 
obligations  of  several  official  positions. 

He  was  married  Jan.  i,  1875,  in  Belvidere,  111.,  to 
Laura  Strong.  Their  two  children  were  born  as  fol- 
lows :  William  H.,  Sept.  2, 1882,  and  Frank  A.,  Dec. 
1 3, 1 883.  Their  mother  was  born  in  Genoa  Township, 
Aug.  27,  1851,  and  is  the  daughter  of  William  and 
Sabrina  Strong. 


illiam  A.  Dennis,  farmer,  section  28, 
Somonauk  Township,  was  born  on  the 
farm  where  he  now  resides,  Sept.  26,  1852. 
His  father,  Major  Dennis,  was  born  June 
to,  1813,  in  New  Bedford,  Mass.,  and  was 
married  Feb.  10,  1842,  to  Mary  A.  Harmon,  a  ^) 
native  of  North  Carolina.  She  was  born  March  25, 
1817,  and  is  still  living,  as  are  three  of  four  children 
of  whom  she  became  the  mother :  Waitstill  O., 
born  Jan.  27,  1843,  is  the  wife  of  J.  E.  Baker,  ad- 
juster for  the  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Company  of 
New  York,  resident  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.;  Rebecca, 


DE  KALB   COUNTY 


J 


& 


born  June  22,  1849,  married  C.  S.  Lewis,  dealer  in 
agricultural  implements  at  Aurora,  111. ;  Shepherd, 
born  Oct.  7,  1847,  was  the  second  child  in  order  of 
birth  and  was  a  business  mau  of  Somonauk,  where 
he  died  June  i,  1870. 

Mr.  Dennis  is  the  youngest  child  of  his  parents 
and  was  brought  up  on  the  home  farm.  His  father 
was  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  in  Somonauk,  whither 
he  came  in  company  with  Capt.  William  Davis  in 
1834.  (See  sketch  of  Captain  Davis.)  He  became 
a  heavy  land-holder,  and  died  on  his  farm  in  Somo- 
nauk Jan.  16,  1856.  Mrs.  Dennis  came  to  Somo- 
nauk in  1833,  and  was  married  there. 

In  1879  Mr.  Dennis  became  the  owner  of  the 
homestead  by  purchase  from  the  other  heirs.  His 
estate  includes  121  acres  of  valuable  farm  land,  and 
he  raises  for  market  purposes  a  great  number  of 
swine  every  year,  his  drove  sometimes  numbering  be- 
tween one  and  two  hundred.  He  is  also  conducting 
a  small  dairy. 

Mr.  Dennis  was  married  at  the  Grand  Pacific  Ho- 
tel in  Chicago,  111.,  March  29,  1882,  to  Maggie  M. 
Wallace.  She  was  born  in  St.  Lawrence,  Jefferson 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Hamilton  and 
Mary  Ann  Wallace.  Two  children  are  now  included 
in  the  family  of  Mr.  Dennis:  Millie  Mabel,  born 
Dec.  25,  1882;  and  Carrie  H.,  born  Dec.  25,  1884. 
This  is  a  rare  coincidence,  and  is  certainly  without  a 
parallel  in  De  Kalb  County. 

The  farm  on  which  Mr.  Dennis  resides  is  situated 
on  sections  27,  28,  33,  and  34,  and  he  is  one  of  the 
few  who  yet  hold  the  original  land  patents. 


ft 


1'eremiah  W.  Brown,  farmer,  section  32, 
Genoa  Township,  was  born  Aug.  7,  1845, 
in  the  same  township.  His  parents,  Jere- 
miah L.  and  Judith  (Richardson)  Brown,  came 
to  De  Kalb  County,  and  settled  in  1837,  in  Gen- 
oa Township,  where  the  former  died,  Jan.  5, 
1882.  The  mother  died  in  the  same  township. 
Their  family  included  seven  children,  five  of  whom 
are  yet  living.  The  senior  Brown  was  one  of  those 
worthy,  determined  pioneers  who  camg  here  among 
the  first  settlers  and  did  so  much  toward  developing 
this  now  beautiful,  prosperous  and  populous  coun- 
ty. To  these  men  the  present  generation  is  greatly 


indebted  for  the  many  comforts  and  luxuries  it  now 
enjoys. 

Mr.  J.  W.  Brown  was  a  pupil  at  school  until  he 
was  1 8  years  old,  and  he  has  since  been  exclusively 
interested  in  farming.  His  estate  includes  180  acres 
of  land,  of  which  160  acres  are  in  advanced  cultiva- 
tion. His  stock  comprises  about  30  head  of  cattle, 
80  hogs  and  12  horses.  Mr.  B.  is  a  Republican  and 
has  officiated  in  several  local  township  offices. 

His  marriage  took  place  in  Whiteside  Co.,  111. 
May  14,  1866,  when  he  formed  a  matrimonial  con- 
nection with  Mary  M.,  daughter  of  Ebenezer  and 
Electa  (Peevy)  Wright,  and  they  have  had  eight 
children  :  Millie,  born  Nov.  18,  1867;  J.  Harvey,  Dec. 
28,  1868;  J.  Depue,  Feb.  25,  1869;  Clayton  L.,  July 
3,  1871;  Dell,  April  25,  1873;  Edna  R.,  May  24, 
1875;  Estella  A.,  March  22,  1878;  Mary  L,  Sept. 
8,  1879.  Millie  died  Dec.  29,  1868,  in  Genoa. 

The  parents  of  Mrs.  Brown  came  to  De  Kalb  Coun- 
ty and  settled  at  Sycamore,  where  the  father  is  still 
living.  Her  mother  died  at  that  place,  Feb.  19 
18^6. 


mos  H.  Rote,  farmer,  resident  on  section 
36,  Franklin  Township,  was  born  June  20, 
1829,  in  Lycoming  Co.,  Pa.  His  father, 
Daniel  Rote,  was  a  native  of  the  same  State 
and  of  direct  German  descent,  his  parents 
having  been  born  in  the  old  country.  He 
was  a  farmer  in  early  life,  and  at  40  years  of  age  en- 
tered the  ministry,  becoming  a  clergyman  of  the 
Christian  denomination.  He  labored  in  that  capac- 
ity in  Pennsylvania  until  1847,  when  he  settled  in 
Kane  Co.,  111.,  and  there  followed  his  vocation  as  a 
minister  two  years.  In  1849  he  became  a  resident 
of  De  Kalb  County.  He  died  May  24,  1864,  in 
Franklin  Township,  aged  7  2  years,  and  was  an  ar- 
dent and  enthusiastic  worker  in  his  sacred  calling 
until  a  short  time  before  his  demise.  The  mother  of 
Mr.  Rote,  Mrs.  Mary  (Kitchen)  Rote,  was  of  Ger- 
man lineage.  She  was  born  in  New  Jersey,  of 
parents  of  New  England  origin.  She  was  in  her 
girlhood  when  she  became  a  resident  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  she  was  married  in  Columbia  County  in 
that  State  about  1816.  She  came  West  and  died  in 
} S%»C 


\\ 


Franklin  Township,  Feb.  13,  1865,  at  81  years  of 
age. 

Mr.  Rote  is  the  second  youngest  of  nine  children : 
six  daughters  and  three  sons.  His  brothers  were 
older  than  he,  and  he  was  brought  up  at  home  and 
was  fairly  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  his 
native  county.  He  was  18  years  of  age  when  his 
parents  removed  West,  and  he  was  under  the  paren- 
tal roof  until  he  was  married,  April  17,  1856,  in 
Franklin  Township,,  to  Anna  W.  Ault.  She  was 
born  in  Muncie  Township,  Lycoming  Co.,  Pa.,  Nov. 
14,  1832,  where  she  was  a  resident  until  18  years  of 
age,  when  she  came  to  De  Kalb  County  with  her 
parents,  Samuel  and  Catherine  (Page)  Ault.  They 
were  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  The  father  was  a 
miller  in  his  native  State  and  followed  that  occupa- 
tion after  his  removal  in  1850  to  Kingston  Township, 
De  Kalb  County.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ault  both  died  in 
that  township,  the  former  Nov.  17,  1868,  aged  75  ; 
the  mother  Feb.  27,  1865,  aged  72.  They  were  the 
parents  of  14  children.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rote  have 
had  nine  children,  four  of  whom  are  yet  living, — 
Ida  J.,  Effie  M.,  Harry  A.  and  Fred  B.  Pearson 
Llewellyn,  Alice  E.,  Lettie  and  Walter  did  not  sur- 
vive their  childhood. 

Mr.  Rote  commenced  farming  independently  on 
section  35  of  Franklin  Township,  on  a  farm  which 
he  had  purchased  previous  to  his  marriage.  He 
owned  and  operated  the  place  four  years,  when  he 
sold  it  and  bought  120  acres  of  improved  land  on 
which  he  has  since  prosecuted  his  agricultural  opera- 
tions. He  has  a  fine  and  valuable  farm,  on  which 
he  has  erected  a  good  class  of  buildings.  In  politi- 
cal views  he  is  a  Republican  of  an  uncompromising 
type- 


^oratio  N.  Perkins,  retired  farmer  at  Genoa, 
is  the  son  of  James  and  Deborah  (Davis) 
Perkins,  and   was   born   Nov.  6,    1808,  in 
Groton,  Conn.,  the  native  place  of  his  parents, 
where  their  marriage    took   place,   and    where 
they  were  resident  a  number  of  years  thereafter. 
They   removed    thence    to    Rensselaer   Co.,    N.   Y., 
where  their  deaths  occurred.     Noyes,  Sarah,  Eliza, 


Horatio  N.,  Caroline,  Calvin,  Sylvester  and  Charlotte 
were  the  names  of  their  children. 

The  family  of  Mr.  Perkins  removed  to  Rensselaer 
County  when  he  was  four  years  old.  He  lived  there 
until  he  was  15  years  of  age,  when  he  went  to  Berk- 
shire Co.,  Mass.,  and  became  a  farm  laborer,  contin- 
uing to  operate  in  that  occupation  three  years,  when 
he  returned  to  the  Empire  State.  In  the  fall  of  1837 
he  came  to  Illinois  and  bought  a  claim,  consisting  of 
a  half  section  of  land,  in  Genoa  Township,  then  in- 
cluded in  the  municipality  of  Orange,  the  township 
of  Genoa  not  having  been  organized.  He  settled 
in  what  is  now  the  village  of  Genoa,  and  built  the 
hotel  now  known  to  the  traveling  public  as  the  Pacific 
House,  which  he  conducted  about  20  years.  Selling 
out,  he  devoted  his  time  and  energies  to  farming, 
residing  on  his  farm  on  section  20,  16  consecutive 
years.  In  the  fall  of  1872  he  became  a  permanent 
resident  of  Genoa  village.  He  is  still  the  owner  of 
420  acres  of  land  in  De  Kalb  County,  under  partial 
improvement.  During  his  earlier  residence  at  Genoa 
he  received  the  appointment  of  Postmaster  from 
President  Van  Buren,  and  discharged  the  duties  of 
the  position  about  20  years,  when  he  resigned.  Five 
years  later  he  was  re-appointed,  and  held  his  com- 
mission until  Dec.  i,  1884,  .when  he  again  resigned. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  fraternity  of  Masons.  Mr. 
Perkins  is  a  staunch  and  decided  Republican,  and 
although  he  has  been  a  Village  Trustee  for  two  years 
he  is  not  an  aspirant  for  official  honors. 

He  was  married  in  Columbia  Co.,  N.  Y.,  in  the 
township  of  New  Lebanon,  Nov.  4,  1830,  to  Eliza 
Wallace.  Her  parents,  James  and  Betsey  (Stacy) 
Wallace,  were  natives  of  Townsend,  Mass.,  and  early 
in  life  removed  to  Columbia  Co.,  N.  Y.,  where  their 
lives  terrhinated.  Their  family  included  12  children, 
of  whom  Mrs.  Perkins  is  the  third  daughter.  She 
was  born  April  23,  1808,  in  Columbia  County.  Three 
children  have  been  born  to  her  and  her  husband. 
Eliza  Jane  was  born  Aug.  n,  1831,  in  Columbia 
County,  and  married  Henry  C.  Graves,  of  Sandwich, 
Nov.  20,  1856.  Her  health  failed  and  she  went  to 
Chicago  for  medical  treatment,  where  she  died,  July 
6,  1874.  Henry  N.  was  born  Aug.  15,  1833,  in  Co- 
lumbia County,  and  is  a  resident  of  Genoa.  Mary 
M.  was  born  May  2,  1840,  in  Genoa,  where  she  died 
Aug.  23,  1864.  Henry  N.  was  married  Feb.  28, 

@— ^€3^ 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


1856,  to  Margaret  M.  Stiles,  of  Genoa,  who  died   in 
March,  1880. 

The  portrait  of  Mr.  Perkins  appears  on  a  page  just 
preceding,  as  an  appropriate  addition  to  the  galaxy 
illustrating  this  ALBUM. 


alter  L.  Cole,  farmer,  section  9,  Kingston 
Township,  became  a  resident  of  De  Kalb 
County  in  1859,  when- he  removed  hither 
with  his  parents.  He  was  born  Oct.  18, 
1850,  in  Clark  Co.,  111.,  and  is  the  youngest 
of  five  children  included  in  the  family  of  Wash- 
ington and  Harriet  E.  (Stiles)  Cole.  His  father  is 
a  native  of  Washington  County,  and  his  mother  was 
born  in  Ontario  Co.,  N.  Y.  They  have  been  resi- 
dents of  Kingston  Township  continuously  since  their 
removal  hither. 

Mr.  Cole  was  united  in  marriage  in  Kingston 
Township,  March  8,  1877,  to  Ella  J.  Crosby,  and 
they  have  one  child,  Charles  W.,  who  was  born  Sept. 
14, .  1883.  Mrs.  Cole  was  born  in  the  township 
where  she  has  lived  all  her  life,  June  25,  1856,  and 
is  the  daughter  of  Leonard  and  Rebecca  (Cameron) 
Crosby,  pioneer  settlers  of  De  Kalb  County,  where 
her  father  died  about  1857.  Her  mother  subse- 
quently became  the  wife  of  Charles  McAllister,  and 
is  a  resident  of  Kingston  Township. 


Phelps  Adams,  manufacturer  and  secre- 
tary of  the  Sandwich  Manufacturing  Com- 
l     |fe^  pany,    was    born  Sept.    18,    1835,  in  Pine 
i    «T  Valley,  Chemung  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  is  the  son  of 
Hon.  Augustus  Adams,  of  Sandwich,  of  whom 
a  detailed  account  may  be  found  elsewhere  in 
this  volume. 

He  has  been  a  resident  of  Illinois  since  his  fifth 
year,  his  parents  having  removed  in  1840  to  Elgin, 
r*  111.  He  received  all  the  'educational  advantages 
possible  from  the  common  schools  at  Elgin  and  ob- 
tained a  good  training  for  business  at  Bell's  Business 
College  in  Chicago,  completing  his  course  there  when 
20  years  of  age.  He  obtained  a  situation  as  account- 
ant at  Marshall,  Calhoun  Co.,  Mich.,  where  he  was 
also  engaged  in  mercantile  relations  and  later  entered 


the  employment  of  the  American  Express  Company 
as  messenger.  He  operated  at  that  place-  until 
January,  1861.  Meanwhile  his  father  had  trans- 
ferred his  business  to  Sandwich,  where  he  had  estab- 
lished a  small  manufacturing  business,  which  was  in 
a  prosperous  condition.  At  the  date  named  Mr. 
Adams  came  to  Sandwich  and  assumed  the  position 
of  office  manager.  The  dimensions  of  the  business 
of  A.  Adams  &  Sons  took  on  added  proportions  every 
year,  its  products  becoming  widely  known  and  meet- 
ing a  popular  necessity,  and  in'  1867  the  present 
company  was  organized  and  incorporated.  J.  Phelps 
Adams  was  made  its  secretary  and  treasurer  and  has 
since  officiated  in  both  responsible  and  laborious 
positions,  a  period  of  nearly  25  years  of  continuous 
service.  The  nature  and  character  of  the  duties  may 
be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  the  manufactures  of 
the  Sandwich  company  are  in  popular  use  not  only 
in  this  country  but  in  the  Black  Sea  region  of  Russia 
and  all  along  the  course  of  the  Danube  River  on  the 
European  continent,  and  in  all  the  corn-growing 
countries  of  the  world.  Within  the  past  few  years  a 
large  trade  in  their  machines  has  been  established  in 
the  Argentine  Republic.  (The  merits  of  the  business 
connections  of  the  Sandwich  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany are  fully  treated  in  another  part  of  this  work.) 
Mr.  Adams  is  a  leading  citizen  of  Sandwich,  and 
has  been  closely  identified  with  its  religious,  educa- 
tional and  political  interests  since  he  has  been  a  resi- 
dent there.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
Church,  and  previous  to  May,  1884,  had  been  Sun- 
day-school Superintendent  12  years.  Before  Sand- 
wich was  organized  as  a  city,  he  served  several  terms 
as  President  of  the  village.  He  has  been  for  years  a 
member  of  the  Agricultural  Society,  and  acted  one 
year  as  President  of  the  Board,  and  is  President  ot 
the  Sandwich  Literary  Association.  He  has  officiated 
nine  years  as  a  member  of  the  School  Board,  and  has 
filled  the  position  of  chief  official  of  that  body  several 
terms.  He  is  a  Republican  in  political  preference, 
and  has  been  delegate  on  several  different  occasions 
to  the  County  and  Congressional  Conventions.  In 
September,  1884,  he  left  Sandwich  for  an  extended 
tour  through  South  America  in  the  interests  of  the 
business  in  which  he  is  a  prominent  factor.  He  went 
to  all  the  coast  cities  of  Brazil,  and  made  an  extended 
visit  to  Buenos  Ayres,  traveling  through  the  Argentine 
Republic,  making  an  exhaustive  examination  of  the 

4^^C^> 


\ 

f 


.   - 

;i,  •:•- 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


391 


country  and  its  institutions.  He  reached  his  home 
Jan.  30,  1885. 

Mr.  Adams  was  married  June  26,  i86i,to  Mary 
B.  Phelps,  and  of  their  union  five  children  were  born. 
Following  is  their  record :  Eleanor  Louise  was  born 
March  24,  1863,  and  died  Dec.  31  of  the  same  year. 
Fred  Augustus,  born  June  24,  1865,  died  Sept.  2, 
1866.  Henry  Ethelbert  was  born  May  29, 1868,  and 
is  attending  school  at  Evanston,  111.  William  Morse 
was  born  Aug.  8,  1870,  and  died  March  22,  1884. 
Florence  Bradley  was  born  Jan.  27,  1877.  Mrs. 
Adams  was  born  Feb.  26,  1839,  and  is  the  daughter 
of  Dr.  A.  E.  and  Juliet  B.  Phelps,  of  Kirkland, 
Oneida  Co.,  N.  Y. 

Darius,  the  oldest  brother  of  Mr.  Adams  of  this 
sketch,  and  his  wife  both  died,  leaving  two  daughters 
and  a  son  wholly  orphaned.  The  daughters,  Hattie 
L.  and  Lue  O.,  were,  brought  up  by  their  uncle,  and 
are  married.  The  former  is  the  wife  of  J.  F.  Hun- 
toon,  an  employee  in  the  office  of  the  Sandwich 
Manufacturing  Company ;  the  latter  married  Frank 
L.  Waite,  secretary  of  the  Pictorial  Printing  Company, 
of  Chicago. 


vid  Tower,  farmer,  section  u,  Mayfield 
Township,  is  a  son  of  Abel  and  Mary 
(Moore)  Tower,  natives  of  New  England 
nd  of  English  and  Welsh  descent,  who  were 
the  parents  of  six  children, — George,  John, 
Mark,  Charles,  Mary  and  David.  The  former 
was  born  in  1770,  and  died  Aug.  29, 1846 ;  the  latter 
died  in  September,  1839. 

The  subject  whose  name  heads  this  sketch  was 
born  in  Wilmington,  Windham  Co.,  Vt.,  Feb.  13, 
1818,  lived  at  home  until  20  years  of  age,  engaged  in 
farming,  and  in  1838  came  to  Illinois.  After  spend- 
ing a  year  in  the  southern  part  of  the  State,  he  came 
to  this  county  and  settled  in  Mayfield  Township, 
where  he  has  since  lived.  He  is  now  the  owner  of 
480  acres  of  land,  half  of  which  is  in  cultivation. 
Politically  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  locally  he  has  held 
the  offices  of  Overseer  of  the  Poor  and  Highway 
Overseer. 

He  was  married  in  Beloit,  Wis.,  June  6,  1847,  to 
Miss  Mary  A.  Daily,  daughter  of  Jonathan  and 
Betsey  (Fitch)  Daily,  who  were  natives  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. Jonathan  Daily  was  born  April  24,  1802, 


and   died  Feb.  8,  1842.     Betsey  (Fitch)  Daily  was 
born  May  23,   1803,  and  died  Oct.  5,  1877.     They 
were   married  May  9,   1824.     Mr.  and  Mrs.   Daily 
had  a   family   of  1 1   children, — Lydia,    William   J., 
Elmira  C.,  Francis,  Andrew  J.,  Mary  A.,  Mahala  D.,  V^ 
Joseph  E.,  Elizabeth  A.,  Clarissa  S.   and  Jane  R. 
Elmira  C.,  Mary  A.,  Joseph  E.,  Elizabeth  A.,  Clar- 
issa S.  and  Jane  R.  are  living.     Mrs.  Tower  was 
born  in  Luzerne  Co.,  Pa.,  June  6,  1831.     The  chil- 
dren in  the  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tower  now  are: 
George  W.,  who  was  born  Sept.   22,    1853,  and  was   ) 
married  April   n,   1876,  to  Miss  Caroline  Lanan;   jjy 
Harriet   B.,    who    was  born  April    2,    1856,   is   the    I 
wife  of  Joseph  Lanan  ;  David  J.,  who  was  born  Dec. 
30,  1868. 


illiam  Bennet  Barnes,  senior  member  of 
the  firm  of  Barnes  &  Douglas,  proprietors 
of  the  Sandwich  Free  Press,  was  born 
Feb.  27,  1855,  in  Ithaca,  Tompkins  Co.,  N. 
Y.,  and-is  the  son  of  Gen.  M.  S.  and  Char- 
lotte A.  Barnes.  He  entered  first  upon  the 
duties  of  a  journalist  in  1869,  in  the  office  of  the 
Dubuque  Daily  Times,  at  Dubuque,  Iowa,  where  he 
learned  the  printer's  trade.  From  Dubuque  he  re- 
moved to  Aurora,  111.,  and  was  associated  with  his 
father  in  the  publication  of  the  Aurora  Herald.  He 
next  went  to  Galesburg,  111.,  and  published  the  Daily 
and  Weekly  Press  in  that  city  for  a  period  of  about 
10  years.  Disposing  of  the  establishment  in  March, 
1883,  he  accepted  a  position  on  the  Peoria  Daily 
National  Democrat,  as  assistant  business  manager, 
which  he  relinquished  to  come  to  Sandwich.  In 
the  month  of  October,  1883,  he  came  to  Sandwich 
and  purchased  a  half  interest  in  the  Free  Press. 
The  paper  is  a  popular  and  well  conducted  journal, 
and  has  attained  a  position  of  high  rank  among  the 
local  papers  of  De  Kalb  County,  having  a  large  cir- 
culation both  in  Sandwich  and  the  surrounding 
country.  The  Free  Press  is  also  engaged  in  a  gen- 
eral job  and  book  printing  business,  for  the  satis- 
factory prosecution  of  which  the  office  is  fitted  with 
steam  presses  and  all  modern  appliances. 

Mr.  Barnes  was  united  in  marriage,  at  Galesburg, 
Sept.  13,  1882,  to  Fannie  G.  Rearick.  Mrs.  Barnes 
was  born  in  Beardstown,  111.,  Aug.  16,  1859,  and  is 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


J 


: 


& 


the  daughter  of  Judge  Francis  H.  and  Helen  M. 
Rearick.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barnes  have  one  daughter, 
Florence  A.,  born  at  Sandwich,  Oct.  i,  1884.  They 
are  members  of  the  Congregational  Church. 

Mr.  Barnes  comes  of  journalistic  stock  dating  back 
several  generations.  His  father  has  been  actively 
engaged  in  the  newspaper  business  for  the  past  40 
years,  but  is  now  living  in  retirement  at  Galesburg, 
111.,  his  health  having  been  broken  down  by  arduous 
literary  work  and  the  exposure  and  results  of  being 
engaged  in  two  wars,  the  Mexican  War  and  that 
of  the  late  Rebellion. 


eorge  A.  Gillis,  farmer,  section  32,  South 
Grove  Township,  was  born  June  7,  1824, 
in  Argyle  Township,  Washington  Co.,  N. 
Y.  Alexander  A.  Gillis,  his  father,  is  a  native 
of  the  State  of  New  York  and  was  born  in  the 
same  county,  of  Scotch  descent.  He  was  a 
farmer  by  calling  and  died  in  April,  1832,  in  Wash- 
ington County.  The  mother,  Jane.  C.  (Gilchrist) 
Gillis,  was  born  in  New  York,  of  mixed  Scotch  and 
New  York  parentage.  After  the  death  of  her  hus- 
band she  came  to  South  Grove,  where  she  died  in 
1864. 

Mr.  Gillis  is  the  second  child  of  his  parents,  and 
lived  with  his  mother  after  the  death  of  his  father, 
which  occurred  when  he  was  eight  years  old,  remain- 
ing with  her  until  he  was  of  age.  His  first  inde- 
pendent employment  was  in  a  grist-mill,  where  he 
labored  some  years,  and  in  1851  came  to  De  Kalb 
County  and  purchased  a  farm  in  Franklin  Township, 
his  mother  living  with  him  four  years.  Nov.  13, 
1855,  he  was  married  to  Amy  T.  Irvin,  in  Washing- 
ton Co.,  N.  Y.  Her  parents,  David  and  Nancy 
(Histcox)  Irvin,  were  born  respectively  in  Ireland 
and  New  York.  They  were  married  in  Washington 
County,  where  they  resided  until  the  death  of  the 
former,  Sept.  29,  1858,  at  the  age  of  58  years.  The 
mother  joined  her  daughter  in  Illinois  after  becoming 
a  widow,  and  is  still  living,  aged  85  years.  Consid- 
ering her  accumulation  of  years,  she  is  in  remark- 
able possession  of  her  faculties  of  body  and  mind, 
particularly  the  latter,  as  she  takes  a  keen  interest  in 
the  current  moral  questions  of  the  day;  and  from  her 
reading,  which  is,  even  now,  extensive  and  diversi- 


fied, and  her  rare  memory,  she  is  an  agreeable  com- 
panion and  a  zealous  advocate  of  temperance  and 
religion.  Mrs.  Gillis  was  born  June  7,  1831,  in 
Washington  Co.,  N.  Y.,  where  she  was  reared  and 
educated.  Previous  to  her  marriage  she  was  en- 
gaged some  time  as  a  teacher.  She  is  the  mother  of 
six  children,  to  whose  mental,  moral  and  spiritual 
interests  she  is  wholly  devoted.  One  child  is  de- 
ceased :  David,  the  eldest  child,  was  married  Dec. 
22,  1880,  to  Maud  Karr,  a  native  of  McLean  Co., 
111.;  Elizabeth  was  married  April  7,  1 88 1,  to  Chester 
Swan,  a  dentist  of  Walworth  Co.,  Wis. ;  Jennie  was 
married  May  9,  1877,  taAdelbert  J.  Cobb,  a  farmer 
of  Sac  Co.,  Iowa;  Amy  was  married  Sept.  13,  1883, 
to  Clarence  Culver,  a  dentist  in  Lancaster,  Grant 
Co.,  Wis.;  G«orge  was  born  June  30,  1863;  Irvin 
was  born  March  31,  1870. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gillis  lived  on  the  farm  in  Franklin 
Township  three  years  subsequent  to  their  marriage. 
In  1858  Mr.  Gillis  bought  240  acres  of  land  in  the 
township  of  South  Grove,  and  later  became  the 
owner  of  40  acres  additional  situated  on  section  6, 
in  Malta  Township.  The  farm  of  Mr.  Gillis  is  a 
model  of  good  management,  and  he  is  rated  as  one 
of  the  progressive  agriculturists  of  his  township.  He 
is  a  Republican  in  political  opinion.  Mrs.  Gillis  is 
a  member  of  the  Congregational  Church. 


eter  C.  McClellan,  a  farmer  of  Somonauk 
Township,  is  the  owner  of  the  northwest 
quarter  of  section  29.  He  was  born  Oct. 
26,  1829,  in  the  township  of  Hebron,  Wash-  ^ 
ington  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  is  the  son  of  Robert  G.  5  J> 
and  Nancy  (Cruikshank)  McClellan.  The 
former  was  born  Sept.  17,  1799,  in  the  same  town- 
ship The  latter  was  born  in  Salem,  in  the  same 
county,  Aug.  12,  1804.  Mr.  McClellan  of  this  sketch 
is  their  first-born  child.  Rev.  David  M.,  third  son, 
is  a  graduate  of  Jefferson  College,  in  Pennsylvania, 
and  has  been  for  20  years  an  ordained  minister  of 
the  United  Presbyterian  Church,  and  for  the  past  10 
years  has  been  a  settled  Pastor  at  Kansas  City.  He 
prepared  for  the  ministry  at  the  Theological  Semina- 
ry at  Xenia,  Ohio.  Maggie,  only  surviving  sister, 
lives  with  her  brother,  Peter. 

The  latter  received  a  substantial  education,  finish- 
ing  his   course   of  study    at   Cambridge    Academy, 

-*«- 


COUNTY. 


Washington  Co.,  N.  Y.  He  taught  nine  terms  of 
school  in  New  York  and  Iowa,  and  afterwards  be- 
came a  farmer.  He  was  married  in  his  native  town- 
ship Sept.  7,  1864,  to  Isabella  Beveridge.  They 
have  one  child,  Mary  E.,  who  was  born  on  the  farm 
in  Somonauk  Township,  Nov.  7,  1869.  Mrs.  Mc- 
Clellan was  born  in  Hebron  Township,  Oct.  5,  r83o, 
and  is  the  daughter  of  Matthew  and  Elizabeth  Bev- 
eridge. 

In  June,  1866,  Mr.  McClellan  came  to  DeKalb 
County  and  bought  the  farm  which  he  now  owns,  and 
of  which  he  took  possession  in  1867.  He  has  been 
Assistant  Supervisor  of  Somonauk  two  years. 

Robert  McClellan,  from  whom  Mr.  McClellan  is  a 
descendant  in  the  fourth  generation,  was  a  citizen  of 
Micklenax,  in  the  parish  of  Buttle,  Scotland.  In 
1769  he  went  to  Newtown  in  the  parish  of  Twenho- 
len  in  the  stewartry  of  Galloway,  on  the  River  Dee 
near  Kirkcudbright,  where  the  family  lived  five  years 
on  the  estates  of  Lord  Selkirk.  In  June,  1774,  with 
his  wife,  Nicolas  (Gordon)  McClellan,  and  children, 
— William,  John,  Grise,  Robert,  Mary  and  Nancy, — 
set  sail  from  the  Mass  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  Dee, 
for  America.  The  ship  "Golden  Rule,"  on  which 
they  took  passage,  proved  unseaworthy  and  put  into 
Dublin  Bay  for  repairs,  where  she  was  detained  three 
days.  Three  guineas  was  paid  for  the  passage  of 
each  member  of  the  family.  They  landed  at  New 
York  and  proceeded  up  the  Hudson  River  to  Albany 
and  thence  to  Manchester,  Vt.  From  there  they 
went  across  the  Green  Mountains  to  Springfield  on 
the  Connecticut  River.  The  route  they  pursued 
across  the  mountains  had  never  before  been  trav- 
ersed by  a  carriage,  and  a  part  of  the  journey,  in- 
cluding a  distance  of  T4  miles,  consumed  14  hours. 
They  resided  at  Springfield  10  years,  and  on  account 
of  religious  considerations  they  removed  to  Hebron, 
Washington  Co.,  N.  Y.,  then  called  Black  Creek. 
The  parents  afterwards  removed  to  Salem  in  the 
same  county.  The  father  died  there  in  1789,  aged 
73  years.  He  was  .also  buried  there.  The  mother 
died  in  Cambridge  in  T799,  at  the  age  of  69  years, 
and  was  burred  in  the  place  where  she  died. 

Robert  McClellan  (2d)  was  born  in  1766,  in  Mick- 
lenax, Scotland,  and  came  to  America  with  his  fath- 
er's family,  as  stated.  He  was  married  Dec.  5,  1793, 
to  Mary  Thompson,  who  was  born  in  1768,  in  Salem. 
Their  children  were  named  Sarah,  William,  Robert 
Gordon,  Nancy,  John  and  Phebe.  Sarah  is  still  liv- 


ing  and  is  over  90  years  of  age.  She  is  the  widow 
of  Alexander  Beveridge,  of  Hebron.  Phebe  is  the 
widow  of  William  Armstrong,  of  Somonauk.  Four 
of  them  died  on  the  farm  where  they  were  born  and 
reared.  Robert  McClellan  died  in  Hebron  Jan.  6, 
1829.  His  wife  died  there  also,  June  20,  1839.  The 
paternal  ancestors  of  Mr.  McClellan  were  born, 
reared  and  died  in  the  Associate  Presbyterian 
Church  and  its  outgrowth,  the  United  Presbyterian 
Church. 


enry  H.  Little,  farmer,  section  10,  Kingston 
Township,  has  been  a  resident  of  De  Kalb 
County  since  1845,  in  which  year  he  ac- 
companied his  parents  hither.  He  was  born 
May  i,  1824,  in  Erie  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  is  the  son 
of  Henry  and  Amy  (Bingham)  Little.  The 
former  was  born  in  the  State  of  New  York,  April  22, 
1799;  the  latter  in  Vermont,  July  23,  1804.  They 
were  married  in  Erie  Co.,  N.  Y.,  May  n,  1823,  which 
was  their  place  of  abode  until  1845,  when  they  set 
out  for  Wisconsin  with  the  purpose  of  establishing  a 
home;  but  with  little  delay  proceeded  to  De  Kalb 
County,  and  located  in  Kingston  Township,  where 
the  father  died,  Aug.  18,  1858.  The  mother  survives 
and  has  reached  advanced  age. 

Mr.  Little  is  the  oldest  of  nine  children.  He  ac- 
quired as  good  an  education  as  the  common  schools 
of  his  native  county  afforded,  and  was  trained  in 
farm  labor.  He  was  21  years  of  age  when  he  came 
to  Illinois,  and  he  entered  a  land  claim  of  80  acres  of 
prairie,  afterwards  buying  40  acres  of  timber  land, 
all  situated  in  Kingston  Township,  and  which  has 
since  been  his  field  of  operation.  He  has  made  a 
later  purchase  of  land,  which  increased  his  real  estate 
to  169  acres,  of  which  120  acres  are  tillable.  The 
place  is  stocked  with  41  head  of  cattle  and  to  horses. 

Mr.  Little  is  a  member  of  Kishwaukee  Lodge, 
No.  402,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  in  political  faith  is  a  Re- 
publican. He  was  elected  Supervisor  of  his  town- 
ship in  1882,  and  has  been  successively  re-elected 
since  to  the  same  position,  in  which  he  is  serving  his 
third  term. 

He  was  first  united  in  marriage  in  Erie  Co.,  N.  Y., 
to  Elvira  Boies.  She  was  born  Jan.  22,  1831,  in 
Erie  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  was  the  daughter  of  Eber  and 


s 


c 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


J 


gi 
\ 


Esther  (Henshaw)  Boies.  She  died  in  Kingston 
Township  Sept.  28,  1872.  The  second  marriage  of 
Mr.  Little,  to  Esther  Heckman,  occurred  Oct.  i,  1873. 
The  parents  of  Mrs.  Little,  Jacob  and  Catherine 
(Kepple)  Heckman,  were  natives  of  Westmoreland 
Co.,  Pa.  They  came  thence  to  De  Kalb  County  in 
1855,  where  they  located  and  were  among  the  agri- 
cultural class  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Tire 
father  died  July  23,  1872,  the  mother  April  17,  1884. 
Mrs.  Little  is  the  third  of  five  children  and  was  born 
/  in  Morgan  Co.,  Ohio,  July  13,  1831.  Mr.  L.  is  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 


'ohn  Uplinger,  a  citizen  of  the  village  of 
Kingston,  has  been  for  nearly  a  score  of 
years  a  prominent  agriculturist  and  busi- 
ness man  of  De  Kalb  County,  whither  he  came 
in  1866,  settling  in  the  spring  of  that  year  in 
the  township  of  Kingston  on  a  fine  farm  of  240 
acres  of  land.  He  pursued  there  his  agricultural 
operations  until  1882,  when  he  removed  to  his  pres- 
ent place  of  abode  and  where  he  has  been  engaged 
some  time  in  the  grain,  coal,  lumber  and  furniture 
business,  in  which  his  relations  are  important  and  ex- 
tensive. His  real  estate  in  De  Kalb  County  com- 
prises 245  acres,  all  of  which  is  in  tillable  condition 
except  45  acres. 

Mr.  Uplinger  was  born  Nov.  12,  1819,  in  Luzerne 
Co.,  Pa.,  and  he  is  the  son  of  Henry  and  Elizabeth 
Uplinger.  He  lived  in  his  native  State  until  his  re- 
moval to  De  Kalb  County  in  1866.  He  was  married 
in  the  county  where  he  was  born,  July  31,  1840,  to 
Elizabeth,  also  a  Pennsylvanian  by  birth.  Their 
children  are  Mary,  Jacob,  Susan,  Charles,  Sarah, 
John,  Elmina,  Amelia,  Frank,  Margaret,  Lizzie, 
Amanda  and  Martha. 


;  orris  H.  Westlake,  a  farmer  on  section 
12,  Mayfield  Township,  was  born  in  Or- 
ange Co.,  N.  Y.,  Nov.  8,  1845.  His  par- 
ents, Benjamin  and  Eliza  (Bond)  Westlake, 
e  also  natives  of  the  Empire  State.  His 
icr  died  in  Orange  County,  and  his  mother 
afterward  married  Mr.  H.  Mackey  (see  sketch),  and 
now  resides  in  Mayfield  Township. 

^^1^ ^^^ — @ 


Morris  H.  lived  in  his  native  county  until  the  fall 
of  1860,  when  he  came  to  De  Kalb  County,  and  at 
the  age  of  21  he  married  and  settled  upon  his  farm 
in  Mayfield  Township,  on  section  i,  which  he  car- 
ried on  for  eight  years.  He  then  exchanged  this  for 
a  farm  in  Orange  Co.,  N.  Y.,  but  did  not  return 
there.  Instead,  he  followed  railroading  four  years  in 
Indiana,  and  in  the  spring  of  1879  returned  to  May- 
field  Township  and  settled  upon  section  12,  where  he 
now  resides  and  owns  166  acres,  having  146  acres  in 
cultivation. 

Officially,  Mr.  Westlake  has  served  as  School  Di- 
rector ;  politically,  he  acts  with  the  Republican  par- 
ty ;  and  religiously,  he,  as  well  as  Mrs.  W.,  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

He  was  married  in  Sycamore,  Dec.  r3,  1866,  to 
Emma  E.,  daughter  of  Norman  and  Rosette  (Wills) 
Beckley,  natives  of  Vermont,  who  came  and  settled 
in  Sycamore  Township,  this  county,  in  1861  ;  he  is  a 
resident  of  Elkhart,  Ind.  Their  three  children  are, 
—Emma  E.,  Edgar  H.  and  Edward  E.  Mrs.  W. 
was  born  in  Littleton,  Mass.,  July  26,  1849.  The 
children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Westlake  are,— Lulu  M., 
who  was  born  Nov.  29,  1867,  in  Mayfield;  Norman 
B.,  born  May  21,  1869,  in  Mayfield;  and  Rosette, 
Nov.  it,  1878,  in  Elkhart,  Ind.  The  brothers  and 
sisters  of  Mr.  Westlake — all  elder  than  he — are 
David  B.,  Hannah  E.,  Milton,  Charlotte  and  John. 


ames  Henry,  farmer,  section  28,  Somonauk 
Township,  was  born  Jan.  22,  1812,  in  Wash- 
ington Co.,  N.  Y.  John  Henry,  his  father, 
was  a  native  of  Scotland  and  married  Pamelia 
Johnson,  by  whom  he  had  12  children  :  seven 
of  these, — four  sons  and  three  daughters, — are 
now  living.  The  mother  was  a  native  of  Vermont. 
Mr.  Henry  was  brought  up  on  a  farm,  and  on  at- 
taining to  the  estate  of  manhood  he  became  a  farmer 
on  140  acres  of  land  in  his  native  State.  He  was 
married  in  Greenwich,  Washington  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Oct. 
26,  1837,  to  Jeannette,  sister  of  ex-Governor  John  L. 
Beveridge,  and  daughter  of  George  and  Ann  (Hoy) 
Beveridge.  She  was  born  May  5,  1813,  in  Washing- 
ton County.  Of  this  union  10  children  were  born 
and  are  all  living  with  a  single  exception.  Anna  M. 
was  born  Dec.  20,  !838;  Parmelia,  July  31,  1840 

i         >»u?*5yr-  cojU©~>5&?) 

^^^-  "frsssvvv^ 


* 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


ijx  (died  May  30,  1841);  Isabella  B.,  May  10,  1842  ; 
John  V.,  July  27,  1844;  George  B.,  Sept.  26,  1846; 
Sarah  T.  L.,  Sept.  15,  1848;  Philomelia,  Nov.  13, 
1850;  Agnes  R.,  Jan.  25,  1853  ;  Margaret  E.,  April 
n,  1857;  Minnie  J.,  Aug.  17,  1859.  John  V.  Henry, 
the  oldest  son,  enlisted  in  the  service  of  the  United 
States  in  1862  and  served  in  various  capacities  until 
the  close  of  the  war.  He  is  a  resident  of  Quincy, 
111.,  and  is  chief  clerk  in  the  postal  service  at  the 
headquarters  of  the  mail  agency  in  that  place. 

Mr.   Henry  removed   to  Somonauk   Township  in 
,    1854,  where  he  purchased  upwards  of  300  acres  of 
land.     His  farm  now  includes  210  acres,  and  he  is 
the  owner  of   a  fine  herd  of  graded    Durham    cat- 
tle, and  is  conducting  a  valuable  dairy  business. 


rof.  Andrew  J.  Blanchard,  Principal  of  the 
Public  Schools  of  Sycamore,  from  April, 
1862,  to  July,  1867,  and  Superintendent 
from  1877  to  the  current  year  (1885),  was  born 
Aug.  n,  1827,  in  Cabot,  Washington  Co.,  Vt. 
His  father,  James  Blanchard,  was  born  in  Con- 
cord, N.  H.,  May  9,  1793;  and  his  mother,  Abigail 
(Hoyt)  Blanchard,  was  born  in  Cabot,  Vt.,  Sept.  2, 
1799.  The  latter  died  March  5,  1837;  the  former, 
Nov.  24,  1869. 

Mr.  Blanchard  left  the  home  farm  at  the  age  of  20 
years  and  entered  upon  a  course  of  study  preparatory 
for  college.  In  the  winter  of  1848-9  he  taught  his 
first  school  in  Plkinfield,  Vt.,  "  boarding  round,"  as 
that  was  considered  the  correct  thing  to  do  at  that 
time.  In  the  spring  of  1849,  he  resumed  his  studies 
at  the  People's  Academy,  Morrisville,  Vt.  During 
the  summer  of  1849,  he  caught  the  gold  fever  that 
was  sweeping  over  the  land  and  carrying  all  before 
it,  and  in  September  engaged  passage  for  California 
by  way  of  Cape  Horn,  on  the  good  ship  "  Argonaut," 
Capt.  William  Knott,  commander.  The  "  Argonaut" 
sailed  from  Boston  Harbor  on  the  igth  of  October,  in 
company  with  two  other  ships,  the  "  Henry  Ware  '" 
and  the  "  Richmond."  On  the  8gth  day  out,  having 
successfully  braved  the  perilous  storms  of  Cape 
Horn,  the  "  Argonaut  "  dropped  anchor  in  the  harbor 
of  Valparaiso,  Chili,  and  on  the  I34th  day,  after  a 


voyage  of  18,000  miles,  she  was  safely  moored  in  San 
Francisco  Bay.  In  California  Mr.  Blanchard  was 
soon  stricken  down  by  disease  and  brought  near 
death's  door;  but  an  iron  constitution  carried  him 
through.  After  long  sickness,  and  still  suffering  from 
a  complication  of  diseases,  and,  leaving  his  gold  in  the 
"  banks  "  of  the  Yuba  and  Feather  Rivers,  he  em- 
barked by  way  of  Panama  for  home,  which  he  reached 
in  September,  1851,  with  broken  health  and  a  shat- 
tered constitution.  Having  partially  regained  his 
former  health  and  vigor,  he  again  assumed  the 
pedagogical  baton,  at  the  same  time  resuming  his 
studies. 

March  30,  1853,  he  married.  Abbie  A.  Beckley, 
daughter  of  Horace  and  Abigail  (Wellington)  Beck- 
ley.  His  wife  was  a  fine  singer  and  an  excellent 
performer  on  the  piano  and  organ,  and  for  many 
years  after  her  marriage,  taught  instrumental  and 
vocal  music  with  marked  success.  In  March,  1855, 
Mr.  Blanchard  became  Assistant  Principal  of  the 
People's  Academy,  which  institution  he,  as  a  student, 
had  attended  years  before.  He  was  invited  to  take 
charge  of  the  school  in  1858,  and  did  so,  his  wife 
having  charge  of  the  musical  department,  which  she 
had  assumed  in  1855.  He  remained  here  till  April, 
1861. 

The  echoes  from  the  assaulting  guns  in  Charleston 
harbor  reverberated  among  the  Green  Mountains  and 
awoke  the  spirit  of  the  "  Boys  of  "76  "  in  the  breasts 
of  their  descendants,  and  Mr.  Blanchard,  yielding  to 
the  influence  of  the  hour,  relinquished  his  position  to 
take  active  part  in  the  work  of  preparing  to  defend 
the  standard  of  the  Union.  He  raised  a  company  of 
volunteers  in  Lamoille  Co.,  Vt.,  which  was  assigned 
to  the  Third  Vt.  Inf.  as  Co.  E,  with  himself  as  Cap- 
tain. The  command  was  assigned  to  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac.  In  November,  1861,  Capt.  Blanchard, 
on  account  of  disability,  was  honorably  discharged 
from  the  army. 

Returning  to  Vermont,  he  remained  there  until 
April,  1862,  the  date  of  his  removal  to  De  Kalb 
County,  to  take  charge  of  the  public  schools  of  Syca- 
more. He  found  school  matters  in  a  desperate  con- 
dition, but  with  a  firm  hand  and  resolute  will  he 
inaugurated  reform.  Under  his  vigorous  manage- 
ment, educational  affairs  soon  assumed  a  prosperous 
aspect.  In  January,  1863,  the  school  edifice  was 
burned.  The  fine  building  now  devoted  to  the  same 


\\ 


) 


\\ 


purpose  was  erected  the  summer  following.  It  con- 
tains eight  school-rooms,  a  large  hall  and  several 
recitation  rooms.  In  1867,  Mr.  Blanchard  severed  his 
connection  with  the  schools  of  Sycamore,  and  en- 
gaged in  the  same  capacity  at  Litchfield,  Montgomery 
Co.,  111.,  where  he  remained  one  year.  He  next  be- 
came Principal  of  the  Rochelle  schools  in  Ogle  Co., 
Ill ,  where  he  taught  four  years  with  decided  success. 
He  then  succeeded  to  the  management  of  the  Galva 
schools,  Henry  Co.,  111.,  and  at  the  end  of  two  years 
was  elected  Superintendent  of  the  schools  of  Lyons, 
Iowa.  At  the  close  of  the  year,  he  resigned  his 
position  and  returned  to  the  home  of  his  earlier 
years,  Morris ville,Vt.,  and  again  took  his  old  place  at 
the  head  of  the  People's  Academy.  But  he  soon  dis- 
covered that  he  had  been  West  too  long  to  be  con- 
tented there.  He  was  again  invited  to  take  charge 
of  the  schools  of  Sycamore,  and  in  1877  accepted, 
where  he  may  be  found,  an  earnest,  enthusiastic 
worker. 

Prof.  Blanchard  is  a  member  of  Sycamore  Com- 
mandery,  Knights  Templars,  and  Commander  of 
Potter  Post,  No.  12,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Sycamore.  Frank 
W.  Blanchard,  his  son,  was  born  June  16,  1861,  in 
Morrisville,  Vt.,  and  is  now  book-keeper  in  the  R. 
Ellwood  Manufacturing  Company  at  Sycamore. 
Fanny  M.  was  born  Sept.  8,  1863,  at  Sycamore. 
Claribel  was  born  June  14,  1867,  and  died  in  Litch- 
field, 111.,  October  4,  following. 

Prof.  Blanchard  takes  foremost  rank  as  a  teacher 
and  disciplinarian.  Few  men  possess  the  power  of 
control  to  such  a  degree  as  he  does.  Sincerity  is  his 
characteristic.  He  is  always  guided  by  a  sense  of 
strict  justice  and  impartiality.  No  sham  finds  the 
least  favor  in  his  eyes.  His  long  period  of  service,  as 
well  as  his  natural  abilities,  has  fitted  him  thor- 
oughly for  his  place  in  the  profession,  in  which  he 
has  few  peers  and  no  superiors.  He  has  devoted 
many  of  the  best  years  of  his  life  to  the  interest  of 
the  schools  of  Sycamore.  He  has  worked  physically 
as  well  as  mentally.  Whatever  needs  doing,  he  does. 
He  has  been  mainly  instrumental  in  securing  the 
best  High-School  library  and  the  finest  philosophical 
apparatus  in  the  county.  He  has  presented  the  High 
School  with  a  fine  collection  of  birds  and  small 
mammals;  the  Senior  Grammar  School  with  a  library 
of  100  volumes;  the  Middle  Grammar  School  with  a 
library  of  80  volumes.  His  absorptiion  in  his  work 

— £* 


is  complete.  He  has  no  other  interest  than  that  of 
his  school.  The  present  high  standing  and  pro- 
ficiency of  Sycamore's  schools  are  the  best  evidence 
of  his  faithful  work. 

We  have  the  pleasure  of  presenting  portraits  of 
both  Mr.  Blanchard  and  his  wife  in  this  volume. 
They  are  engraved  from  photographs  taken  in  1883. 


scar  Schmoldt,  farmer,  section  24,  Mayfield 
Township,  is  a  son  of  John  and  Wilhelmina 
(Sturm)  Schmoldt,  natives  of  Germany  who 
emigrated  to  America  in  1830,  settling  in 
Pennsylvania,  where  they  lived  until  the  death 
of  the  former,  in  Louisville,  Ky.  Mrs.  S.  went 
Kane  County  in  1845,  and  came  to  De  Kalb 
County  in  1862,  and  made  her  residence  in  Mayfield 
Township,  where  she  finally  died,  Feb.  5,  1870. 
They  had  1 1  children,  seven  of  whom  grew  to  years 
of  maturity,  namely,  Augusta,  Rudolph,  Amandus, 
Amiel,  Adolph,  Wilhelmina  and  Oscar. 

The  youngest  above  mentioned,  who  is  the  sub- 
ject of  this  biographical  sketch,  was  born  in  Schuyl- 
kill  Co.,  Pa.,  April  13,  1833,  and  lived  at  home  until 
19  years  of  age,  learning  the  carpenter's  trade.  He 
then  went  to  California,  remaining  six  years.  Next 
he  came  to  Geneva,  Kane  Co.,  where  he  remained 
about  a  year,  and  in  the  spring  of  1862  came  to  De 
Kalb  County  and  settled  on  100  acres  of  land  in 
Mayfield  Township,  which  he  had  purchased  the 
year  previous.  Here  he  has  since  made  his  home, 
and  is  now  the  owner  of  270  acres  of  land,  200  of 
which  is  in  cultivation.  He  keeps  about  40  head  of 
cattle,  13  head  of  horses,  and  fattens  about  75  head 
of  hogs  yearly. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Schmoldt  is  a  Repub- 
lican. He  was  married  in  Mayfield  Township,  April 
n,  1866,  to  Miss  Mary  A.,  daughter  of  Charles  and 
Phebe  (Nichols)  Townsend,  natives  of  the  State  of 
New  York.  The  father  was  born  in  Schoharie  Co., 
N.  Y.,  Oct.  io,  1808,  and  came  to  this  State  in  1837. 
The  mother  was  born  in  Sullivan  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Aug.  1 1, 
1810.  They  were  married  Oct.  io,  1834.  They 
lived  in  this  county  until  their  deaths.  Mr.  T.  died 
in  May,  1879,  and  Mrs.  T.  April  26,  1880.  They 
had  1 1  children, — Mary  A.,  Edwin,  Francis,  Marinda, 
Erastus,  Harrison,  Clarissa,  Caroline,  Orrissa,  Charles 


fN.  and  one  who  died  in  infancy.  Mrs.  Schmoldt  was 
born  in  Sullivan  Co.,  N.  Y.,  July  n,  1836,  and  the 
^  children  now  in  her  family  are  William  A.,  who  was 
born  Oct.  19,  1869;  May  was  born  April  26,  1872, 
and  one  died  when  an  infant.  Mrs.  S.  is  a  member 
of  the  Advent  Church. 


iptain  Joseph  W.  Foster,  real  estate  and 
loan  agent,  residing  in  Kingston  Town- 
ship,  on  section  9,  has  lived  chiefly  in 
that  township  since  the  age  of  eight  years. 
His  father,  Moses  Foster,  was  born  in  Adams 
Co.,  Ohio,  and  married  Anna  B.  Robb,  a  na- 
tive of  Allegany  Co.,  Pa  Subsequent  to  their  mar- 
riage, they  passed  three  years  in  Adams  County,  and 
removed  thence  to  Fountain  Co.,  Ind.  There  they 
resided  a  similar  period  of  time,  when  they  made 
another  transfer,  to  Warren  County  in  the  same 
State,  and  thence  removed  to  De  Kalb  County,  this 
State,  and  settled  in  1836,  in  Kingston  Township, 
where  they  were  among  the  earliest  of  the  first 
permanent  settlers.  The  mother  died  in  January, 
1878,  at  a  greatly  advanced  age.  The  father  went 
in  1882  to  spend  some  time  with  a  son  in  Colorado, 
arid  is  now  residing  there.  The  children  included 
in  their  family  were  Joseph  W.,  Thomas  P.,  Robert 
R.,  Rebecca,  Esther  E.,  Harriet  A.  and  Mary  C. 
One  died  in  infancy. 

Joseph  vV.  was  born  Jan.  17,  1828,  in  Adams  Co., 
Ohio.  He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools, 
and  remained  at  home  until  he  was  22  years  of  age. 
In  1850  he  became  an  independent  land-holder  by 
the  purchase  of  100  acres  of  land  in  Franklin  Town- 
ship, where  he  prosecuted  his  agricultural  projects 
two  years  previous  to  his  settling  thereon.  Two 
years  later  he  removed  to  Belvidere,  Boone  County, 
where  he  formed  a  partnership  with  A.  F.  Powers, 
and  engaged  in  the  sale  of  groceries  and  farm  prod- 
uce, under  the  style  of  Powers  &  Foster.  At  the 
end  of  two  years  the  former  withdrew,  and  the  latter 
continued  the  purchase  and  shipment  of  grain  about 
one  year  alone.  Some  time  afterward  he  engaged  in 
trade  in  general  merchandise  and  operated  in  that 
avenue  of  business  about  three  years.  He  then  re- 
turned to  Franklin  Township  and  rented  his  father- 
in-law's  farm  one  year.  In  the  fall  of  1860  he  em- 
barked anew  in  the  grain  trade,  in  which  he  was 


* 


interested  until  the  business  and  all  other  interests  of 
the  people  of  the  United  States  were  interrupted  by 
the  event  of  civil  war. 

Mr.  Foster  was  one  of  the  first  tp  rally  to  the 
standard  of  union  and  loyalty.  He  enlisted  in  April, 
1  86  1,  and  in  August  following,  his  company  was  as- 
signed to  the  42d  111.  Vol.  Inf.  In  July  previous 
he  was  commissioned  First  Lieutenant  of  Co.  K,  and 
during  the  month  of  November,  1862,  he  was  pro- 
moted to  the  command  of  his  company  as  a  reward 
for  meritorious  conduct  at  Stone  River.  He  con- 
tinued the  chief  officer  of  his  company  until  his  cap- 
ture  at  the  battle  of  Chickamauga,  on  the  afternoon 
of  Sept.  20,  1863.  He  had  received  a  terrible  gun- 
shot wound  in  his  face,  the  traces  of  which  he  will 
bear  to  his  dying  day  ;  and  he  was  held  prisoner  of 
war  on  the  field  19  days  after  the  action.  He  was 
taken  thence  to  Richmond,  Va.,  where  he  was  in 
close  confinement  seven  months.  He  was  removed 
thence  to  Danville,  Va.,  and  afterwards  to  Macon, 
Ga.  While  at  the  latter  place,  a  plot  was  laid  which 
was  intended  to  result  in  a  wholesale  escapade  of 
the  Union  prisoners  ;  but,  owing  to  the  failure  of 
some  of  the  soldiers  in  the  fulfillment  of  their  assigned 
duties,  the  scheme  came  to  naught,  and  soon  after- 
ward  they  were  removed  to  Charleston,  S.  C.  Two 
months  later  a  second  removal,  to  Columbia,  S.  C., 
took  place,  where  they  were  held  several  months. 
In  the  spring  of  1865,  they  were  paroled  at  Annap- 
olis, Md.,  and  Captain  Foster  returned  home  after 
an  imprisonment  of  17  months  and  n  days.  Pre- 
vious to  that  event  he  was  in  charge  of  the  paroled 
and  convalescent  soldiers  of  Johnson's  Division  at 
Nashville,  Tenn.,  six  months.  While  en  route  to 
Charleston,  subsequent  to  the  failure  of  the  plan  to 
escape,  Captain  Foster  and  two  comrades  endeavored 
to  effect  an  escape  by  jumping  from  the  train.  The 
success  of  the  venture  was  only  thwarted  by  blood- 
hounds, which  the  Confederate  villains  let  loose  after 
their  absence  was  discovered.  At  Columbia,  Cap- 
tain Foster  made  a  second  attempt  to  regain  his 
freedom,  by  endeavoring  to  pass  the  lines  as  a 
paroled  soldier.  He  passed  16  days  in  the  swamps 
and  marshes,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time  was  again 
retaken  and  returned  to  prison.  He  was  mustered 
out  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.  In  1870  he  was  made  United 
States  Census  Enumerator,  and  performed  the  duties 
of  his  office  in  seven  townships  in  De  Kalb  County. 
He  has  acted  as  Assessor  of  his  township  six  years 


f  > 


DE  KALB  COUNT*. 


\\ 


J 


I 


^ 


In  the  3ist  General  Assembly  of  Illinois  in  1879,  he 
acted  in  the  capacity  of  Under-Policeman.  In  Au- 
gust, 1879,  he  was  made  door-keeper  for  the  State 
Board  of  Equalization,  and  in  1881  he  was  made  as- 
sistant in  the  same  position.  He  acted  during  the 
33d  Assembly  as  a  Messenger  of  the  Senate. 

Captain  Foster  was  married  June  19,  1850,  in 
Sycamore,  to  Alidah,  daughter  of  Martin  and  Mary 
A.  (Ives)  Barringer.  He  was  born  July  19,  1806, 
and  the  latter  was  born  in  Sand  Lake,  N.  Y.,  Dec. 
n,  1810,  and  removed  thence  to  Genesee  ,€0.,  N. 
Y.  In  1 845  they  came  thence  to  Illinois  and  settled 
in  Franklin  Township,  in  De  Kalb  County.  After  a 
residence  there  of  six  years  they  went  to  Belvidere, 
Boone  Co.,  111.  'The  mother  died  June  27,  1874. 
The  death  of  the  father  occurred  at  Lake  City,  Flor- 
ida, Nov.  15,  1877,  where  he  had  gone  in  quest  of 
health.  Edward,  Alidah,  Mary  E.,  Fidelia  and  Susan 
J.  are  the  names  of  their  children.  Mrs.  Foster  was 
born  Aug.  30,  1821,  in  Rensselaer  Co.,  N.  Y.  Three 
children  have  been  born  to  her  arid  her  husband: 
J.  Wesley,  Charles  M .  and  Thomas  P. 

Captain  Foster  is  an  earnest  Republican  and  is 
at  present  the  Commander  of  Barnes  Post,  No.  395, 
G.  A.  R.  He  has  been  for  four  years  Superintend- 
ent of  the  Sunday-school  connected  with  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  to  which  he  and  his  wife 
belong.  Since  his  return  from  the  army  he  has  en- 
gaged principally  in  farming,  but  has  combined  his 
operations  in  that  line  with  trade  in  real  estate. 


rentiss  D.  Worthley,  farmer,  section  28, 
Kingston  Township,  was  born  Nov.  20, 
1850,  near  Bangor,  Maine,  in  Kennebec 
County.  His  father,  Conrad  C.  Worthley,  was 
a  native  of  the  same  State,  as  was  his  mother, 
Esther  A.  (Bradbury)  Worthley.  The  father 
was  born  in  October,  1801,  and  died  Sept.  29,  1877. 
The  mother  was  born  Oct.  n,  1804,  and  died  May 
19,  1884.  They  had  four  sons  and  two  daughters, 
and  the  son  who  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the 
youngest.  He  came  with  his  parents  when  five 
years  of  age  to  Michigan  City,  Ind.,  removing  thence 
two  years  later  to  Porter  County,  in  the  same  State. 
The  family  were  resident  there  about  12  years,  and 
came  thence  to  McHenry  Co.,  111.  The  son  sought 
an  independent  home  and  career  in  De  Kalb  County 

QVJ^f-co  -^^f^         ^ 

,^       ;_,  -^n^ 


in  the  spring  of  1870,  when  he  located  in  Kingston 
Township.  He  is  now  the  manager  of  140  acres  of 
improved  land.  In  political  faith  Mr.  Worthly  is  a 
Republican. 

His  marriage  to  Amelia  Uplinger  occurred  Dec. 
10,  1878,  and  they  have  one  child,  Ralph,  bom  Oct. 
26,  1879.  Mrs.  Worthley  was  born  April  18,  1857, 
in  Luzerne  Co.,  Pa.,  and  is  the  daughter  of  John  and 
Elizabeth  (Wood)  Uplinger,  residents  of  Kingston 
Township,  whither  Mrs.  W.  came  when  she  was  nine 
years  of  age. 


orace  B.  Johnson,  mechanic,  resident  at 
Fielding,  Franklin  Township,  was  born  Oct. 
20,  1829,  in  Wilton,  Kennebec  Co.,  Maine. 
John  Johnson,  his  father,  was  a  ship  carpenter, 
and  married  Mehitable  Dacy.  Both  parents 
were  natives  of  the  Pine-Tree  State,  and  tfiere 
they  died,  the  former  when  Horace  was  in  youth,  the 
latter  in  1880. 

When  Mr.  Johnson  was  13  years  of  age,  he  was 
apprenticed  to  a  man  named  Cyrus  Dunn,  to  acquire 
a  knowledge  of  brick-laying,  and  remained  under  his 
instructions  until  he  reached  his  majority.  He  be- 
gan his  independent  career  by  the  practice  of  his 
trade  in  Oxford  Co.,  Maine,  going  thence  to  Lewiston 
in  the  same  State.  He  was  married  while  there  to 
Nancy  Nash,  who  died  in  1855,  leaving  one  child, 
Walter  E.,  who  is  a  resident  at  Lewiston.  After  the 
death  of  his  wife,  Mr.  Johnson  came  to  Illinois  and 
settled  in  Franklin  Township.  He  passed  some 
years  in  working  at  his  trade  and  in  farming,  remov- 
ing eventually  to  the  village  of  Fielding,  where,  in 
1876,  he  purchased  a  sight  for  his  home,  consisting 
of  two  and  a  half  village  lots,  on  which  he  erected 
a  pleasant  residence.  Since  his  removal  hither  he 
has  followed  his  trade. 

His  marriage  to  Sarah  J.  Van  Dresser  occurred  in 
Franklin  Township,  Jan.  i,  1856,  and  they  had  three 
children.  Liona  R.  is  the  single  survivor.  Nancy 
A.  died  when  four  years  old.  Charles  W.  died  at  the 
the  age  of  four  months.  Mrs.  Johnson  is  the 
daughter  of  Gilbert  and  Nancy  Van  Dresser.  Her 
parents  were  natives  of  Allegany  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and 
came  West  in  1845,  first  locating  in  Erie  Co.,  Ohic 
After  a  residence  there  of  seven  years  they  removed 

-    )       >^r: Hli^f® 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


to  Lake  County,  in  the  same  State,  where  the  father 
died.  The  mother  removed  with  her  children  in 
1853  to  Illinois  and  now  resides  at  St.  Charles. 

Mr.  Johnson  is  a  Republican  and  as  officiated  22 
years  as  a  Constable.  He  has  also  held  other  local 
offices  in  his  township. 


eonard  Aurner,  a  retired  farmer  and  mer- 
chant, resident  at  Kingston,  was  born  July 
6,  1811,  in  Sugar  Loaf,  Armstrong  Co., 
Ohio.  His  parents,  Henry  and  Betsey  (Billick) 
Aurner,  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  and  when 
their  son  was  in  his  early  childhood  they  re- 
turned to  Lycoming  County,  in  that  State,  removing 
thence  to  De  Kalb  County,  this  State,  where  they 
were  among  the  pioneer  settlers.  His  father  died 
at  90  years  of  age ;  his  mother  was  88  years  old 
when  she  died.  On  attaining  his  majority  he  be- 
came .his  "  own  man,"  and  he  went  to  Livingston 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  where  he  spent  two  years  as  a  farm  as- 
sistant, working  by  the  month.  In  1832  he  came  to 
St.  Joseph,  Mich.,  for  the  purpose  of  enlisting  to  aid 
in  expelling  the  Indians;  but  the  difficulties  there 
were  at  an  end  before  his  arrival.  He  obtained  em- 
ployment on  the  "  turnpike,"  which  was  then  being 
built  through  that  country,  ajid  he  spent  three 
years  in  that  vicinity,  operating  a  part  of  the 
time  as  a  lumberman.  At  the  end  of  that  time 
he  bought  a  farm  in  the  township  of  Sherman,  St. 
Joseph  County,  where  he  operated  as  a  farmer  two 
years.  The  location  did  not  agree  with  his  health 
and  he  sold  his  farm,  coming  thence  to  De  Kalb 
County.  He  purchased  a  large  tract  of  land  of  a 
man  who  had  made  a  claim,  and  he  was  at  one  time 
the  possessor  of  406  acres  of  land  in  the  county. 
He  is  the  present  owner  of  nearly  200  acres  of  land 
and  also  of  quite  an  amount  of  village  property. 

Mr.  Aurner  was  first  married  Feb.  4,  1836,  in  St. 
Joseph  Co.,  Mich.,  to  Margaret  Dibble,  a  native  of 
Colchester,  Delaware  Co.,  N.  Y.  They  became  t^ie 
parents  of  nine  children, — Orlando  J.,  Eliza  C.,  Wil- 
liam R.,  Jane  M.,  Harriet  L.,  Charles  L.,  Joseph  F., 
Emma  and  Marcus  D.  The  death  of  their  mothet 
occurred  in  1864,  in  Kingston  Township,  and  Mr. 
Aurner  was  a  second  time  married  Aug.  3,  1874,  at 
De  Kalb,  to  Ellen  (Carter)  Burkhardt,  daughter  of 


Jared  and  Lydia  (Ames)  Carter,  and  widow  of  John  ^f 
Burkhardt.  Her  first  husband  died  Dec.  25,  1865,  $ 
leaving  nine  children, — Caroline,  Mary  E.,  Josephine  $  J. 
A.,  Robert  O.,  John  S.,  Jared  H.,  George  H.,  Carrie  !! 


V.  and  Claude  A.  Four  of  the  latter  are  deceased. 
Mrs.  Aurner  was  born  Nov.  16,  1827,  in  Vermont. 
Mr.  Aurner  is  a  Democrat,  and  has  officiated  in  sev- 
eral positions  of  responsibility  and  trust  in  his  town- 
ship. 


rancis  Rote,  farmer,  section  35,  Franklin 
Township,  vyas  born  June  9,  1820,  in  Ly- 
coming Co.,  Pa.,  and  is  the  son  of  Daniel 
and  Mary  (Kitchen)  Rote.  His  father,  Daniel 
Rote,  was  born  in  Eastern  Pennsylvania,  May 
i  27,  1792,  and  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  at  an  early  age,  but  for  honest  difference  of 
views  he  left  it,  and  in  1831  or  '32  he  joined  the 
Christian  Church,  and  was  baptized  by  Elder  John 
Case  in  1832.  He  soon  after  began  to  exhort,  and 
was  ordained  at  Fairfield,  Lycoming  Co.,  Pa.,  March 
9,  1833,  by  Milliard  Marvin  and  others.  Within 
one  year  afterward  he  organized  four  Churches  in  his 
own  neighborhood,  of  143  members  in  the  aggregate. 
He  continued  his  labors  in  Pennsylvania  for  many 
years,  and  was  one  of  the  leading  men  in  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Pennsylvania  Christian  Conference,  of 
which  he  became  a  member.  In  1846,  he  left  his 
home  and  work  in  Pennsylvania,  and  moved  to  De 
Kalb  County.  In  his  new  locality  in  the  West,  he 
entered  heartily  into  the  work  of  the  ministry,  and  was 
very  useful  in  the  cause.  About  1860  disease  and 
old  age  came  upon  him,  so  that  he  was  not  able  to  do 
much  labor ;  but  his  heart  was  in  the  work  to  the 
last.'  In  1862  he  received  a  stroke  of  paralysis,  from 
which  he  never  entirely  recovered.  He  died  May 
24,  1864,  aged  72  years,  leaving  an  aged  companion 
in  a  dying  state  with  the  same  disease.  He  had 
been  'a  successful  man  in  his  day.  He  married 
Mary  Kitchen,  Nov.  r,  1814,  who  was  born  in  New 
Jersey,  July  4,  1787,  and  died  Feb.  26,  1865.  Mr. 
R.  was  the  son  of  David  Rote,  a  native  of  Holland, 
who  was  born  in  that  country  April  12,  1740,  and 
came  to  America  and  settled  in  Pennsylvania,  where 
he  was  a  successful  farmer. 

Mr.  Rote  of  this    sketch  is  the  third  child  of  a 


V! 


404 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


family  of  nine  children  born  to  his  parents  ;  they  were 
named  as  follows :  Henry,  Sarah,  Francis,  Hannah, 
Rachel,  Mary  and  Martha  (twins),  Amos  H.  and 
Margaret. 

Mr.  Rote  was  married  Sept.  4,  1861,  in  Belvidere, 
Boone  Co.,  111.,  to  Catherine  E.  McCarty,  who  is  the 
daughter  of  Edward  and  Mary  A.  (Sherman)  Mc- 
Carty. Her  father  was  born  in  Illinois  and  went  in 
early  life  to  Ontario,  Can.,  where  he  married.  His 
wife  is  a  native  of  New  Brunswick,  and  after  their 
marriage  they  located  in  Franklin  Township,  and  are 
still  residing  there,  aged  respectively  77  and  7  2  years. 
They  had  14  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Rote  was  born 
sixth  in  order.  Ten  of  her  brothers  and  sisters  sur- 
vive. She  was  born  in  Ontario,  April  28,  1843,  and 
was  ten  years  of  age  when  she  accompanied  her 
parents  to  Boone  Co.,  111.,  where  they  settled  in  Cale- 
donia Township.  She  is  the  mother  of  10  children, 
who  were  born  as  follows:  Albert  D.,  March  17, 
1862;  Mary  E.,  June  30,  1863,  and  died  Sept. 
20,  1863;  Sarah  A.,  born  May  26,  1865;  Libbie  J., 
Dec.  2,  1867;  Frank,  Feb.  13,  1870;  Hattie,  Jan. 
13,  1872;  Charles,  Sept.  14,  1874;  Eddie,  Aug. 
i,  1876:  Freddie  A.,  Jan.  8,  1878;  and  Jessie  E., 
June  13.  1880. 

After  his  marriage,  Mr.  Rote  succeeded  to  the  pro- 
prietorship of  the  homestead,  which  comprised  80 
acres  and  a  piece  of  timber  land  15  acres  in  extent 
and  located  on  section  35.  The  place  is  under 
excellent  tillage. 

Mr.  Rote  is  a  Republican  in  his  political  views. 


^amuel  Knight,  farmer,  section  9,  Mayfield 
Township,  is  a  son  of  Peter  and  Anna 
(Dell)  Knight,  who  were  natives  of  Mary- 
land, where  they  lived  until  their,  demise. 
They  had  eight  children, — Susanna,  Samuel, 
Jacob,  Lydia,  John  N.,  Michael,  Matilda  P. 
and  Lilly  A.  The  second-born,  whose  name  heads 
this  sketch,  was  born  in  Frederick  Co.,  Md.,  June  28, 
1816,  and  lived  at  home  until  of  age,  learning  the 
blacksmith's  trade  of  his  father,  which  he  followed 
for  many  years.  In  1837  he  emigrated  to  Adams 
County,  this  State,  where  he  continued  to  work  at 
his  trade  for  eight  years,  and  then,  in  1845,  he  came 
this  county  and  pre-empted  a  quarter  of  section 




9,  where  he  settled  and  has  since  resided,  one  of  the 
oldest  and  most  honored  pioneers  of  the  county. 
He  is  now  the  owner  of  175  acres  in  the  township, 
most  of  which  is  in  cultivation.  He  has  been  Road 
Commissioner,  Overseer  of  Highways,  etc.,  is  Demo- 
cratic in  his  political  principles,  and  is  a  member  of 
the  Christian  Church,  as  is  also  Mrs.  Knight. 

Mr.  K.  was  married  in  Columbus,  Adams  Co.,  III., 
March  20,  1839,  to  Miss  Mary,  daughter  of  Abel  and 
Mary  (Moore)  Tower,  who  were  natives  of  Vermont 
and  the  parents  of  George,  John,  Charles,  Mary 
(Mrs.  K.)  and  David.  Mrs.  K.  was  born  in  Wil- 
mington, Windham  Co.,  Vl.,  Feb.  21,  1815.  The 
living  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Knight  are, — Harri- 
et, wife  of  Nicholas  Weber,  and  resides  in  Kingston 
Township ;  Mary,  who  married  H.  G.  Vandeburgh, 
.and  resides  in  Kingston  Township;  Amanda,  who 
was  married  to  H.  G.  Campbell ;  Laura  married 
Oliver  Low,  of  Kingston ;  Augusta  L.,  the  wife  of 
F.  G.  Menter,  of  Mayfield  Township;  Sarah,  the 
wife  of  James  Snell;  and  Charles,  who  married 
Martha  Swanson.  Alice,  George  W.  and  John  H. 
are  deceased. 


Ibert  N.  Freeland,  farmer,  located  on  sec- 
tion 36,  De  Kalb  Township,  was  born  Sept. 
22,  1827,  in  Tioga  Co.,  N.  Y.  Joseph  and 
Lydia  (Perry)  Freeland,  his  parents,  were  na- 
tives of  Massachusetts,  and  went  thence  to 
Tioga  County,  where  they  passed  the  remain- 
der of  their  lives.  Their  five  children  reached  ma- 
ture life.  They  were  named  Melissa,  Betsey,  Ly- 
man,  Squire  and  Albert  N. 

Mr.  Freeland  obtained  a  good  common-school  ed- 
ucation and  operated  as  a  farmer  in  New  York.  In 
the  fall  of  1854  he  came  to  De  Kalb  County  and 
became  a  landholder  of  the  township  of  Pierce.  He 
continued  to  carry  on  his  farming  operations  there 
uTitil  1860.  In  that  year  he  disposed  of  his  farm  by 
sale  and  passed  the  next  three  years  in  farming  and 
in  other  occupations  in  Sycamore.  In  1863  he  as- 
sumed charge  of  the  county  poor  farm  and  continued 
the  management  of  its  affairs  about  seven  years. 
On  the  termination  of  his  connection  therewith  he 
went  to  Aurora,  111.,  and  spent  three  years  engaged 


\\ 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


in  various  pursuits,  which  required  little  activity,  as 
he  was  in  poor  health.  In  the  winter  of  1875  he 
removed  his  family  to  Fredericksburg,  Va.,  to  pro- 
cure a  change  of  climate  for  his  daughter,  who  was 
in  a  precarious  state  of  health.  He  remained  there 
until  the  next  October,  when  the  family  went  to 
Tompkins  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  a  few  months  later  re- 
turned to  Illinois,  settling  in  De  Kalb  Township. 
His  farm  contains  160  acres  of  valuable  land,  all 
under  improvements,  and  fairly  stocked.  Mr.  Free- 
land  is  a  Republican  of  decidedly  zealous  spirit. 

He  was  married  Dec.  24,  1852,  in  Tioga  Co.,  N. 
Y.,  to  Jane  Bunnell.  One  child  was  born  to  them, 
Jan.  18,  '864, — Jennie  D., — who  died  of  consump- 
tion in  the  township  of  De  Kalb,  May  2,  1882. 
Mrs.  Freeland  was  born  Nov.  14,  1829,  in  Tioga 
County,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Isaac  and  Rachel 
(Brink)  Bunnell.  The  latter  died  in  New  York,  her 
native  State.  The  former  removed  thence  to  De 
Kalb  County,  where  he  afterwards  died. 


fabez  W.  Ward,  farmer  residing  on  the 
northeast  quarter  of  section  21,  Afton 
Township,  was  born  in  West  Rutland, 
Rutland  Co.,  Vt.,  Nov.  6,  1829.  The  Ward 
family  are  of  the  old  "  Puritan  Stock."  Four 
of  five  brothers  came  to  this  country  in  the, 
Mayflower,  and  Luke  Ward,  father  of  Jabez  W.,"  had 
directly  descended  from  one  of  those  brothers.  The 
fifth  brother  came  over  the  next  year  after  the  land- 
ing of  the  Mayflower  at  Plymouth  Rock.  The  father 
of  Jabez  W.  was  born  in  1795,  and  died  at  West 
Rutland,  Rutland  Co.,  Vt.,  April  23,  1876.  He  was 
a  farmer  by  vocation.  His  mother,  Fanny  (Watkins) 
Ward,  was  born  May  10,  1804,  and  is  still  living  in 
West  Rutland,  Vt.  They  are  the  parents  of  five 
children,  namely:  Charles  E.,  George  H.,  Jabez  W., 
Henry  M.  and  Fanny  E. 

Jabez  W.  Ward,  subject  of  this  notice,  was  raised 
on  a  farm  in  Rutland  Co.,  Vt.  He  spent  his  early 
years  in  farm  labor  and  attending  the  common 
schools,  and  remained  on  the  home  farm  until  he 
attained  the  age  of  25  years,  with  the  exception  of 
one  year  which  he  spent  at  Castleton,  his  native 
county.  At  that  age  in  life  he  went  forth  upon  the 
i  road  of  adversity  alone,  with  a  firm  determination  to 


overcome  the  trials  of  life  and  procure  a  competency. 
Following  the  promptings  of  his  conscience,  and  rely- 
ing on  his  faith  in  the  future  development  of  the 
"  Great  West,"  he  came  to  this  State  and  located  at 
Joliet,  Will  County.  He  arrived  there  in  November, 

1854,  and  during  the  winter  of  1854-5  traveled  for 
his  brother  in  the  marble  business.     In  the  spring  of 

1855,  he  came  to  this   county  and   purchased  the 
northwest  quarter  of  section  32,  Afton  Township,  the 
date  of  his  purchase  being  May  i.     The  land  had  a 
frame  house  on  it  and  65  acres  under  the  plow.     He 
lived  on  this  farm  for  nine  years,  meanwhile  culti- 
vating and  improving  it,  and  then,  in  1864  sold  it  to 
John  Sturtevant.    Soon  thereafter  he  purchased  152^ 
acres  on   section  21,  same  township,  of  the   "Tyler 
estate,"  on  which  he  moved  and  has  resided  ever 
since.     It   contained  a  small  frame   house,  with    a 
locust  grove,  where  his  present  residence  now  stands, 
and  a  fence   (which  was  a  perfect  failure)  of  locust 
trees.     He  has  now  a  good  frame  house,  warm  and 
comfortable  barn,  26x36  feet,  good  fences,  and  the 
farm  is  under  good  cultivation. 

Mr.  Ward  was  united  in  marriage  Sept.  30,  1850, 
to  Miss  Susan,  daughter  of  Chester  and  Hannah 
(Peak)  Ward.  Both  parents  are  deceased.  Her 
father  was  born  in  West  Rutlarfd,  April  10,  1797, 
and  was  found  dead  in  his  bed  Oct.  10,  1884.  Her 
mother  was  born  in  Vermont,  Jan.  2,  1800,  and  died 
at  Highgate,  Franklin  County,  same  State,  Oct.  2, 
1842.  Mrs.  Susan  Ward  was  born  Oct.  31,  1828,  in 
Highgate,  Franklin  County,  Vt.,  and  was  one  of  a 
family  of  five  children,  three  boys  and  two  girls, 
namely:  Luther  H.,  Erastus  W.,  Susan,  Elizabeth 
and  Benjamin.  There  was  also  a  half  sister,  Jane. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ward  are  the  parents  of  four  chil- 
dren :  Lucy  E.  was  born  Dec.  25,  1852,  married 
John  Rice,  April  28,  1875,  and  is  residing  in  Forres- 
ton,  Ogle  County,  this  State.  Fannie  A.  was  born 
April  25,  1856,  married  N.  H.  Givens,  March  14, 
1876,  and  resides  on  section  7,  Afton  Township,  this 
county.  George  L.  was  born  April  4,  1859,  and  re- 
sides in  Sanborn  Co.,  Dak.  Rollin  W.  was  born 
Nov.  24,  1863,  and  resides  on  the  home  farm. 

Politically,  Mr.  Ward  is  a  Republican.  He  has 
been  Highway  Commissioner  two  years,  Justice  of 
Peace  nine  years,  and  School  Trustee  1 2  years,  and 
is  at  present  Township  Treasurer,  which  latter  office 
he  has  held  for  three  years. 

Mr.  Ward  was  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Afti 

w>n   <-      _>s»^«Mr-    '  ^&i<s£-   '- 


v 


-X-  •' 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


Township.  He  moved  into  it  before  it  was  organized 
and  was  one  of  the  prime  factors  in  its  organization. 
Prominent  among  those  entitled  to  be  classified  as 
self-made  men  in  this  county,  men  who  achieved  a 
competency  through  honest,  energetic  effort  and 
good  judgment,  is  Mr.  Ward,  and  while  we  cannot 
place  the  likeness  of  all  of  them  in  this  work,  we  are 
pleased  to  be  able  to  give  that  of  the  gentleman 
whose  name  heads  this  notice. 


i  illiam  B.  Low,  Police  Magistrate  at  Sand- 
wich, was  born  in  Hillier,  Prince  Edward 
Co.,  Ont.,  Jan.  30,  1827.  He  is  a  son  of 
Charles  and  Laner  (Richardson)  Low,  who 
were  the  parents  of  10  children;  five  of  the 
latter  are  yet  living.  Tamar  A.,  second  child,  is  the 
wife  of  R.  B.  Warner,  an  attorney  in  Orange,  Los 
Angeles  Co.,  Cal.  Charles  is  a  farmer  in  Sac  Co., 
Johnson  is  a  farmer  on  the  family  homestead 


Iowa 


at  Shabbona  Grove,  where  the  mother  is  living  in  ad- 
vanced age.  Wolfred  N.  is  a  prominent  attorney  in 
Chicago.  The  father  died  at  Shabbona  Grove,  Nov. 
5,  1863. 

Mr.  Low  is  the  oldest  of  his  parents'  children. 
He  is  a  born  and  bred  farmer,  to  which  vocation  he 
was  trained  in  his  native  county,  and  in  which  he 
was  there  occupied  until  the  date  of  his  becoming  a 
citizen  of  the  United  States.  He  emigrated  to  De 
Kalb  Co.,  111.,  in  1856,  and  became  the  proprietor  by 
purchase  of  40  acres  of  land  at  Shabbona  Grove. 
In  r866  he  went  thence  to  Piano,  111.,  in  the  capacity, 
of  employee  of  the  Marsh  Harvester  Company,  then 
engaged  in  perfecting  their  machines  in  the  shops  of 
Lew  Stewart.  He  operated  there  until  January, 
1869,  when  he  came  to  Sandwich  and  completed 
the  invention  of  the  machine  known  as  the  Low, 
Adams  and  ,  French  Harvester,  whose  utility  has 
since  acquired  a  wide  popularity.  He  was  interested 
in  its  manufacture  until  1874,  and  in  the  autumn  of 
that  year  he  sold  his  claim  in  the  patents  and  works 
to  the  Sandwich  Manufacturing  Company  and  T.  L. 
French,  for  $25,000,  after  which  he  was  in  no  active 
business  until  his  election  to  the  position  of  which 
he  is  now  and  has  since  been  the  incumbent,  whose 
duties  he  assumed  in  the  spring  of  1882.  He  is  still 
a  landholder  of  De  Kalb  County,  owning  120  acres 




of  land  near  Shabbona  Grove,  also  his  residence  with 
four  lots  adjoining,  and  four  acres  within  the  South- 
ern part  of  the  corporation  of  Sandwich. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Low  to  Lydia  Christy  oc- 
curred Nov.  9,  1852,  at  Mariposa,  Victoria  Co.,  Ont., 
and  to  them  five  children  have  been  born,  all  of 
whom  survive  but  one— Charles  H.  Low — an  ac- 
count of  whose  short  but  busy  and  useful  life  may 
be  found  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  Emma  A.  Low, 
oldest  daughter,  born  Sept.  28,  1853,13  the  wife  of 
Loren  Brown,  of  Girard,  Kan.,  where  he  is  engaged 
in  traffic  in  lumber.  The  deceased  son  was  next  in 
order  of  birth.  He  was  born  Oct.  4,  1855,  and  died 
Jan.  10,  1884.  Cora  was  born  March  14,  1858. 
George  J.,  born  Jan.  31,  1862,  resides  at  Odebolt, 
Iowa,  where  he  is  engaged  in  banking.  He  was 
married  Sept.  12,  1883,10  Rachel  Bateman.  Wol- 
fred  W.  was  born  June  28,  1870. 

Mr.  Low  entered  the  Army  of  the  Union  during 
the  Civil  War,  enlisting  Sept.  2,  1862,  at  Shabbona, 
De  Kalb  County,  in  Co.  E,  1 051)1  Reg.  111.  Vol.  Inf. 
as  a  private.  He  accompanied  the  command  to  the 
seat  of  war,  and  was  discharged  early  in  the  spring 
of  1863,  without  having  seen  active  service,  on  ac- 
count of  ill  health. 

As  a  citizen,  business  man,  and  in  his  domestic 
relations  Mr.  Low  is  among  the  most  respected  resi- 
dents of  Sandwich.  Born  to  a  life  of  effort,  reared 
in  the  prosecution  of  the  duties  of  an  agricultural 
career,  and  taught  the  value  of  self-respect  by  pre- 
cept and  circumstances,  his  accession  to  affluence 
proved  no  disturbing  element  in  the  course  of  his 
tranquil,  honorable  career.  He  has  devoted  his 
means  and  interest  to  giving  his  children  solid,  sub- 
stantial education,  and  although  by  birth  belonging 
to  another  nationality,  he  recognizes  no  sovereignty 
but  manhood,  and  acknowledges  no  human  suprem- 
acy save  that  acquired  by  culture  and  education. 


ary   N.  Parker,  farmer,   Kingston  Town- 
ship, section  34,  was  born  Oct.  26,  1814,  in 
Ontario  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  is  the  third  in  order 
of  birth  of  a  family  of  seven  children   included 
in  the  family  of  his  parents,  James  and  Sarah 
(Hubbs)  Parker.     The   former  was  a  native  of 
Connecticut,  the  latter  of  New  York.     They  removed 
about  1815  to  Kentucky,  where  the  son  was  brought 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


up  to  manhood  and  followed  the  calling  of  a  farmer. 
When  he  was  24  years  of  age  he  decided  on  fixing 
his  residence  in  the  North,  and  he  bought  a  farm  in 
Spencer  Co.,  Ind.,  on  which  he  resided  14  years.  At 
the  end  of  that  time  he  sold  out  and  came  in  1854  to 
De  Kalb  County.  He  purchased  80  acres  of  land  in 
Kingston  Township  and  there  commenced  his  career 
as  an  Illinois  farmer.  He  has  since  doubled  his 
possessions  and  is  the  proprietor  of  160  acres,  all 
under  excellent  improvement. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Parker  to  Mary  A.  Stillwell 
occurred  July  22,  1834,  in  Campbell  Co.,  Ky.  She 
is  a  native  of  that  county  and  is  the  daughter  of 
Joseph  and  Martha  (Barrickman)  Stillwell,  who  were 
also  born  in  that  State.  She  was  born  Nov.  23,  1812. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Parker  have  had  eight  children, — 
Martha,  Sarah  A.,  Louisa,  Joseph  E.,  John  R., 
Martha  J.,  Mary  A.  and  Fanny  B.  All  are  living 
but  the  oldest.  Mr.  Parker  is  a  Republican  in 
political  belief  and  relations. 


enjamin  Scurr  Estabrook,  farmer,  sec- 
tion 36,  De  Kalb  Township,  was  born  in 
Sackville,  Westmoreland  Co.,  New  Bruns- 
wick, Aug.  10,  1835.  His  parents,  James  and 
Isabella  (Buhner)  Estabrook,  were  born  in 
the  same  province  and  remained  there  during 
their  entire  lives.  Their  family  comprised  nine  chil- 
dren. 

Mr.  Estabrook  is  the  second  son  born  to  his  par- 
ents and  remained  a  resident  of  his  native  province 
until  he  was  17  years  of  age.  In  1852  he  went 
thence  to  Lowell,  Mass.,  and  passed  about  two  years 
in  a  machine  shop.  In  the  spring  of  1855  he  de- 
cided on  trying  his  chances  in  the  opening  West  and 
came  to  Illinois,  locating  in  Kane  County,  and  con- 
tinued a  resident  there  three  years.  In  1858  he 
transferred  his  interests  to  De  Kalb  County,  and  in 
1 86 1  settled  on  a  farm  of  80  acres  in  Pierce  Town- 
ship, of  which  he  became  proprietor  by  purchase. 
After  an  ownership  of  12  years  he  sold  out  and  came 
to  De  Kalb  Township,  where  he  bought  160  acres  of 
land,  now  constituting  a  model  farm,  such  as  have 
founded  the  ,'unparalleled  repute  of  the  "  Sucker  " 
State.  He  resided  on  the  property  until  the  fall  of 
884,  when  he  removed  to  the  village  of  De  Kalb. 


Mr.  Estabrook  is,  in  political  bias  and  connection, 
a  Republican,  and  has  been  active  in  school  and 
local  matters  in  his  township.  He  was  married  in 
Whitewater,  Wis.,  April  5,  1865,  to  Orissa,  daughter 
of  Isaiah  and  Olive  (Tyler)  Hall.  Her  parents  were  J& 
born  in  the  State  of  New  York,  of  which  she  was 
also  a  native,  and  was  born  May  24,  1845.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Estabrook  have  two  children.  Walter  G.  was 
born  Oct.  24,  1866,  in  Pierce  Township;  Cora  B. 
was  born  June  5,  1868,  in  De  Kalb  Township,  De 
Kalb  County. 


enry  Kingsley,  deceased,  was  a  farmer, 
owning  80  acres  on  section  29  and  80  acres 
on  section  30,  Afton  Township.  He  was 
O  born  June  22,  1831,  in  Crawford  Co.,  Pa.,  and 
was  a  son  of  Ransom  and  Eliza  A.  (Cornell) 
Kingsley.  His  father  was  born  Feb.  ir,  1799, 
and  died  Sept.  23,  1877,  in  Du  Page  Co.,  111.  His 
mother  was  born  at  Fort  Ann,  Washington  Co.,  N.  Y., 
Dec.  12,  1802,  and  is  yet  living.  His  parents  were 
both  of  English  extraction,  and  his  father  was  a 
farmer  by  occupation. 

Henry  Kingsley  was  raised  on  his  father's  farm, 
alternating  his  labors  thereon  by  attendance  at  the 
common  schools.  Soon  after  attaining  his  majority 
he  came  to  this  State  and  located  with  a  sister  in 
Du  Page  County.  He  worked  "around  "  in  Du  Page 
and  Kane  Counties  until  March,  1863,  when  he  pur- 
chased the  present  farm  and  in  October  following 
moved  upon  it.  This  is  left  to  his  family,  and  on  it 
his  widow  at  present  resides.  There  were  a  small 
frame  house  and  straw  stable  on  the  place,  but  he 
went  to  work  with  a  firm  determination  to  make  a 
home  for  his  family  which  would  be  a  haven  of  rest 
in  the  days  to  come.  He  died  Aug.  19,  1884,  from 
the  effect  of  paralysis.  He  received  his  first  paralytic 
stroke  some  five  years  ago,  which,  though  not  prov- 
ing fatal  at  the  time,  gradually  worked  to  his  brain 
and  caused  his  death  at  the  time  stated. 

He  was  married  March  5,  1863,  to  Miss  Mary, 
daughter  of  Rodney  and  Abigail  (Lounsberry)  Mc- 
Dole.  Her  father  was  born  Jan.  31,  1809,  in  New 
Hampshire,  is  of  Scotch  extraction  and  a  farmer  by 
occupation.  Her  mother  was  born  July  31,  1813, 
in  Chemung  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  died  Jan.  14,  1876,  while 


r 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


on  a  visit  to  her  relatives  in  Menard  Co.,  111.,  of  heart 
disease.  Mrs.  Kingsley  was  born  Feb.  4,  1838,  in 
Kane  Co.,  111. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kingsley  were  the  parents  of  four 
children.  Nellie  was  born  Dec.  7,  1863,  married 
Fred  H.  Rollins,  Oct.  15,  1884,  and  resides  in  Cal- 
houn  Co.,  Iowa.  Addie  was  born  Feb.  25,  1866. 
Jeddie  J.,  Nov.  r,  1869.  Walter  D,  May  16,  1878. 

Mr.  Kingsley,  politically,  was  a  Republican.  He 
held  the  office  of  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  many  years, 
and  was  also  Supervisor  and  Road  Commissioner. 
i  After  his  first  stroke  of  paralysis  he  was  unable  to  do 
X  jj  any  work,  and  passed  from  this  world  mourned  and 
beloved  by  a  large  circle  of  relatives  and  friends. 


on.  Luther  Lowell,  Judge  of  De  Kalb 
County,  resident  at  Sycamore,  was  born 
May  14,  1827,  at  Brookfield,  Orange  Co., 
Vt.  Martin  L.  Lowell,  his  father,  was  born 
Dec.  14,  1792,  at  Lempster,  N.  H.,  and  was  the 
son  of  Peter  and  Ruth  (Frink)  Lowell,  the  for- 
mer of  whom  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts  and 
was  a  soldier  of  the  Colonial  war  for  independence. 
The  senior  Lowell  married  Melinda  C.  Laporte,  who 
was  born  June  6,  1798,  in  New  Jersey.  Ten  of  their 
children  reached  mature  life.  One  daughter  is  de- 
ceased. 

Judge  Lowell  is  of  mixed  English  and  Irish  ex- 
traction in  the  paternal  line  of  descent.  His  mother 
was  French  in  her  paternal  line,  her  grandfather 
having  been  born  in  France.  He  was  reared  in  the 
manner  common  to  the  place  and  period  in  the  train- 
ing of  farmers'  sons.  This  method  comprised  after 
earliest  boyhood  three  months  of  school  during  the 
winter  season  and  nine  months  of  active  life  on  the 
farm,  in  which  routine  young  Lowell  passed  the  years 
of  his  life  from  eight  to  eighteen  years  of  age.  He 
"began  to  teach  in  the  winter  of  1845-6,  and  passed 
a  portion  of  every  year  in  that  occupation  until  he 
completed  his  educational  course.  He  prepared  for 
college  at  the  academies  at  Hinesburg  and  Bakers- 
field,  entering  the  college  at  Middlebury  two  years  in 
advance.  He  graduated  in  1851  with  the  degree 
of  A.  B.,  and  in  1854  received  that  of  A.  M.  He 
:aught  a  school  in  the  village  of  Rutland,  Vt.,  in  the 
r  of  1850-1,  and  during  the  year  following  pur- 


sued  the  same  occupation  at  Ellicottville,  N.  Y.  On 
the  establishment  of  an  academy  at  Rutland  he  was 
invited  to  take  charge  of  it  and  was  its  Principal 
from  1852  to  1854.  He  went  thence  to  Flushing 
Institute,  Long  Island,  where  he  was  teacher  of  Rhet- 
oric and  Ancient  Languages. 

In  1856  he  came  to  Sycamore,  and  entered  the  law 
office  of  Mayo  &  James.  He  was  admitted  to  practice 
in  all  the  State  Courts  in  April,  1857,  and  Aug.  27, 
that  year,  entered  into  partnership  with  his  precep- 
tors. Their  dissolution  occurred  Jan.  i,  1858,  and 
each  proffered  to  Mr.  Lowell  a  copartnership.  He 
accepted  the  overtures  of  Mr.  Jamas,  and  in  1858  the 
firm  became  James,  Lowell  &  Ellwood,  for  two  years, 
when  Mr.  Ellwood  withdrew.  The  firm  of  James  & 
Lowell  continued  business  until  May  i,  1864  when 
it  was  dissolved,  and  Mr.  Lowell  associated  with 
himself  J.  Frank  Meeker,  now  a  man  of  wealth  and 
prominence  at  Marshalltown,  Iowa.  Mr.  Meeker's 
connection  with  the  business  of  Mr.  Lowell  ceased 
after,  one  year's  duration.  In  1867  he  admitted 
James  H.  Sedgwick  to  a  partnership,  which  was 
terminated  in  1869  by  the  election  of  Mr.  Lowell  to 
the  position  of  County  Judge,  to  which  he  was  re- 
elected  in  1873.  His  second  official  term  expired  in 
1877,  and  Jan.  r,  1878,  he  formed  a  partnership  with 
D.  J.  Carnes,  which  existed  five  years  and  three 
months,  or  until  April  3,  1883.  when  Judge  Lowell 
was  elected  to  fill  a  vacancy  in  the  position  he  had 
formerly  held,  made  by  the  resignation  of  Hon.  S. 
B.  Stinson,  of  Sandwich. 

Judge  Lowell's  marriage  to  Ann  P.  James  occurred 
at  Sycamore,  Feb.  20,  1859.  She  was  born  May  i, 
1833,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Levi  and  Gyrene 
(Batchelder)  James.  Judge  Lowell  and  his  wife  are 
childless,  but  have  reared  to  mature  years  two  chil- 
dren, of  whom  they  assumed  charge  in  their  tender 
years,  Lavina  S.  and  Gilbert  H.  Denton,  who  bear 
the  relation  of  brother  and  sister.  The  latter  is  a 
young  gentleman  of  fine  natural  mental  gifts,  and 
under  the  care  and  instructions  of  Judge  Lowell  and 
Mr.  Carnes  he  has  become  a  lawyer  of  unusual 
promise,  and  is  associated  in  legal  practice  with  D.  J. 
Games  at  Sycamore. 

Judge  Lowell  is  prominent  in  his  character  and 
abilities.  In  his  official  position  his  natural  traits 
and  disciplined  mind  render  him  peculiarly  fit  for 
the  duties  incumbent  upon  him.  Cool,  sagacious, 
methodical,  upright,  of  sound  judgment,  and  devoid 


C' 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


of  ulterior  purpose  and  motives,  to  no  safer  hands 
could  the  interests  with  which  he  is  intrusted  by 
virtue  of  his  office  be  committed.  As  a  counselor, 
and  chancery,  probate  and  real-estate  lawyer,  Judge 
Ixjwell  has  no  superior  in  De  Kalb  County.  His 
knowledge  of  law  is  broad  and  comprehensive,  and 
in  the  branches  of  jurisprudence  to  which  he  has 
given  especial  attention  he  has  always  controlled 
a  large  practice.  His  capacious  memory  and  clear 
perception  of  the  essential  elements  of  the  legal 
system,  seconded  by  the  quality  of  his  judgment, 
make  him  a  useful  member  of  the  legal  fraternity  of 
De  Kalb  County. 


ohn  D.  Jones,  fanner,  owning  the  east 
half  of  the  southwest  quarter  and  the 
west  half  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 29,  Afton  Township,  was  born  in  Brack- 
nockshire,  South  Wales,  Aug.  8,  1818,  and  is  a 
son  of  John  and  Margaret  (Davis)  Jones.  His 
parents  are  both  deceased,  his  father  dying  in  South 
Wales  in  1850,  aged  60  years,  and  his  mother  in 
Pennsylvania,  in  1872,  aged  about  88  years. 

John  D.  Jones,  subject  of  this  notice,  lived  in  his 
native  country  until  1848,  when  he  emigrated  to  the 
United  States.  His  early  years  were  spent  in  a 
machine  shop  and  attending  school.  No  free-school 
system  existing  in  his  native  country,  he  was  com- 
pelled to  pay  for  every  month's  instruction  he  re- 
ceived. At  14  years  he  entered  a  machine  shop  to 
learn  the  trade,  and  mastered  the  same  only  after 
seven  years  of  laborious  toil.  At  2  r  years  he  com- 
menced running  an  engine  for  a  blast  furnace,  and 
continued  in  that  work  until  he  emigrated  to  this 
country. 

On  arrival  in  the  "  States,"  he  went  to  Carbondale, 
Lackawanna  Co.,  Pa.,  and  engaged  in  a  machine 
shop.  He  was  soon  selected  by  the  same  company 
to  take  charge  of  a  stationary  engine  engaged  in  pull- 
ing cars  up  an  inclined  plane,  and  held  the  position 
for  14  years. 

In  1857  Mr.  Jones  came  to  this  county,  and,  in 
company  with  another  gentleman,  purchased  the 
land  on  which  he  at  present  resides.  His  partner 
moved  on  the  land,  which  was  in  its  natural  con- 
dition, and  Mr.  Jones  returned  to  Pennsylvania.  In 
'  /-yxVp^AS--  >m>JMk«r^  rx  V 

>-^>V^V«^tf  ~^'  ••'-'"•''' 


1859  he  again  returned  to  this  county  and  purchased 
his  partner's  interest  in  the  property,  together  with 
the  improvements  thereon,  and  again  returned  to 
Pennsylvania.  In  the  spring  of  1863  he  moved  to 
this  county  with  his  family,  and  settled  on  his  land, 
and  has  resided  thereon  ever  since. 

Mr.  Jones  was  married  in  November,  1850,  to  Miss 
Mary  Ann,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Hannah  (Wil- 
cox)  Kenyon,  natives  of  New  York.  Her  father  was 
a  shoemaker  by  trade,  and  also  owned  a  farm  and 
followed  that  vocation.  Both  parents  are  deceased, 
her  father  dying  in  1870,  and  her  mother  in  1863. 
Mrs.  Jones  was  born  March  16,  1829,  in  Roxbury, 
Delaware  Co.,  N.  Y. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jones  are  the  parents  of  seven  chil- 
dren living  and  two  deceased.  They  were  born  as 
follows  :  John  F.,  in  June,  1851,  died  in  August  of 
the  same  year;  Mary  E.,  Aug.  16,  1854,  died  Sept. 
8,  1877  ;  George  M.,  Aug.  15,  1856;  Anna  M.,  Dec. 
21,  1859;  Addie  B.,  March  5,  1863;  Edward  J., 
May  22,  1864;  BurtD.,  Sept.  16,  1866;  Lillie  M., 
May  13,  1871 ;  and  Minnie  L.,  Dec.  3r,  1872. 

Politically  Mr.  Jones  is  a  Republican.  He  has 
served  as  School  Director  for  several  years. 


oseph  M.  Buckingham,  farmer,  section  15, 
P  Somonauk  Township,  was  born  on  the  farm 
on  which  he  is  a  resident,  June  2,  1842, 
ind  where  his  parents  located  in_the  autumn 
of  1841.  Nathan  Buckingham,  his  father,  was  \ 
a  farmer  and  was  born  July  3,  1799,  in  Essex,  | 
Middlesex  Co.,  Conn.  He  married  Mary  Pratt,  f 
Following  is  the  record  of  their  children  :  Frederick 
E.,  born  Oct.  19,  1830,  died  in  1864,  in  Nashville, 
Tenn. ;  William  F.,  twin  brother,  was  killed  in  1857, 
in  a  gold  mine  in  California ;  Almus  W.,  born  May  8, 
1832,  married  Zelina  Cheever;  Mary  J.,  born  Aug. 
24,  1835,  married  Levi  Disbrow.  (Q) 

On  removal  to  Illinois  he  bought  180  acres  of  land 
on  section  15,  Somonauk  Township,  this  county,  and   «  . 
was  a  resident  thereon  31  years,  dying  Jan.  23,  1873.    I 
The  mother  was  a  native  of  Connecticut  and  died  on    § 
the  homestead  in  Somonauk,  Nov.  14,  1855.    Nathan 
Buckingham  was  again  married  in  1856,  to  Ann  W. 
Stevens,  of  Piennont  N.  H.     In  the  same  year  he  c, HI 

•^JJGLf'  •  ayaL-Vx*/^     •    ' 

~~   I      .  ^STS^xxJV^ 


ae© 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


9 


the  trees  from  the  lumber  of  which  his  house  was 
built,  and  which  he  drew  to  Piano  to  be  sawed. 

On  setting  out  independently  in  life,  Mr.  Bucking- 
ham bought  90  acres  adjoining  his  father's  farm,  and 
on  the  death  of  the  latter  he  became  the  owner  of 
the  homestead  where  he  was  born,  by  purchase  from 
the  other  heirs,  and  now  owns  a  fine  tract  of  land 
1 80  acres  in  extent. 

His  marriage  to  Luella  Evans  occurred  March  5, 
1877.  One  daughter,  Bertha,  was  born  to  them  on 
the  farm,  April  4,  1878.  Mrs.  Buckingham  was  born 
Sept.  15,  1857,  in  Plainview,  Wabasha  Co.,  Minn., 
and  she  is  the  daughter  of  Herford  and  Catherine 
Evans. 


lark  Glidden,  deceased,  formerly  a  far- 
mer occupying  the  southwest  quarter  of 
section  4,  Afton  Township,  was  born  in 
Clarendon,  Orleans  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Feb.  8,  1823. 
His  parents,  Simeon  and  Lucy  (Knowles) 
Glidden,  were  of  New  England  stock,  being 
from  Vermont  and  New  Hampshire.  His  father 
died  in  June,  1865,  aged  8 1  years;  and  his  mother 
died  in  1880. 

Mr.  Glidden  was  reared  to  manhood  on  his  father's 
farm,  having  much  of  the  labor  and  responsibility 
devolving  upon  him,  as  his  father  was  for  25  years 
preceding  his  death  afflicted  with  inflammatory  rheu- 
matism. His  education  was  received  in  the  district 
school  and  at  Brockford  Academy.  In  February, 
1854,  he  emigrated  with  his  family  to  the  West  in 
search  of  a  suitable  locality  for  a  home,  determining 
finally  to  settle  in  this  county,  where  Jos.  F.  Glidden 
a  distant  relative,  had  already  located.  He  bought 
160  acres,  and  he  increased  his  estate  until  he  at  one 
time  owned  420  acres,  in  this  and  De  Kalb  Town- 
ships;  he  sold  too  acres  before  his  death.  He  was 
a  Republican,  and  was  honored  by  his  fellow  citizens 
with  the  offices  of  Collector,  Assessor,  School  Direc- 
tor, Road  Commissioner  and  Justice  of  the  Peace. 
He  died  Feb.  i,  187.1,  in  Afton  Township,  this 
county. 

He  was  married  Feb.  14,  1847,  in  Clarendon 
Township,  Orleans  Co.,  N.  Y.,  to  Miss  Harriet, 
daughter  of  I.  B.  and  Clarissa  (Foley)  Keeler.  Her 
father  was  born  May  18,  17  99,  in  Saratoga  Co.  N.  Y., 

X^ 


and  died  Jan.  16,  1851;  and  her  mother  was  born 
Sept.  14,  7797,  in  the  same  county,  and  died  Dec. 
31,  1879.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Glidden  had  six  children, 
four  of  whom  are  now  living.  The  record  stands  : 
Willis  C.,  born  July  23,  1848,  in  Clarendon,  N.  Y., 
was  married  June  i,  1881,  to  Mabel  Seager,  a  suc- 
cessful physician  in  Beloit,  Kan.,  who  graduated  in 
April,  1880,  at  the  Homoeopathic  Medical  College  of 
Chicago;  Burtis  R.,  born  June  24,  1850,  in  Claren- 
don, N.  Y.,  married  Miss  Emma  Green,  Dec.  15, 
1880,  and  is  now  living  in  Scottville,  Kan.,  where,  in 
company  with  his  uncle,  he  is  a  merchant ;  Ira  B., 
born  Jan.  23,  1852,  in  Clarendon,  N.  Y.,  married 
Allie  T.  Rathbun,  Sept.  22,  1880,  and  now  has  two 
children, — Vernon  C.,  bom  April  15,  1882,  in  Afton 
Township,  and  Jessie  P.,  Dec.  22,  1883,  in  Afton 
Township;  Arthur  J.,  born  Dec.  25,  1855,  in  Afton 
Township,  married  Miss  Elva  Lyon,  March  10,  1880, 
and  now  resides  in  Altoona,  Beadle  Co.,  Dak. 

Neither  Mr.  Glidden  nor  any  of  his  sons  has  ever 
used  tobacco. 

It  may  be  mentioned  here  that  during  the  first 
summer  of  their  residence  in  this  county,  one  mile 
south  of  De  Kalb,  Mrs.  Glidden  was  bitten  by  a 
rattlesnake,  bul,  apparently  with  the  aid  of  the  ap- 
plication of  saleratus  dissolved  in  whisky  and  the  as- 
sistance of  a  physician,  she  fully  recovered. 


atthias  Ault,  farmer,  section  5,  May  field 
Township,  was  born  April  26,  1827,  in 
Lycoming  Co.,  Pa.  His  parents,  Samuel 
and  Catherine  (Page)  Ault,  were  born,  reared 
and  married  in  the  same  State  and  were  there 
resident  until  1850,  when  they  came  to  Kane 
Co.,  111.  In  the  spring  of  1854  they  came  to  Kings- 
ton Township,  where  the  mother  died,  March  28, 
1866,  and  where  also  the  decease  of  the  father  oc- 
curred, Nov.  17,  1868.  They  had  14  children  and 
13  of  them  reached  mature  life. 

Mr.  Ault  is  the  third  son  and  seventh  child,  and 
he  obtained  only  the  limited  common-school  educa- 
tion of  the  place  and  period.  He  was  23  years  of 
age  when  he  came  to  Kane  Co.,  Ill,  and  he  con- 
tinued a  resident  of  that  county  until  1854,  coming 
with  his  parents  to  De  Kalb  County  and  operating 
as  his  father's  assistant  three  years  longer.  In  1857 


! 


he  became  a  land-holder  by  the  purchase  of  40  acres 
of  land  in  Kingston  Township  and  61  acres  ad- 
ditional in  the  township  of  Mayfield.  The  latter 
has  since  been  his  homestead.  He  is  now  the  pro- 
prietor of  329  acres  of  land  in  De  Kalb  County, 
which  is  chiefly  under  cultivation. 

Mr.  Aulthas  acted  in  the  capacities  of  School  Di- 
rector and  Overseer  of  Highways.  In  political  mat- 
ters he  is  independent. 

He  was  married  in  Rock  Co.,  Wis.,  Sept.  20,  1858, 
to  Sarah,  daughter  of  George  and  Mary  (Keithline) 
Gross,  natives  respectively  of  Lehigh  Co.,  Pa.,  and 
New  Jersey.  Her  father  died  in  Lycoming  Co.,  Pa., 
and  the  mother  died  after  her  removal  to  Mayfield 
Township,  Feb.  15,  1880.  Mrs.  Ault  is  the  oldest 
of  six  children,  and  was  born  Jan.  2,  1831,  in  Lu- 
zerne  Co.,  Pa.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ault  have  had  five 
children,— William  I.,  Amelia  M.,  Mary  C.,  Frank 
S.  and  George  W.  The  second  child  died  when  two 
years  old. 


facob  Haish,  an  extensive  barbed-wire  man- 
ufacturer of  De  Kalb,  was  born  March  9, 
1827,  in  Germany,  and  is  a  son  of  Christian 
and  Christena  Haish,  natives  of  that  country. 
The  family  emigrated  to  this  country  when  the 
subject  of  this  notice  was  nine  years  of  age,  and 
settled  in  Crawford  Co.,  Ohio.  He  purchased  a  farm 
in  the  woods  and  entered  on  the  task  of  clearing  and 
improving  it.  On  this  farm  the  son  lived,  alternating 
his  labors  thereon  by  attending  the  common  schools, 
until  he  attained  the  age  of  20  years.  Arriving  at 
this  age  in  life,  he  came  West  and  located  at  Naper- 
ville,  Du  Page  Co.,  this  State,  where  he  engaged  as  a 
farm  laborer,  which  vocation  he  followed  for  several 
seasons. 

While  living  in  that  county,  Mr.  Haish  was  united 
in  marriage  (in  1848)  to  Miss  Sophie  Brown.  A 
year  after  that  event  he  came  to  this  county  and  lo- 
cated on  a  farm  in  Pierce  Township.  A  few  years 
later,  he  moved  into  the  village  of  De  Kalb,  and  for 
a  time  followed  the  carpenter's  trade,  which  he  had 
previously  lean.ed.  He  next  engaged  in  the  lumber 
trade,  at  the  same  time  taking  building  contracts. 
In  1873  Mr.  Haish  made  his  first  attempt  to  attach  a 


barb  to  a  wire.  He  was  successful,  and  in  the  fol- 
lowing December  made  application  for  a  patent.  He 
received  his  patent  Jan.  20,  1874.  Since  that  time 
he  has  made  some  improvements  and  received  other 
patents. 


ames  Edmund  Ellwood,  Treasurer  of  the 
f  R.  Ellwood  Manufacturing  Company  at 
Sycamore,  was  born  April  25,  1831,  in  the 
town  of  Canajoharie,  Montgomery  Co.,  N.  Y. 
He  grew  to  manhood  under  the  care  of  his 
parents,  Abraham  and  Sarah  (Delong)  Ell- 
wood (see  biography  of  Chauncey  Ellwood,  page 
241  of  this  book,  for  sketch  of  parents),  and  cele- 
"brated  his  approaching  majority  by  his  marriage, 
Jan.  7,  1852,  a  little  more  than  three  months  previous 
to  its  advent,  when  Lodeska  H.  Fellows  became  his 
wife.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Newton  and  Sarah  Fel- 
lows, and  was  born  in  Middleville,  Herkimer  Co.,  N. 
Y.  Five  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ell- 
wood, three  of  whom  died  in  infancy.  A  daughter, 
Sarah  A.  (Mrs.  B.  W.  Paine),  and  a  son,  James  B., 
survive. 

The  earliest  business  venture  of  any  importance 
in  which  Mr.  Ellwood  was  interested  was  in  raising 
100  acres  of  broom-corn  in  the  Mohawk  Valley  in 
the  Empire  State,  which  occupied  his  attention  one 
year,  after  which,  associated  with  his  brother  Hiram, 
he  engaged  in  the  sale  of  groceries  and  provisions  in 
Frankfort,  Herkimer  Co.,  N.  Y.,  which  relation  and 
business  was  in  existence  one  year. 

In  1855  he  came  to  Sycamore  and  again  entered 
upon  the  culture  of  broom-corn,  in  company  with  his 
brother  Reuben.  They  had  about  i  ,000  acres  planted 
with  that  annual,  and  were  engaged  three  years  in 
the  various  avenues  of  business  arising  from  their  ex- 
tensive operations.  In  1858  the  drug  and  grocery 
store  of  J.  E.  and  Chauncey  Ellwood  was  established 
at  Sycamore,  under  the  firm  style  of  J.  E.  Ellwood 
&  Bro.  At  the  end  of  one  year  the  former,  in  com- 
pany with  Daniel  Dustin,  purchased  the  interest  of 
Chauncey.  In  1861  the  firm  of  Ellwood  &  Dustin 
terminated  their  relations,  Mr.  Dustin  selling  his 
interest  to  his  partner,  who  prosecuted  the  busine 
singly  about  13  years.  In  1874  he  associates  with 


f 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


X>  himself  his  brother  Alonzo,  and  they  erected  a  niag- 
nificent  buildin«,  comprising  part  of  the  Central 
,  Block,  for  the  accommodation  of  their  business  re- 
lations, and  the  style  of  the  firm  name  became  J.  E. 


^ 


Ellwood  &  Bro.     The  brothers  continued  their  joint 


* 


operations  seven  years.  The  single  and  associated 
operations  of  Mr.  Ellwood  in  the  sale  of  drugs  and 
groceries  covered  a  period  of  23  years,  and  ceased 
altogether  in  1881.  On  the  1 6th  of  March  of  that 
year  he  was  succeeded  by  George  M.  Sivwright,  the 

/  latter  becoming  a  member  of  the  present  firm  of  Ell- 
wood &  Sivwright  by  purchase.  Mr.  Ellwood  be- 
came a  stockholder  in  the  R.  Ellwood  Manufacturing 
Company  at  Sycamore  in  1881,  and  has  since 
officiated  as  Treasurer  of  that  corporation.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Order  of  Masonry  and  belongs  to  the 
Lodge  at  Sycamore. 

The  portrait  of  Mr.  Ellwood  is  given  on  the   page 
opposite  this  sketch,  and  is  the  fourth  in  order  of 

)  presentation  of  the  Ellwood  brotherhood,  all  of  whom 
are  represented  on  the  pages  of  this  volume. 


ilbert  H.  Robertson,  editor  and  proprie- 
tor of  the  Gazette  at  Sandwich,  was  born 
in  South  Argyle,  Washington  Co.,  N.  Y., 
Nov.  28,  i83T.  His  father's  name  was  Archi- 
bald Robertson.  His  grandfather,  William 
i  Robertson,  came  from  Ireland,  but  was  himself 
of  Scotch  descent.  His  mother's  maiden  name  was 
Anna  Robinson,  who  came  from  the  Highlands  of 
Scotland  when  six  years  old.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  reared  on  a  farm,  attending  the  common 
school  quite  steadily,  until  the  age  of  14  years,  when 
he  went  to  the  Arygle  Academy.  He  entered  Union 
College,  Schenectady,  N.  Y.,  in  1848,  and  graduated 
in  1849.  The  college  at  this  time  was  still  under 
the  presidency  of  the  celebrated  Dr.  Nott.  He  was 
therefore  several  months  in  college  with  Chester  A. 
Arthur,  who  was  of  the  class  of  1848. 

Leaving  college,  he  remained  at  home  a  year, 
during  which  period  his  father  and  mother  both  died. 
He  went  South  in  1850  and  remained  there  until 
1853,  when  he  returned  and  entered  the  Theological 
Seminary  of  the  Associate  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Canonsburg,  Pa.  He  finished  his  course  in  1855, 
and  was  licensed  to  preach  at  East  Greenwich, 


Washington  Co.,  N.  Y.,  the  same  autumn,  by  the 
Presbytery  of  Cambridge.  The  Associate'  and  Asso- 
ciate Presbyterian  Churches  having  united  a  few  days 
previously,  he  was  ordained  and  installed  Pastor  of 
the  United  Presbyterian  Church  in  North  Hebron, 
in  the  summer  of  1858,  being  the  first  minister  or- 
dained in  the  united  Church.  In  the  spring  of  i86a 
he  accepted  a  call  to  the  Park  Presbyterian  Church, 
Troy,  N.  Y.,  where  he  remained  nearly  five  years. 
He  resigned  in  1864,  because  of  failing  health 
caused  by  a  disease  incurred  while  serving  the  Chris- 
tian Commission  during  the  famous  battles  of  the 
Wilderness  and  Spottsylvania. 

Resting  a  few  months  in  the  spring  of  1865,  he 
came  West  and  accepted  a  call  from  the  Presby- 
terian Church  of  Sandwich,  111.,  where  he  remained 
two  years.  In  the  spring  of  1867  he  accepted  a 
unanimous  call  from  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church 
of  Springfield,  111.  Here  he  remained  four  years. 
During  his  pastorate  the  congregation  built  a  large 
and  commodious  church,  in  which,  before  its  entire 
completion,  the  State  Legislature  of  the  winter  and 
spring  of  1 870  held  its  sessions.  In  the  summer  of  1870 
he  received  and  accepted  a  unanimous  call  from  the 
Chestnut  Second  Presbyterian  Church  of  Louisville, 
Ky.,  one  of  the  largest  and  wealthiest  Churches  in  the 
State.  During  his  pastorate  in  that  city  he  received 
the  honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  from 
Danville  College,  Danville,  Ky.  In  the  winter  of 
1872-3  he  became  editor  of  the  Louisville  Daily  acnA. 
Weekly  Commercial,  the  leading  Republican  paper 
of  the  State,  of  which  Gen.  John  M.  Harlan,  now 
one  of  the  Justices  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
United  States,  was  the  leading  owner.  In  the  spring 
of  1874  he  returned  to  Sandwich  and  bought  of  James 
H.  Furman  the  Sandwich  Gazette,  the  oldest  paper 
in  the  city,  of  which  he  has  since  been  editor  and 
proprietor. 

In  the  spring  of  1872  he  was  appointed  Post- 
master of  Sandwich,  which  position  he  still  holds. 
During  his  residence  here  he"  was  for  several  years 
Pastor  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church  of  Somo- 
nauk. 

In  1849,  while  Pastor  of  the  Hebron  Church,  Mr. 
Robertson  was  married  to  Mary  L.  Beveridge,  of 
Xenia,  Ohio.  Her  father,  Rev.  Thomas  Beveridge, 
D.  D.,  was  for  many  years  the  leading  Professor  of 
the  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Associate  and  after- 


\\ 


I 


ward  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church.  Her  grand- 
father on  her  father's  side,  Rev.  Thomas  Beveridge, 
came  from  Scotland,  and  was  one  of  the  first  min- 
isters in  Washington  Co.,  N.  Y.  and  until  his  death 
was  Pastor  of  the  Cambridge  Church.  Her  mother 
belonged  to  the  McKee  family,  many  of  whom 
were  prominent  citizens  of  the  same  county. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robertson  were  given  three  chil- 
dren, all  of  whom  are  still  living. 

The  eldest,  William  H.  Robertson,  born  in  Troy, 
N.  Y.,  is  in  the  office  of  the  Enterprise  Company  of 
Sandwich.  The  second,  Bessie,  was  also  born  in 
Troy,  and  is  married  to  S.  Parker  Sedgwick,  of  the 
law  firm  of  Sedgwick  &  Son,  of  Sandwich.  The 
youngest,  Harry  K.  Robertson,  is  clerk  in  the 
United  States  mail  service  on  the  Chicago,  Milwau- 
kee &  St.  Paul  Railroad. 


H.  Wiltberger,  farmer,  residing  on  and 
owner  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  section 
33,  Afton  Township,  was  born  in  Mun- 
fordville,  Hart  Co.,  Ky.,  Dec.  8,  1835.  His 
father,  Joseph  W.  Wiltberger,  was  born  in 
Philadelphia,  Pa.,  April  7,  1794  (in  which  State 
his  father  was  also  born),  and  died  on  the  old  home- 
stead in  this  county,  Jan.  16,  1881.  His  mother, 
Amelia  (Finley)  Wiltberger,  was  born  in  Kentucky 
(native  State  of  her  father),  about  1805,  and  died 
Sept.  12,  1854,  in  Lake  Township,  Cook  County,  this 
State. 

The  parents  of  W.  H.  left  Kentucky  when  he  was, 
about  1 1  years  of  age  and  came  to  this  State,  locat- 
ing in  Lake  Township,  Cook  County.  His  mother 
died  during  their  residence  in  that  township,  and  in 
1857  his  father  moved  into  the  city  of  Chicago.  Two 
years  later  (1859),  W.  H.  came  to  this  county,  and 
located  in  Clinton  Township.  He  worked  land  in 
Clinton  and  Afton  Townships  until  1862,  when,  Sept. 
22,  that  year,  he  enlisted  in  Co.  K,  losth  111.  Vol. 
Inf.,  Col.  Dustin  and  Capt.  Austin.  His  regiment 
was  assigned  to  the  2oth  Corps,  3d  Division,  and  was 
with  Gen.  Sherman  in  his  march  from  Chattanooga 
to  Atlanta,  and  from  Atlanta  to  the  sea,  and  wit- 
nessed the  surrender  of  Johnston's  army.  Mr.  W. 
participated  in  all  the  battles  in  which  the  2oth  Corps 
was  engaged,  was  in  the  hospital  only  four  days,  and 
was  mustered  out  June  14,  1865,  at  Chicago,  111. 


After  receiving  his  discharge,  he  came  to  Afton 
Township,  and  soon  afterward  purchased  the  home- 
stead on  which  he  is  at  present  residing,  from  his 
father.  His  father  had  moved  from  Chicago  in  1862, 
and  settled  on  the  farm  of  which  he  became  owner 
and  on  which  farm  the  son  has  since  resided. 

Mr.  Wiltberger  was  married  Jan.  17,  1866,  to 
Miss  Mary  Antoinette,  daughter  of  Norman  and 
Sophronia  (Buck)  Fuller,  natives  respectively  of 
Hamilton  and  Wyoming  Counties,  N.  Y.  Her  par- 
ents were  of  English  extraction,  and  both  are  de- 
ceased. Her  father  was  born  April  26,  1813,  and 
died  Sept.  9,  1854,  at  Aurora,  111.  Her  mother  was 
born  May  22,  1813,  and  died  Aug.  12,  1872,  at  her 
daughter's.  Mrs.  Wiltberger  was  born  April  7, 
1839,  and  is  the  mother  of  three  children,  all  born  in 
Afton  Township,  as  follows:  Mary  A.,  Dec.  18, 
1867  ;  Warren  T.,  Jan.  4,  1870;  and  Joseph  F.,  Jan. 
12,  1876. 

Mr.  Wiltberger,  in  addition  to  his  cereal  produc- 
tions, devotes  a  considerable  portion  of  his  time  to 
the  dairy  business.  During  the  summer  seasons  he 
purchases  cream  by  the  inch,  and  manufactures  but- 
ter therefrom,  his  daily  production  being  about  435 
pounds.  He  also  keeps  45  cows,  and  during  the 
winter  seasons  he  manufactures  butter  from  the 
product  of  his  own  cream.  His  farm  comprises  280 
acres,  and  is  in  good  tillable  condition.  He  has  a 
good  frame  house  on  the  farm  and  substantial  out- 
buildings. 

Politically,  Mr.  W.  is  a  Republican.  He  was  Col- 
lector of  his  township  one  year,  also  School  Director 
and  Trustee  some  three  or  four  years. 


j.uane  J.  Games,  senior  member  of  the  law 
firm  of  Carnes  &  Denton,  at  Sycamore, 
was  born  May  27,  1848,  in  Pomfret,  Wind- 
sor Co.,  Vt.  His  father,  John  Carnes,  was 
born  in  Claremont,  N.  H.,  May  30,  1823,  and 
belongs  by  lineage  to  the  distinctive  class 
known  as  Scotch-Irish.  He  became  an  orphan  at  an 
early  age  with  no  heritage  but  the  industry,  thrift 
and  frugality  which  characterize  the  race  of  which 
he  is  a  member.  He  married  Mary  Paine,  a  lady  of 
English  ancestry,  and  they  settled  in  Pomfret,  where 
the  father  purchased  a  farm.  His  excellent  charac- 


•^ff^tf^     .  f^.     I^S.l 


«u®n*i 


COUNTY. 


a 


i 


ter,  integrity  and  sound  judgment  were  recognized 
during  his  active  life  in  Pomfret,  and  he  officiated 
successively  in  the  local  offices  of  the  township.  The 
senior  Carnes  exercised  his  abilities  to  such  good 
purpose  that  he  secured  a  comfortable  fortune  on 
the  hillsides  and  among  the  rocks  of  the  eastern  side 
of  the  Green  Mountains,  and  in  1875  removed  thence 
to  Sycamore,  where  he  and  his  wife  are  passing  the 
sunset  years  of  their  lives  in  retirement.  The  mother 
of  Mr.  Carnes  of  this  sketch  was  born  July  4,  1825, 
in  Pomfret,  Vt.  His  brother,  George  D.,  is  a  suc- 
cessful medical  practitioner  at  South  Haven,  Mich. 

Mr.  Carnes  spent  his  boyhood  on  his  father's  farm 
in  the  Green  Mountain  State  and  acquired  a  thor- 
ough knowledge  of  the  elementary  branches  of 
English  at  the  public  schools.  At  the  age  of  16 
years  he  became  a  student  in  the  State  'Normal 
School  at  Randolph,  where  he  studied  about  four 
years  in  the  aggregate.  He  came  to  Illinois  in  1868 
and  taught  school  in  Logan  County  a  little  less  than 
four  years,  returning  to  Vermont  to  complete  a  course 
of  Normal  study,  and  was  graduated  in  1873.  Dur- 
ing the  period  of  his  educational  course  Mr.  Carnes 
laid  the  sure  foundation  for  the  success  he  has 
achieved  as  an  advocate.  Gifjted  by  descent  with 
fluent  speech,  he  acquired  a  habit,  in  lyceum  debate, 
of  speaking  to  a  pre-arranged  purpose,  and  also  of 
making  thorough  preparation  for  his  efforts,  a  process 
which  stored  his  mind  with  information  and  gave 
him  complete  sway  over  his  memory.  The  qualifi- 
cations, combined  with  his  powers  of  application, 
have  been  invaluable  in  the  career  to  which  he  has 
devoted  himself. 

In  the  same  year  in  which  he  left  the  school  at 
Randolph,  he  came  to  Sycamore,  where  he  fulfilled 
a  long-cherished  purpose  and  entered  the  office  of 
Hon.  Charles  Kellum  as  a  student  of  law.  His 
natural  abilities  and  industry,  united  with  the  ad- 
vantages accruing  through  the  qffice  relations, of 
Judge  Kellum,  whose  value  he  was  quick  to  perceive 
and  avail  himself  of,  advanced  him  rapidly  in  the  ac- 
quisition of  knowledge  in  legal  affairs ;  and  in  Sep- 
tember, 1875,  he  was  admitted  to  practice.  On 
receiving  his  credentials  as  an  attorney,  he  formed  a 
business  association  with  Judge  Kellum,  which  was 
operative  two  years.  On  the  termination  of  this  re- 
lation, Mr.  Carnes  entered  into  a  partnership  with 
Hon.  Luther  Lowell,  with  whom  he  was  associated 


between  five  and  six  years.  In  May,  1883,  the  firm 
of  which  he  is  now  a  member  was  established,  the 
junior  associate,  Gilbert  H.  Denton,  being  the 
adopted  son  of  Judge  Lowell.  The  law  firm  of  Games 
&  Denton  is  one  of  the  most  promising  ones  in  De 
Kalb  County  and  probably  in  Northern  Illinois,  both 
its  members  possessing  uncommon  abilities  and  at- 
tainments. In  industry  and  devotion  to  business 
they  are  unrivaled,  and  they  are  already  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  a  large  practice  in  the  Circuit  Courts  of 
DeKalb  and  adjoining  counties,  and  in  the  Supreme 
and  Apellate  Courts  of  the  State. 

Mr.  Carnes  is  already  approaching  a  peerless  posi- 
tion as  a  jurist  and  advocate.  He  has  the  discrimi- 
nating judgment,  the  sturdy  sense  and  the  uncom- 
promising straightforwardness  of  his  progenitors — the 
Scotch-Irish — coupled  with  the  penetration  and  clev- 
er shrewdness  that  characterize  the  genus  Yankee. 
As  a  criminal  lawyer  the  qualifications  ofMr.  Carnes 
are  such  as  to  insure  his  distinction  in  that  branch 
of  the  profession.  He  wins  by  his  powers  as  a  logi- 
cian, basing  his  arguments  on  the  principle  of  human- 
ity, and  appealing  to  reason  and  common  sense  in  a 
manner  that  rarely  fails  to  convince  a  jury. 

Mr.  Carnes  was  married  June  r,  1880,  to  Helen 
A.  McMollan.  One  daughter,  Hope,  was  born  to 
them,  at  Sycamore,  Oct.  15,  1882. 


[•  hilip  '  Heckman,  hardware  merchant  at 
it  Kingston,  has  been  a  resident  of  De  Kalb 
County  since  1852.  In  that  year  he  set- 
tled on  a  farm  on  section  ro,  Kingston  Town- 
ship, purchasing  at  first  147  acres  of  land, 
which  has  since  constituted  his  homestead. 
To  this  he  has  added  by  later  purchase  and  now 
owns  240  acres,  forming  a  valuable  country  estate. 
He  also  owns  160  acres  in  Dakota.  In  1879  lie 
formed  an  association  with  William  Straub  for  the 
purpose  of  establishing  a  hardware  business  at  King- 
ston, and  they  operated  jointly  in  that  line  of  trade 
about  two  years,  when  Mr.  Straub  sold  his  claim  to 
M.  W.  Cole,  and  the  firm  of  Heckman  &  Cole  has 
since  transacted  the  affaire  of  the  business  in  a  satis- 
factory and  profitable  manner. 

Mr.  Heckman  was  born  Jan.  2,    1823,  in   Morgan 
Co.,  Ohio,  and  is  one  of  seven  children  born  to  his 


V§ 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


parents,  Jacob  and  Catherine  (Koppel)  Heckman. 
They  were  of  German  origin,  and  were  residents  of 
Pennsylvania  and  Morgan  Co.,  Ohio,  32  years  pre- 
vious to  their  removal  in  1853  to  the  township  of 
Kingston.  Both  are  deceased.  The  death  of  the 
mother  occurred  April  14,  1884.  The  brothers  and 
sisters  of  Mr.  Heckman  are  all  younger  than  he,  and 
are  named  Susanna,  Michael,  Catherine,  Esther, 
John  and  Jacob.  The  older  son  lived  in  his  native 
State  until  1843,  when  he  came  to  Wisconsin.  He 
worked  there  by  the  month  in  the  pineries  two  years. 
In  1845  he  went  to  Ohio  and  there  passed  the  inter- 
vening years  until  his  removal  to  De  Kalb  County, 
engaged  in  farming. 

He  was  married  in  Morgan  Co.,  Ohio,  to  Sarah  A. 
Farley.  She  was  born  in  Morgan  Co.,  Ohio,  and  is 
the  daughter  of  James  and  Ellen  (Taylor)  Farley, 
natives  respectively  of  West  Virginia  and  England. 
Of  this  union  nine  children  have  been  born, — Will- 
iam W.,  Catherine  E.,  Francis,  Ann  E.,  Alfred  R., 
Jacob  I.,  Jessie,  James  and  Frank.  The  latter  died 
when  a  year  and  a  half  old. 

In  political  connection  Mr.  Heckman  is  a  Repub- 
lican. He  has  been  School  Director  several  years, 
and  has  served  two  entire  terms  as  Supervisor.  He 
was  re-elected  for  a  third  time  in  the  latter  position, 
but  declined  to  serve.  He  and  his  wife  are  useful 
and  efficient  members  of  the  Free-Will  Baptist 
Church. 


cholas  Klemm,  a  farmer  occupying  the 
northeast  quarter  of  section  22,  and  the 
north  half  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 22,  Afton  Township,  was  born  in  the 
Grand  Duchy  of  Baden,  Germany,  Oct.  10, 
1839,  the  son  of  Peter  and  Elizabeth  (Himmel- 
hahn)  Klemm,  both  of  whom  emigrated  to  this  coun- 
try and  died  here.  They  came  in  1848,  landing  at 
Chicago,  and  resided  upon  a  rented  farm  in  Du  Page 
County  six  years;  then,  coming  to  Pierce  Township, 
this  county,  Mr.  Klemm  purchased  a  farm  of  80  acres. 
He  was  finally  killed,  April  13,  1871,  by  a  railroad 
accident  at  Winfield  Station,  Du  Page  County,  when 
he  was  75  years  of  age. 

Nicholas  lived  at  his  parental  home   until    he  was 


of  legal  age,  when  he  married  and  took  his  father's 
farm  for  seven  years,  and  then  he  purchased  his 
present  farm  of  160  acres,  to  which  he  has  since 
added  by  purchase  80  acres,  making  a  total  of  240 
acres.  When  he  first  took  possession  of  it  in  1868, 
it  was  a  wild  prairie,  but  he  has  made  of  it  a  com- 
fortable home.  He  has  a  new  frame  house,  a  good 
stock  and  hay  barn,  etc.,  and  a  well  fenced  orchard. 
He  fattens  for  the  market  annually  20  hogs  and  sev- 
eral head  of  cattle,  and  raises  and  sells  hay  and  corn 
in  considerable  quantity. 

Mr.  Klemm  was  married  March  10,  1860,  to 
Sophia,  daughter  of  Matthew  and  Mary  A.  (Kehna) 
Schemer.  Her  father  was  born  in  1803,  in  Germany, 
and  died  in  his  native  country  in  1851  ;  and  her 
mother,  born  March  25,  1807,  also  in  Germany,  is 
still  living,  now  making  her  home  with  the  subject  of 
this  sketch.  She  came  with  her  family  to  this  coun- 
try in  1859,  landing  at  Chicago  and  locating  at  Peru, 
La  Salle  County,  this  State.  Mrs.  Klemm  was  born 
in  Baden,  Germany,  Jan.  23,  1840.  The  children  born 
in  the  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Klemm  are  nine  in 
number,  one  of  whom  is  deceased.  The  names  and 
dates  of  birth  are:  Mary  E.,  March  15,  1862; 
Nicholas,  born  March  7,  1863,  died  Feb.  9,  1883; 
Katherine  M.,  April  9,  1864;  Peter,  Feb.  18,  1866; 
Barbara  A.,  Dec.  15,  1868;  Anna  S.,  April  5,  1871  ; 
Frank  J.,  July  18,  1874;  Eugene  P.,  Jan.  20,  1876  ; 
and  Paul,  Nov.  3,  1878.  The  first  four  were  born 
Pierce  Township,  the  rest  in  Afton  Township. 

Mr.  Klemm  is  a  Democrat  in  his  political  princi- 
ples, and  in  religion  both  himself  and  Mrs.  K.  are 
members  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church. 


iaron  H.  Clark,  druggist,  at  Kingston,  was 
born   Nov.   26,  1828,  in  Charlotte,  Maine, 
and  he  is  the  son  of  William  D.  O.  and 
Anna  (Hersey)  Clark.      His  father  was  the 
first  child  born  on  the  British  island  of  Camp-  * 
obello,  off  the  east  coast  of  Maine.     His  moth-   $ 
er  was  born  in  Hingham,  Mass.     After  their  marriage  * 
they   settled  at  Charlotte,  Washington  Co.,   Maine,  © 
where  they  both  died  after  becoming  the  parents  of 


®3fc5§«f- 


:1 


£ 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


ii  children,  all  of  whom  were  living  up  to  1865, 
except  two. 

Mr.  Clark  is  the  youngest  child,  and  he  was 
brought  up  at  home,  receiving  a  very  meager  com- 
mon-school education.  He  went  to  Machias  Acad- 
emy, Maine,  the  winter  he  was  21,  to  the  Webster 
Academy  in  Salisbury,  N.  H.,  the  fall  and  winter  he 
was  24,  and  completed  his  academic  studies  at  New 
Ipswich,  N.  H.,  the  fall  he  was  31.  He  engaged  in 
teaching,  in  which  he  was  chiefly  occupied  12  years 
after  completing  his  educational  course.  He  also 
taught  during  the  period  when  he  was  obtaining  his 
preliminary  training  for  his  business,  and|his  attend- 
ance at  New  Ipswich  so  late  in  life  was  for  the  pur- 
pose of  obtaining  the  advantage  of  more  modern 
methods.  He  began  his  career  as  a  pedagogue 
when  22  years  of  age,  and  after  his  removal  to  Kings- 
ton he  taught  nine  terms  of  school.  He  has  been  a 
resident  of  that  place  since  1861,  with  the  exception 
of  the  time  he  spent  in  the  military  service  of  the 
United  States  and  in  Iowa.  He  enlisted  in  1864,  in 
the  3oth  111.  Vol.  Inf.,  and  was  in  Sherman's  march 
to  the  sea  and  in  the  field  nearly  a  year  when  the 
war  closed.  In  1871  he  went  to  Iowa,  where  he  took 
up  a  soldier's  claim.  He  removed  his  family  there 
in  1872,  and  was  resident  there  until  1874,  when  he 
returned  to  Kingston  and  resumed  the  business  of  a 
grocery  and  provision  merchant,  in  which  he  had  en- 
gaged after  returning  from  the  war.  He  was  also 
engaged  in  the  sale  of  drugs  in  addition,  and  in  1877 
converted  his  entire  store  to  the  latter  branch  of  busi- 
ness, and  has  continued  to  operate  in  that  line  of 
trade  in  which  he  is  the  only  representative  at  Kings- 
ton. He  was  the  pioneer  grocer  and  provision  mer- 
chant at  that  place  in  1866.  He  was  appointed 
Postmaster  in  1868,  and  held  the  position  until 
1872,  when  he  removed  his  family  to  Iowa.  He  is  a 
Republican  and  has  held  various  offices ;  he  has  offi- 
ciated two  terms  as  Justice  of  the  Peace,  several 
years  as  Township  Clerk,  as  Supervisor  four  years, 
and  as  School  Director  six  years,  and  is  a  Notary 
Public.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church, 
and  very  liberal  in  his  religious  theology. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Clark  to  Sarah  J.  Hill  took 
place  Nov.  i,  1863,  at  Kingston,  of  which  place  she 
is  a  native.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Judge  Hill,  whose 
biographical  sketch  appears  on  other  pages.  Two 
children  have  been  born  of  their  union, — Nellie  N., 


Aug.,  17,  1864,  and  Willie  H.  D.  O.,  June  7,  1866. 
Mr.  Clark  began  in  life  for  himself  at  the  age  of  17 
without  a  dollar  to  call  his  own ;  received  his  educa- 
tion by  his  own  exertion ;  saved  his  odd  pennies 
with  which  to  purchase  books,  often  going  hungry 
and  destitute  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  a  needed 
text-book  when  in  school.  He  now  has  a  larger  and 
better  selected  family  library  than  any  other  citizen 
of  his  town,  if  not  in  the  county,  consisting  of  medi- 
cal, legal,  theological- and  miscellaneous  works.  He 
never  read  a  novel  in  his  life,  or  continued  fictitious 
newspaper  stories.  Never  used  tobacco,  or  dissipated  j! 
with  liquors  of  any  kind,  and  at  his  present  age,  56,  J 
claims  to  be  a  perfectly  sound,  healthy  man. 


haddeus  W.  Cooper,  farmer,  residing  on 
and  owner  of  the  east  half  of  the  north- 
west quarter  and  the  west  half  of  the  north- 
•ast  quarter  of  section  29,  Afton  Township, 
was  born  in  Cayuga  Co.,  N.  Y.,  March  n, 
1834.  He  is  a  son  of  George  and  Sarah  (Mc- 
Cauley)  Cooper,  both  deceased.  His  father  was  born 
in  Cambridge,  Washington  Co.,  N.  Y.,  in  1797.  At 
15  years  he  enlisted  in  the  War  of  1812,  did  service 
in  the  field,  came  home,  and  in  1846  moved  to  this 
State  with  his  family,  and  died  in  La  Salle  County  in 
1871.  His  mother  was  a  native  of  Washington  Co., 
N.  Y.,  lived  at  home  until  her  marriage,  and  died  in 
in  La  Salle  Co.,  this  State,  in  1868,  aged  about  60 
years. 

Thaddeus  W.  Cooper,  subject  of  this  notice,  was 
raised  on  his  father's  farm  and  remained  thereon 
until  25  years  of  age.  At  24  years  of  age  he  pur- 
chased 80  acres  of  land  for  himself,  on  which  he 
lived  from  1865  to  1884,  then  sold  it  and  purchased 
the  farm  on  which  he  is  at  present  residing.  He 
moved  his  family  from  La  Salle  County  to  his  pres- 
ent farm  the  latter  part  of  February,  1884,  and  has 
since  lived  on  the  place.  He  has  a  fine  farm,  with 
good  frame  residence  and  outbuildings,  and  all  his 
land  under  cultivation. 

Mr.  Cooper  was  married  in  1859.  His  wife  died, 
leaving  one  child,  Mary  J.,  and  in  1865  he  married 
Melvina  A.  Covell.  She  died  June  24, 1877.  leaving 
two  children, — Frank  E.,  born  June  25,  1867;  and 
Charles  E.,  born  June  i,  1870.  He  was  again  mar- 


:t 


1   min  N.  and  Olive  (Covell)  Ellwood,  both  of  whom 
are  living  in  Sandwich,  111.     Her  father   was  born 


a 


Jan.  6,  1827,  and  her  mother  in  December,  1829. 
Mrs.  Cooper  was  born  in  Northville,  La  Salle  County, 
this  State,  Oct.  15,  1859,  and  is  the  mother,  by  Mr. 
C.,  of  two  .children  living, — Bertie  W.,  born  Nov.  4, 
1879,  in  La  Salle  County,  and  J.  Ray,  born  Oct.  9, 
1884,  in  this  county.  Alice  M.  and  Lillie  M.,  twins, 
were  born  July  7,  1881,  in  Adams  Township, -La 
Salle  County.  The  former  died  when  five  months 
old,  Dec.  7,  1881,  and  the  latter  Aug.  26,  1884,  and 
both  are  buried  in  Oak  Ridge  Cemetery,  Sandwich, 
I  111.  Mrs.  Cooper's  grandmother  is  living  with  her 
father,  and  is  82  years  of  age. 


^ 


> 


ahum  Enon  Ballou,  M.D.,  Ph.D.,  F.  R.M.S., 
physician,  surgeon,  scientist  and  essayist, 
is  a  son  of  Nahum  and  Anna  (Phelps) 
Ballou,  and  was  born  at  Plymouth,  Chenango 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  September  16,  1822.  His  father 
was  born  at  Richmond,  Cheshire  Co.,  N.  H.,  in  1800. 
His  paternal  grandfather  was  Daniel  Ballou,  who  be- 
longed to  the  New  Hampshire  branch  of  the  Ballou 
family.  His  mother  was  born  at  Homer,  Cortland 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  16,  1801,  and  was  a  daughter  of 
Enon  and  Mehitabel  (Goldsmith)  Phelps.  The 
maternal  grandfather  was  at  the  massacre  of  Wyo- 
ming, which  occurred  July  3,  1778,  when  that  beau- 
tiful valley  was  desolated  by  fire  and  sword,  the  story 
of  which  Thomas  Campbell  depicts  in  his  poem  en- 
titled "Gertrude  of  Wyoming."  There  were  born  to 
this  family  seven  sons  and  five  daughters.  William 
W.  Phelps,  the  oldest  son,  became  an  eminent  schol- 
ar, poet  and  writer.  He  was  a  strong  anti-Mason, 
and  published  at  Canandaigua  the  Ontario  Phcenix, 
and  subsequently  drifted  westward  to  Utah.  On  the 
opening  of  the  University  of  Deseret  at  Salt  Lake 
City,  he  was  appointed  to  the  chair  of  Latin  and  Greek, 
and  distinguished  himself  as  an  able  writer  and  a 
brilliant  linguist.  He  died  several  years  ago,  at  the 
age  of  74  years. 

In  1830  Nahum  Ballou  moved  with  his  family  from 
Chenango  to  Orleans  County,  same  State,  and  settled 
at  Carlton,  where  our  subject  spent  his  youth.  After 
the  death  of  his  father,  which  occurred  Aug.  5,  1832, 


he  went  to  live  with  an  English  gentleman,  who  was 
not  only  kind  but  a  man  of  culture  and  education. 
Here  our  subject  received  his  first  solid  instruction, 
which  gave  direction  to  his  future  course  of  life. 
Here,  beneath  this  hospitable  roof,  he  was  treated 
with  great  kindness,  for  the  family  had  no  children. 
This  gentleman  taught  the  fatherless  youth  the  ele- 
ments of  knowledge,  and  gave  his  mind  such  direc- 
tion and  inclination  to  study  and  reading  that  it 
strengthened  with  increasing  years.  About  this 
time  the  school  districts  of  New  York  were  provided 
with  Harper's  series  of  "  District  Libraries,"  which 
contained  most  excellent  works  for  youthful  readers, 
and  our  youthful  student  devoured  these  with  avid- 
ity and  with  profit.  Having  advanced  as  far  as  it 
was  then  possible  in  the  district  schools,  he  finished 
his  literary  education  at  Gaines  and  Yates  Acade- 
mies, in  Orleans  Co.,  N.  Y.  Meanwhile  he  had 
picked  up  the  shoemaker's  trade  at  home,  for  his 
father  was  a  shoemaker,  and  for  some  time  alternated 
between  pounding  the  lapstone  and  the  brandishing 
of  the  pedagogue's  ferule,  whichever  for  the  time 
being  paid  the  best.  He  kept  a  stock  of  books  in  his 
shoe-bench  drawer,  and  when  his  day's  work  was 
done  his  -books  were  next  in  order,  especially  the 
study  of  the  Latin  and  Greek  languages,  which  to 
him  was  a  delightful  as  well  as  a  very  profitable 
pastime.  These  studies  later  on  in  life  were  contin- 
ued under  competent  tutors,  who  were  paid  for  their 
services.  Having  long  before  decided  upon  medicine 
as  a  profession,  he  entered  upon  the  study  of  it  at 
Albion,  N.  Y.,  with  Drs.  Nichoson,  Paine  and  Huff, 
and  later  studied  with  Dr.  Alfred  Babcock,  of  Gaines, 
in  the  same  county,  arid  attended  his  first  course  of 
lectures  at  Geneva,  N.  Y.,  and  his  second  course  at 
the  Berkshire  Medical  College  at  Pittsfield,  Mass. 
(Dr.  H.  H.  Childs,  President),  receiving  the  degree  of 
M.  D.,  in  November,  1846.  Dr.  Ballou  practiced  10 
years  in  Carlton,  and  while  there  attended  a  third 
course  of  lectures  at  the '  Buffalo  Medical  College, 
which  proved  extremely  profitable. 

After  several  years  of  practice,  and  as  soon  as  he 
had  acquired  a  home,  he  chose  a  companion,  Miss 
Catherine  Maria  Fuller,  of  Carlton,  an  acquain- 
tance of  his  early  youth,  to  whom  he  Was  mar- 
ried, July  14,  1850,  and  who  died  April  14,  1877. 
She  was  a  loving  wife,  an  affectionate  compan- 
ion, whose  life  was  adorned  with  all  ot  the  Chris- 
tian graces.  His  second  marriage  is  dated  Nov. 


f 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


J 


i\ 


i879>  his  present  wife  having  been  Mrs.  Calista 
(Clark)  Byington,  also  of  Carlton,  another  estimable 
lady  in  the  circle  of  his  youthful  acquaintances.  Both 
of  these  companions  have  made  the  Doctor's  home 
delightful,  and  both  have  striven  to  make  it  a  hal- 
lowed resting  place  after  care  and  toil,  truly  a  fitting 
abode  for  the  Christian  graces.  His  first  wife  was  an 
active  Christian  worker,  as  is  also  his  present  wife. 

In  1856,  Doctor  Ballou  settled  in  Sandwich,  and 
has  been  a  successful  physician  and  surgeon  for 
nearly  thirty  years.  He  has  always  had  a  large 
business,  and  long  ago  attained  a  high  standing  in  his 
profession  and  as  a  scientist.  He  has  been  a  resi- 
dent from  almost  the  beginning  of  the  city,  witness- 
ng  its  stable  and  rapid  growth,  and  aided  in  every 
audable  way  to  give  an  impulse  to  moral  and  edu- 
cational schemes  for  the  general  good  of  the  citizens. 

The  scientific  labors  of  the  Doctor  in  different  fields 
of  research  have  met  with  merited  recognition.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Ottawa  (Illinois)  and  the  Cleve- 
land (Ohio)  Academies  of  Science.  His  associates 
in  the  city,  in  the  organization  of  the  Sandwich 
Naturalists'  Association,  made  him  their  President. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  "American  Association  for 
the  Advancement  of  Science,"  and  is  a  practical 
meteorologist.  He  has  recently  published  the  ob- 
servations of  33  years,  which  are  especially  valuable 
on  account  of  their  having  been  taken  from  the  first 
by  the  aid  of  the  required  physical  instruments. 
He  has  written  much  on  the  subject  of  meteor- 
ology, that  has  been  published  in  the  State  Reports 
of  Illinois.  His  specialties  in  natural  history  are 
Ichthyology  and  the  Arachnida,  he  having  devoted 
much  time  to  the  study  of  fish  and  the  spider. 
He  spent  several  years  with  his  pen  in  promulgating 
the  methods  of  artificial  production  of  fish,  for  the 
more  rapid  re-stocking  of  barren  streams,  exhausted 
by  over-fishing  and  fishing  out  of  season.  He  was 
made  a  member  of  the  British  Association  for  the 
Advancement  of  Science  at  the  meeting  of  that 
association  in  conjunction  with  the  American  Asso- 
ciation in  August,  1884,  at  Montreal.  In  November 
of  1884  he  was  made  a  member  of  the  National 
Public  Health  Association,  which  met  at  St.  Louis. 
But  the  crowning  recognition  was  the  conferring  upon 
the  Doctor,  on  November  19,  1884,  of  a  Fellowship 
in  the  Royal  Meteorological  Society  of  Great  Britain. 
The  Doctor  is  in  correspondence  with  several  emi- 
nent scientists  in  Europe,  as  well  as  in  this  country, 

^^ ^ 


and  is  well  known  among  the  students  of  natural 
history  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  His 
essays  on  medical  science  and  on  other  subjects 
which  have  been  published  at  different  times,  have 
elicited  high  commendation.  Some  of  them  have 
brought  him  valuable  prizes, — notably  those  on  agri- 
cultural and  horticultural  subjects.  One  on  "  Dairy 
Husbandry"  and  one  on  "  Agriculture"  received  not 
only  high  commendation,  but  prizes  as  well.  He 
has  been  a  statistical  correspondent  for  more  than 
20  years,  of  the  United  States  Department  of  Agri- 
culture ;  has  managed  a  meteorological  station  at 
Sandwich  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century,  and 
for  1 8  years  reported  to  the  Smithsonian  Institution, 
and  for  six  years  to  the  United  States  Signal  Service. 
His  station  is  now  a  "  Voluntary  Signal  Service  Sta- 
tion," and  monthly  reports  are  transmitted  to  the 
Chief  Signal  Officer  at  Washington, — the  data  col- 
lected by  a  complete  equipment  of  physical  instru- 
ments. His  testimony  is  given  that  he  has  been 
benefited  more  by  his  connection  with  the  Smith- 
sonian Institution  by  means  of  publications  and 
reports  and  miscellaneous  collections  than  from  all 
other  sources ;  that  the  able  management  of  Prof. 
Henry,  during  his  incumbency,  and  since  his  demise 
the  wise  direction  of  its  affairs  by  Prof.  Baird,  have 
been  the  means  of  directing  and  educating  more  in 
the  natural  sciences  than  could  have  been  accom- 
plished in  any  other  direction. 

It  would  seem  to  be  an  act  of  supererogation  to 
say  that  during  all  these  40  years,  the  Doctor  had 
led  a  busy  life.  While  in  Western  New  York,  dur- 
ing the  administration  of  President  Fillmore,  in 
addition  to  his  professional  business,  he  held  the  re- 
sponsible position  of  Custom-House  Officer  in  Niag- 
ara District,  and  since  1863  he  has  been  United 
States  Pension  Surgeon,  being  now  one  of  the  oldest 
appointees  in  Northern  Illinois  holding  the  office. 
He  is  also  Health  Officer  and  Chairman  of  the  Board 
of  Health  of  the  city.  He  was  also  the  originator 
and  Secretary  of  the  Sandwich  Fair,  a  stock  com- 
pany, whose  exhibitions  were  equal  to  those  of  any 
neighboring  fairs.  He  held  the  office  of  Secretary 
14  years.  Meanwhile,  the  University  of  Florida,  the 
first  educational  center  in  that  land  of  flowers  and 
semi-tropical  fruits,  conferred  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Philosophy  (Ph.D.)  upon  our  busy  Doctor,  pro 
merito.  He  desires  thus  publicly  to  acknowledge 
the  great  kindness  of  his  eminent  friends  who  fur- 


nished  the  high  testimonials  required  in  such  cases, 
namely  :  United  States  Senators  Shelby  M.  Cullom, 
John  A.  Logan,  Hon.  Reuben  Ellwood,  ex-Congress- 
man John  F.  Farnsworth,  Judge  Isaac  N.  Wilson, 
Chief  Judge  of  the  Appellate  Court  of  Illinois,  Rev. 
William  Goodfellow,  A.  M.,  D.  D.,  Charles  G.  Faxon, 
LL.B.,  and  O.  B.  Knickerbocker,  Esq.,  of  Aurora. 

Dr.  Ballou  has  probably  one  of  the  largest  medical 
and  miscellaneous  libraries  in  De  Kalb  County,  it 
being  especially  rich  in  medical  science,  theology, 
biography,  natural  history  and  belles-lettres.  He  is 
a  rigid  Calvinist,  and  stands  high  socially  and  morally, 
as  well  as  professionally.  He  believes  the  Bible  and 
its  teachings  are  better  guides  to  the  formation  of 
character  and  a  well  ordered  Christian  life  than  those 
who  are  commissioned  as  expositors  and  interpreters 
of  the  inspired  volume  and  the  loving  words  of  the 
Master. 

Dr.  Ballou  is  remotely  related  to  that  eminent 
divine,  the  late  Rev.  Hosea  Ballou,  with  whom  the 
Garfields  are  also  connected  by  marriage,  the  martyr 
President's  mother  being  a  Ballou  and  a  cousin  of 
Nahum  Ballou,  the  Doctor's  father.  The  Doctor's 
oldest  surviving  brother,  Hosea  M.  Ballou,  of  Carlton, 
N.  Y.,  is  Custom-House  Officer  of  the  Rochester 
District,  having  served  through  two  or  more  Repub- 
lican administrations,  evidently  honoring  his  trust  by 
a  faithful  performance  of  its  duties.  His  youngest 
brother,  Daniel  R.  Ballou,  came  to  Illinois  with  the 
Doctor,  in  1856,  and  settled  finally  in  the  town  of 
Fox,  Kendall  County,  where  he  became  a  wealthy 
farmer,  owning  about  400  acres  of  land  in  the  Fox 
River  valley  near  Millington;  but  in  the  prime  of 
manhood  he  lost  his  life  by  a  fall  from  an  iron 
bridge  which  was  being  constructed  at  Millington, 
111.,  on  the  TQth  of  February,  1884.  He  was  a  Cap- 
tain in  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  doing  patriotic  ser- 
vice. He  was  long  a  station  agent  at  Sandwich,  and 
served  for  a  long  time  as  Supervisor  of  the  town  of 
Fox.  He  was  also  a  Trustee  of  the  Jacksonville 
Asylum  and  President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  at 
the  time  of  his  death. 

The  Doctor  has  found  time  to  indulge  in  metrical 
composition,  his  elegies  being  tender  and  wholesome 
in  tone  and  faultless  in  measure.  His  poem  entitled 
"  The  Martyr  President,  Abraham  Lincoln,"  has 
been  repeated  on  various  occasions,  more  especially 
on  National  Decoration  days. 

As  a  specimen  of  the  Doctor's   poetical  talent  we 


reproduce   the  following  magnificent   tribute   to 


deceased  wife. 


IN  MEMORIAM. 


Lines  written 
April  14,  1877. 


Oh,  let  me  strike  my  harp  of  song 

To  mournful  melody  ! 
In  sorrow's  notes  the  theme  prolong 

In  tuneful  harmony  ! 
Monarch  Supreme,  thou  tyrant  king 

Of  border  realm  of  woe, 
Whose  upas  touch  and  fatal  sting 

Proclaim  a  direful  foe  ! 

II. 

He  comes  at  morning-dawn  of  life 

And  bears  the  loved  away; 
Ere  noon  he  comes  when  passion's  rife, 

And  buoyant  hope  holds  sway; 
He  comes  at  noon  when  manly  strength 

And  pride  predominate ; 
At  day's  decline  he  comes  at  length, 

And  closes  life's  estate. 


Beneath  each  roof-tree,  anxious  fear 

Pulses  with  each  heart-beat, 
Lest  some  cherub  or  darling  dear 

Be  borne  from  Love's  retreat. 
We  may  not  know  the  chemistry 

That  dims  the  lustrous  eye; 
But  God  inspires  the  agency 

That  heaves  the  lapsing  sigh. 


Beyond  the  stars  in  peerless  light 

There  lies  the  summer-land; 
Faith  leads  us  to  the  shining  height 

Which  bounds  the  golden  strand. 
Here,  guarded  by  the  Father's  care, 

The  Savior  dwells,  whose  hand 
Leads  pilgrims  up  the  pearly  stair 

To  greet  each  loving  band. 


How  tender  now  her  words  of  love 

Exhaled  almost  in  death! 
They  seem  as  wisdom  from  above, 

Breathed  out  by  angel  breath. 
Holy  living,  holy  dying. 

Caring  for  all  she  knew, 
On  Jesus  firmly  relying, 

Thus  daring  to  be  true. 


Our  kindred  here  and  those  in  Heaven, 

Who've  drifted  on  before, 
Where  God  has  gathered  those  He's  given 

Upon  the  other  shore ; 
To  Jesus  our  loved  one  has  gone 

To  claim  her  promised  rest; 
Each  thither  by  His  love  is  drawn, 

To  Him  a  welcome  guest. 
1    /~\  ^ni.Jgfe.ifflr'  ^gygyXx/yg) 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


In  that  bright  world,  our  home  above, 

Where  sorrow  is  unknown, 
Is  endless  life,  is  joy  and  love, 

Whither  our  loved  has  flown. 
There  is  a  voice  by  anguish  heard 

Beneath  life's  galling  chain; 
That  sweetest  voice  is  Jesus'  word, 

"  The  pure  shall  meet  again." 

As  a  representative  of  the  highest  order  of  learn- 
ing and  mental  culture,  and  a  man  in  every  sense 
worthy  to  be  remembered  by  a  grateful  community, 
we  place  the  portrait  of  Dr.  Ballou  in  this  volume. 


ev.  John  C.  Schweitzer,  resident  in  the 
village  of  Malta,  is  engaged  in  general 
farming  on  sections  2  and  3  in  the  same 
township.  He  is  the  son  of  Jacob  Schweitzer, 
who  was  a  German  by  birth,  and  was  born 
June  24,  1827,  in  the  canton  of  Basel,  Switzer- 
land, near  the  city  of  the  same  name  situated  on  the 
river  Rhine.  His  mother,  Barabara  M.  (Mangold) 
Schweitzer,  was  also  a  native  of  Switzerland.  The 
family  came  to  America  when  the  son  who  is  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  six  years  old.  They  took 
up  their  residence  on  a  farm  in  Seneca  Co.,  Ohio, 
where  the  father  died  within  the  first  year.  Later 
the  mother  married  again  and  John  was  an  inmate 
of  the  new  household  until  he  was  20  years  of  age. 
In  1847  he  came  to  Kane  Co.,  111.,  to  engage  in  farm- 
ing, and  accordingly  purchased  a  farm.  He  returned 
to  Ohio  for  the  members  of  his  family  and  brought 
back  with  him  his  step-father  and  mother,  and  they 
were  inmates  of  the  same  home  several  years  in 
Kane  County.  In  1852  Mr.  Schweitzer  decided  to 
settle  in  De  Kalb  County  and  bought  a  farm  in 
Pierce  Township,  whither  the  family  removed.  His 
mother  and  step-father  died  there  some  years  later. 
Mr.  Schweitzer  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in 
Pierce  Township,  where  he  owned  160  acres  of  land, 
and  he  was  also  a  pioneer  of  the  portion  of  Kane 
County  where  he  located. 

While  living  in  Pierce  Township  he  spent  eight 
years  as  an  itinerant  minister  of  the  Evangelical 
Association,  and  his  circuit  embraced  the  entire 
States  of  Wisconsin,  Illinois  and  Indiana.  At  Kan- 
kakee,  111.,  he  was  seized  with  violent  illness,  which 
resulted  in  the  permanent  loss  of  his  health.  He 

''•" 


began  his  career  as  a  local  preacher  when  he  was 
26  years  of  age,  and  he  has  pursued  his  ministerial 
labors  ever  since,  with  excellent  results.  In  political 
views  he  is  a  Republican. 

In  1882  Mr.  Schweitzer  came  to  the  township  of 
Malta  and,  associated  with  his  sons,  he  bought  409 
acres  of  land,  where  they  have  conducted  joint  oper- 
ations in  agriculture  and  are  also  interested  in  rais- 
ing stock.  ' 

He  was  married  in  De  Kalb  County,  to  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  John  and  Mary  (Blow)  Lesher.  She 
was  born  in  Lebanon  Co.,  Pa.,  Sept.  23,  1832,  and 
came  with  her  parents  in  childhood  to  Ohio.  In 
1846  the  family  removed  to  Illinois  and  settled  in 
De  Kalb  County.  Of  this  union  1 1  children  have 
been  born  :  Amelia,  Mary  E.,  John  H.,  Edward  F., 
Joseph  A.  and  Nora  E.  S.  are  the  survivors;  the 
others  died  in  infancy. 


bnerH.  Calhoun,  farmer,  section  31,  May-  t 
field  Township,  was  born  Feb.  19,  1827,  in   £ 
Pittsford,  N.  Y.     His  father,  Andrew  Cal-   i 
houn,  was  born  in  the  State  of  New  York  and  S 
married  Eleanor  Roweth,  who  was   born   in  * 
England.      About   the  year   1829   the  family   ( 
came  to  St.  Joseph,  Mich.,  and  were  there  resident 
until  1845,  in  which  year  they  fixed  their  abode  in 
Hancock  Co.,  111.     A  year  later  they  settled  in  De 
Kalb.     In  1873  the  father  removed  to  Cortland,  his 
present   residence,   the   mother  having  died  in   De 
Kalb,  July  9,  1873.     Their  children — n  in  number 
— grew  to  adult  age. 

'Mr.  Calhoun  is  the  fourth  child  of  his  parents,  and  J 
he  was  less  than  three  years  of  age  when  they  went 
to  Michigan.  He  grew  to  manhood  on  a  farm  and 
at  19  entered  upon  an  independent  career,  operating 
for  some  years  as  a  farm  laborer.  In  1856  he  rented 
a  farm  and  continued  to  manage  it  for  three  years. 
In  1859  he  bought  80  acres  of  land  where  he  has  f 
since  carried  on  h*s  agricultural  interests,  and  on 
which  he  settled  in  1860.  On  this  his  farm  build- 
ings are  erected,  and  he  has  added  to  his  estate  until 
it  includes  400  acres,  all  improved  and  in  advanced 
cultivation.  It  is  stocked  with  60  head  of  cattle,  14 
horses  and  a  drove  of  70  hogs. 

Mr.  Calhoun  is  identified  with  the  Republican  ele 


DE  KALB  COUNTY 


a 


ment  in  politics,  and  is  one  of  the  leading  men  of  his 
township. 

Mrs.  Calhoun  was  formerly  Betsey  Renwick.  She 
was  born  in  Scotland  Aug.  26,  1830.  Her  parents, 
Walter  and  Mary  (Weel)  Renwick,  were  also  born  in 
the  same  country,  and  in  1835  emigrated  thence  to 
Canada,  where  the  mother  died,  in  1842.  Her  father 
came  to  Illinois  in  1845  and  settled  in  Kane  County. 
After  a  stay  of  three  years,  in  1848,  he  came  to 
Pierce  Township  and  died  there  April  9,  1871.  Mrs. 
Calhoun  is  the  i2th  in  order  of  a  family  of  16  chil- 
dren. She  was  five  years  of  age  when  she  came  to 
the  American  continent.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Calhoun 
were  married  Sept.  20,  1852,  and  have  had  n  chil- 
dren—Maggie M.,  Walter  R.,  Ida  M.,  Nathan  C, 
Jennie  M.,  Dudley  S.,  Lizzie  F.,  Delia  I.,  Orlando, 
Mary  and  Annabel.  The  three  last  named  are  not 
living. 


awrence  Farley,  general  farmer,  section  12, 
Malta  Township,  was  born  in  County 
Meath,  Ireland,  about  1833.  His  parents, 
Patrick  and  Mary  (McCan)  Farley,  were  born 
in  the  same  county  and  there  passed  their  en- 
tire lives.  The  senior  Farley  died  when  his 
son  was  five  years  of  age,  and  the  mother  survived 
but  six  years  later,  leaving  him  wholly  orphaned 
when  r  i  years  old.  He  was  made  by  the  event  the 
builder  of  his  own  fortunes,  and  he  took  advantage 
of  every  opportunity  for  remunerative  labor  that 
offered.  When  he  reached  the  age  of  17  years,  in 
company  with  his  youngest  sister,  Catherine,  now 
married  and  resident  at  Springfield,  Mo.,  he  came  to 
America.  They  landed  at  the  port  of  New  York  and 
proceeded  thence  to  Newark,  N.  J  ,  where  a  brother 
and  sister  who  had  preceded  his  removal  to  the 
United  States  some  years  earlier,  were  then  resident. 
Mr.  Farley  continued  to  remain  in  Newark  four 
years,  when  he  came  to  Rockford,  111.,  and  became  a 
farm  laborer  in  the  vicinity  of  that  place.  .He  was 
married  at  Rockford,  to  Catherine  Downey,  who  was 
a  native  of  Ireland  and  is  the  daughter  of  John  and 
Mary  Downey,  also  born  in  Ireland.  Mrs.  Farley 
was  born  in  County  Louth,  Ireland,  Nov.  3,  1834. 
Her  father  died  when  she  was  about  eight  years  old, 
and  she  was  cared  for  by  her  mother  as  long  as  she 


lived.  She  was  orphaned  but  a  few  years  later  and 
soon  after  came  to  the  United  States  with  acquaint- 
ances. She  went  to  Newark,  N.  J.,  where  she  con- 
tinued to  lived  until  she  was  23  years  of  age,  when 
she  came  to  Rockford  and  was  married.  Of  this 
union  eight  children  have  been  born,  two  of  whom 
are  deceased.  Following  is  the  record :  John  was 
born  July  17,  1861 ;  Mary  J.,  Feb.  12,  1863;  Law- 
rence L.,  April  14,  1865;  James,  July  28,  1867; 
Katie,  Aug.  21,  1870;  Anna  A.,  Sept.  27,  1872. 
Thomas,  oldest  child,  died  Jan.  12,  1883,  aged  23 
years  and  nine  months.  William  H.,  the  youngest, 
died  March  5,  1875,  aged  five  months. 

Mr  Farley  was  engaged  in  farming  some  years 
after  marriage  at  Rockford.  In  January,  1861,  the 
family  came  to  the  township  of  Malta  and  settled  on 
a  rented  farm,  which  the  father  conducted  after  the 
method  of  working  on  shares,  until  the  autumn  of 
1865.  At  that  date  he  purchased  80  acres  of  land, 
where  he  began  independent  farming,  and  he  is  nojv 
the  owner  of  491  acres  of  land,  171  acres  of  which  is 
in  De  Kalb  Township.  Nearly  the  whole  tract  is 
under  good  improvement,  and  the  farm  buildings  are 
of  excellent  type.  He  is  also  'the  owner  of  good 
graded  cattle  and  hogs.  He  is  a  Democrat  and  the 
family  are  Roman  Catholics. 


enry  O.  Whitmore,  Supervisor  of  Mayfield 
Township,  has  been  a  resident  of  the  county 
and  township  where  he  now  lives  since 
1845,  having  come  hither  when  a  child  of  three 
years  with  his  parents.  He  was  born  Oct.  18, 
1843,  in  Pomfret,  Windsor  Co.,  Vt.  The  first 
1 8  years  of  his  life  were  passed  on  his  father's  farm 
and  in  attendance  at  school.  During  the  winter  fol- 
lowing his  attaining  his  igth  year,  he  engaged  in 
teaching ;  but  since  that  date  he  has  operated  exclu- 
sively as  a  farmer.  He  then  came  into  possession 
of  120  acres  of  land,  which  is  his  homestead,  and  to 
which  he  has  added  90  acres.  The  entire  acreage  is 
under  excellent  cultivation  and  forms  an  attractive 
and  valuable  home. 

In  political  sentiment  Mr.  Whitmore  adopts 
principles  and  issues  of  the  Republican   party.     He 
has  held  various  local  offices  at  different  times,  a 
^^£@ 


V    ^ 

DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


in  the  spring  of  1883  was  elected  Supervisor.     He 
was  re-elected  a  year  later  to  the  same  position. 

Feb.  26,  1862,  Mr.  Whitmore  was  married  to 
Esther  V.  Andrews,  and  their  two  children  were  born 
as  follows:  Wallace  W.,  Feb.  ir,  1863,  and  Cora  C., 
Oct.  20,  1867.  Mrs.  Whitmore  was  born  Oct.  28, 
1844,  in  Warren  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  is  the  daughter  of 
Luman  and  Sophronia  (Collins)  Andrews.  Her  par- 
ents were  natives  of  Warren  County,  and  there  the 
mother  died  in  1850.  Her  father  came  to  De  Kalb 

(    County   and   settled   in  the   township  of  the  same 
ame,  going   thence  a  few  years  later  to  Indiana, 

i    where  he  passed  the  remainder  of  his  life.     Mr.  and 


Mrs.    Whitmore 
Church. 


® 


are   members   of  the    Universalist 


lanson  B.  Puffer,  farmer  and  stock-raiser, 
residing  on  section  i,  Malta  Township,  was 
born  in  Franklin  Co.,  Mass.,  Sept.  30,  1841. 
His  father,  James  Puffer,  is  a  native  of  Chesh- 
ire Co.,  N.  H.,  of  New  England  ancestry,  and 
is  at  present  residing  in  his  native  county, 
aged  65  years.  His  mother,  Harriet  (Field)  Puffer, 
was  also  a  native  of  Cheshire  Co.,  N.  H.,  and  died 
there  in  her  22d  year. 

Mr.  Puffer  was  only  two  weeks  old  at  the  time  of 
his  mother's  death,  and  was  the  only  son  by  his  fa- 
ther's first  marriage.  His  father  married  again,  and 
Alanson  was  reared  under  the  fostering  care  of  his 
stepmother.  He  remained  with  the  family,  assisting 
on  the  farm  and  attending  the  common  schools,  until 
he  attained  the  age  of  15  years,  when  he  engaged 
as  a  farm  hand. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Puffer  occurred  Jan.  u, 
1872,  in  Rutland  Co.,  Vt.,and  the  partner  of  his  joys 
and  sorrows  whom  he  selected  was  Miss  Emma  S. 
Ramney.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Aretas  and  Cleo- 
patra (Clark)  Ramney,  natives  of  Vermont.  Her 
father  was  of  New  England  parentage  and  of  Scotch 
extraction.  The  Clark  family  (maiden  name  of  her 
mother)  were  of  the  old  "  Puritan  "  stock,  and  from 
authentic  genealogical  records  in  Mrs.  Puffer's  pos- 
session she  traces  her  ancestry  back  to  Thomas 
Clark,  an  officer  on  the  Mayflower.  Cleopatra 
(Clark)  Ramney,  mother  of  Mrs.  Puffer,  was  a  de- 
scendant of  Thomas  Clark  of  the  seventh  generation, 
vas  born  Nov.  10,  1810,  and  died  Aug.  14,  1880. 
'£%&& ^^ ^* 


She  was  the  second  wife  of  Mr.  Ramney,  and  by 
him  had  three  children,  two  of  whom  are  living  and 
the  oldest  of  whom  is  Mrs.  Puffer,  wife  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  notice.  She  was  born  March  10,  1840, 
in  Rutland  Co.,  Vt.  Her  maiden  life  was  spent  at 
home,  assisting  her  mother  in  the  hojsehold  duties 
and  attending  the  common  schools,  also  Castleton 
Seminary,  at  which  institution  she  graduated.  When 
25  years  of  age  Mrs.  Puffer  began  teaching  in  the 
common  schools  of  her  native  county  and  followed 
that  vocation,  in  which  she  vigorously  endeavored  to 
excel,  for  some  16  years  and  until  her  marriage  to 
Mr.  Puffer. 

Shortly  after  marriage  Mr.  Puffer  came  to  this 
county  and  purchased  80  acres  of  land  in  Milan 
Township.  He  vigorously  entered  on  the  task  of 
improving  it  and  resided  on  it  for  nine  years.  He 
then,  in  1880,  exchanged  it  for  80  acres  in  Malta 
Township,  upon  which  he  moved.  He  has  subse- 
quently purchased  80  acres  additional,  and  now  has 
1 60  acres.  The  entire  tract  is  under  a  good  state  of 
cultivation  and  well  stocked.  His  residence  and 
farm  buildings  are  of  first-class  order. 

Religiously,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Puffer  are  members  of 
the  Congregational  Church,  of  which  Mr.  Puffer  is 
one  of  the  Trustees.  Politically,  he  affiliates  with 
the  Democratic  party,  and  has  held  the  minor  offices 
of  his  township. 


ames  Carter,  farmer,  owning  and  residing 
on  the  east  half  of  section  3,  Afton  Town- 
ship, was  born  in  Springfield,  Hampden 
Co.,  Mass.,  Dec.  25,  1832.  He  is  a  son  of 
James  and  Anna  M.  (Nye)  Carter,  deceased. 
His  father  was  a  Methodist  Episcopal  clergy- 
man, a  native  of  New  England  and  of  English  ex- 
traction. At  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1845, 
when  James  was  but  13  years  old,  he  left  his  son  a 
fortune  aggregating  $70,000.  A  guardian  was  ap- 
pointed, and  he  squandered  a  portion  of  the  fortune, 
James  receiving  the  remainder.  The  grandfather  of 
James,  both  on  his  father's  and  mother's  side,  were 
soldiers  in  the  Revolutionary  War. 

James  Carter,  subject  of  this  notice,  lived  under 
the  parental  roof-tree  until  the  death  of  his  father, 
receiving  the  advantages  of  a  common-school  edu- 

— *$S£ "ffcg«@. 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


cation.  Four  years  after  his  father's  death,  in  1849, 
having  attained  the  age  of  17  years,  his  desire  to 
increase  his  worldly  possessions  was  augmented  by 
the  discovery  of  gold  in  California,  and  he  deter- 
mined to  go  to  that  State.  Six  of  his  schoolmates 
agreed  to  accompany  him  providing  he  would  ad- 
vance sufficient  to  pay  expenses,  to  which  he  gener- 
ously consented.  Their  names  were  Lester  Conklin, 
nephew  of  ex-Senator  Conklin,  John  Hosmer,  John 
Munger,  Obadiah  Burdette,  Anson  Nye  and  Jack 
Coby.  They  crossed  the  plains  and  safely  arrived 
in  the  "  land  of  gold."  Soon  three  of  the  seven 
mates  became  homesick,  and  Mr.  Carter-  paid  their 
expenses  home.  The  other  four  remained  and  en- 
gaged in  mining. 

On  one  occasion  Mr.  Carter  was  out  prospecting 
unaccompanied,  and  while  in  a  gulch  a  fog  came  up 
and  he ,  became  lost.  His  mates  commenced  the 
search  for  him,  but  not  until  three  days  and  three 
nights  had  passed  did  they  succeed  in  finding  him ! 
He  had  almost  perished  for  want  of  food,  but,  after 
being  taken  to  the  camp  and  nursed  a  few  days,  re- 
covered. 

Four  of  the  seven  mates  remained  in  California, 
mining,  Lester  Conklin  being  the  only  one  to  make  a 
success.  Mr.  Carter  remained  there  about  10 
months  and  then  returned,  overland,  and  located  in 
Cayuga  Co.,  N.  Y.  He  had  spent  his  fortune  and 
was  compelled  to  go  to  work.  Accordingly,  he  hired 
himself  to  a  German,  and  the  first  day's  work  he 
ever  did  was  chopping  wood,  and  then  drove  team 
for  the  same  gentleman  two  months  aq,d  two  days, 
whereupon  he  received  his  discharge,  accompanied 
by  the  magnificent  sum  of  $150  for  his  services. 

Mr.  Carter  then  came  to  Illinois  and  engaged  in  a 
machine-shop,  where  he  worked  for  10  months,  then 
purchased  a  threshing-machine  and  engaged  in 
threshing  grain.  He  followed  the  business  for  some 
10  years,  alternating  it  with  buying  horses  in  all 
parts  of  the  country,  and  speculating  wherever  he 
could  see  a  dollar  to  be  made. 

In  1862  he  went  to  Afton  Township,  worked  land 
on  shares  for  some  two  years,  then,  in  1866,  purchased 
1 60  acres.  He  has  since  added  447  acres  to  his 
original  purchase,  and  now  owns  607  acres.  He 
has  on  his  farm  one  of  the  finest  frame  residences  in 
the  township,  besides  good  frame  out-buildings,  and 
a  greater  portion  of  his  land  undei;  cultivation. 

Carter  was  married  Nov.   21,   1862,  to  Mrs. 


Caty  S.  Avery,  widow  of  Smith  D.,  Avery,  to  whom 
she  was  married  March  27,  1858,  at  Aurora,  Kane 
County,  111.  Mr.  Avery  was  born  Aug.  27,  1836, 
and  died  Jan.  i,  1862,  at  Camp  Raleigh,  Mo., 
with  a  congestive  chill,  while  in  the  service  of  his 
country  in  the  late  Civil  War.  He  was  a  member  of 
Co.  A,  36th  111.  Vol.  Inf.,  denominated  the  "Aurora 
Dragoons. "  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Avery  were  the  parents 
of  three  children :  Anna  D.,  born  April  5,  1859; 
Anson  A.,  Sept.  21,  1860;  and  Smith  D.,  Jan.  7, 
1862.  Mrs.  Carter's  father,  Harvey  B.  Densmore, 
was  born  Sept.  25,  1815,  in  Hartford,  Windsor  Co., 
Vt.,  and  is  at  present  residing  with  her.  Her  mother, 
Caty  S.  Densmore,  was  born  March  25,  1817,  and 
died  July  21,  1841,  after  which  her  father  married 
Mary  J.  Mather.  Mrs.  C.  was  born  May  14,  1836, 
in  Cortland,  Cortland  Co.,  N.  Y.  She  was  brought 
to  this  county  by  her  parents  in  1836,  starting  over- 
land Dec.  19,  and  arriving  here  Nov.  29,  of  that 
year. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carter  are  the  parents  of  four  chil- 
dren, namely:  Charles  E.,  born  Sept.  27,  1863; 
Jane  H.,  Oct.  16,  1865;  Caty  S.,  June  22,  1867; 
Grace  E.,  July  29,  1869, — all  in  Afton  Township. 

Mr.  Carter,  politically,  is  a  Republican.  He  has 
been  Assessor  for  three  years,  and  was  elected  to  the 
position  again  last  spring.  He  has  also  been  Road 
Commissioner  three  years. 





Joseph  Slade,  farmer,  section  19,  De  Kalb 
Township,  was  born  Feb.  4,  1829,  in  Buck- 
inghamshire, England.  His  parents,  Simon 
and  Ann  (Jones)  Slade.  were  natives  of  Eng- 
land, and  there  passed  their  entire  lives.  Their 
family  included  1 1  children. 
At  the  age  of  26  years  Mr.  Slade  came  to  the 
United  States.  He  passed  a  few  months  in  the 
State  of  New  York,  and  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year — 
1855 — came  to  De  Kalb  County  and  to  the  township 
of  the  same  name,  where  he  passed  12  years  in  vari- 
ous occupations.  In  1867  he  bought  the  farm  on 
which  he  has  since  resided  and  labored,  which  com- 
prised 80  acres  of  land.  He  is  now  the  owner  of  91 
acres,  which  is  all  under  cultivation. 

Politically  he  is  a  Republican  and  has  officiated 
in  the  capacity  of  School  Director. 

He  was  married  Feb.  5,  1878,  in  De  Kalb  Town- 


( 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


ship,  to  Jane,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Harriet  (Willis) 
Sarney.  Her  parents  were  of  English  birth  and  lived 
in  that  country  all  their  lives.  Mrs.  Slade  was  born 
there  March  22,  1843,  and  came  to  America  in  Jan- 
uary, 1878.  Her  mother  was  born  in  1810  and  died 
in  1849;  and  her  father,  born  in  1815,  died  in  Janu- 
ary, 1884.  The  children  born  of  her  marriage  are 
as  follows:  Henry  H.,  born  Dec.  15,  1878;  Mabel 
A.,  March  i,  1881  ;  Sarah  I.,  May  2,  1883. 

Among  the  list  of  portraits  of  representative  men 
of  De  Kalb  County  which  may  be  found  in  this 
ALBUM,  we  give  that  of  Mr.  Slade,  which  is  engraved 
from  a  photograph  taken  in  1878. 


lias  Hartman  was  born  in  Northampton 
Co.,  Pa.,  Oct.  27,  1810.  He  is  the  son  of 
John  and  Regina  (Bear)  Hartman.  When 
eight  years  of  age  the  family  moved  to  Luzerne 
County,  in  the  same  State,  where  Elias  re- 
mained until  22  years  of  age,  when  he  went  to 
Medina  Co.,  Ohio,  where  he  remained  two  years. 
For  the  next  two  years  he  roved  about  seeking  the 
place  where  he  should  make  a  permanent  home.  In 
1836  he  visited  De  Kalb  County  and  located  a  claim 
in  Ohio  Grove,  Cortland  Township,  where  he  subse- 
quently built  a  log  house.  On  the  first  day  of  Jan- 
uary, 1838,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Almira 
Churchill  and  moved  at  once  into  his  new  house. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hartman  are  the  parents  of  six  chil- 
dren, five  of  whom  are  living — Philo  De  Witt,  Mary 
O.,  Rosetta  M.,  David  W,  Carrie  D.  Mr.  Hartman 
is  one  of  the  oldest  living  settlers  in  De  Kalb  County 
and  has  lived  almost  a  half  century  within  five  miles 
of  where  he  located  his  claim  in  1836.  He  has  lived 
to  see  realized  more  than  he  could  have  dreamed  of 
when,  with  his  young  bride,  he  lived  a  pioneer  life  in 
old  De  Kalb. 


Joseph  B.  Greek,  yeoman,  section  13,  Malta 
Township,   was   born    Dec.    25,    1854,   in 
Devonshire,  England,  where    his    parents, 
William  and  Mary  (Judd)  Greek,  and  their  an- 
cestors were  torn.    The  father  died  there  when 
74  years  of  age,  and  the  mother's  demise  oc- 
curred when  she  was  53  years  old.     They  had  eight 


children  ;  two  died  in  England,  two  emigrated  to  Ne 
Zealand  and  three  are  still  faithful  to  the  home  in- 
stinct, remaining  in  their  native  shire.  > 

Mr.  Greek,  of  this  sketch,  yielded  to  impulse  and 
came  to  the  New  World,  when  he  was  20  years  old, 
in  1874,  accompanying  some  friends  hither.  He  first 
located  at  St.  Charles,  Kane  Co.,  111.,  where  his  uncle 
had  recently  deceased,  and  where  he  had  gone  for 
the  purpose  of  settling  the  estate,  which  was  willed 
to  the  brother,  the  father  of  Mr.  Greek.  The  legatee 
had  arranged  for  the  reversion  of  the  property,  which 
included  280  acres  of  land  to  the  son  who  had  crossed 
the  ocean  to  conduct  the  necessary  details  of  the 
business.  The  farm  is  situated  on  section  13,  Malta 
Township.  After  adjusting  matters,  Mr.  Greek  re- 
turned to  England  and  continued  to  reside  there 
until  1879,  when  he  came  to  America  a  second  time 
to  establish  a  permanent  home  on  the  farm  in  Malta 
Township,  which  is  now  in  a  finely  improved  condi- 
tion, and  is  stocked  with  valuable  cattle  and  swine. 
He  is  a  Republican  in  his  political  views. 


arry  A.  Joslyn,  Cortland  Township,  was 
torn  in  Genesee  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Dec.  10,  1816, 
and  is  the  son  of  Phineas  and  Lorinda 
(Woodworth)  Joslyn,  the  former  a  native  of 
New  York,  and  the  latter  of  Vermont.  In  the 
I  fall  of  1838  the  family  came  to  De  Kalb  County, 
Harry  preceding  them  the  previous  spring,  but  re- 
turning and  ctoming  back  with  his  parents.  On  ar- 
riving in  the  spring,  Harry  located  a  claim  on  section 
9,  Cortland  Township,  which  he  gave  to  his  father  on 
the  latter's  arrival.  He  then  purchased  a  claim  on 
section  4,  Cortland  Township,  which  he  held  for 
some  years,  obtaining  his  title  from  the  Government 
when  the  land  came  into  market.  He  subsequently 
sold  this  farm  and  purchased  another  on  section  3, 
which  he  held  until  1854,  when  he  sold  out,  moved 
to  Sycamore,  and,  in  company  with  H.  H.  Rowe,  com- 
menced the  mercantile  business,  carrying  a  general 
stock.  In  1855,  Kimball  Dow  became  associated 
with  the  firm  of  Rowe  &  Joslyn,  the  partnership  con- 
tinuing until  the  hard  times  of  1857,  when  it  was  dis- 
solved. In  1858  Mr.  Joslyn  was  appointed  Deputy 
Sheriff  and  served  six  years,  when  he  was  elected 
Sheriff  and  served  one  term.  In  May,  1867,  he  pur- 


r 


I* 


chased  a.  farm  on  section  16,  Cortland,  where  he 
resided  until  May,  1883,  when  he  sold  out  and  pur- 
chased a  few  acres  of  land,  together  with  a  comfort- 
able dwelling-house  on  section  5,  Cortland,  but 
immediately  adjoining  the  city  limits  of  Sycamore  on 
the  south.  In  addition  to  that  of  Sheriff,  Mr.  Joslyn 
has  held  other  local  offices  in  the  county.  He  was 
Collector  of  taxes  for  Sycamore  for  six  years.  While 
only  receiving  a  common-school  education,  Mr. 
Joslyn  mastered  his  studies  so  well  that  for  one  year 
prior  to  his  coming  to  De  Kalb  he  taught  school  in 
Erie  County,  of  his  native  State.  On  his  arrival  here 
he  taught  the  winter  term  of  the  school  four  miles 
north  of  Sycamore.  He  also  taught  one  winter  in 
Tazewell  Co ,  111. 

On  the  nth  day  of  May,  1841,  Mr.  Joslyn  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Lucy  Ann  Waterman,  a  na- 
tive of  Genesee,  now  Wyoming  Co.,  N.  Y.,  but  who 
came  to  this  county  in  company  with  her  parents 
at  an  early  day.  Five  children  were  born  unto  them, 
— Louisa  A.;  Franklin  M.,  now  Probate  Judge  of 
Atchison  Co.,  Mo.;  John  P.,  deceased;  William  L. 
an  attorney  and  real-estate  agent  at  Algona,  Iowa;, 
James  C.,  now  Assistant  Postmaster  at  Sycamore. 


arles  P.  Coy,  farmer,  section  13,  Somo- 
nauk  Township,  was  born  June  30,  1820, 
n  Middletown,  Rutland  Co.,  Vt.  Reuben 
Coy,  his  father,  was  born  in  the  same  township 
in  the  Green  Mountain  State,  and  married 
Charity  Woodruff,  a  native  of  Farmington, 
Conn.  Two  of  their  five  children  are  now  living. 
Mr,  Coy  has  one  brother — Martin  H. — a  farmer  in 
Middletown,  Vt. 

Mr.  Coy  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  attended  the 
common  schools  of  his  native  place,  and  later  was  a 
student  at  the  Troy  Conference  Academy  at  Poult- 
ney,  one  of  the  most  popular  and  successful  educa- 
tional institutions  of  the  East.  He  taught  six  terms 
of  school,  and  also  acted  about  18  months  as  a  clerk 
in  a  store  in  Middletown.  Associated  with  his 
brother  Martin,  he  bought  300  acres  of  land  in  his 
native  township,  where  they  made  a  specialty  of 
breeding  sheep  and  cattle.  He  was  married  Feb.  21, 
1850,  in  Tinmouth,  Rutland  Co.,  Vt.,  to  Nancy  R. 
Coleman.  They  have  become  the  parents  of  six 
>»>JSXZL1I^' r>  A 


children,  whose  record  is  as  follows  .  Cornelia  is  the 
wife  of  John  Scott,  a  farmer  in  Somonauk  Township. 
Horace  G.  is  a  farmer  in  the  same  township.  Charles 
D.  is  deceased.  Hattie  E.  is  at  home.  Jane  C.  is 
deceased.  Royal  C.  is  a  student  at  the  Jenning 
Seminary  at  Aurora,  111. 

In  1869  Mr.  Coy  removed  with  his  family  to  Illi- 
nois and  settled  where  he  now  resides.  At  the  out- 
set he  bought  160  acres  of  fine  and  valuable  land, 
and  has  increased  his  estate  until  he  has  272  acres 
where  he  is  pursuing  a  prosperous  course  of  agricul- 
ture. 

While  a  resident  of  his  native  State,  Mr.  Coy  was 
actively  interested  in  politics,  both  local  and  general, 
and  he  held  a  number  of  township  offices.  He  rep- 
resented Middletown  in  the  State  Assembly  in 
1858-9,  during  which  time  the  new  State-House  at 
Montpelier  was  constructed. 


elson  Hotchkiss,  retired  farmer,  residing  at 
Shabbona  and  a  pioneer  of  1836,  was  born 
in  Washington  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Dec.  19,  1820, 
and  is  a  son  of  Simeon  and  Annie  Hotchkiss. 
When  15  years  of  age,  in  June,  1836,  his  par- 
ents emigrated  to  this  State  and  located  at  Na- 
perville,  Cook  Co.,  111.  Two  months  later  they 
moved  to  Kane  County,  where  his  father  and  family 
made  a  claim  of  1,100  acres  of  land.  This  was  prior 
to  the  Government  survey,  and  claims  were  procured 
by  plowing  furrows  and  blazing  trees.  The  land  was 
all  in  its  natural  condition,  and  his  father  entered  at 
once  on  the  laborious  task  of  improving  his  claim. 
The  nearest  postoffice  was  10  miles  distant,  and 
postage  25  cents  on  each  letter.  His  father  had  great 
faith  in  the  future  of  the  country  and  continued  in 
his  labors  of  improvement  until  the  land  was  offered 
for  sale  by  the  Government,  when  he  purchased  200 
acres. 

Nelson  Hotchkiss  remained  with  his  father,  assist- 
ing in  the  improvement  of  his  claim,  prior  to  the  time 
it  was  offered  for  sale  by  the  Government,  and  after- 
ward on  the  land  his  father  purchased  until  1855. 
During  that  year  he  moved  on  section  26,  Shabbona 
Township,  where  he  at  present  owns  140  acres.  Ht 
lived  on  the  latter  place  engaged  in  cultivating  it 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


until  the  fall  of  1883,  when   he  removed   with  his 
j    family  to  the  village  of  Shabbona. 
,-%       Mr.  Hotchkiss  was  married  April  22,  1845,  to  Miss 
Harriet,  daughter  of  Seth  and  Rachel  (Davenport) 
Rice.     She  was  born  in  Chemung  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and 
accompanied  her  parents  to  this  State  in  1843. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  are  the  parents  of  two  children, 
namely:    F.  Addie,  wife  of  William  Jackson,  a  mer- 
chant at  Shabbona,  and  Lewis  R.,  who  married  Eliz- 
abeth Vossburg  and  resides  on  the  old  homestead  on 
4   section  26. 


ichael  O'Brien,  farmer,  section  13,  Milan 
Township,  was  born  Sept.  9,  1836,  in 
County  Clare,  Ireland.  Martin  O'Brien, 
his  father,  claims  lineal  descent  from  one  of 
the  Irish  kings — Bryan — from  whom  he  is  in 
the  29th  generation.  The  genealogy  is  still  in- 
tact, although  the  posterity  is  widely  diffused.  The 
senior  O'Brien  died  in  Ireland  in  1858. 

The  younger  O'Brien  came  to  America  when  he 
was  1 6  years  of  age,  and  located  first  at  Boston, 
where  he  spent  some  time  occupied  in  the  capacity 
of  a  common  laborer.  In  1856  he  came  to  Chicago, 
and  soon  after  proceeded  to  the  Southern  States, 
where  he  spent  three  years  in  various  localities.  In 
the  fall  of  1860  he  came  to  De  Kalb  County  and  pur- 
chased the  farm  upon  which  he  has,  since  i878t 
prosecuted  his  agricultural  interests,  buying  at  first 
80  acres  in  Milan  Township.  He  placed  it  in  care 
of  a  man  to  enter  upon  the  work  of  improvement  and 
in  1871  added  40  acres  to  the  estate,  the  latter  tract 
being  situated  on  section  12.  In  1878  he  entered 
upon  the  work  of  cultivating  his  property  in  person, 
and  in  1884  purchased  an  additional  80  acres  on 
section  13.  The  large  and  valuable  farm  is  all  im- 
proved and  supplied  with  good  farm  buildings.  Mr. 
O'Brien's  farm  is  stocked  with  all  varieties  of  stock 
except  sheep.  He  is  a  zealous  Democrat  and  is  one 
of  the  school  officers  of  Milan  Township. 

His  marriage  to  Mary  A.  Butler  took  place  Jan.  29, 
1878,  in  Clinton  Township.  Mrs.  O'Brien  was  born 
Dec.  23,  1856,  in  County  Tipperary,  Ireland,  and  she 
is  the  daughter  of  William  and  Mary  (Pollard)  But- 
ler, who  are  still  living  in  their  native  land.  She 
came  to  America  when  she  was  18  years  of  age,  and 


lived  some  time  at  Shabbona  Grove.  Mary  E.,  Katie 
and  Maggie  are  the  names  of  the  children  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  O'Brien.  The  family  are  members  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church. 


.amuel  Archer,  dealer  in  grain  and  coal  at 
Shabbona,  was  born  in  Suffolk,  England, 
'  April  21,  1850,  the  son  of  John  and  Eliz- 
abeth Archer.  He  came  to  America  with  his 
parents  in  1864,  and  made  his  home  on  a  farm 
in  the  township  of  Paw  Paw,  De  Kalb  Co.,  111. 
He  received  a  common-school  education  and  was 
engaged  in  farming  till  he  formed  the  existing  part- 
nership with  Mr.  George  Levering,  Jan.  i,  1883. 
They  dissolved  partnership  March  9,  1885,  and  Mr. 
Archer  has  leased  the  Bouslough  Elevator  for  five 
years,  and  will  carry  on  a  trade  in  grain,  seeds,  hard 
and  soft  coal,  and  will  commence  business  on  May 
i,  1885.  He  has  also  purchased  a  fine  residence  in 
the  village.  He  was  married  in  Malugin  Township, 
Lee  Co.,  111.,  July  5,  1872,  to  Miss  Sarah  Agler, 
daughter  of  John  and  Sarah  Agler.  They  had  two 
children,  both  daughters,  named  M.  Allie  and  A. 
Pearl.  Mrs.  A.  died  Nov.  16,  1878,  and  Mr.  Archer 
was  married  again  Jan.  5,  1881,  at  Amboy,  111.,  to 
Miss  Sarah  E.  Lacey,  daughter  of  William  and  Mar- 
garet Lacey,  and  born  in  Chicago,  111. 

Mr.  Archer  is  independent  in  his  votes  on  political 
issues. 


rs.  Olive  A.  Eggleston,  widow  of  Clark 
A.  Eggleston  and  daughter  of  Moses  L. 
and  Martha  (Brown)  Simpson,  was  born 
Feb.  7,  1811,  in  Chatham,  Columbia  Co.,  N. 
Y.  Her  parents  were  farmers  and  lived  all 
their  lives  in  the  State  of  New  York.  Her 
mother  was  a  Quaker,  and  was  a  member  of  a  settle- 
ment of  that  sect  in  New  York.  After  her  marriage- 
she  settled  with  her  husband  near  the  State  line  of 
Massachusetts,  going  later  to  Ohio  and  locating  at 
Cleveland.  Mr.  Eggleston  was  a  mechanic  and  fol- 
lowed his  trade  until  his  removal  to  the  West  in 
1858,  when  he  became  a  farmer  in  the  township  of 
Milan.  The  place  included  160  acres,  and  Mrs 


t 


c 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


435 


Eggleston  has  recently  sold  80  acres.  She  has  man- 
aged her  business  affairs  alone  since  1862,  conduct- 
ing her  farming  and  real-estate  business  herself.  She 
has  been  the  mother  of  five  children,  three  of  whom 
are  deceased.  George  C.  married  Ella  Duffy,  and 
they  reside  in  the  township  of  De  Kalb.  Edgar  H. 
married  Clara  Ranels,  and  they  live  with  the  mother 
ou  the  homestead.  The  latter  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 


eorge  W.  Crapser,  dealer  in  general  hard- 
ware, stoves,  etc.,  and  farm  machinery, 
established  his  business  at  Shabbona,  April 
15,  1877,  and  carries  a  stock  averaging  from 
$5,500  to  $6,000.  He  was  born  near  Northville, 
La  Salle  Co.,  111.,  Jan.  16,  1848,  and  is  the  son 
of  William  H.  and  Emeline  (Seaman)  Crapser.  He 
was  educated  in  the  common  schools,  and  was 
brought  up  on  his  father's  farm.  In  1875  he  began 
traveling  as  a  salesman  of  farm  machinery,  and  con- 
tinued that  business  about  two  years.  He  came  to 
Shabbona  in  the  spring  of  1877,  and  on  the  isth  of 
April,  that  year,  entered  upon  his  present  business. 
He  was  married  at  Sandwich,  this  county,  March 
27,  1872,  to  Miss  Emma  J.,  daughter  of  John  and 
Marian  Linderman.  She  was  born  in  Van  Buren 
Co.,  Mich.,  Jan.  14,  1853.  They  have  three  children, 
—  one  son  and  two  daughters.  The  eldest,  Harry 
A.,  was  born  Dec.  6,  1873;  the  second,  Hattie  M.( 
was  born  Aug.  3,  1878,  and  Jessie  E.,  Aug.  27,  1880. 
Mr.  Crapser  has  served  two  years  as  President  of 
the  Board  of  Village  Trustees  of  Shabbona.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Republican. 


iwin  P.  Smith,  farmer,  section  35,  May- 
field  Township,  is  a  native  citizen  of  De 
Kalb  County.  His  parents,  Spafford  and 
Eliza  (Sholes)  Smith,  came  to  De  Kalb  County 
in  the  fall  of  1839,  the  father  remaining  in 
Sycamore  about  six  months.  While  there,  in 
company  with  a  brother,  Curtis  Smith,  he  entered  a 
claim  of  about  1,000  acres  of  land,  which  they  after- 
ward divided,  and  that  portion  allotted  to  Mr.  S. 
Smith  included  500  acres  situated  in  what  became 

"  ^dfgal. ^€^   '  Q/ 


Mayfield  Township  after  the  organization.  On  this 
the  original  proprietor  resided  until  1870,  when  he 
located  in  Sycamore  and  i?  now  a  resident  there.  A 
biographical  sketch  and  portrait  of  Spafford  Smith 
appears  on  other  pages  of  this  work.  The  only  sister 
of  Edwin  P.  Smith  was  named  Eliza  A. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  Jan.  19,  1843, 
in  the  township  of  Mayfield,  on  the  farm  which  he 
bought  of  his  father  in  1883,  with  whom  he  was  a 
joint  occupant  of  the  place  previous  to  that  date. 
He  obtained  such  education  as  the  common  schools 
afforded,  and  has  devoted  his  life  with  vigorous  effort 
to  the  pursuit  of  agriculture.  He  is  a  Republican  in 
political  faith  and  relations. 

His  marriage  to  Flora  M.  Joiner  took  place  Jan.  6, 
1870,  in  the  township  of  Mayfield,  where  she  was 
born  Feb.  27,  1849.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Cyrus 
and  Elmina  Joiner,  of  Mayfield  Township,  of  whom 
a  biographical  notice  appears  elsewhere  in  this 
ALBUM.  One  child, — Albert  P.,  born  Nov.  8,  1871, 
— is  the  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith.  Mr.  S.  has 
officiated  three  years  as  Highway  Commissioner  and 
seven  years  as  School  Director. 


dmund  Gathercoal,  general  farmer  and 
stockman,  located  on  section  13,  Malta 
Township,  was  born  in  Norfolkshire,  Eng- 
land, Dec.  4,  1812.  His  father,  Thomas  Gath- 
ercoal, was  also  born  in  England,  and  married 
Susan  Johnson.  She  died  where  she  had  lived 
all  her  life,  when  her  son  Edmund  was  but  13  years 
old.  The  father,  who  in  early  life  was  a  common 
laborer,  became  a  butcher  in  later  life  in  his  native 
country ;  and,  having  received  a  competence,  he 
came  to  America  to  spend  his  declining  years  with 
his  children,  and  he  died  in,  Kingston  Township,  at 
the  home  of  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Susan  Clark,  aged  82 
years. 

On  the  event  of  Kis  marriage  Mr.  Gathercoal  as- 
sumed independent  relations  with  the  world,  and 
lived  in  Cambridgeshire,  England,  until  1863,  the 
year  in  which  he  emigrated  with  his  family  to  Amer- 
ica. Their  first  location  was  at  Belvidere,  Boone 
Co.,  I\\.  In  February,  1865,  they  settled  in  Malta 
Township,  where  the  father  purchased  40  acres  of 
land  on  section  1 3,  and  later  bought  40  acres  addi- 


; 


t 


i*  tional  on  section  12  adjoining  his  first  purchase. 
The  entire  property  is  now  well  improved.  In  polit- 

9  »  ical  affiliation  he  is  a  Republican. 

Mr.  Gathercoal  was  married  in  Cambridgeshire, 

\^i  England,  May  2,  1841,  to  Sarah  Garner,  by  whom 
he  has  had  13  children,  whose  record  is  as  follows  : 
Thomas  is  a  farmer  in  Kingston  Township;  Faith 
married  George  Ashelford  (see  sketch) ;  John  is  a 
mechanic  at  Sycamore;  '  Susan  (Clark)  resides  in 
Kingston  Township :  Mary  A.  (Blake)  lives  in  De 
Kalb,  where  her  husband  is  employed  as  a  florist  by 
Isaac  L.  Ellwood ;  Christiana  (Mrs.  Balcom)  lives  at 
De  Kalb;  Addie  M.  and  Bell  are  the  two  young- 
est; Rosanna  died  when  15  months  old;  William 
was  nearly  five  years  of  age  when  he  died;  James' 
decease  took  place  when  he  was  r5  months  old; 
William  (zd)  was  four  and  a  half  years  old  when  he 
died ;  an  elder  daughter,  also  named  Rosanna,  died 
at  the  age  of  13  years.  Mrs.  G.  was  born  June  1 1, 
1822.  She  is  the  daughter  of  John  and  Mary 
(Spener)  Garner,  both  natives  of  England,  where 


they  passed  their  entire  lives. 


•:; 


• 


sward  Whitmore,  farmer,  section  34,  May- 
Hyipit  field  Township,  was  born  in  Pomfret,  Wind- 
sor Co.,  Vt,  Dec.  2,  1838.  His  parents, 
^  Enos  and  Salina  (Reed)  Whitmore,  were  of 
New  England  birth  and  origin.  The  father  was 
born  Nov.  27,  1802,  the  mother  Nov.  25,  1815. 
They  were  married  April  7,  1830.  The  former  died 
May  i,  1877,  and  the  mother  died  Aug.  16,  1861. 
They  settled  in  Mayfield  Township  about  1845,  and 
were  among  the  pioneer  element  of  the  county  of 
De  Kalb.  They  were  residents  of  Mayfield  Town- 
ship from  the  time  of  their  removal  hither  until  their 
deaths. 

Mr.  Whitmore  has  been  an  inhabitant  of  the 
county  and  township  where  he  now  lives,  since  the 
age  of  seven  years.  He  is  the  proprietor  of  a  finely 
improved  and  valuable  tract  of  land,  which  includes 
1 60  acres.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  at  Sycamore,  Feb.  i, 
1864,  to  Julia  Andrews,  and  they  have  had  five  chil- 
dren,—Walter  S.,  Eleanor,  Alfred  H.,  Roy  P.,  and 


Bessie  M.  The  youngest  son,  Roy,  died  when  10 
months  old.  Mrs.  Whitmore  was  born  May  3,  1847, 
in  Warren  County,  N.  Y.,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Lu- 
man  and  Sophronia  (Collins)  Andrews,  who  were 
natives  of  the  State  of  New  York,  and  where  the  lat- 
ter died.  The  former  came  to  De  Kalb  County,  and 
went  later  to  Indiana.  Mr.  Andrews  was  born  Feb. 
1 8,  1809,  and  married  Nov.  21,  1832,  and  died  Sept. 
1 8,  1864.  His  wife,  Sophronia  (Collins)  Andrews, 
was  born  April  6,  1815,  and  died  Oct.  2,  1850. 


obert  Mullins,  retired   farmer  residing  at 
Shabbona,   was   born  in  Woodhall,  York- 
shire, England,  April  24,   1811.     He  is  a 
son  of  George  and  Juliana  (Gillott)  Mullins, 
natives  of  that  country,  and  was  brought  up 
on  a  farm,  receiving  the  advantages  afforded 
by  the  common  schools. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  .Sarah  Ulyett,  at  Elmton 
Church,  Derbyshire,  England,  Dec.  29,  1834.  She 
was  a  daughter  of  John  and  Margaret  (Wardley) 
Ulyett,  natives  of  that  country,  and  was  born  June 
22,  1810,  in  Elmton,  Derbyshire,  England.  In  1852 
Mr.  Mullins  emigrated,  with  his  family,  to  this 
country.  He  immediately  purchased  a  farm  of  160 
acres  on  section  i-j,  that  township,  and  has  since  in- 
creased his  acreage  to  580  acres.  Of  this  amount 
he  now  owns  160  acres,  located  on  section  8,  which 
he  retains. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mullins  were  the  parents  of  eight 
children,  all  of  whom  were  born  in  England.  Ju- 
liana, the  eldest,  was  born  March  6,  1836,  and  died 
in  infancy.  Mary  was  born  June  10,  r839,  and  is 
the  wife  of  Septimus  Storey,  a  resident  of  Shabbona 
Township.  George  was  born  May  3,  1842,  married 
Mary  A.  Bostock  and  lives  in  Lee  Co.,  111.  John 
was  born  Oct.  4,  1844,  married  Martha  Nicholson 
and  is  a  farmer  in  Shabbona  Township.  Robert  F. 
was  born  March  8,  1846,  married  Melvina  Kenicut, 
and  lives  in  Ackley,  Iowa.  William  was  born 
April  3,  1848,  married  Sarah  Holmes  and  re- 
sides in  Shabbona  Township.  Henry  was  born  Jan. 
30,  1850;  married  Retie  Cisco  and  lives  in  Ackley, 

*"**& 


DE  KALE   COUNTY. 


Iowa.  Thomas  was  born  Oct.  12,  1851,  and  is  en- 
gaged in  the  jewelry  business  £tt  Shabbona. 

Mrs.  Mullins  died  June  16,  1860,  from  fright 
caused  by  a  tornado. 

In  the  latter  part  of  1861  Mr.  Mullins  returned 
to  England,  and  Jan.  7,  1862,  he  was  again  united 
in  marriage  ;  Miss  Mary  E.  Challand,  daughter  of 
Charles  and  Ann  (Freeman)  Challand  was  the  bride. 
She  was  born  in  Bridgeford,  Nottinghamshire,  Eng- 
land, April  n,  1819.  Soon  after  marriage  he  re- 
turned to  this  country,  and  Mrs.  Mullins  became 
the  mother  of  a  child — Esther  A.,  born  Jan.  26, 
1863.  She  grew  to  maturity  under  the  parental 
roof-tree,  became  accomplished  and  educated,  and 
died  Feb.  26,  1881. 

Mr.  Mullins  has  been  honored  with  various  official 
positions  in  the  county.  He  served  several  years 
as  Commissioner  of  Highways  and  four  years  as 
Trustee  of  the  village  of  Shabbona.  He  retired 
from  active  farm  life  in  March,  1877,  and  moved 
into  Shabbona.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  for  26  years.  His  wife 
is  a  member  of  the  Wesleyan  Methodist  Church. 
Politically  Mr.  Mullen  is  a  Republican.  He  has 
made  three  trips  to  the  old  country,  the  last  time 
in  company  with  .his  wife,  soon  after  the  death  of 
their  daughter. 


,,on.  Henry  Wood,  farmer,  section  8,  Syca- 
more Township,  was  born  Nov.  10,  1824, 
in  the  town  of  Randolph,  Vt.,  ai>d  is  the 
\  son  of  Zechariah  and  Sarah  (Bacon)  Wood. 
His  father  was  born  in  Middlebury,  Worcester 
Co.,  Mass.,  and  went  thence  in  his  early  man- 
hood to  Orange  Co.,  Vt.,  where  he  married  Sarah 
Bacon,  a  native  of  Pomfret,  Windsor  Co.,  Vt.  He 
became  a  landholder  in  Randolph,  where  he  resided 
until  1828,  when  he  sold  his  estate  preparatory  to 
settling  at  Tunbridge.  He  bought  a  farm  on  Tun- 
bridge Hill,  where  he  was  engaged  in  general  agri- 
cultural interests  about  eight  years.  He  sold  out 
again  in  1835,  and  in  January,  1836,  set  out  for  Illi- 
nois, feeling  that  the  narrow  valleys  of  the  Green 
Mountain  State  and  the  limited  opportunities  of 
crowded  New  England  afforded  small  outlook  for  the 
prosperous  and  useful  future  of  his  children ;  and 
•ft >m.gxix«y  /-N  /vx 


seeing  all   he  desired  for  them — field  for  practical 


effort — in  the  promise  of  the  Prairie  State.  On  \ea.v- 
ing  Tunbridge  he  had  a  span  of  horses  and  sleigh  for 
the  transportation  of  a  portion  of  his  household  effects. 
He  drove  across  the  State  of  New  York,  and  when  in  ^to) 
Pennsylvania  exchanged  his  sleigh  for  a  wagon  with 
which  he  made  his  way  to  Plainfield,  Will  Co.,  111., 
then  the  residence  of  Jesse  C.  Kellogg,  his  son-in- 
law.  He  remained  in  that  place  through  the  sum- 
mer, working  a  farm  on  shares.  In  June,  1836,  he 
came  on  a  prospecting  tour  to  De  Kalb  County,  then  V 
attached  to  Kane  County,  for  judicial  purposes,  and 
located  a  claim  of  land  on  section  17,  now  Sycamore  | 
Township.  The  land  had  not  then  been  surveyed 
and  did  not  come  into  market  until  seven  years  later. 
His  family,  consisting  of  his  wife,  two  sons,  four 
daughters,  a  son-in-law  (Sumner  French  and  son  by 
a  former  wife)  and  grandchild,  joined  him  on  the  first 
day  of  December,  1836,  at  the  house  of  Jesse  C. 
Kellogg,  who  was  then  living  on  section  8,  Sycamore 
Township.  The  entire  household  spent  a  part  of  the 
winter  here,  and  part  with  Lysander  Darling,  a  near 
neighbor,  removing  in  the  spring  to  the  log  house 
Mr.  Wood  had  erected  on  his  claim.  He  entered 
vigorously  into  the  work  of  improving  his  farm  and 
founding  a  home,  and  was  a  resident  of  Sycamore 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  March  24, 1853. 

To  him  and  his  wife  were  born  10  children,  only  ( 
two  of  whom,  Thomas  and  Henry,  survive.  Follow- 
ing is  the  family  record  :  Zechariah  Wood,  the  father, 
was  born  Dec.  20,  1779,  and  died  March  24,  1853; 
Sarah  (Bacon)  Wood,  the  mother,  was  born  Jan.  20, 
1783,  and  died  May  19,  1861.  Their  children  were: 
Hannah,  born  Oct.  i,  1867,  died  April  8,  1837  ;  Theo-  \ 
dore,  born  Nov.  17, 1808,  died  April  14,1829;  Lorinda, 
born  April  27,  1810,  died  May  29,  1837  ;  Phebe,  born 
Feb.  29,  i8[2,  died  Feb.  14,  1873;  Mary  (ist),  born 
Jan.  n,  1816,  died  Oct.  21,  1816;  Mary  (2d),  born 
Dec.  29,  1817,  died  March  27,  1845;  Susan  Eliz- 
abeth, born  June  19,  1820,  died  Sept.  23,  1845; 
Thomas  H.,  born  Sept.  3,  1822 ;  Henry,  born  Nov. 
10,  1824;  Sarah  Emily,  born  June  16,  1827,  died  (* 
Sept.  10,  1856. 

Henry  Wood  came  from  Vermont  with  the  other  ^  f 
members  of  his  father's  family,  in  the  fall  of  1836. 
They  set  out  from  Middlebury  on  the  first  day  of 
October  with  two  span  of  horses  and  two  wagons, — 
one  for  the  accommodation  of  the  family,  the  other  for 
the  conveyance  of  the  household  goods.  The  journey 


DE  KALB    COUNTY. 


furnished  many  incidents  of  travel  which  impressed 
themselves  upon  the  memory  of  the  boy  of  1 1  years. 
In  one  instance,  he  was  walking  some  distance  in  ad- 
vance of  the  wagons  with  the  son  of  his  sister,  Mrs. 
French,  when  a  train  of  cars  came  rushing  toward 
them.  Darkness  was  coming  on,  and  in  the  dim 
light  the  wholly  new  experience  presented  a  terrific 
appearance, — the  blinding  headlight,  the  unearthly 
mixture  of  sounds  and  the  unparalleled  speed  of  the 
approaching  monster  conveyed  the  impression  that 
the  fabled  horrors  of  the  lower  pit  had  broken  bounds 
and  was  abroad  for  prey.  The  youngsters  precip- 
itated  a  retreat  and  paused  not  until  they  were  once 
more  with  the  wagons.  Mr.  Wood  appreciates  the 
sentiments  of  the  Irishman  who  remarked  the  first 
time  he  saw  a  locomotive  under  way,  "  Sure,  Pat, 
it's  hell  in  harness!  "  During  the  entire  journey  the 
meals  were  cooked  by  the  roadside  and  the  family 
slept  in  the  wagons.  They  arrived  in  De  Kalb 
County  on  the  last  day  of  November,  the  journey 
having  consumed  exactly  two  months.  The  prices 
of  provisions  during  the  winter  were  very  high,  and 
=s  all  supplies  were  brought  from  Chicago.  Butter  was 
tfix  50  cents  a  pound,  flour  $25  a  barrel,  and  pork  and 
p=  lard  were  37^  cents  a  pound. 

vr  In  the  spring  of  1837  the  family  moved  into  a  log 
house  erected  by  the  father  on  his  claim.  It  was  14  x 
)  14  feet  in  dimensions  and  covered  with  "  shakes,"  a 
variety  of  substitute  for  shingles  riven  from  oak, 
three  feet  long,  from  four  to  six  inches  wide  and 
bound  in  place  with  poles,  no  nails  being  obtainable, 
and  if  they  had  been,  each  pound  was  worth  a  pound  of 
butter.  The  floor  of  the  upper  apartment  was  of  shakes 
and  that  of  the  room  below  of  puncheons  made  from 
bass-wood  logs.  Bedsteads  were  made  by  boring 
holes  in  a  log  on  one  side  of  the  house,  in  which 
were  driven  poles,  and  with  poles  for  cross-pieces  a 
frame  was  constructed  on  which  a  straw  fnattress 
was  placed.  Two  of  them  were  op  the  lower  floor, 
the  upper  not  being  sufficiently  high  for  the  purpose. 
The  boys  were  required  to  sleep  in  the  room  above, 
and  it  was  a  frequent  thing  for  them  to  wake  in  the 
morning  and  find  their  beds  covered  with  snow  from 
one  to  three  inches  in  thickness,  which  drifted  in  be- 
tween the  shakes.  The  summer  of  1837  was  a  hard 
one,  and  but  little  was  raised.  For  two  months  the 
family  lived  on  potatoes  and  samp  with  milk.  The 
samp  was  home-made,  and  was  obtained  with  the  aid 


/ 


of  a  carpenter's  plane,  which  was  held  in  place  with 
the  cutting  side  upward.  Pushing  the  ears  of  corn 
over  the  bit  reduced  the  grain  to  hominy,  which 
made  wholesome  and  palatable  food. 

The  first  five  or  six  years  of  the  life  of  Mr.  Wood 
in  De  Dalb  County  were  spent  in  the  active  labor  of 
the  farm,  in  the  summers  driving  a  "breaking"  team 
on  the  raw  prairie.  .General  farming  was  conducted 
in  wholly  different  methods  from  those  employed  at 
present.  Grain  was  cut  with  a  cradle,  and  threshed 
in  the  following  manner:  A  level  place  was  selected, 
the  grass  cut  away,  the  grain  piled  in  a  circle  about 
15  to  20  feet  in  diameter,  and  oxen  driven  over  the 
straw.  One  or  two  men  turned  over  the  straw  and 
kept  it  in  place.  When  sufficiently  tramped,  the 
straw  was  thrown  into  a  rick  or  stack,  and  the  wheat 
cleaned  by  a  fanning-mill.  The  nearest  market  for 
a  time  was  Chicago,  and  Henry  was  the  one  usually 
sent  to  that  place,  taking  in  a  load  of  grain  and  re- 
turning with  needed  supplies. 

Until  22  years  of  age  Mr.  Wood  remained  with 
his  parents.  In  the  fall  of  1846  he  went  to  Missouri, 
and  engaged  in  teaching  at  Pilot  Grove,  Cooper 
County,  during  the  winter  following.  He  returned 
to  Sycamore  in  the  spring  of  1847,  and  was  occu- 
pied during  the  summer  following*  in  house-painting. 
In  the  fall  he  rented  a  farm,  which  he  worked  on  shares 
two  years,  with  satisfactory  pecuniary  results,  and  in 
1849  purchased  72  acres  of  land  on  section  9, 
located  half  a  mile  from  his  father's  house.  He  en- 
tered at  once  upon  the  work  of  improvement,  and 
laid  the  foundation  of  a  successful  life.  Starting 
with  these  72  acres,  he  has  from  time  to  time,  dur- 
ing years  of  unremitting  toil,  added  to  his  original 
purchase,  paying  for  all  with  the  proceeds  of  the  sale 
of  farm  products,  thus  demonstrating  anew  that 
farming  is  a  profitable  business.  He  is  now  owner 
of  267  acres  of  land  in  Sycamore  Township,  and 
1 60  acres  of  rolling  prairie  in  Plymouth  Co.,  Iowa. 
His  farm  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  best  improved  in 
De  Kalb  County,  and  includes  62  acres  of  fine  and 
valuable  timber.  The  remainder  is  composed  of 
tillable  land  of  the  best  character,  together  with 
pasture'.  The  farm  buildings  are  of  excellent  and 
creditable  type.  Mr.  Wood  has  operated  extensively 
in  live  stock,  his  herd  of  cattle  being  chiefly  thorough- 
bred "Short-Horns."  He  has  also  given  considerable 
attention  to  breeding  choice  swine.  He  is  a  practi- 

£ ^^^ 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


cal  advocate  of  mixed  husbandry,  and  successfully 
conducts  all  the  branches  common  to  general 
farming. 

In  early  political  days,  Mr.  Wood  was  an  Aboli- 
tionist, but  became  a  Republican  on  the  organization 
of  the  party,  and  was  actively  interested  in  its  for- 
mation and  organization  in  De  Kalb  County.  Dur- 
ing the  war  he  was  a  member  of  the  Union  League. 
He  has  also  discharged  the  duties  of  his  citizenship 
as  Supervisor,  and  as  Township  School  Trustee.  In 
1880  he  was  elected  to  represent  the  171)1  District, 
including  Kendall,  Grundy  and  De  Kalb  Counties, 
in  the  Legislature  of  Illinois,  and  was  re-elected  to 
the  same  official  position  in  1882.  During  the  first 
session  he  was  on  four  regular  Committees,  "  Canals 
and  Rivers,"  "State  Institutions,"  "License,"  and 
"  Agriculture,  Horticulture  and  Dairying."  He  was 
an  active  member  of  the  "  Legislative  Farmers' 
Club,"  and  served  on  special  committees  connected 
with  the  farming  interests  of  the  State.  He  was  also 
selected  by  the  House  and  from  regular  Committees 
to  visit  some  of  the  State  charitable  institutions, 
with  reference  to  special  appropriations.  Near  the 
close  of  the  session  of  1882,  he  was  one  of  ten  dele- 
gates appointed  by  Gov.  Cullcm  to  represent  the 
State  of  Illinois  in  the  Canal  and  River  Convention, 
held  at  Dubuque,  in  the  interest  of  the  Hennepin 
Canal.  During  the  session  of  1883  Mr.  Wood  was 
Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  "Public  Charities," 
and  was  also  on  the  following  regular  Committees : 
"Canals  and  Rivers,'  "  Public  Printing,"  "  Retrench- 
ment," and  "Visiting  Committee  to  visit  State  Charit- 
able Institutions." 

He  has  been  prominently  identified  with  the  De 
Kalb  County  Agricultural  Society  from  the  date  of 
its  organization ;  was  its  President  two  years,  and 
officiated  several  years  in  the  capacity  of  Chairman 
of  the  Board  of  Directors. 

The  primary  education  of  Mr.  Wood  was  begun 
in  the  district  school  of  his  native  State,  and  he  has 
since  gathered  a  useful  and  available  fund  of  infor- 
mation from  observation  and  the  various  relations  he 
has  sustained  in  business  and  society.  He  has  all 
his  life  been  a  friend  of  literature,  has  given  much 
attention  to  reading,  and  has  traveled  extensively 
throughout  the  Union.  He  has  now  been  a  citizen 
of  De  Kalb  County  for  almost  half  a  century;  he 
has  witnessed  the  various  changes  that. have  taken 


place  in  transforming  it  from  a  wilderness  to  a  well 
developed  country,  with  a  thrifty,  enterprising  people, 
and  has  been  an  active  participant  in  almost  every 
enterprise  that  has  tended  to  its  advancement.  To- 
day he  is  one  of  the  few  old  settlers  that  remain, 
and  he  can  look  back  upon  a  life  well  spent,  and 
know  that  what  he  now  calls  his  own,  under  Provi- 
dence, has  been  obtained  by  unceasing,  unremitting 
toil.  Probably  no  man  in  De  Kalb  County  has  done 
more  hard  work  than  himself.  No  man  has  a  more 
extensive  acquaintance  throughout  the  county ;  and 
whatever  honor  he  has  received  from  his  fellow  citi- 
zens results  from  the  fact  that  his  manner  of  life 
from  his  youth  up  is  known  of  all  men,  and  all  know 
that  honesty  and  integrity  have  been  the  controlling 
principles  of  his  life.  Other  prominent  traits  of  Mr. 
Wood's  character  are,  industry,  economy,  temper- 
ance, executive  ability  and  perseverance,  and  he  has, 
in  the  different  offices  of  public  trust  held  by  him  in 
town,  county  and  State,  discharged  the  duties  of 
the  various  positions  with  intelligence,  fidelity  and 
honesty,  and  has  the  respect  and  commendation  of 
the  people. 

He  has  been  a  frequent  contributor  to  the  local 
press,  writing  descriptive  letters  during  his  travels 
and  also  articles  on  agricultural  subjects.  He  is  a 
firm  friend  of  the  temperance  cause,  and,  with  sev- 
eral members  of  his  family,  is  connected  with  the 
First  Congregational  Church  of  Sycamore. 

Mr.  Wood  is  known  to  be  something  of  a  curiosity- 
hunter,  and  is  an  enthusiastic  student  of  mineralogy. 
His  collection  of  minerals  and  "  precious  stones," 
containing  many  rare  specimens  obtained  from  vari- 
ous parts  of  the  United  States  and  other  countries, 
form  an  unusual  addition  to  the  furnishings  of  a 
country  home. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Wood  with  Rhoda  Elizabeth 
Richards  occurred  March  16,  1851.  Mrs.  Wood 
was  born  at  Hamilton,  Madison  Co.,  N.  Y.,  July  28, 
1829,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Nash  and  Emily  Car- 
rier Richards.  Ten  children  have  been  born  to  them, 
of  whom  six  are  living.  Charles  N.  married  Lizzie 
E.  Taylor,  and  lives  at  Wahpeton,  Dakota,  where  he 
is  managing  the  real  estate  and  loan  business  of  his 
cousin,  T.  L.  French;  Leroy  B.  married  Georgia  A. 
Crawford,  and  is  Treasurer  of  the  Piano  Manufac- 
turing Company.  Shepard  H.  is  engaged  in  the  real- 
estate  and  loan  business  at  Wahpeton,  Dak.;  Emily 


v§) 


'.  : 


r 


I 


I 


S:,  only  daughter,  was  graduated  in  1884,  in  the  Art 
Department  of  Wheaton  College.  She  is  an  accom- 
plished artist  in  oil  and  crayon,  and  some  of  her 
miscellaneous  work  has  attracted  favorable  notice. 
William  H.  and  Albert  C.  are  the  names  of  the 
youngest  children  who  survive. 

There  is  much  in  the  life  of  such  a  man  as  Mr. 
Wood  worthy  of  commendation  and  honor.  Coming 
to  this  country  while  it  was  in  its  native  wildness,and 
growing  up  amid  the  hardships  and  privations  of  a 
new  country,  he  developed  a  manhood  sturdy,  noble 
and  true  in  all  its  phases.  The  coming  generations 
will  not  only  desire  to  read  the  record  of  the  lives  of 
such  men,  but  will  have  a  worthy  desire  to  look  upon 
their  portraits  as  well.  We  have  therefore  endeav- 
ored not  only  to  preserve  a  brief  outline  of  the  lives 
of  many  of  the  prominent  and  representative  men 
and  women  of  De  Kalb  County,  but  to  give  imper- 
ishable likenesses  of  many,  which  is  done  in  the  gal- 
axy of  portraits  given  in  this  book.  Among  these, 
and  one  equally  worthy  the  honor  with  any  other 
man  in  the  county,  may  be  found  that  of  Mr. 
Wood.  It  is  engraved  from  a  photograph  taken  in 
March,  1881. 


j  adison  Van  Velzor,'  deceased,  formerly  a 
farmer  of  Shabbona  Township,  was  born 
in  Putnam  Co.,  N.Y.June  1 1,  1817,  is  the 
son  of  Elisha  Van  Velzor,  was  brought  up 
at  farming,  receiving  a  common-school  educa- 
tion, and  removed  in  boyhood  with  his  parents 
to  Allegany  County,  that  State. 

He  was  married  in  the  latter  county,  June  27, 
1844,  to  Miss  Eunice,  daughter  of  Joseph  D.  and 
Hannah  (Rogers)  Wilcox,  and  a  native  of  the  same 
county.  He  moved  to  St.  Clair  Co.,  Mich.,  in  1845, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  the  lumber  business. 
From  there  he  moved  to  Joliet,  111.,  spenf  a  winter 
there,  then  moved  to  Du  Page  Co.,  111.,  and  finally, 
in  1850,  to  Shabbona  Township,  this  county.  He 
was  actively  engaged  in  farming  on  sections  10  and 
n,  where  he  had  a  large  farm  of  700  or  800  acres. 
In  1877  he  .removed  to  the  village  of  Shabbona  and 
built  the  fine  mansion  now  occupied  by  his  widow 
and  children.  His  death  occurred  Oct.  23,  1884. 
He  had  nine  children,  two  sons  and  seven  daughters, 


@) 


namely :  De  Witt,  who  married  Lucy  Nicholson  and 
lives  at  Shabbona  ;  Mary  E.,  widow  of  Jacob  Wat- 
son and  living  at  De  Kalb  Center;  Frances  A.,  wife 
of  John  W.  Middleton,  of  Shabbona;  Sarah  E,  wife 
of  Wellington  Helm,  of  the  township  of  Shabbona; 
William  W.,  who  married  Emily  Challand,  of  the 
same  township;  Emma  C.,  Jane  A.;  Ida;  wife  of 
Henry  Sherwood,  of  Shabbona  Township,  and 
Lillie  A. 

Mr.  Van  Velzor  was  an  enterprising,  thrifty  farmer 
and  of  unquestioned  integrity,  just  and  kind  to  those 
in  his  employ  who  proved  faithful  to  their  duties, 
while  he  took  no  pains  to  conceal  his  dislike  for  the 
lazy  and  incompetent.  In  all  his  relations  with  his 
neighbors  he  was  ever  trusted  and  held  in  high  es- 
teem. He  died  leaving  a  valuable  property  to  be 
distributed  among  a  large  family. 


homas  Adams,  retired  farmer  on  section  7, 
De  Kalb  Township,  has  been  resident  of 
the  county  since  1849,  when  he  purchased 
160  acres  of  land.  He  has  prospered  and 
increased  his  possessions  to  240  acres,  which 
is  in  an  advanced  condition  of  improvement. 
Mr.  Adams  was  born  Aug.  6,  1816,  near  Belfast, 
Ireland,  and  is  the  son  of  William  and  Mary  (Hanna) 
Adarhs.  His  parents  were  born  in  the  North  of  Ire- 
land and  were  respectively  of  Scotch  and  English 
descent.  They  emigrated  to  America  in  1847  and 
died  a  short  time  after  their  arrival  'in  Canada.  They 
had  six  sons  and  four  daughters,  and  nine  of  their 
children  lived  to  maturity.  Thomas  is  the  fourth 
son  and  seventh  child,  and  he  was  reared  on  his 
father's  farm,  and  later  became  an  assistant  in  the 
linen  factory,  his  father  belonging  to  the  industrial 
class  known  in  Ireland  as  linen  drapers.  He  was 
thus  occupied  until  he  was  25  years  of  age,  when  he 
came  to  Canada  and  bought  a  farm  near  Kingston. 
He  resided  there  about  four  years,  coming  thence  to 
De  Kalb  County  at  the  date  named.  He  is  a  pro- 
gressive farmer  and  stockman,  and  raises  annually  an 
average  of  100  hogs,  50  head  of  cattle  and  a  dozen 
horses. 

Mr.  Adams  was  first  married  in  Canada,  to  Eliz- 
abeth Dart,  a  native  of  the  Dominion,  of  mixed  New 
England  and  Scotch  ancestry.  They  became  the 


•  > 


vx 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


443 


\ 


parents  of  four  children, — Mary  J.,  William,  Almira 
and  Anna.  Only  the  oldest  of  these  is  living  The 
mother  died  April  15,  1855,  in  De  Kalb  County. 
The  second  wife  of  Mr.  Adams,  Mary  Morgan,  to 
whom  he  was  married  in  the  city  of  New  York,  Oct. 
26,  1856,  was  born  in  Belfast,  Ireland.  Their  three 
children  were  named  William  E.,  Isabella  and 
Thomas  J.  The  youngest  only  is  living  and  he  is 
managing  the  home  farm.  He  was  married  Jan.  19, 
1882-,  to  Miss  Mary  Welch,  of  Malta. 

Mr.  Adams  is  independent  in  politics.  He  has 
officiated  as  Highway  Overseer  and  as  School  Direc- 
tor. With  liis  wife,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Church. 


'  oseph  C.  Coster,  of  the  mercantile  firm  of 
Bauder  &  Coster,  at  Hinckley,  is  the  son 
of  Richard  and  Rachel  (Cook)  Coster:  His 
father  was  born  in  Holland  and  his  mother  in 
New  York.  The  father  emigrated  to  America 
and  was  married  in  the  State  of  New  York, 
where  he  located.  His  wife  died  May  7,  1841,  and 
later  he  came  to  Illinois  to  pass  the  remaining  years 
of  his  life.  He  died  March  7,  1854,  in  Kane  Co., 
111.  Peter,  Alexander  H.,  Joseph  C.,  Rosetta  A., 
Richard,  Stephen  P.  and  Cornelia  are  the  names  of 
his  sons  and  daughters. 

Mr.  Coster  was  born  Aug.  18,  1815,  in  Rensselaer 
Co.,  N.  Y.  He  was  trained  to  a  knowledge  of  agri- 
culture and  instructed  in  the  common  schools  of  the 
State  of  his  nativity.  In  1847  he  removed  to  Sugar 
Grove  Township,  Kane  Co.,  Ill,  coming  thence  in 
the  spring  of  1849  to  De  Kalb  County,  and  purchased 
295  acres  of  land  in  Squaw  Grove  Township,  on 
which  he  settled  and  where  he  has  since  resided. 
He  still  holds  his  original  acreage,  and  nearly  the 
entire  tract  is  in  tillage. 

The  first  marriage,  to  W.  Maria  Weeks,  took  place 
Dec.  8,  1838,  in  Rensselaer  Co.,  N.  Y.  She  was 
born  Aug.  4,  1818,  in  that  county,  and  bore  him 
three  children, — Harriet  P.,  Melvin,  and  another  who 
died  in  infancy.  Both  the  others  have  since  de- 
ceased. Melvin  entered  the  army  of  the  United 
States,  enlisting  in  the  iosth  Reg.  111.  Vol.  Inf.  in 
August,  1862,  and  died  of  illness  at  Bowling  Green, 
Ky.,  Dec.  12,  1865.  Harriet  P.  died  March  i,  1848. 


g 


The  mother  died  Aug.  25,  1850,  in  Squaw  Grove 
Township.  Mr.  Coster  was  a  second  time  married 
in  Squaw  Grove  Township,  to  Mrs.  Sophronia  (Red- 
field)  Bathrick.  She  was  the  widow  of  Daniel  Bath- 
rick,  and  became  the  mother  of  a  son  by  her  first 
marriage.  He  was  named  Daniel  and  grew  to  man- 
hood. Six  children  have  been  born  of  the  second 
marriage  :  Harriet  M.,  Joseph  A.,  Susan  R.,  Mary 
and  Alfred.  One  child  died  in  infancy.  Mrs.  Coster 
died  Jan.  i,  1874.  Mr.  Coster  was  again  married 
at  Piano,  Kendall  Co.,  111.,  to  Mary  E.  Evans.  She 
was  born  in  the  State  of  New  York,  Sept.  12,  1825, 
and  died  in  Squaw  Grove  Township,  May  18,  1878. 
Mr.  Coster  contracted  a  fourth  matrimonial  alliance 
in  Kane  Co.,  111.,  Sept.  22,  1880,  with  Keziah  E. 
(Owens)  Scott.  Her  first  husband,  John  A.  Scott, 
died  Sept.  13,  1865.  By  him  she  had  six  children, — 
George  R.,  Louis  K.,  Hugh  W.,  Lillie  F.,  Walter  W. 
and  Clara  M.  Mrs.  Coster  was  born  June  29,  1827, 
in  England,  near  the  border  of  Wales.  She  accom- 
panied her  parents  to  America  in  1834.  William 
and  Sarah  Owens,  her  father  and  mother,  were  na- 
tives of  England. 

In  political  bias  and  relations  Mr.  Coster  is  a  Re- 
publican. He  has  officiated  four  years  as  a  Justice 
of  the  Peace  and  as  School  Director.  In  August, 
1878,  he  engaged  in  mercantile  business  at  Hinck- 
ley, in  company  with  his  son-in-law,  J.  H.  Bauder. 
(See  Sketch.)  The  firm  are  carrying  on  an  exten- 
sive business. 


J 

arles  S.  Palmer,  Postmaster  at  Hinckley,  § 
has  resided  in  the  State  of  Illinois  since 
1851,  and  in  Hinckley  since  the  spring  of 
1874.  He  was  born  March  4,  1838,  in  Kane 
Co.,  111.,  and  is  the  fourth'-child  of  his  par- 
ents, Jonathan  L.  and  Laura  (Smith)  Palmer. 
His  father  was  born  in  the  State  of  New  York,  and 
his  mother  in  Vermont.  They  had  six  children. 

Mr.  Palmer  was  brought  up  on  a  farm,  and  was  a 
farmer  until  he  was  36  years  of  age.  In  1851  his 
parents  settled  in  the  township  of  Milan  in  De  Kalb 
County.  His  mother  died  in  Cortland,  and  the  de- 
mise of  his  father  took  place  at  St.  Charles,  Kane 
Co.,  111.  On  coming  to  Hinckley  in  1874,  Mr.  Pal- 
mer built  a  hotel,  which  is  now  occupied  by  O.  P.  T. 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


f    Steinmetz  as  a  store.     He  conducted  his  business 


/Q  as  a  landlord  about  18  months,  when  he  sold  out 
.  '{  and  soon  after  erected  the  store  and  dwelling  now 
occupied  by  Bauder  &  Coster.  Mr.  Palmer  was 
appointed  Postmaster  in  .April,  1884.  In  political 
convictions  and  relations  he  is  a  Republican.  He 
has  officiated  as  one  of  the  Board  of  Village  Trustees 
and  as  a  School  Director. 

Mr.  Palmer  was  married  in  Milan  Township  Feb. 
17,   1863,  to  Emily  N.   Coster.     Mrs.   Palmer  was 
y    born  Aug.  26,  1845,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Alexander 
H.  and  Miranda  Coster.     Laura  M.,  Melvin  P.   and 
.     Myrtie  E.  are  the  names  of  the  children  of  Mr.  and 
^    Mrs.  Palmer. 


ivid  Norton,  farmer,  section  14,  Shabbona 
Township,  was  born  in  Ontario,  Wayne  Co., 
N.  Y.,  July  24, 1821,  was  brought  upon  a 
farm  till  his  i7th  year,  and  then  removed,  to 
Geauga  Co.,  Ohio,  where  he  learned  the  car- 
penter's trade,  at  which  he  was  employed  a 
part  of  his  time,  the  remainder  being  devoted  to 
farming  until  the  fall  of  1845.  He  then  emigrated 
to  the  Prairie  State,  arriving  at  Sugar  Grove,  Kane 
County,  Sept.  n,  that  year.  He  married  at  the  last 
named  place  Aug.  20,  1846,  Lucinda  M.,  daugh- 
ter of  Stephen  and  Julia  (Tyler)  Gates.  She  was 
born  in  Wayne  Co.,  N.  Y.,  June  13,  1826,  lost  her 
mother  in  childhood,  and  was  adopted  and  brought 
up  by  her  uncle,  Isaac  Gates. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Norton  have  had  four  children, 
namely:  Celia  A.,  born  July  23,  1848,  who  is  the 
wife  of  William  Husk,  Postmaster  and  merchant  at 
Shabbona;  Wellington  J.,  born  Dec.  20,  1851; 
Florence  A.,  born  July  3,  1854,  is  the  wife  of  Hiram 
Morey  and  lives  at'Shabbona ;  and  one  child  died  in 
infancy. 

In  the  spring  of  1847,  the  year  following  his  mar- 
riage, Mr.  Norton  and  wife  moved  to  Shabbona 
Township,  this  county,  where  he  entered  some  Gov- 
ernment land  and  purchased  some  at  second-hand. 
His  farm  contains  100  acres  on  section  14,  and  15 
acres  on  section  23,  and  is  well  improved.  Mr.  Nor- 
ton has  held  various  local  offices  since  his  residence 
in  Shabbona.  During  the  war  he  was  appointed  En- 
rolling Officer  for  the  town  ;  served  one  term  as  Su- 

3)^5C£"  >m&&'  O    * 

.^ST/SV^^S1  ^^TxT^^ 


pervisor  and  many  years  as  Road  Commissioner  and 
Director  of  his  school  district.  He  has  been  identi- 
fied with  the  growth  and  improvement  of  the  town 
since  its  pioneer  days,  and  is  held  in  high  esteem  by 
a  wide  circle  of  acquaintances.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Republican. 


illiam  M.  Sebree,  farmer,  resident  in  the 
village  of  Hinckley,  has  lived  in  De  Kalb 
County  since  1834,  when  he  was  brought 
here  an  infant  less  than  two  years  of  age  by 
his  parents,  John  S.  and  Sarah  J.  (Bateman) 
Sebree.  He  is  consequently  the  oldest  living 
settler  in  Squaw  Grove  Township.  His  father 
was  born  in  Virginia,  and  his  mother  is  a  native  of 
Indiana,  where  they  located  after  marriage  and  lived 
two  years,  removing  in  the  winter  of  1834  to  Squaw 
Grove  Township.  The  father  died  there  April  29, 
1873.  They  had  five  children,  named  as  follows  : 
W.  M.,  Matilda  J.,  James  H.,  Mary  A.  and  Ellen, 
William  M.  and  Ellen  are  the  only  surviving  chil- 
dren. 

Mr.  Sebree  was  born  Feb.  7,  1833,  in  Indiana. 
He  was  reared  on  the  farm  of  his  father  in  Squaw 
Grove,  and  he  attended  the  common  schools.  His 
marriage  took  place  when  he  was  23  years  of  age, 
and  on  that -event  transpiring  he  settled  for  an  inde- 
pendent struggle  with  circumstances  on  his  father's 
farm  in  the  township  of  Squaw  Grove.  After  con- 
ducting its  affairs  five  years,  he  removed  to  section 
10,  where  he  owned  a  farm  of  120  acres.  He  con- 
tinued its  management  10  years,  when  he  rented  the 
property  and  removed  to  the  village  of  Hinckley  in 
1876.  He  owns  412  acres  of  land  in  Squaw  Grove 
Township,  nearly  all  of  which  is  under  tillage. 

Mr.  Sebree  conducted  the  creamery  at  Hinckley 
seven  years,  and  originated  the  plan  of  gathering 
cream  for  the  manufacture  of  butter.  He  made  in 
one  day  2,480  pounds  of  butter,  the  largest  amount 
ever  made  in  a  single  day  in  the  county. 

In  political  sentiment  he  is  independent  and  has 
been  Constable,  Highway  Commissioner  and  School 
Director,  besides  having  held  other  minor  offices. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity. 

Mr.  Sebree  was  married  Sept.  26,  1855,  in  Squaw 
Grove  Township,  to  Rosetta  Donaldson.  She  was 
born  in  Steubenville,  Jefferson  Co.,  Ohio,  May  23, 
^&%SZ. ^Sx£ 


DFflf 

UMVERSOT  or 


0 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


g 


1837,  and  is  the  daughter  of  James  and  Jane  (Cane) 
Donaldson.  Her  father  was  born  in  Ireland  and  her 
mother  in  the  city  of  New  York,  They  had  two 
children,  Rosetta  and  Nancy.  The  family  came  in 
the  fall  of  1844  to  De  Kalb  County  and  settled  in 
Squaw  Grove  Township.  The  father's  demise  oc- 
curred there,  April  29,  1845  ;  that  of  the  mother 
took  place  Sept.  28,  1876.  Five  children  have  been 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sebree,  four  of  whom  survive: 
Alice  J.,  Nellie  A.,  Effie  M.  and  Ray  M.  One  child 
died  in  infancy. 


^ohn  Pooler,  farmer  and  stock-raiser,  resid- 
ing on  section  14,  Afton  Township,  was 
born  in  German  Flats,  Herkimer  Co.,  N. 
Y.,  Aug.  n,  1824,  and  is  of  genuine  "Yan- 
kee "  descent.  His  parents,  Jacob  and  Betsey 
(Price)  Pooler,  were  born  in  Dutchess  Co., 
"  York  "  State ;  were  married  there  and  then  moved 
to  Herkimer  County.  The  father  died  at  the  age  of 
67  years,  and  the  mother  when  the  subject  of  this 
notice  was  but  seven  years  of  age. 

Orphaned  by  the  death  of  his  mother  at  an  early 
age,  young  Pooler  was  taken  to  be  reared  by  an  older 
brother,  who  is  still  living  and  resides  near  Cortland, 
this  county,  having  attained  the  venerable  age  of  81 
years.  He  grew  to  manhood  on  his  brother's  farm, 
assisting  in  the  farm  labors  and  attending  the  com- 
mon schools.  On  arriving  at  the  age  named  he  en- 
gaged in  farming  by  the  month,  with  various  persons, 
and  continued  following  that  vocation  for  seven 
years. 

At  the  expiration  of  the  time  named,  Mr.  Pooler, 
from  his  savings,  purchased  a  farm  in  Steuben  Coun- 
ty, in  his  native  State,  which  he  cultivated  for  five 
years.  He  then  sold  his  property  and  spent  a  year 
in  attendance  on  his  wife  (having  previously  mar- 
ried), who  was  undergoing  medical  treatment.  On 
the  convalescence  of  his  wife  he  came  to  this  State 
and  located  in  Afton  Township.  He  arrived  here  in 
1857,  and  at  once  settled  on  the  southeast  quarter 
of  section  24,  Afton  Township,  on  which  he  resided 
until  1870.  He  first  purchased  80  acres,  and  subse- 
quently added  80  more  on  the  same  section. 

After  residing  on  and  improving  his  land  on  sec- 
tion 24,  Mr.  Pooler  purchased  the  farm  on  which  he 

(5>5<g^|« a^g^ir       pys 


is  at  present  residing.  The  original  tract  embraced 
1 60  acres,  and  he  has  since  added,  by  a  subsequent 
purchase,  80  more,  making  his  landed  estate  on  sec- 
tion 14,  240  acres,  and  on  section  24,  160  acres,  or  a 
total  of  400  acres.  He  erected  his  present  residence 
in  1883.  It  is  a  frame  building,  and  one  of  the  neat- 
est and  most  convenient  farm  dwellings  in  the  town- 
ship. He  has  a  large  cattle  barn  on  the  home  farm 
and  good,  substantial  outbuildings. 

Besides  cereal  productions,  Mr.  Pooler  deals  to  a 
considerable  extent  in  stock.  He  raises  from  100  to 
125  head  of  hogs  annually,  besides  about  20  head 
of  cattle  and  as  many  of  calves,  and  disposes  of 
some  30  head  of  cattle  each  year.  He  is  one  of 
those  men  whose  possessions  came  not  by  inherit- 
ance, but  by  honest,  industrious  labor,  coupled  with 
energetic  determination  and  good  judgment^  and  in 
the  enjoyment  of  a  competency  he  has  the  consola- 
tion of  having  accumulated  it  himself,  together  with 
the  helpmeet  he  chose  for  his  life  companion. 

Mr.  Pooler  was  united  in  marriage  March  25, 
1851,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  A.,  daughter  of  Daniel  and 
Mary  (Patten)  Roof.  Her  father  was  born  Aug.  15, 
1803,  in  Montgomery  Co.,  N.  Y.,  in  which  county 
her  mother  was  also  born  Aug.  14,  1803,  and  both  of 
whom  are  yet  living  in  the  same  county.  Her  father 
followed  the  trade  of  a  wheelwright  until  a  short  time 
ago.  Mrs.  Pooler  was  born  Feb.  5,  1833,  in  Minden, 
Montgomery  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  resided  with  her  parents, 
assisting  in  the  household  duties  and  attending  the 
common  schools  until  her  marriage. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pooler  were  the  parents  of  five  chil- 
dren living  and  one  deceased.  The  living  are, — 
Charles  H.,  born  Nov.  7,  1856,  in  Addison,  Steuben 
Co.,  N.  Y.;  Willie  E.,  born  Oct.  30,  1861,  in  Afton 
Township;  Evron  E.,  born  Jan.  16,  1863,  in  Afton 
Township;  and  Everett  E.,  twin  brother  of  Evron 
E.;  May  M.,  born  May  i,  1873.  One  child,  Hattie 
C.,  born  Feb.  26,  1858,  in  Afton  Township,  died  May 
8,  1884,  on  the  home  farm.  She  was  married  Jan. 
18,  1881,  to  Charles  Noble.  March  2, 1881,  she  and 
her  husband  moved  to  Lake  City,  Calhoun  Co.,  Iowa, 
where  the  husband  worked  at  his  trade,  that  of  a 
carpenter.  She  contracted  consumption,  and  the 
dreadful  disease  increased  in  its  different  stages  so 
rapidly  that  she  seemed  to  realize  her  days  of  pleas- 
ure and  happiness  on  earth  were  almost  closed,  and 
thus  realizing,  she,  on  Aug.  f>,  1883,  returned  to  the 


\\ 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


home  of  her  nativity,  the  old  farm  home  on  section 
14,  to  die  in  the  arms  of  father  and  mother.  Her 
sufferings  were  pitiful  to  behold,  but  were  endured 
by  that  fortitude  which  characterized  her  entire  life, 
and  of  a  daughter  and  wife  whose  consolation  was 
that  she  had  lived  a  good  life,  had  fought  the  good 
fight  and  was  prepared  for  the  hereafter.  The  dis- 
ease had  reduced  her  almost  to  skin  and  bones,  and 
for  two  months  she  had  to  be  lifted  in  and  out  of 
her  bed,  and  at  last,  on  the  8th  of  May,  1884,  with  a 
smile  of  satisfaction  on  her  countenance,  she  closed 
her  eyes  in  death,  and  the  dutiful  daughter,  the  lov- 
ing wife,  kind  friend  and  Christian  woman's  soul  had 
passed  into  eternity. 

When  Mr.  Pooler  first  came  to  Afton  Township, 
the  roads  extended  zigzag  over  the  broad  prairies ; 
there  were  no  fences  save  one  now  and  then  enclos- 
ing a  farm  house ;  yet  he  had  great  faith  in  the  fu- 
ture of  the  country  and  energetically  battled  against 
all  obstacles,  determined  to  establish  a  home  for  him- 
self and  family.  How  well  he  has  succeeded,  with 
the  co-operation  pf  his  good  wife,  the  thrifty  condi- 
tion of  his  farm,  and  possessions  will  testify. 

As  a  gentleman  worthy  of  recognition  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  county,  and  an  example  of  what  resolu- 
tion, accompanied  by  energy  and  determination,  can 
do  and  has  accomplished,  we  deem  it  a  pleasure  to 
present  the  portrait  of  the  gentleman  whose  name 
appears  at  the  head  of  this  notice. 


i 


^> 


Herbert  H.  Hopkins,  member  of  the  firm  of 
Gurler  Bros.  &  Co.,  who  are  conducting  the 
business  relations  and  manufactures  of  the 
"  creamery "  at  Hinckley,  was  born  July  2, 
1 86 1,  at  Chesterfield,  N.  H.,  and  is  the  son  of 
R.  Henry  and  Ellen  (Newton)  Hopkins,  natives 
respectively  of  New  Hampshire  and  Massachusetts. 
After  the  marriage  of  his  parents  they  settled  in  the 
Granite  State  and  there  spent  their  lives. 

Mr.  Hopkins  is  the  third  of  their  six  children.  He 
spent  all  his  school  days  in  the  common  schools,  and 
was  a  resident  of  New  Hampshire  until  the  spring  of 
1880,  when  he  came  to  the  village  of  De  Kalb,  and 
obtained  employment  in  the  creamery  at  that  place, 
operating  there  two  years  in  that  capacity.  He  re- 


mained there  a  year  longer,  and  was  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  butter-tubs.  In  the  spring  of  1884 
he  came  to  Hinckley  and  assumed  charge  of  the 
creamery  belonging  to  Gurler  Bros.  &  Co.,  becoming 
a  partner  therein.  He  is  a  Republican  in  political 
connections  and  belief,  and  belongs  to  the  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows. 

Mr.  Hopkins  was  married  March  14,  1883,  in  De 
Kalb,  to  Frances  C.  Geiser.  She  was  born  Dec.  3, 
1 86 1,  in  the  State  of  New  York. 


ndrew  H.  Johnson,  general  farmer,  section 
29,    Milan   Township,   was   born   Jan  27, 
1830,  in   Stananger,  Norway.     His   father, 
Henry  Johnson,  was  a  farmer  in  that  country 
and   married   Melinda    Pierson.      The  latter 
died   in  September,   1883;  the  death  of  the 
former  occurred  some  years  earlier. 

Mr.  Johnson  is  the  fourth  son  of  1 1  children  born 
to  his  parents,  and  was  sent  to  the  public  schools, 
where  he  obtained  a  fair  education.  In  1854  he  came 
to  America,  accompanied  by  his  younger  brother, 
Henry.  They  first  located  in  Ottawa,  La  Salle  Co., 
111.,  where  Mr.  Johnson  of  this  sketch  spent  three 
years  as  a  farm  assistant.  He  was  married  in  La 
Salle  County,  town  of  Mission,  Oct.  19,  1857,  to 
Sarah,  daughter  of  Ole  and  Caroline  (Benn)  Baker. 
She  is  the  younger  of  two  children  and  was  born  in 
Norway,  Jan.  27,  1841.  At  the  date  of  her  parents' 
removal  to  America  she  was  18  months  old.  They 
first  settled  in  Wisconsin,  where  her  father  died 
when  she  was  about  three  years  of  age.  Her  mother 
transferred  her  residence  to  La  Salle  County,  where 
she  died  about  the  time  Mrs.  Johnson  attained  to 
the  age  of  1 1  years.  The  latter  was  cared  for  by 
an  aunt  subsequent  to  the  loss  of  her  mother.  By 
her  marriage  to  Mr.  Johnson  she  is  the  mother  of 
eight  children, — Henry  W.,  Caroline,  Melinda,  Ole, 
James  E.,  Emma  J.  and  Aaron  C.  One  child  is  not 
living. 

Mr.  Johnson  left  La  Salle  County  four  years  after 
his  marriage,  and  went  to  Kendall  County,  there 
purchased  a  farm  and  lived  on  it  three  years,  after 
which  he  purchased  80  acres  of  land  in  Milan  Town- 
ship, where  he  established  and  has  maintained  his 
homestead.  To  his  original  purchase  he  has  added 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


^ 


?> 


8o  acres  on  the  same  section,  and  80  acres  on  sec- 
tion 31  in  the  same  township,  constituting  a  superb 
farm,  which  is  under  the  best  improvements,  and 
supplied  with  modern  farm  fixtures.  Politically  he 
he  is  a  hearty,  enthusiastic  Republican,  and  has  held 
several  local  offices. 


i  illiam  Jackson,  dealer  in  general  mer- 
chandise at  the  village  of  Shabbona,  was 
one  of  the  earliest  merchants  at  tliat  place. 
He  was  born  in  Schenectady,  N.  Y.,  Feb.  i, 
1845,  and  is  the  son  of  William  and  Eliza 
I.  Jackson.  He  received  a  common-school 
education,  and  came  to  Illinois  in  1864,  locating  at 
Shabbona  Grove,  where  he  engaged  in  clerking  about 
three  years.  He  then  began  business  as  a  manu- 
facturer of  and  dealer  in  boots  and  shoes,  which  he 
continued  up  to  1870,  when  he  sold  out  and  followed 
clerking.  In  November,  1872,  he  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  his  brother,  A.  S.,  in  a  general  store  at 
Shabbona  village,  under  the  firm  name  of  A.  S.  & 
Wm.  Jackson.  Theirs  was  the  first  store  building  at 
the  present  business  center  of  the  village.  One  year 
afterward  they  sold  out,  and  the  following  spring  Mr. 
Jackson  resumed  business  alone.  March  3,  1877, 
the  building  and  stock  was  destroyed  by  fire,  and  he 
resumed  business  May  22,  1877,  the  line  of  trade 
consisting  of  dry  goods,  groceries,  boots  and  shoes, 
hats,  caps  and  notions. 

Mr.  Jackson  was  married  at  Shabbona  Grove, 
June  18,  1873,  to  Miss  Addie  Hotchkiss,  a  daughter 
of  Nelson  and  Harriet  Hotchkiss,  who  was  born  near 
Geneva,  Kane  Co.,  111. 


,dwin  R.  Colby,  Supervisor  of  Milan  Town- 
ship, resident  on  section  33,  was  born 
Aug.  10,  1823,  in' Oswego,  N.  Y.  His 
father,  Daniel  D.  Colby,  was  a  native  of  Onon- 
daga  County,  in  the  same  State,  and  descended 
from  New  England  parentage  and  from  stock 
originally  of  English  origin.  His  grandfather  was  a 
participant  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  in  which  he 
received  a  wound  that  crippled  him  for  life.  He 
_died  in  the  State  of  New  York.  Daniel  Colby  fixed 


his  residence  in  Oswego  when  he  was  19  years  of 
age,  and  was  a  resident  there  during  the  remainder 
of  his  life,  which  terminated  when  he  was  82  years 
of  age,  in  June,  1883.  The  mother  of  Edwin  R. 
Colby  was^  Elizabeth  Singer,  and  was  a  sister  of  Isaac 
M.  Singer,  of  sewing-machine  notoriety.  She  was 
born  in  New  York  and  was  of  German  parentage. 
The  Singer  family  were  mechanics  as  far  back  as  the 
iyth  century,  the  father,  I.  M. "Singer,  being  a  mill- 
wright. The  inventive  genius  has  been  transmitted 
to  some  members  of  every  generation  since,  and  all 
are  skillful  in  the  use  of  tools. 

Mr.  Colby  is  one  of  14  children  born  to  his  par- 
ents, ten  sons  and  four  daughters.  Twelve  reached 
adult  age,  and  ten  yet  survive.  Mr.  Colby  is  the 
third  child  in  order  of  birth,  and  he  resided  at  home 
until  he  was  17  years  of  age.  He  had  learned  the 
trade  of  cooper  of  a  man  who  had  been  employed  by 
his  father  in  that  business,  and  at  the  age  named  he 
set  himself  about  the  task  of  earning  an  independent 
living.  He  turned  his  knowledge  of  the  business  of 
coopering  to  good  advantage  and  followed  it  as  a 
vocation  for  16  years,  alternating  in  the  prosecution 
of  general  farming. 

He  was  married  in  1854  to  Catherine  Simmons, 
who  was  born -about  1824,  in  Connecticut,  and  was  a 
farmer's  daughter.  Her  parents  removed  to  Oswego, 
where  she  was  reared  and  educated.  She  became 
the  mother  of  four  children :  Calvert  C.  married 
Frances  Griswold  and  resides  at  Rockford,  111.,  where 
he  is  employed  as  a  moulder.  Albert  J.  married 
Nettie  Steele.  He  is  also  a  moulder  and  pursues 
that  business  at  Rockford.  Olive  married  Peter 
Cofield,  a  farmer  in  Shabbona  Township.  Eliza  is 
the  wife  of  William  Shambo,  a  teacher  in  the  town- 
ship of  Milan.  The  mother  died  in  November,  1850, 
in  the  State  of  New  York.  She  was  a  judicious 
mother,  an  exemplary  wife,  and  was  generally  es- 
teemed. A  few  years  after  her  death  Mr.  Colby  re- 
moved to  Shiawassee  Co.,  Mich.,  and  located  on  a 
small  farm,  where  he  pursued  his  trade  of. cooper 
about  three  years.  In  May,  1861,  he  came  to  Illi- 
nois and  located  in  the  township  of  Shabbona.  He 
was  married  there  in  June,  1863,  to  Mrs.  Deborah 
(Simpson)  Collins.  She  was  born  in  1828,  in  Orleans 
Co.,  N.  Y.  She  came  to  Illinois  after  her  marriag 
Following  are  the  names  of  the  children  of  the  sec- 
ond marriage  :  Sherman  T.,  Eddie  R.,  Abraham  A., 
Lovina  and  Nellie. 


i 


NUMB 


DE  KALB  COUNTY 


o 


Mr.  Colby  resided  in  Shabbona  Township  and  car- 
ried on  a  farm  there  eight  years.  At  the  end  of  that 
time  he  sold  his  place  and  purchased  the  estate  he 
now  owns  in  Milan  Township.  To  this  he  has  since 
added  80  acres,  and  the  entire  estate  is  ijow  under 
excellent  cultivation  and  improvements,  with  good 
farm  buildings  and  fine  grades  of  stock.  He  is  a 
Republican  and  has  discharged  the  obligations  of 
most  of  the  township  offices. 


!  ohn  S.  Sebree,  deceased,  a  former  resident 
|f  of  the  township  of  Squaw  Grove  and  one  of 
the  earliest  permanent  settlers  of  De  Kalb 
County,  was  born  Aug.  22,  1808,  in  Virginia. 
In  early  life  he  spent  some  time  in  teaming 
and  in  boating  on  the  Mississippi  River.  He 
was  married  Dec.  n,  1831,  in  Indiana,  to  Sarah  J. 
Bateman.  She  was  born  Feb.  7,  1812,  and  is  the 
daughter  of  William  and  Elizabeth  (O'Blonus)  Bate- 
man, and  was  the  second  of  four  children  born  to 
her  parents.  After  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sebree 
settled  in  Floyd  Co.,  Ind. 

In  the  fall  of  1834  he. started  with  his  wife  and  one 
child  for  Illinois,  making  the  journey  to  De  Kalb 
County  with  a  team  and  driving  a  cow.  On  the  way 
Mr.  Sebree  worked  for  a  time  near  Bloomington,  111., 
picking  corn  on  shares,  for  which  he  returned  in 
January.  Reaching  Squaw  Grove  Township,  he  locat- 
ed a  300  acres  of  land,  on  which  he  built  a  shanty 
that  had  a  roof  of  basswood  bark,  the  same  as  that 
used  by  the  Indians  in  building  their  wigwams. 
Their  shanty  had  a  fire-place  built  of  sticks  and  mud, 
and  the  floor  was  covered  with  hay.  This  caught 
fire  on  one  occasion,  but  did  no  damage  save  the  fear 
of  utter  ruin  to  the  establishment.  They  occupied 
this  shanty  two  weeks,  and  Mr.  Sebree  built  a  log 
house  which  was  far  more  comfortable.  He  cut  the 
first  hay  in  the  township.  When  he  reached  the 
place  where  he  located  his  land,  the  second  -  growth 
of  the  prairie  grass  was  fresh  and  still  green  and  made 
excellent  hay,  which  was  in  immediate  demand  for 
their  horses  and  cows. 

After  settling  his  wife  and  child  as  well  as  he  could, 

Mr.  Sebree  returned  to  Bloomington  for  the  corn  he 

had  earned, -going  away  about   the   first  of  January 

rid  did  not  return  until  the  last  of  February,  follow- 

*&. ^£3ifZ &• 


ing.  Mrs.  Sebree  was  alone  with  her  son  and  a 
small  boy  nearly  two  months.  She  prepared  the 
corn  from  which  her  bread  was  made  by  pounding  it, 
in  a  wooden  mortar  made  by  a  hole  in  the  top  of  a 
stump,  with  an  iron  wedge.  The  family  lived  12  years 
in  the  log  house,  in  which  they  kept  a  sort  of  hotel, 
as  there  was  no  other  place  for  prospectors  and  land- 
lookers  to  obtain  necessary  accommodations.  Fre- 
quently the  floor  of  the  little  log  house  was  covered 
with  the  sleeping  forms  of  tired  travelers.  In  1842 
Mr.  Sebree  built  a  frame  house  which  is  still  stand- 
ing near  the  village  of  Hinckley,  and  in  which  she 
resides.  She  is  74  years  of  age,  and  is  the  general 
manager  of  a  farm  of  222  acres.  She  is  uncommonly 
vigorous  and  never  required  the  attendance  of  a 
physician  until  the  winter  of  1884-5.  Her  fiye  chil- 
dren are  married.  William  M.,  Matilda  J.,  James 
H.,  Mary  A.  and  Ellen. 

The  father  died  April  29,  1873.  At  the  date  of 
his  removal  to  De  Kalb  County,  he  was  in  very 
straitened  circumstances.  At  the  date  of  his  death 
he  owned  about  620  acres  of  land. 


W.  Tyrrell,  senior  editor  and  publisher  of 
the  De  Kalb  Review,  was  born  in  Kalama- 
zoo,  Mich.,  Nov.  12,  ^840.  His  parents 
returned  to  Cliautauqua  County,  N.  Y.,  and 
resided  at  Quincy,  Fredonia,  and  other  points  in 
the  county  until  1850,  when  they  took  a  boat  at 
Dunkirk  and  came  West,  landing  at  Racine,  Wis. 
Moving  further  on,  the  family  settled  in  the  town  of 
Magnolia,  Rock  Co.,  Wis.,  shifting  locations  as  cir- 
cumstances dictated,  to  different  portions  of  the 
county.  In  1853  or  '54  the  impulse  to  move  on  to- 
wards the  wes'.ern  "  jumping-off  place  "  again  seized 
the  head  of  the  family  (Manlius  Tyrrell),  and,  with  a 
yoke  of  steers  hitched  to  a  doubtful  vehicle  called  a 
wagon,  out  of  which  an  orthodox  prairie  schooner 
was  improvised,  a  start  was  made  for  Iowa. 

There  is  in  the  life  of  every  boy  some  one  event 
which  occupies  a  niche  in  the  memory  a  little  more 
prominent  than  any  other.  This  trip  to  Iowa,  rather 
with  than  in  the  "  prairie  schooner,"  rises  up,  even 
now,  in  the  mind  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  lib 
tolerably  good-sized  mountain,  fraught  as  it  was  with 
circumstances  which  might  have  tempted  the  patieno 


tltSs^&f 
M-OV 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


of  ]ob  or  tried  the  "  sand  "  of  an  Alexander.  Mak- 
ing their  way  through  clouds  of  mosquitoes,  storms  of 
rain,  across  swollen  streams,  up  and  down  hills  little 
and  big,  encountering  mishaps  of  various  kinds,  with 
those  faithful  steers,  the  Hawkeye  State  was  finally 
reached.  The  now  rich,  prohibition  and  always 
patriotic  State  of  Iowa  had  the  honor  of  receiving  the 
Tyrrell  family  at  McGregor-on-the-Mississippi,  noted 
for  its  one  street  and  no  lightning  rods,  the  high 
bluffs  on  either  side  of  the  solitary  street  absorbing 
all  the  electric  fluid  which  old  Jove  has  to  spare  in 
that  neighborhood.  The  journey  was  continued  on 
from  McGregor  until  their  destination,  West  Union, 
the  county  seat  of  Fayette  County,  was  reached  in 
safety,  the  steers  discharged  and  paterfamilias  set  to 
work  at  blacksmithing,  the  will-o'-the-wisp,  fortune, 
still  moving  on,  moving  on  still  westward,  with  the 
now  travel-begrimed  star  of  empire. 

Here  the  family  lived,  or  "  stayed,"  as  the  case 
may  be,  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  Rebellion. 
Young  Tyrrell  meantime  had  apprenticed  himself  to 
a  printer  by  the  name  of  Gharkey,  who  published 
The  Fayette  County  Pioneer,  a  thorough  "  Dough- 
face," pro-slavery  paper,  and  was  at  work  in  this 
''print  shop  "  when  the  terrible  war  broke  out.  Tyr- 
rell was  an  "  Abolitionist  "  at  heart  and  was  so  called 
by  Boss  Gharkey,  but  a  self-professed  Republican, 
and  "  Union  "  to  the  back-bone.  So,  after  the  ap- 
palling news  came  flashing  across  the  country  that 
Fort  Sumter  had  been  fired  upon  by  the  hot-headed 
sons  of  South  Carolina,  he,  with  numerous  other 
young  fellows  not  yet  old  enough  to  vote,  rushed  off 
to  the  war  with  blood  in  his  eye  and  a  firm  resolve  in 
his  heart  "  never,  no,  never!  to  give  up  until  the  last 
armed  foe  expired!"  He  served  three  years  in 
Co.  F,  Qth  Iowa  Regt.  Vol.  Inf.,  commanded  by  Col. 
Vandever,  of  Dubuque,  and  participated  in  the  vari- 
ous campaigns  with  his  regiment,  notable  among 
which  were  the  battles  of  Pea  Ridge  in  Northwestern 
Arkansas,  the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  the  battle  (?)  of 
Lookout  Mountain,  and  the  many  other  minor  battles 
and  skirmishes  in  which  the  regiment  was  engaged. 
At  Pea  Ridge  Lieut.  Neff  was  shot  down  by  his  side 
at  the  first  fire  from  the  Confederates. 

But  Tyrrell  was  glad  to  get  back  home  as  soon  as 
his  "commission"  expired,  and  not  more  than  two- 
:hirds  of  the  foe  had  yet  been  accommodating  enough 
:o  expire.  Knowing  that  Grant  and  Sherman  and 
Sheridan  and  good,  brave  and  noble  old  "  Pap " 


Thomas  would  be  left  to  worry  the  "  rebs "  awhile 
longer,  he  left  the  service  without  a  pang  or  a  wound 
to  draw  a  pension  on  and  came  back  to  the  old  paths 
of  peace  and  soft  bread. 

Returning  to  Iowa  and  finding  the  "girl  he  left 
behind  him  "  enjoying  a  state  of  double  blessed- 
ness, he  soon  left  the  State  and  again  turned  up  in 
Wisconsin,  which,  when  he  left  it,  was  the  "  Badger 
State,"  but  found  on  his  return  that  the  "  badgers  " 
had  all  gone  West  or  to  the  war. 

The  "  printing  habit" — which  never  entirely  for- 
sakes a  man  when  it  has  once  thoroughly  fastened 
itself  upon  him — returned  to  torment  Tyrrell.  Find- 
ing a  situation  open  to  him  in  Brodhead,  Green 
County,  in  The  Independent  office,  he  entered  that 
office  and  worked  there  for  I.  F.  Mack,  Jr.,  now 
editor  and  publisher  of  the  Sandusky  (O.)  Register, 
for  four  or  five  years.  E.  O.  Kimberly  and  Tyrrell 
then  purchased  the  Independent  plant  and  published 
the  paper  together  some  nine  months,  when,  in  con- 
se'quence  of  a  rupture  in  the  Republican  ranks  at 
the  county  seat  (Monroe),  a  new  paper  was  wanted 
in  that  place  in  opposition  to  the  Sentinel,  which  had 
had  the  temerity  to  oppose  the  "  regular  "  nominee  for 
State  Senator.  Great  things  were  promised  by  the 
politicians,  and  Tyrrell  sold  out  his  magnificent  in- 
terests and  prospects  in  the  Brodhead  paper  and 
went  to  Monroe  and  started  the  Green  County  Re- 
publican, with  A.  W.  Potter  as  partner,  a  man  who 
knew  as  little  about  the  publishing  business  as  the 
mo'st  fastidious  could  wish.  While  indulging  in  the 
laudable  enterprise  of  running  a  paper  for  spite, 
Tyrrell  took  in  another  partner, — Mrs.  Sarah  Akin, 
«<?<?Gray, — of  St.  Charles,  111.  This  last  partnership, 
for  a  wonder,  has  never  been  dissolved!  Potter,  a 
nervous  little  body,  soon  found  that  the  new  paper 
was  not  a  bonanza  of  formidable  proportions,  and  pro- 
posed a  dissolution.  With  Potter  to  propose  was  to 
dispose,  and  so  Tyrrell  went  out  of  the  new  paper  in 
a  blaze  of  financial  impecuniosity ! 

Again  farewell  to  Wisconsin !  Hail,  Illinois!  Tak- 
ing his  life  partner  along,  Tyrrell  found  himself,  in 
1870,  located  at  St.  Charles,  Kane  Co.,  111.  He  soon 
found  employment  with  S.  L.  Taylor  in  the  Geneva 
Republican  office,  where  he  worked  about  a  year. 
Meantime  Mr.  Taylor  had  established  the  St.  Charles 
Transcript,  but  no  sooner  having  it  started  than  an 
opportunity  presented  itself  to  establish  a  new  paper 
in  Elgin.  He  went  there  and  started  The  Advocate, 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


J 


D.  W.  Tyrrell  and  Charles  Archer  taking  his  Geneva 
and  St.  Charles  papers  off  his  hands.  These  papers 
Tyrrell  &  Archer  published  for  about  a  year,  when 
the  "  granger  "  craze  broke  loose  and  H.  N.  Wheeler, 
the  noted  crank  who  promulgated  the  infamous  sen- 
timent in  the  Quincy  (111.)  Herald  that  "  Garfield 
was  no  better  than  the  man  who  shot  him,"  con- 
ceived the  brilliant  enterprise  of  publishing  a  granger 
paper.  With  this  in  view,  Wheeler  and  one  Mc- 
Master proposed  to  Tyrrell  to  sell  out  to  them, 
threatening  at  the  same  time  to  "start"  another 
paper  if  their  proposition  to  buy  was  not  acceded  to. 
Tyrrell  was  bulldozed  out  and  "  swindled  into  the 
bargain."  Wheeler  &  McMaster  gave  T.  a  contract 
in  writing  to  pay  his  portion  of  the  debts  against 
the.  firm  of  Tyrrell  &  Archer,  but  after  they  got  pos- 
ses^ion  of  the  concern  they  flatly  refused  to  make 
thdr  contract  good.  A  year  or  two  afterwards  Tyr- 
rell sued  Wheeler  &  McMaster  and  brought  suit 
against  them  in  the  Kane  County  Circuit  Court,  and 
obtained  judgment  against  them,  which  judgment 
stands  against  them  to  this  day. 

Tyrrell,  out  of  work  and  out  of  money,  as  a  last 
resort  started  the  St.  Charles  Independent,  which, 
owing  to  a  "  plentiful  lack  "  of  patronage,  soon  died 
a  natural  death,  after  a  struggle  of  about  eight 
months,  more  or  less,  mourned  by  few  and  remem- 
bered by  none  except  its  one  parent. 

In  April,  1875,  Tyrrell  received  a  proposition  from 
L.  H.  Post,  publisher  of  The  2)e  Kalb  County  News, 
to  go  to  De  Kalb  and  work  for  him.  Post  was  then 
Post-Master.  Tyrrell  accepted  the  offer  of  work  and 
moved  there,  working  for  Mr.  P.  about  three  years, 
when  he  was  superseded  in  the  News  office  by  Geo. 
W.  Taylor,  of  Sycamore.  Tyrrell  was  again  on  his 
oars,  with  winter  coming  on  and  the  cupboard  bare. 
So  he  started  a  little  daily,  called  it  The  Index,  and 
managed  to  squeeze  out  a  precarious  living  through 
the  winter,  working  day  and  night  like  a  Trojan  to 
keep  the  wolf  from  howling  around  the  door  of  the 
shanty. 

Post  didn't  like  the  competition,  and,  becoming 
disgusted  with  Taylor,  proposed  to  buy  out  the  little 
daily  and  take  its  proprietor  back  into  the  News 
office.  The  arrangement  was  made,  and  Mr.  Tyrrell 
remained  with  Post  until  The  DeKalb  County  Chron- 
icle, Mr.  Glidden's  paper,  opened  its  ponderous  jaws 
and  absorbed  the  News,  body,  soul  and  subscription 


list.  Mr.  Tyrrell  then  tried  to  work  for  Rosette,  the 
man  of  iron  will  who  steers  the  Chronicle  craft,  but 
the  water  and  oil  of  their  respective  compositions 
wouldn't  mix,  and  so  the  former  formed  a  patent 
combination  with  L.  E.  Tomblin,  of  the  Genoa  Sift- 
ings,  resulting  in  the  purchase  of  the  De  Kalb  Re- 
view, established  by  S.  L.  Graham  and  H.  L.  Boies, 
of  the  Sycamore  Republican,  in  February,  1883. 

Tyrrell  &  Tomblin  are  still  "  running  "  the  Review, 
having  engineered  it  successfully  through  babyhood, 
with  every  prospect  of  raising  it  to  an  exalted  posi- 


tion in  the  ranks  of  country  journals,  at 
paid  in  advance! 


a  year,  if 


"ohn  H.  Bauder,  merchant  at  Hinckley,  has 
been  in  business  at  that  place  since  1875, 
and  has  been  a  resident  of  the  State  since 
:86g.  He  was  born  Sept.  10,  1847,  m  Mont- 
gomery Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  is  a  son  of  James  and 
Catherine  (Young)  Bauder.  His  parents  are 
natives  of  the  State  of  New  York,  and  are  now  resi- 
dent there.  Their  family  comprised  eight  children. 

The  first  1 6  years  of  the  life  of  Mr.  Bauder  were 
passed  in  home  duties  and  in  attendance  at  the  com- 
mon school.  In  1863  he  went  to  Hammondsport, 
Steuben  County,  in  the  same  State,  and  entered  upon 
a  clerkship.  He  operated  in  that  capacity  three 
years,  and  in  1869  engaged  in  a  like  employment  at 
Aurora,  Kane  Co.,  111.  He  acted  as  a  salesman  in 
that  city  about  six  years.  In  1875  he  formed  a 
partnership  with  Mr.  Avery  G.  Case  at  Hinckley, 
and  the  firm  of  Case  &  Bauder  prosecuted  the  rela- 
tions of  a  general  mercantile  enterprise  one  year, 
when  the  senior  partner  sold  out  and  the  firm  style 
became  thereby  Meredith,  Bauder  &  Co.,  the  latter 
term  representing  a  gentleman  named  Morgan. 
Messrs.  Meredith  and  Morgan  sold  out  18  months 
later  to  J.  C.  Coster,  the  firm  name  becoming  Bauder 
&  Coster.  Their  stock  consists  of  well  assorted 
merchandise  suited  to  the  local  patronage,  and  their 
transactions  annually  amount  to  nearly  $40,000. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Bauder  took  place  Sept.  13, 
1876,  at  Hinckley,  to  Hattie  M.  Coster.  (See  sketch 
of  J.  C.  Coster.)  One  child,  Mabel  C.,  has  been 
born  to  them.  Her  birth  occurred  April  10,  1878 

Politically  Mr.  Bauder  is  independent  in  opinion. 


DE  KALB  COUNTY 


455 


He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Order,  and  belongs 
to  Lodge  301,  at  Hinckley.  He  has  held  the  follow- 
ing offices  :  Member  of  Board  of  Trustees  for  vil- 
lage of  Hinckley,  Township  Clerk  three  terms,  is 
present  Village  Treasurer,  having  held  the  office 
three  years,  and  he  has  been  Township  Treasurer 
for  the  past  six  years. 


X  \  3  '^gjjL  on-  Thomas  S.  Terry,  deceased,  was  born 
at  Enfield,  Tompkins  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Jan.  25, 
1819,  and  was  the  son  of  Erastus  and 
Hannah  (Scudder)  Terry.  Was  educated  in  the 
public  schools,  and  engaged  in  clerking  and 
teaching  until  he  enlisted  in  the  regular  army, 
March  28,  1841  ;  was  promoted  Sergeant,  served  in 
)  Texas  on  the  Mexican  border,  and  received  an  hon- 
f  orable  discharge  March  26,  1846,  having  been  in  the 
service  five  years. 

In  the  autumn  of   1846,  he  emigrated   to   Illinois 
x  and   entered   a  quarter  of  section    24,  township  of 
Shabbona,  this  county,  and   engaged  in  the   pursuits 
-  of  agriculture.     He  was    married  in   Clinton   Town- 
^  ship,  this    county,  Sept.    6,    1848,10    Miss  Mary    J., 
daughter  of  James  and  Maria  (Gott)  Irwin,  who  was 
born  at    Albany,  N.  Y.,   May  22,    1829.     Mr.    and 
Mrs.  Terry  had  six  sons   and   one   daughter,   all   of 
whom  were  born  in  Shabbona  Township,  in   the   fol- 
lowing order : 

1.  William  W.  was  born  Aug.  22,  1849,  and  mar- 
ried for  his  first  wife  Miss  Emma  Harmon,  who  died 

»  a  little  more  than  a  year  afterward,  leaving  one  child, 
daughter.        His   present  wife  was   Miss   Millie 
\  Cooper  :  they  reside  in  Portland,  Oregon. 

2.  Charles  R.    was  born  May  n,    1851,  married 
Miss  Annie  Stickney  and  lives  in  Piano,  111. 

3.  Althea  H.   was  torn  April  16,  1853,  and  is  the 
wife  of  Ira  Smith,  of  Aurora,  111. 

4.  Fred  E.  was  born  Aug.  10,  1856,  married  Miss 
Kate  Setchel  and  lives  at  Little  Sioux,  Iowa. 

5.  Elias  D.,  torn  June  7,  1858,  lives    at    Beards- 
town,  111. 

6.  Lincoln  A.,  born  April  20,   1860,  married  Ella 
V.  Quinn,  and  lives  at  the  old  homestead  in  Shabbona. 

7.  Thomas   S.,   torn   Oct.   18,  1864,  is    yet    un- 
married and  living  at  home. 


On  the  breaking  out  of  the  late  war  Mr.  Terry,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  recruited  Co.  E  of  the  1 051)1 
111.  Vol.  Inf.,  in  August,  1862,  and  Sept.  2,  was 
commissioned  Captain.  He  served  in  the  Army  of 
the  Cumberland,  under  Gen.  Thomas,  but  in  March 
following  was  compelled  to  resign  his  commission  on 
account  of  physical  disability ;  and  after  his  return 
from  the  army  he  never  fully  regained  his  health. 

In  1865  he  removed  with  his  family  to  Leland, 
111.,  where  he  resided  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
March  7,  1868,  at  Earlville,  111.,  while  temporarily 
absent  from  home.  While  a  resident  of  Shabbona 
he  held  various  local  offices,  being  Town  Clerk  and 
Supervisor  several  years,  Justice  of  the  Peace  12 
years,  and  elected  a  member  of  the  Legislature  in 
1860,  when  he  resigned  his  justiceship.  He  was  a 
Freemason  of  many  years'  standing,  being  one  of  the 
charter  members  of  Shabbona  Lodge,  No.  374,  and 
of  De  Kalb  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.  He  was  a  zealous 
temperance  man,  and  was  instrumental  in  founding 
a  lodge  of  Good  Templars  at  Shabbona  Grove  at  an 
early  day.  In  politics  he  was  an  earnest  Republi- 
can. As  a  neighbor  and  citizen  he  was  known  as  a 
man  of  strict  integrity,  patriotism  and  public  spirit, 
whose  influence  was  always  good.  His  comrades  in 
arms  have  paid  appropriate  tribute  to  his  memory  by 
naming  their  post  at  Shabbona  after  him,  as  "  T.  S. 
Terry  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  No.  463." 

Immediately  after  the  death  of  her  husband,  Mrs. 
Terry  returned  with  her  children  to  the  old  home- 
stead in  Shabbona,  where  she  still  resides,  with  her 
two  youngest  sons. 

~M  ..;=S=oSlEj=;..->~ 


illiam  Leifheit,  farmer,  section  17,  Squaw 
Grove  Township,  has  been  a  resident  of 
the  State  of  Illinois  since  1850,  and  since 
that  date  has  resided  successively  in  the 
counties  of  Kendall  and  De  Kalb.  He  was 
born  in  Germany,  in  June,  1821,  where  he  was 
bred  a  farmer.  His  parents,  Frederick  and  Hattie 
(Borchas)  Leifheit,  were  of  German  birth  and  emi- 
grated to  America  with  their  children  in  1850.  After 
a  residence  of  two  years  in  Kendall  Co.,  111.,  they 
went  to  Iowa,  where  the  mother  died,  about  1855. 
The  father  returned  to  Kendall  County  and  died 
about  two  years  later.  They  had  six  children, — 


v/ 

* 

(D 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


^Hannah,  Mollie,  Henry,  William,  August  and  Minnie. 
Mr.  Leifheit  removed  from  Kendall  County  to 

iSquaw  Grove  Township  in  1856,  and  bought  160 
acres  of  land  on  sections  17  and  18,  locating  his 

^residence  on  the  former,  on  which  he  has  continued 
to  live.  He  now  owns  565  acres  of  land  in  the  town- 
ship, and  has  placed  460  acres  under  cultivation. 
He  has  held  several  township  offices,  is  a  Republican 
in  political  opinion  and  in  religious  views  and  con- 
nection a  Lutheran. 


He  was  married  in  July,  1850,  in  Kendall  Co.,  111., 
<£  sjto  Caroline,  daughter  of  Charles  and  Julia  (Sholla) 
^Eckhart.     Her   parents   were    natives  of  Germany, 
where   she  was  also  born,  May  2,   1823.     Mr.   and 
Mrs.  Leifheit  are  the  parents  of  1  1  children,  —  Will- 
iam L.,  Emmet  A.,  Edward  F.,  Caroline  M.,  Adolph 
F.,  Charles  F.,  Julia  A.,  Harvey  H.,  Emma  L.,  Anna 
H.  and  Mary  A.     Julia  died  Sept.  12,  1881,  aged  20 
\  years.     Mrs.  Leifheit  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
Church. 

'  Mr.  Leifheit's  portrait  appears  on  another  page. 
^E-  He  is  a  solid  citizen  of  Squaw  Grove  Township  and 
f-?  has  earned  the  respect  of  his  fellow  citizens  by  a 
I*  straightforward  life  of  effort  and  unvarying  rectitude. 

s 


!-:harles  Sanderson,    Milan  Township,  has 
been  a  farmer  on  section    18  since  1874. 
He  was  born  April  u,   1861,  in  the  town- 
ship of  Earl,  La  Salle   Co.,  111.       His  father, 
Sander     H.    Sanderson,   was     a     prominent 
farmer  of  that  county,  whence  he  came,  when 
1 8  years  of  age,  to  La  Salle   County,  and   where    he 
was  married  to  Anna  Moland ;  and  there  he  was  en- 
gaged in  agricultural  pursuits    until  his   removal  to 
Milan  Township,   where   he   became    an   extensive 
landholder.     His  death  occurred  in  December,  1881, 
and  that  of  his  wife  took  place  one  week  previous  to 
his  own  demise. 
fJi       Mr.  Sanderson  acquired  a  fair  education  at  the  com- 
mon schools,  and  up  to  the  date  of  his  parents'decease 
he  spent  the  summer  seasons  at  work  on    the   farm. 
*  He  was  married  April   20,  1882,  to   Carrie,  daughter 
I  of  Theodore  and  Maria  (Davidson)  Berg.      She  was 
i  born  in  Henderson  Co.,  III.,  June  19,  1861,  and  when 
she  was  three  years  of  age  came  with  her  parents  to 
|_Milan   Township,   where  they  yet  reside,  on  section 

^^^-^ 


19.     She    is   the   oldest   of  five   children,  and    the 
mother  of  one, — Mabel, — born  March  27,  1883. 

Mr.  Sanderson  and  his  wife  took  up  their  resi- 
dence after  marriage  on  120  acres  of  land,  in  Milan 
Township,  which  has  since  become  their  property. 
They  have  recently  built  a  commodious  frame  res- 
idence. Mr.  Sanderson  is  an  earnest  Republican, 
and,  with  his  wife,  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
Church. 


harles  H.  Taylor,  dealer  in  agricultural 
implements  at  Hinckley,  was  born  April 
13,  1830,  in  Tioga  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  is  one  of 
nine  children  born  to  his  parents,  David  and 
Sarah  (Tappen)Taylor,  born  in  the  following 
order:  Nancy  A.,  Malvina,  Cornelius,  Chas.  H.> 
Catherine,  Tappen  A.,  Sarah,  David  and  Mary.  The 
father  and  mother  were  born  in  Massachusetts,  and 
settled  after  marriage  in  the  State  of  New  York, 
where  their  lives  terminated. 

Mr.  Taylor  is  the  son  of  a  farmer,  and  passed  the 
first  20  years  of  his  life  on  the  home  place,  engaged 
chiefly  in  farm  labor,  and  operated  several  winters 
in  the  woods.  He  came  West  in  1850,  and  after 
prospecting  in  various  localities  about  two  years,  he 
came  in  the  spring  of  1853  to  Squaw  Grove  Town- 
ship, and  bought  170  acres  of  land  on  section  4. 
He  was  its  occupant  one  year,  when  he  sold  and  for 
three  years  subsequent  rented  a  farm.  In  1858  he 
again  bought  a  farm,  and  was  engaged  in  the  prose- 
cution of  his  agricultural  interests  until  the  spring 
of  1874,  when  he  built  a  residence  in  the  village  of 
Hinckley,  of  which  he  took  possession  as  soon  as  it 
was  completed.  In  the  spring  of  1880,  he  engaged 
in  the  sale  of  agricultural  implements,  and  conducts 
a  successful  business.  In  political  views  and  actions 
he  is  identified  with  the  interests  and  issues  of  the 
Republican  party.  At  the  time  of  the  draft  in  1862, 
he  was  Enrolling  Officer  for  Squaw  Grove  Township. 
From  186210  1868  he  held  the  position  of  Super- 
visor of  his  township,  and  has  since  officiated  as 
Collector  and  Assessor  and  in  other  official  positions. 
He  was  Census  Enumerator  in  1880.  His  marriage 
to  Eliza  Kellogg  took  place  at  Geneva,  Kane  Co., 
111.,  in  March,  1855.  She  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  and 
became  the  mother  of  six  children, — Freddie,  Dell 


i 
1 


V 

g  ! 

r 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


Wilton,  Anna,  Zac.  and  Frank.  Mrs.  Taylor  died 
in  Squaw  Grove  Township,  in  August,  1864.  Mr.  Tay- 
lor was  a  second  time  married,  in  the  same  township, 
to  Maggie  Murphy,  who  was  born  in  Massachusetts, 
May  6,  1848. 


saac  F.  Morse,  farmer,  section  27,  Shabbona 
Township,  settled  in  this  county  in  1846, 
and  is  now  the  possessor  of  160  acres  of 
land  located  on  the  section  stated.  He  was 
born  in  Canaan,  Marion  Co.,  Ohio,  Nov.  7, 
[9,  and  is  a  son  of  William  A.  and  Hannah 
(Finn)  Morse.  His  parents  took  him  to  Franklin 
Co.,  Ohio,  in  his  childhood,  and  in  that  county  he 
grew  to  manhood.  His  minority  days  were  spent  on 
the  farm  and  attending  the  common  schools,  in 
which  he  received  a  good  education. 

Mr.  Morse  was  married  Dec.  2,  1842,  to  Miss 
Sophia  A.  Park,  in  Worthington,  Franklin  Co.,  Ohio. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  Jonathan  and  Aurelia  (Slate) 
Park,  and  was  born  in  Worthington,  Franklin  Co., 
Ohio,  March  21,  1823,  to  which  State  her  parents 
moved  from  Massachusetts. 

Mr.  Morse  moved  to  this  State  in  1845,  with  his 
family,  and  located  at  Rock  Island.  He  made  the 
trip  with  teams  and  experienced  all  the  trials  inci- 
dent to  such  a  tiresome  journey,  arriving  at  Rock 
Island  May  12,  of  that  year.  He  spent  one  year 
there,  then  came  to  Shabbona  Township  and  located 
on  the  farm  on  which  he  is  at  present  residing,  and 
which  he  purchased  from  the  Government. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Morse  are  the  parents  of  1 1  chil- 
dren, six  girls  and  five  boys.  Ten  of  their  children 
survive,  namely:  Mary  A.,  born  Oct.  19,  1843,  be- 
came the  wife  of  Samuel  Galloway,  at  present  re- 
siding in  Tippecanoe  City,  Ohio;  Sylvia  L.,  born 
Oct.  29,  1846,  became  the  wife  of  John  N.  Kittle, 
resident  of  Shabbona  Township;  Olive  J.,  born  Dec. 
28,  1848,  married  Charles  E.  Brown  and  resides  at 
Sibley,  Iowa;  Frank  F.,  born  Sept.  5,  1852,  married 
Emma  S.  Morse,  and  lives  in  Shabbona  ;  Ida  C.,  born 
Dec.  2,  1854,  is  the  widow  of  Addison  S.  Slate,  and 
resides  with  her  father;  Willis  P.,  born  Aug.s,  1858, 
married  Eva  R.  Slocum,  and  lives  in  Sibley,  Iowa; 
Llewellyn  H.  H.,  born  March  17,  1861 ;  Althia  E., 
born  Jan.  4,  1863  ;  Clara  A.  S.,  born  Nov.  21,  1864; 


and  Clyde  S.,  born  Oct.  20,  1868.     William  S.,  born  1 
Nov.  7,  1849,  died  July  4,  1850. 

Mr.  Morse  has  Held  the  office  of  Collector  and  also 
Constable  for  several  years.     Politically  he  is  a  Re- 
publican.    Socially,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
Order,  and  was  one  of  the  charter  members  of  Shab- 
bona Lodge  No.  374,  and  also  one  of  the  first  officers 
of  that  lodge.     He  was  also  a  member  of  the  I.  O. 
O.  F.,  and  belonged  to  Fertile  Lodge  at  Shabbona, 
which  has  been  suspended   for  a  number  of  years. 
He  is  a  fair  type  of  the  early  pioneer  who  in  later  \ 
life  preserves  the  large-hearted,  generous  feelings  of  \  \ 
frontier  days.     His  friends  and  the  stranger  are  alike  / 
welcomed  to  his  fireside.     His  wife  is  a  member  of 
the  Congregational  Church. 


rederiek  J.  Troeger,  farmer,  section  32, 
Squaw  Grove  Township,  has  been  identi- 
fied with  the  agricultural  interests  of  De 
Kalb  County  and  the  township  in  which  he 
lives  for  upwards  of  30  years,  having  bought  a 
farm  here  in  1853,  when  he  arrived  at  the 
period  of  his  legal  manhood.  He  was  born  Aug.  14, 
1834,  in  Lebanon  Co.,  Pa.  His  father,  George  F. 
Troeger,  who  was  a  native  of  Germany,  was  a  clergy- 
man in  the  interests  of  the  Moravian  Church,  and 
transferred  his  family  to  the  various  places  where  he 
prosecuted  the  duties  of  his  professional  labors.  They 
lived  at  different  localities  in  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio, 
and  in  1855  came  to  De  Kalb  County,  where  the 
father  died  Aug.  24,  1874.  The  mother,  Magdalena 
E.  (Rosethaler)  Troeger,  born  in  Pennsylvania,  is  yet 
living. 

Mr.  Troeger  is  the  youngest  of  four  children. 
Emma  L.,  Bertha  A.  and  Henry  A.  are  the  names 
bestowed  upon  the  elder  children.  In  1853  he  bought 
80  acres  of  land  on  section  33,  on  which  he  operated 
until  1864,  the  date  of  his  purchase  of  the  farm  on 
which  he  now  resides.  His  real  estate  in  the  county 
comprises  175  acres.  Politically  he  is  identified  with 
the  Republican  party.  He  has  held  the  local  offices 
of  School  Director  and  Overseer  of  Highways. 

He  was  married  Nov.  6,  1855,  in  Northampton 
Co.,  Pa.,  to  Sophia  M.  Beitel,  and  they  have  eight 
children  :  Emily  L.,  Alletta  M.,  Clarena  G.,  Ida  O., 
Hortensia  E.,  Octavie  E.,  Benigna  A.  and  Hermai 


ii 


COUNTY. 


A.     Mrs.  Troeger  was  born  in  the  county  where  she 
was  married,  Nov.  15,  1833. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Troeger  are  members  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  and  of  the  American  Bible 
Society. 


ivid  Smith,  the  oldest  living  pioneer  of 
Shabbona  Township,  residing  at  Shabbona, 
was  born  in  Chatham,  Canada  East,  Dec. 
10,  1820.  He  is  a  son  of  James  and  Sally 
(Straw)  Smith,  formerly  residents  of  Waterbury, 
Vermont,  and  who  were  temporarily  absent  from 
that  State,  in  Canada,  at  date  of  the  birth  of  their 
son.  • 

David  was  reared  on  a  farm,  and  spent  his  years 
prior  to  13  in  farm  labor  and  attending  the  common 
schools  in  Vermont.  His  father  deceased,  and  his 
mother  was  married  to  Edmund  Town,  now  deceased, 
who  also  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  in  Shabbona 
Township. 

When  13  years  old  Mr.  Smith,  accompanied  by  his 
mother,  came  to  Paw  Paw,  Lee  Co.,  this  State,  arriv- 
ing there  in  October,  1834.  His  stepfather  arrived 
in  December  of  the  same'  year,  and  he  and  Mr. 
Smith  erected  the  first  house  in  Shabbona  Township. 
The  House  was  located  on  section  26,  was  con- 
structed of  logs  and  was  raised  on  the  first  day  of 
January,  1835.  They  entered  at  once  on  the  labo- 
rious task  of  improving  the  land  and  made  that  their 
home.  In  1835  David,  then  only  14  years  of  age, 
improved  a  claim,  the  same  being  the  land  now 
owned  by  Peter  V.  Miller  and  known  as  the  south- 
west quarter  of  section  24.  He  sold  his  claim  and 
improved  another,  southwest  of  the  last  named, 
which  he  was  compelled  to  relinquish  on  account 
of  his  minority.  Later  he  improved  still  another 
claim,  and  subsequently  traded  it  for  the  place  he 
now  owns.  Mr.  Smith  has  added  to  his  land  until  he 
is  at  the  present  time  the  owner  of  400  acres,  situated 
on  sections  u,  27  and  34. 

In  1850,  when  the  news  of  the  discovery  of  gold  in 
California  was  received,  Mr.  Smith  went  overland  to 
that  State.  He  arrived  there  in  safety,  and  at  once 
engaged  in  placer-mining.  He  made  a  claim  full  of 
promise  at  the  time,  and  did  turn  out  rich  in  ore,  but 
he  was  taken  with  a  severe  attack  of  typhoid  fever 



and  lost  the  benefit  of  his  discovery.  His  brother,  f\ 
who  was  with  him,  was  stricken  with  the  same  <tv 
disease  and  died,  and  Mr.  Smith  concluded  to  re- 
turn home.  He  returned,  via  the  Isthmus,  arriving 
here  in  December,  1852,  and  has  since  been  residing  \& 
on  his  farm  and  in  Shabbona.  He  moved  into  the 
village  in  1879,  and  has  five  acres  of  land  and 
several  village  lots  there. 

Mr.  Smith  was  married  in  Brooklyn  Township, 
Lee  Co.,  this  State,  June  7,  1839,  to  Miss  Eliza  J. 
Carr.  She  was  born  in  the  city  of  New  York,  Aug.  \ 
10,  1818,  and  was  the  danghter  of  James  and  Eliza 
(Johnson)  Carr.  She  came  to  Illinois  when  seven 
years  old.  Of  their  union  six  children  were  born  : 
Mary  A.,  the  wife  of  Frank  Crowell,  of  Waterman, 
this  State.  Rebecca,  wife  of  Bradford  Heath,  resident 
at  Shabbona.  Israel  married  Miss  May  Thomas  and 
resides  in  Shabbona.  Henry  married  Miss,  Jennie 
Neal  and  resides  in  Shabbona.  Warren  married 
Gate  McFadden  and  resides  at  Shabbona.-  Eliza, 
youngest  daughter,  is  unmarried  and  resides  at  home. 

Mrs.  Smith  died  in  August,  1880,  in  Shabbona, 
and  July  7,  1883,  Mr.  Smith  was  again  married,  to 
Miss  Annie  Seyler,  daughter  of  George  and  Mary 
Seyler.  She  was  born  in  Cedar ville,  Stephenson  Co., 
this  State,  Dec.  28,  1849. 

Mr.  Smith  politically  is  a  Republican.       He  is  a 
member  of  Spartan  Lodge,  272,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  at   Paw   ^ 
Paw,  Lee  County. 


arles  Kittelson,  general  farmer  on  sec- 
tion 17,  Milan  Township,  was  born  Oct. 
28,  1851,  in  Earl  Township,  La  Salle  Co., 
111.  His  parents  were  Kettle  and  Lavinia 
(Sanderson)  Kittelson,  and  he  was  but  n 
years  of  age  when  his  father  died,  in  March, 
1863.  He  was  mainly  dependent  on  his  own  efforts 
for  a  livelihood  after  that  event,  previous  to  which 
he  had  received  only  a  common-school  education. 
He  gave  considerable  attention  to  the  proper  train-  f{ 
ing  of  his  mind,  and  also  contributed  to  the  family 
maintenance,  as  there  were  four  children  younger 
than  himself.  They  are  named :  Austin,  born  Dec. 
i,  1853;  Emma,  April  6,  1856;  Adolph,  Oct.  5, 
18158;  and  Knute,  Nov.  12,  1862.  Emma  is  the 
wife  of  Goodman  Jacobs,  a  farmer  of  Milan  Town- 
ship. The  mother  and  three  brothers  named  live 
,O 


with  Mr.  Kittelson,  of  this  sketch.  The  former  is 
62  years  of  age.  Her  mother,  Adaline  Sanderson,  is 
still  living  in  La  Salle  County,  and  is  nearly  90 
years  of  age,  and  is  still  healthy  and  sprightly  to  a 
remarkable  degree. 

Mr.  Kittelson  was  married  May  29,  1879,  in  Earl 
Township,  La  Salle  Co.,  111.,  to  Adelaide  M.  Sander- 
son, daughter  of  Knute  and  Augusta  (Halverson) 
Sanderson.  Her  parents  are  natives  of  Norway  and 
removed  thence  to  La  Salle  County,  where  she  was 
born  April  20,  1857.  They  still  occupy  a  farm  in 
that  county.  Mrs.  Kittelson  has  become  the  mother 
of  three  children,  and  one  is  now  deceased, — Levi 
C., — who  died  in  infancy.  Amos  K.  was  born  Aug. 
?.&,  1881  ;  Silas  H.  was  born  Dec.  28,  1883. 

In  1 88 1  Mr.  Kittelson  became  by  purchase  the 
owner  of  the  family  homestead  in  Milan  Township, 
and  80  acres  additional  from  his  brother  Henry.  The 
family  are  Lutheran  in  religious  belief.  He  is  a  re- 
Republican  in  political  principle  and  connection. 


ev.  Frederick  Witherspoon,  deceased, 
formerly  a  resident  of  Somonauk,  was  born 
in  Hillsborough,  N.  C,  March  31,  1814. 
His  father,  Rev.  John  K.  Witherspoon,  an  old- 
school  Presbyterian  minister,  was  a  grandson 
of  John  Witherspoon,  who  signed  the  Declara- 
tion of  Independence.  Frederick's  mother's  maiden 
name  was  Susan  Kallock. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  educated  for  the 
ministry  in  his  native  town,  and  ordained  by  the 
authorities  of  the  Protestant  Methodist  Church.  In 
1834  he  came  to  this  county  and  spent  a  few  months 
in  Somonauk,  and  the  next  year  he  settled  here  per- 
manently, as  an  itinerant  minister,  at  Somonauk,  now 
Sandwich. 

Nov.  3  of  the  latter  year  (1835),  he  married  Miss 
Marietta  Heath,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Mary 
(Powell)  Heath,  who  was  born  in  Medina  Co.,  Ohio, 
April  7,  1820.  They  had  five  children,  namely : 
John,  who  was  born  Aug.  5,  1837,  married  Mary 
Wheeler  and  is  now  living  at  Fremont,  Neb.;  Ed- 
mond  S.,  born  Jan.  3,  1840,  married  Julia  Jones  and 
lives  at  Hubbard,  Iowa;  Melissa  H.,  born  May  30, 
1842,  is  now  the  wife  of  Darius  Horton,  of  Water- 
man, this  county;  Marietta  B,,  born  April  n,  1844, 
'£%&*% 


is  the  wife  of  Frank  A.  Frost,  of  Shabbona;    and 
Frederick  N.,  born  Feb.  22,  1847,  became  a  member 
of  the  s8th  111.  Vol.  Inf.,  and  died  at  Camp  Butler,    \ 
March  18,  1864. 

Rev.  Witherspoon's  field  of  labor  was  mainly  in 
Southern  Illinois,  he  being  assigned  to  the  Southern 
Illinois  Conference.  In  1848  he  preached  at  Shab- 
bona Grove.  He  died  at  Somonauk  April  5,  1849. 


"ames  L.  Eastabrooks,  retired  farmer,  resi-  i 
dent  at  Hinckley,  was  born  Dec.  9,  i8t8) 
in   Tioga  Co.,  N.    Y.     His  parents,    John 
and    Elizabeth    (Howard)    Eastabrooks,  were 
natives  of  Connecticut,  where  they  settled  after 
marriage.     Later,  they   went  to  Pennsylvania, 
and  afterwards  to  the  State  of  New  York.     They  went  ( 
then  again  to  Pennsylvania,  whence    they  came  in 
1 835  to  De  Kalb  County  and  located  in  Squaw  Grove 
Township,  where  they  remained  until  their   death,  a 
That  of  the  father  occurred  March  14,  1850,  in  the  ?> 
66th  year  of    his  age.     The  mother  died  Nov.    20,  2—, 
1875,  in    her  93d  year.     They  had  nine  children — ^. 
Elizabeth   H.,   Bradbury  C.,  Ebenezer    H.,    Bath-  " 
sheba  A.,  Decatur  M.,  Mary  E.,  James  L.,  Charlotte 
A.  and  Augusta  A. 

Mr.  Eastabrooks  was  five  years  of  age  when  his 
parents  removed  to  Pennsylvania  the  second  time. 
He    received    his  early  education    in    the  common 
schools  of  that  State.      He  came  at  17  years  of  age, 
in   1836,  to  De  Kalb  County,  a  few  months  after  his 
parents  had  taken  up  their  residence  in  the  county.  JL 
He   has  since  remained  in  Squaw  Grove  Township  |  £ 
and  lived  on  a  part  of  the  homestead  farm  until  the  / 
fall   of   1878,  when    he  removed  with  his  family  to 
Hinckley  and  took  possession   of  the  residence  he 
had   built  in    the  summer  of  1877.     He  is  still  the 
owner  of  100  acres  of  land  in  Squaw  Grove  Town- 
ship.    Politically,  Mr.  Eastabrooks  is  identified  with 
the  Democratic  party. 

He  was  married  Oct.  21,  1847,  to  Elizabeth  C. 
Cone.  She  was  born  July  12,  1830,  in  Oneida  Co., 
N.  Y.,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Archibald  and  Rosetta  (§> 
(Cunningham)  Cone.  Her  parents  were  natives  of  ^  £ 
Scotland.  Four  days  after  their  marriage,  in  Paisley, 
the  latter  emigrated  to  America  and  settled  in  the 
State  of  New  York,  living  there  until  1843,  the 
eet^^f" 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


in  which  they  removed  to  Squaw  Grove  Township, 
where  the  mother  died  May  9,  1874.  The  father 
died  there  Aug.  6,  1877.  Following  are  the  names 
of  their  1 1  children — Jane,  Jeannette,  Mary,  William, 
Margaret,  Isabella,  John  (ist),  John  (2d),  Elizabeth 
C.,  Archibald  and  Rosetta.  Six  children  have  been 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eastabrooks — Mary  E.,  John 
H.,  Archibald  C.Julia  A.,  Delia  E.  and  James  A. 
Archibald  and  Julia  are  deceased.  The  parents  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Church. 


Joseph  Smith,  farmer,  section  25,  Shabbona 
Township,  has  a  well  improved  farm  of  150 
1  acres.  He  was  born  in  the  town  of  Provi- 
dence, Saratoga  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  18,  1818. 
His  parents  were  Harmanius  V.  and  Hannah 
(Westgate)  Smith.  His  paternal  grandfather, 
Abraham  M.  Smith,  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution 
and  an  enthusiastic  patriot.  His  mother  was  a 
daughter  of  Sylvanus  Westgate,  of  Holland  descent, 
and  a  direct  descendant  of  the  Puritans  of  New  Eng- 
land. She  came  to  the  State  of  New  York  in  1802. 
Joseph's  father  was  born  in  New  York,  Nov.  7,  1790, 
and  died  in  Sandwich,  this  State,  June  15,  1868.  His 
mother  was  born  Dec.  28,  1789,  in  Massachusetts, 
and  died  in  March,  1866,  at  Little  Rock,  111.,  where 
she  had  lived  since  1855.  She  was  the  mother  of 
three  children, — Henry  T.  Nathaniel,  Caroline  E. 
and  Joseph,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  who  is  the 
only  one  living. 

The  latter  received  an  academic  education,  and 
taught  school  during  the  winter  seasons,  alternating 
with  farm  labor  the  rest  of  the  year,  from  1 840  to 
1854,  serving  also  as  School  Superintendent  a  portion 
of  the  time.  His  fondness  for  mathematics  was  a 
marked  characteristic  from  early  boyhood,  and  dur- 
ing his  career  as  teacher  he  had  but  few  equals  in 
that  branch  of  study.  He  still  retains  great  aptitude 
in  "  figur.es,"  as  well  as  a  remarkable  recollection  of 
dates  and  facts. 

He  was  married  in  Erie  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Dec.  31,  1846, 
to  Miss  Lovina  Fritts,  daughter  of  John  and  Betsey 
(Bentley)  Fritts.  She  was  born  in  Providence,  Sara- 
toga Co.,  N.  Y.,  Nov.  12,  1827.  Both  her  grand- 
fathers were  soldiers  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution. 
,  Mr.  Smith  and  family  emigrated  from  New  York  to 

.SdfSaffi" =» 


Illinois  in  1854.  He  bought  land  in  Clinton  Town- 
ship, this  county,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  one' 
year,  and  then  removed  to  Little  Rock,  111.,  and  from 
there  to  Shabbona  in  1857,  where  he  purchased  the 
farm  on  which  he  now  resides.  This  farm  he  man- 
aged until  1864,  when  he  sold  and  entered  the  drug 
business  at  Piano,  111.  The  latter  occupation  he 
abandoned  in  March,  1866,  and  commenced  agricul- 
tural pursuits  on  a  place  near  Sycamore ;  but  in  Oc- 
tober following  he  traded  for  his  old  farm  in  Shab- 
bona, since  which  time  he  has  made  this  place  his 
home. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows, of  New  York.  On  coming  to  this  county  he 
took  the  first  degree  of  Masonry  in  the  old  lodge  at 
West  Paw  Paw;  but,- owing  to  his  removal  to  Piano, 
he  failed  to  advance.  In  politics  he  has  been  a 
consistent  Republican  since  the  organization  of  that 
party. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  have  had  five  children.  The 
eldest,  Frances  E.,  was  born  in  Saratoga  Co.,  N.  Y., 
March  25,  18152,  and  is  now  the  wife  of  Jury  J. 
Smith,  of  Sandwich,  111.  The  younger  children  were 
born  in  De  Kalb  County.  Charles,  born  Aug.  20, 
1856,  died  Oct.  27,  1862;  Mary,  born  July  27,  1863, 
is  now  the  wife  of  Delos  D.  Clapsaddle,  of  Shabbona 
Township;  Willie  was  born  Dec.  23, 1866;  and  Jen- 
nie E.,  Aug.  27,  1868.  The  two  youngest  are  living 
at  home. 


, 


arles  Cruise,  farmer,  section  9,  Milan 
Township,  was  born  Aug.  22,  1882,  in 
Mecklenburg,  Germany.  His  parents  had 
three  children,  of  whom  he  was  the  eldest. 
His  father  died  when  he  was  little  more  than 
hild,  and  the  widowed  mother  and  the 
other  children  were  substantially' dependent  on  the 
exertions  of  the  older  son  and  brother  for  main- 
tenance. He  devoted  the  years  of  his  life  after 
the  decease  of  his  father  until  he  was  23  years  of 
age  to  the  fulfillment  of  that  duty.  At  that  time  his 
mother  died. 

He  was  married  three  years  later,  in  July,  1848, 
to  Mary  Anit.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Joseph  and' 
Sophia  (Perry)  Amt,  both  of  whom  were  of  German 
birth.  Mr.  Cruise  removed  in  1851,  accompanied 

-^^ 4^5f® 


DE  KALE   COUNTY. 


by  his  wife  and  two  children,  to  America.  They 
made  their  first  stop  at  Chicago,  where  Mr.  Cruise 
was  occupied  three  years  as  a  common  laborer.  In 
1854  he  came  to  the  county  of  De  Kalb  and  rented 
the  farm  of  William  Patton  for  some  time.  In  1864 
'  he  purchased  the  estate  of  which  he  is  now  the  pro- 
prietor in  Milan  Township ;  and  to  this  place  he 
removed  his  family  of  three  children.  The  farm  is  in 
excellent  condition,  and  its  prosperity  is  solely  the 
result  of  the  industry  and  judicious  quality  of  the 
efforts  expended  upon  it.  Mr.  Cruise  is  largely  in- 
>&  terested  in  raising  fine  grades  of  cattle,  hogs  and 
&  5  horses,  and  is  ranked  among  the  best  and  most 
\  skillful  farmers  in  the  township.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Cruise  have  had  six  children,  one  of  whom  is  de- 
ceased. Sophia  married  Erik  Eriksen,  a  farmer  in 
Milan  Township ;  Amelia  is  the  wife  of  Charles 
Rohr,  a  farmer  of  Dakota ;  John,  the  eldest  child  at 
home,  is  the  manager  of  the  homestead ;  George  is 
a  practical  farmer  and  is  still  at  home ;  Lizzie  is  pre- 
paring for  a  business  career  in  Chicago. 

Mr.  Cruise  is  a  Republican,  and  his  qualities  as  a 
man  and  a  citizen  have  permanently  established  his 
family  among  the  best  in  the  township. 


rles  O.  Boynton,  farmer  and  dealer  in 
real  estate,    at   Sycamore,   purchased  the 
property  on   which  he  resides  in  1859.     His 
home  farm  embraces  120  acres,  40  acres  be- 
ing included  within  the  city  limits.     He  was 
born  July  19,  1826,  in  Rockingham,  Vt.     His 
parents,  John  and  Betsey  (Davis)  Boynton,  were  na- 
tives of  the  same  place,  where  the  former  was  born 
July  2,  1798.     John  Boynton  was  a  joiner  by  voca- 
tion, and  in   June,   1827,   he   removed   to   McLean, 
Tompkins  Co.,  N.  Y.,  making  the  transit  from  the 
Green  Mountain  State  with  a  team,  there  being  at 
that  date  no  other  means  of  locomotion.     He  worked 
at  his  trade  for  a  time,  afterwards  becoming  a  mer- 
*  •    chant,  and  also  managed  a  small  tannery  in  com- 
pany with  another  man.     He  died  at  McLean,  April 
29,  1869.     His  wife,  the  mother  of  Mr.   Boynton  of 
this  sketch,  died  in  McLean  in  1833.     They  had  six 
children.     Mary  married  Daniel  Marsh,  of  McLean 


and  died  about  1845.  Enza  is  the  widow  of  John 
P.  Hart,  formerly  a  farmer  and  dealer  in  stock,  who 
died  in  1870.  John  H.  resides  at  Chicago,  111. 
Laura  married  H.  W.  Carr,  general  agent  of  the 
Chesapeake  &  Ohio  Railroad  Company,  whose  office 
is  situated  at  No.  329,  Broadway,  New  York.  Lydia 
is  the  widow  of  Henry  A.  Jarvis,  formerly  a  carpen- 
ter. He  died  at  Chicago  in  1871.  After  the  death 
of  their  mother  their  father  married  Ann  M.  Fitts. 
There  are  are  two  children  from  the  second  mar- 
riage. Edward  is  a  clerk  in  the  employment  of 
Charles  Carley,  a  produce  merchant  at  Sycamore. 
Fitz  is  the  President  of  the  Second  National  Bank  at 
Cortland,  N.  Y. 

Mr.  Boynton  passed  several  years  during  his  min- 
ority as  a  clerk  in  his  father's  store,  and  soon  after 
becoming  of  age,  in  October,  1847,  came  to  Chicago 
and  opened  a  dry-goods  store  on  South  Water  Street. 
He  transacted  business  there  one  year,  and  in  1849 
came  to  Sycamore,  where  he  opened  a  general  store 
and  conducted  the  affairs  of  a  commercial  enterprise 
about  three  years.  In  1852  he  began  to  operate  in 
loans  in  a  small  way  and  continued  as  a  financier 
until  1879.  In  1871  he  formed  an  association  with 
R.  L.  Divine,  under  the  style  of  R.  L.  Divine  &  Co., 
in  establishing  and  managing  a  banking  house,  their 
relations  existing  one  year,  when  he  sold  out  to  the 
senior  partner.  In  1880  Mr.  Boynton  began  to  traffic 
in  real  estate  and  has  extended  his  operations  until 
he  is  the  owner  of  1,300  acres  of  finely  improved 
land  in  De  Kalb  County,  which  is  managed  by  ten- 
ants. He  is  the  proprietor  of  about  12,000  acres  in 
Iowa,  and  500  respectively  in  Kansas  and  Minnesota. 
His  claims  in  Arkansas  include  over  60,000  acres. 
The  improved  tract  in  Iowa  embraces  2,000  acres. 
Mr.  Boynton  has  officiated  as  Chairman  of  the  Board 
of  Trustees  of  Sycamore  several  years. 

He  was  married  Nov.  26,  1861,  in  Ledyard,  Cay- 
uga  Co.,  N.  Y.,  to  Lucetta  P.  Stark,  and  they  have 
three  children.  Charles  D.  was  born  Aug.  10,  1862. 
He  was  educated  at  the  Stevens  Institute,  where  he 
was  a  student  in  the  scientific  course  four  years. 
Mary  E.  was  born  Feb.  23,  1864.  Elmer  E.  was 
born  July  7,  1874.  Mrs.  Boynton  was  born  May  10, 
1836,  in  Wilkesbarre,  Pa.  Her  parents,  Paul  and 
Pauline  (Billings)  Stark,  removed  with  their  family  to 
Ledyard,  N.  Y.,  in  1855. 

The  portraits  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boynton  appear  on 
other  pages  of  this  volume. 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


tephen  A.  Hall,  Supervisor  of  Squaw  Grove 
Township,  and  farmer  on  section  24,  has 
been  a  landholder  thereon  since  1867, 

hen   he   purchased    160   acres  of  land,  on 


which  he  has  since  operated  as  a  farmer.  He 
was  born  March  13,  1834,  in  the  city  of  New 
York.  His  parents,  Alexis  and  Emeline  (Hunt) 
,  Hall,  were  natives  of  New  England.  The  mother 
'  died  in  the  city  of  New  York,  and  in  1842  the  father 
came  to  the  township  'of  Big  Rock,  in  Kane  Co.,  111. 
He  died  there  Jan.  15,  1883.  Six  children  born  to 
them  were  named  Fritzena,  Charles  Arabella,  Stephen 
A.  and  Arnold. 

Mr.  Hall  came  with  his  father  to  Kane  County  in 
1842,  where  he  remained  until    1867.     In  that  year 
he  bought  160  acres  of  land  in  Squaw  Grove  Town- 
F"  ship.     On  this  farm   he  has  since  resided  and  has 
®  placed  it  all  under  culture.     He  is  a  Republican  in 
=  political  principle,  and  was  elected  Supervisor  in  the 
«^*  spring  of  1882.     He  has  held  the  office  ever  since. 
p=      Mr.    Hall   was   married  March  29,   1860,  at  Big 
Rock,  Kane  Co.,  111.,  to  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Dea- 
'  con  Jeremiah  and  Mary  (Reese)  Whildin,  and  they 
)  have  had  five  children,  —  Frank  A.  (deceased),  Sarah 
L.,  Minerva  A.  (deceased),  Arthur  J.  and  Leonard  S. 
Mr.  Hall  has  been  Township  Trustee  and  School 
Director.     Both  himself  and  wife  are  members  of  the 
itist  Church. 


sahel  E.  Hayes,  farmer,  section  35  and  36, 
Shabbona  Township,  was  born  in  Cazenovia 
Township,  Madison  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Feb.   2,  1832, 
and  is  a  son  of  Milo  and  Adaline  (Partello) 
Hayes.     He  was  brought  up  on  a  farm  and  re- 
ceived  a  common-school  education.     In  April,  1855, 
he  came  to  Kane  Co.,  111.,  and  located   at   Sugar 
_  Grove.     In  the  spring  of  1864  he  removed  to  Shab- 
J  bona  Township,  this  county,  locating  on  section   17  ; 
^  but  in  three  years  he  sold  out  and  purchased  a  tract 
on  section  27,  same  township,  where  he  followed  his 


vocation  of  farming  for  13  years;  he  then  bought  his 


present  place,  in  March,  1880,  which  comprises  194 
acres,  his  dwelling  being  on  section  35. 

Mr.  Hayes  was  first  married  Oct.  4,  1857,  at  Sugar 
Grove,  to  Miss  Cornelia  Booth,  and  they  had  six  chil- 
dren, all  boys,  as  follows  :  Elmer  W.,  who  was  born 
Oct.  12,  1859,  married  Sarah  Spears  and  is  now  liv- 
ing in  Shabbona;  Charles  E.,  who  was  born  Aug.  2, 
1861,  and  is  living  at  home  ;  George  S.,  who  was  born 
Oct.  24,  1863,  and  died  in  infancy;  Joseph  G.,  born 
May  26,  1865,  is  also  living  at  home ;  and  James  B., 
born  Aug.  10,  1868,  died  when  an  infant. 

Mrs.  Hayes  died  Feb.  24,  1881  ;  and  Sept.  15,  fol- 
lowing, in  Johnson  Co.,  Mo.,  Mr.  Hayes  married  Mrs. 
Lavinia  Russell,  widow  of  Willis  Russell  and  daugh- 
ter of  William  and  Hannah  Arthur.  She  was  born  in 
Maryland,  March  27,  1851,  adopted  by  Elhanan 
Roop  and  brought  up  in  Missouri.  By  her  first  mar- 
riage she  had  four  children,  namely  :  Mary  E.,  born 
Aug.  3,  1871  ;  Lelieu  E.,  Oct.  27,  1873;  Susan  L., 
born  in  1875,  died  in  infancy;  and  Paul  A.,  born 
March  15,  1877,  and  died  in  August,  following.  Mr. 
Russel  died  in  November,  1878.  Mrs.  Hayes  is  a 
member  of  the  Baptist  Church,  and  Mr.  Hayes,  in 
his  political  action,  has  always  voted  with  the  Re- 
publicans. 


eorge  S.  Potter,  farmer,  section  24,  Squaw 
Grove  Township,  is  a  native  of  the  county 
and  town  where  he  lives.  His  parents, 
Samuel  E.  and  Olive  P.  (Winslow)  Potter, 
were  natives  of  Massachusetts,  and  settled  in 
the  township  of  Squaw  Grove  in  De  Kalb 
County  about  1847.  Their  deaths  took  place  there 
respectively  July  20,  1856,  and  Nov.  15,  1883.  Their 
children  were  named  Harriet  S.,  George  S.,  Mary  O., 
Orlando  B.  and  Samuel  L. 

Mr.  Potter  was  born  Sept.  24,  1860.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  common  schools  and  attended  a  semi- 
nary at  Aurora  several  terms.  Following  in  the 
footsteps  of  his  forefathers,  he  has  always  been  a 
farmer,  and  is  the  owner  of  120  acres  in  Squaw  Grove 
Township  and  40  acres  in  Kane  County.  The  entire 
acreage  is  chiefly  under  the  plow.  Mr.  Potter  is  a 
Republican  in  his  political  views. 

He  formed  a  matrimonial  alliance  with  Flora  M. 
Long,  in  Kane  County,  April  29,  1873.  Mrs.  Potter 


& 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


was  born  Feb.  i,  1849,  in  Kane  Co.,  111.,  and  is  the 
daughter  of  John  L.  and  Sarah  A.  (Cornell)  Long. 
Her  father  is  a  native  of  New  York  and  her  mother 
of  Massachusetts. 


Lewis  Olmstead,  farmer,  owning  137  acres 
located  on  sections  25  and  36,  Shabbona 
Township,  was  born  in  Wilton  Township, 
Fairfield  Co.,  Conn.,  May  13,  1802.  He  is 
the  son  of  David  and  Rebecca  (Jackson) 
\  Olmstead,  who  removed  to  the  vicinity  of 
Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  when  that  city  was  but  a  small  hamlet. 
Mr.  Olmstead  was  brought  up  on  a  farm  of  his 
father's,  alternating  his  labors  thereon  by  attendance 
at  the  common  schools. 

He  was  married  in  Tompkins  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Feb.  27, 
1823,  to  Miss  Eleanor,  daughter  of  Jesse  and  Betsey 
Owens,  and  by  her  had  six  children.  The  eldest, 
Betsey,  married  James  |Hare,  and  died  when  32 
years  of  age.  Aaron,  second  child,  married  Huldah 
Bayley  and  resides  in  Butler  Co.,  Iowa.  Hector  died 

at  the  age  of  25  years.  Harmon  married  Miss 

Lee  and  resides  in  Dakota.  Silas  married  Lucetta 
Bayley  and  resides  in  Leland,  111.  Lewis  died  at 
the  age  of  18  years.  John  was  a  member  of  the 
Second  Illinois  Light  Artillery,  in  the  late  Civil  War, 
and  died  in  the  hospital  at  Vicksburg.  Mrs.  Olm- 
stead died  May  4,  1852,  and  Mr.  Olmstead  was  a 
second  time  married  Nov.  14,  1852,  in  Somonauk 
(now  Sandwich),  to  Mrs.  Marietta  Witherspoon,  widow 
of  Rev.  Frederick  Witherspoon  and  daughter  of  Dr. 
John  and  Mary  (Powell)  Heath.  She  was  born  in 
Liverpool  Township,  Medina  Co.,  Ohio,  April  7, 
1820.  Of  their  union  three  children  were  born, — 
two  boys  and  one  girl.  Mary  E.,  born  Aug.  n, 
1855,  is  the  wife  of  George  Goodrich,  a  resident  of 
Lincoln,  Neb.  Lewis  M.,  born  Dec.  5,  1859,  mar- 
ried Maudie  Lane  and  lives  on  the  old  homestead. 
Frederick  J.,  born  Dec.  26,  1863,  lives  at  home. 

Mr.  Olmstead  came  to  this  State  in  1837,  and  lo- 
cated in  La  Salle  County.  In  August,  1838,  he 
came  to  Shabbona.  The  county  was  not  surveyed, 
and  the  town  contained  only  two  families, — those  of 
Mr.  E.  Town  and  Nathan  Olmstead,  a  brother.  He 
made  his  home  on  the  farm  on  which  he  now  resides 
and  on  which  he  has  since -continued  to  reside.  He 


and  his  wife  are  both  members  of  the  Congregational 
Church. 

Politically,  Mr.  Olmstead  has  been  a  Republican 
ever  since  the  party  was  organized.  He  is  a  man  of 
powerful  physique,  and,  although  83  years  of  age, 
he  would  be  hale  and  hearty  were  it  not  for  an  acci- 
dent a  few  years  since  in  which  his  leg  was  broken. 
He  is  now  confined  to  a  wheel  chair  for  locomotion. 

Mrs.  Olmstead  came  to  Somonauk,  this  county, 
with  her  parents  on  the  last  week  of  1833.  She  was 
the  oldest  lady  settler  of  De  Kalb  County  present  at 
the  old  settlers'  picnic  held  at  Pritchard's  Grove, 
Sept.  8,  1 88 1,  on  which  occasion  she  was  presented 
with  a  fine  case  of  silver  spoons.  The  presentation 
speech  was  made  by  Hon.  M.  B.  Castle,  of  Sandwich, 
this  county.  Mrs.  Olmstead  had  five  children  by 
her  first  marriage,  a  record  of  whom  will  be  found  in 
the  sketch  of  Rev.  Frederick  Witherspoon  in  this 
work. 


ee  E.  Tomblin,  junior  editor  and  publisher 
of  the  De  Kalb  Review,  was  born  in  the 
township  of  Clinton,  De  Kalb  County,  Illi- 
nois, Dec.  14,  1858,  where  he  led  an  unevent- 
ful life  of  farm  work  and  attending  the  country 
school  until  1875.  Mr.  Tomblin's  father,  N.  F. 
Tomblin,  died  in  the  fall  of  1874,  and  the  following 
year  L.  E.  moved  with  his  mother  to  the  village  of 
Waterman,  where  he  attended  school  for  a  time ; 
then  going  to  Emerson,  Mills  Co.,  Iowa,  where  he 
served  his  first  apprenticeship  as  printer's  devil  on 
the  Mills  County  Chronicle.  He  returned  to  Illinois 
and  worked  on  the  old  De  Kalb  News  through  the 
winter  of  'jG—'ij,  then  again  attending  school  for  a 
time.  In  1878,  in  company  with  his  brother,  M.  N. 
Tomblin,  they  established  the  Hinckley  Review  and 
Waterman  Leader,  which  papers  they  successfully 
founded  and  managed  for  four  years,  selling  the  en- 
tire interest  to  H.  W.  Fay,  who  had  ente'red  as  a 
partner  a  year  before.  Mr.  Tomblin  immediately 
started  the  Genoa  Si/tings,  and  successfully  con- 
tinued that  paper  for  one  year,  when  he  formed  a 
partnership  with  D.  W.  Tyrrell,  a  well-known  news- 
paper man,  for  the  purpose  of  purchasing  the  De 
Kalb  Review,  then  printed  in  Sycamore,  which  paper 
they  have  successfully  established  in  De  Kalb, 
gether  with  a  large  job  printing  establishment.  In 


JDE  KALB  COUNTY 


ys  the   spring  of   1884,   Mr.  Tomblin    was    appointed 


'A  Government  Mail  Weigher  on  the  Chicago,  Milwau- 
£  p  kee  &  St.  Paul  Railroad,  between  Chicago  and 
Marion,  Iowa.  Having  passed  the  civil  service  ex- 
A  amination,  he  was  in  May  of  the  same  year  ap- 
pointed as  an  Inspector  of  Customs  in  the  Chicago 
Custom  House,  which  position  he  held  until  Jan. 
i,  1885.  There  being  a  change  in  administration  he 
returned  to  De  Kalb  and  resumed  his  duties  on  the 
Review,  in  which  paper  he  had  retained  his  interest. 
In  the  fall  of  1881  Mr.  Tomblin  was  married  to 
Miss  Laura  M.  Palmer,  of  Hinckley,  to  whom  a 
daughter  was  born  in  1884. 


i 


scar  M.  Tanner,  retired  farmer,  living  at 
Hinckley,  was  born  Feb.  3,  1828,  in  Alex- 
tfi^ii       andria,  Jefferson  Co.,  New  York.     His  par- 
Q^   ents,  William   and  Betsey  (Paddock)  Tanner, 
were  natives  respectively  of  the  State  of  New 
York  and  Connecticut.     Their  children  were 
born   in   the  following  order :     Emily,   William    A., 
Elizabeth,  Jane  A., Mary  and  Maryette  (twins),  Sarah 
and  Oscar  M. 

William  Tanner  came  to  Kane  Co.,  111.,  with  his 
family  in  1836  and  settled  in  Sugar  Grove  Township. 
Later  they  removed  to  Aurora,  where  the  mother 
died,  Oct.  19,  1854.  The  father  died  there,  Feb.  22, 
1855.  The  youngest  son,  Oscar  M.,  accompanied 
his  parents  to  Kane  County,  and  was  an  inmate  of 
the  paternal  home  until  the  year  following  that  in 
which  he  attained  his  majority.  In  the  spring  of 
1859  he  came  to  De  Kalb  County  and  bought  80 
acres  of  land  in  Afton  Township,  where  he  settled 
and  remained  six  years.  In  1865  he  sold  the 
property  there  and  bought  a  farm  on  section  15, 
Squaw  Grove  Township.  In  the  fall  of  1884  he 
bought  a  residence  in  the  village  of  Hinckley, 
where  he  has  since  lived.  His  farm  contains  183 
acres,  and  is  nearly  all  under  cultivation.  Politically 
Mr.  Tanner  is  a  Republican,  and  has  been  active 
in  school  matters,  have  served  seven  years  as  School 
Director. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  to  Sarah  J.  Spaulding, 
at  Aurora,  July  3,  1851.  Mrs.  Tanner  is  the  daugh- 
ter of  Dr.  A.  and  Julia  A.  Spaulding.  Her  parents 
were  natives  of  the  State  of  New  York,  and  had  a 


family  of  six  children — Emily  D.,  Sarah  J.,  Norman, 
Henry  A.,  Julja  A.  and  Eliza  J.  Mrs.  Spaulding 
died  Oct.  i,  1847,  in  Jersey  City.  Mr.  Spaulding 
fixed  his  residence  in  Aurora  in  1847,  where  he  died 
Dec.  4,  1884.  Mrs.  Tanner  was  born  Oct.  19,  1832, 
in  Washington  Co.,  N.  Y.  Henry  Spaulding,  a 
brother  of  Mrs.  Tanner,  has  been  a  resident  of 
Paris,  France,  for  the  last  12  years.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  jewelry  house  of  Tiffany  &  Co.,  of  New 
York,  and  is  the  manager  of  the  branch  house  in 
Paris.  A  sister,  Eliza  J.,  is  the  wife  of  Harlow 
Miner,  of  Denver,  Col.  Following  is  the  record  of 
the  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tanner:  Rosella 
J.  was  born  in  Clinton,  De  Kalb  County,  April  20, 
1852;  Oscar  R.  was  born  Feb.  n,  1856,  in  Aurora, 
Kane  County;  Rilla  B.  was  born  in  the  same  place, 
April  14,  1858;  Emma  R.  was  born  Jan.  26,  1863, 
in  Afton  Township;  Rhoda  E.,  was  born  in  Squaw 
Grove,  March  5,  1867;  Alice  R.  was  born  Nov.  9, 
1875,  in  that  township. 


•  eter  Miller,  farmer,  section  24,  Shabbona 
Township,  was  among  the  first  of  ils  sub- 
stantial settlers,  having  located  here  June 
5,  1845.  He  was  born  in  Columbia  Co.,  N.  Y., 
Feb.  21,  1816,  the  son  of  Simeon  and  Betsey 
(Bedell)  Miller.  When  ten  years  of  age  he 
:aken  by  his  parents  in  change  of  residence  to 
Cayuga  Co.,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was  brought  up  on  a 
farm,  receiving  a  common-school  education.  He 
was  married  in  that  county,  Feb.  25,  1841,  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Quilhot,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Hannah 
(Van  Allen)  Quilhot.  She  was  born  at  Amsterdam, 
Columbia  Co.,  N.  Y.,  March  22,  1815. 

Mr.  Miller  was  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  in 
the  town  of  Conquest,  Cayuga  Co.,  N.  Y.,  until  the 
spring  of  1845,  when  he  emigrated  to  this  State,  ar- 
riving at  Shabbona  Grove  June  5,  that  year.  He 
purchased  a  claim  to  the  southwest  quarter  of  section 
24,  which  he  subsequently  entered  at  Government 
price,  and  which  has  been  the  home  of  himself  and 
family  for  40  years.  He  has  had  five  children- 
three  sons  and  two  daughters, — namely:  Isaac  P., 
who  was  born  April  8,  1843,  and  died  May  15,  1845 ; 
Peter  V.,  who  was  born  Aug.  18, 1846,  and  died  June 
4,  1857;  Mary  E.,  who  was  born  May  28,  1850,  and 
}  ^^f^  «.&©->$&(*) 

N  -  **£r/vriV?JVv^ . 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


is  now  the  wife  of  Dr.  Francis  Steward,  of  Rochelle, 
111.;  Myndret  S.,  who  was  born  July  n,  1855,  and 
married  Clara  E.  Adams,  and  now  resides  at  the  old 
homestead ;  and  Catharine  J.,  who  was  born  Oct.  22, 
1861,  and  died  Feb.  28,  1863. 

Mr.  Miller  is  a  representative  man  of  the  class  of 
industrious,  thrifty  and  successful  farmers  who  took 
their  lands  from  the  Government  in  a  natural  state  in 
the  pioneer  days  ;  who  endured  the  many  trials  and 
discomforts  incident  to  a  settlement  in  a  new  coun- 
try, remote  from  markets  and  the  many  advantages 
of  advanced  civilization ;  and  who,  by  industry, 
economy  and  good  management  have  secured  to 
themselves  and  children  valuable  and  well  improved 
farms,  with  tasteful  and  commodious  residences, 
abounding  in  all  the  comforts  of  rural  life  in  a  rich 
and  well  settled  country. 


ills   A.    Fay,  retired   farmer,   resident  at 
Hinckley,   was    born    Nov.   13,    1814,    in 
Onondaga  Co.,  N.  Y.     His  father,  Jona- 
than Fay,  was  born  in   Massachusetts  and 
married  Rhoda  White,  a  native  of  Vermont. 
Mr.  Fay,  of  this  sketch,  is  the  youngest  of  their 
six  children. 

On  reaching  his  legal  freedom,  in  1836,  he  settled 
in  De  Kalb  County,  locating  on  Government  land  in 
the  township  of  Squaw  Grove.  He  afterwards  bought 
his  original  claim,  which  comprised  300  acres  situated 
on  sections  29  and  32,  on  which  he  was  a  resident 
until  1882.  In  that  year  he  removed  to  the  village 
of  Hinckley,  where  he  fixed  his  permanent  residence. 
In  political  opinion  he  is  identified  with  the  Repub- 
lican party.  He  is  still  a  landholder,  and  owns  270 
acres  of  land  in  De  Kalb  County.  He  has  been 
Justice  of  the  Peace,  Assessor,  and  has  held  other 
minor  offices. 

His  marriage  to  Harriet  E.  Lay  took  place  June  8, 
1842,  in  Somonauk  Township.  She  was  born  in  Con- 
necticut, and  her  parents,  Samuel  H.  and  Emily 
(Pratt)  Lay,  came  to  De  Kalb  County  in  i84r,  set- 
tling in  Somonauk  Township,  where  her  father  died. 
Her  mother  died  in  Squaw  Grove  Township,  at  the 
home  of  Mrs.  Fay.  Five  children  have  been  born  to 
the  latter  and  her  husband, — Emma  F.,  Jane  L., 


Alcott  W.,  Ida  C.  and  Ashley  H.  The  first  and  last 
born  are  deceased.  Mrs.  Fay  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Church. 


Raines  Cameron,  farmer,  section  26,  Shab- 
f  bona   Township,    was   born   in    Delaware 
Township,  Juniata  Co.,  Pa.,  Oct.  n,  1824, 
of  Scottish  ancestry.     His   parents  were  John 
and  Sarah  (Jones)  Cameron.     He  was  reared 
on  a  farm  until  17  years  of  age,  and  then  fol- 
lowed the  blacksmith's  trade  for  14  years. 

In  March,  1852,  he  moved  to  Mercer  Co.,  111., 
bought  land  and  pursued  farming  there  for  three 
years.  In  the  spring  of  1855  he  sold  that  place. and 
removed  to  Shabbona  Township,  this  county,  pur- 
chasing a  farm  on  section  34,  where  he  resided  until 
1865;  then  lived  a  year  at  Earl,  La  Salle  County; 
at  Malta  from  November,  1866,  to  June,  1869,  in  the 
grain  trade  and  hardware  business  ;  next  in  Creston 
Township,  Ogle  County,  in  the  hardware  business ; 
and  in  the  spring  of  1870  he  returned  to  Shabbona, 
this  county,  residing  on  his  farm  since  1873.  It 
comprises  100  acres. 

In  his  political  connections,  Mr.  Cameron  was  a 
Whig  in  the  days  of  Whiggism,  and  has  been  a  Re- 
publican ever  since  the  organization  of  the  latter 
party.  He  and  Mrs.  C.  are  members  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  at  West  Shabbona. 

In  Juniata  Co.,  Pa.,  Sept.  26,  1846,  Mr.  Cameron 
married  Miss  Melinda  E.,  daughter  of  James  and 
Nancy  (Talbert)  Wallace,  who  was  born  in  that 
county  July  26,  1824,  of  Scottish  and  English  de- 
scent. 


ohn  F.  Newsham,  general  farmer,  section 
9,   Milan   Township,  was    born    Jan.    24, 
1842,  Erie   Co.,  Pa.      Charles  Newsham,    JL. 
senior,  his  father,  was  a  native  of  England,  and 
emigrated   to   the  "States  "  before    marriage. 

He  is  still  a  resident  of  Erie  Co.,  Pa.,  and  is  1  ^ 
76  years  of  age.  The  wife  and  mother,  Mary  R.  c/ 
(Ward)  Newsham,  was  born  in  the  city  of  London,  ^95* 
England,  where  she  was  educated.  She  was  married 
soon  after  coming  to  America,  at  Pittsbutg,  Pa.  She 

A/d^ «£ia> 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


died  Nov.  13,  r882,  in  Erie  Co.,  Pa.,  and  is  survived 
by  seven  of  her  nine  children. 

Mr.  Newsham  fulfilled  his  minority  under  the 
guardianship  of  his  parents,  and  in  the  spring  of  1867 
came  to  De  Kalb  County.  After  a  few  months  he 
made  a  purchase  of  80  acres  of  land  on  section  9,  on 
which  he  has  since  resided,  in  Milan  Township. 
After  securing  his  claim  he  returned  to  Erie  County 
and  was  married,  Oct.  i,  1867,  to  Maggie  Brown. 
She  was  born  July  6,  1846,  in  Green  Township,  Erie 
i  Co.,  Pa.,  whither  her  parents,  David  and  Catherine 
\  (Bys)  Brown,  removed  from  the  State  of  New  York. 
1  She  is  one  of  six  children  born  to  her  parents,  who 
are  now  resident  in  the  village  of  Malta,  De  Kalb  Co. 
She  was  carefully  educated  and  instructed  in  all 
womanly  arts.  She  is  the  mother  of  one  child, — 
Verna  B., — born  Jan.  28,  1878.  She  returned  to 
Milan  Township  with  her  husband  soon  after  mar- 
riage, and  they  have  had  a  prosperous  life,  through 
the  exercise  of  good  judgment  and  ability.  Their 
farm  includes  200  acres  of  excellent  land  with  suit- 
able farm  fixtures.  Mr.  Newsham  is  a  Republican. 


\  eorge  F.  Mason,  farmer,  section  36,  Squaw 
Grove  Township,  is  the  son  of  Roswell 
W.  and  Jane  (Spofford)  Mason,  and  is  of 
New  England  descent  and  origin.  They  came 
from  Vermont,  their  native  State,  to  New  York, 
and  to  Kendall  Co.,  111.,  in  1856.  Mrs.  Mason 
died  while  absent  from  her  home  on  a  visit  to  Wis- 
consin. Mr.  M.  is  now  residing  at  Colorado  Springs, 
Col.  Their  children  were  named  George  F.  and 
Anna  E. 

Mr.  Mason,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born 
Jan.  22,  1842,  in  Chautauqua  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  was 
about  14  years  of  age  when  his  parents  became  resi- 
dents of  the  State  of  Illinois.  He  lived  'in  Kendall 
County  until  February,  1867,  when  he  purchased  his 
farm  in  the  Township  of  Squaw  Grove.  His  original 
purchase  included  80  acres,  and  now  consists  of  160 
acres,  all  of  which  is  tillable  and  mostly  in  a  fair 
state  of  cultivation.  Mr.  Mason  is  politically  in 
sympathy  with  the  Republican  party,  and  has  offici- 
ated as  School  Director. 

He  was  married  Oct.  22,  1864,  at  Joliet,  111.,  to 
( Augusta,  daughter  of  Timothy  and  Harriet  (Chilcott) 

®&&a<fa 


Hodgman.  The  former  was  a  native  of  Vermont 
and  the  latter  of  the  State  of  New  York.  Mrs.  Mason 
had  two  brothers  and  a  sister,  all  older  than  herself 
and  born  in  the  following  order  :  William,  Jeannette 
and  Henry.  She  was  born  Sept.  29,  1847,  at  Crown 
Point,  Essex  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  has  been  the  mother  of 
five  children,— Louis  A.,  Warren  G.,  Oscar  W., 
Harry  L.  and  Elva  A.  The  first-born  died  in  early 
childhood.  Mrs.  Mason's  grandmother  on  her  mother's 
side  was  a  sister  of  the  famous  Joseph  Call,  the 
"  Giant  of  New  England." 


illiam  W.  Irwin,  farmer,  sections  6  and  7, 
Shabbona  Township,  was  born  in  Wash- 
ington Co.,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  29,  1822,  and  is  a 
son  of  James  G.  and  Mary  (White)   Irwin. 
His  parents  removed  to  Oswego  County,  in 
his  native  State,  when  William  was  an  infant, 
and  located  on  a  farm. 

William  remained  on  the  farm  in  Oswego  County, 
assisting  in  its  cultivation  and  attending  school  until 
1 6  years  of  age,  when  he  engaged  to  learn  the  coop- 
er's trade,  which  he  soon  mastered  and  followed  for 
several  years.  He  came  to  Shabbona,  this  county, 
April  17,  1856,  spent  nearly  a  year  in  that  township, 
and  then  brought  his  family  from  "  York  State  "  and 
located  in  Victor  Township.  He  lived  there  one 
year  and  then  moved  to  Shabbona  Township  and 
settled  on  the  farm  on  which  he  is  at  present  residing. 
His  farm  comprises  210  acres  and  is  in  good  tillable 
condition,  with  a  comfortable  residence  and  good 
substantial  out-buildings.  He  also  owns  344  acres 
in  Iowa. 

Mr.  Irwin  was  married  in  Oswego  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Jan. 
16,  1855,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  E.,  daughter  of  Daniel 
D.  and  Elizabeth  (Singer)  Colby.  She  was  born  in 
Granby,  Oswego  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  19,  1829.  Eleven 
children  constitute  the  issue  of  their  union,  seven 
boys  and  four  girls,  and  their  record  is  as  follows : 
Willie  W.  was  born  Oct.  21,  1855  ;  Charles  A.  was 
born  Jan.  20,  1858,  married  Maggie  Hutton  and  re- 
sides at  Storm  Lake,  Iowa,  where  he  is  practicing 
law,  and  is  Chairman  of  the  Republican  Committee 
of  Buena  Vista  County.  He  is  also  teaching  law  in 
a  business  college;  Miles  H.,  born  Jan.  10,  1860 
£i_ 


OF  TIE 

wiYMsmr  OF  ILLMHU 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


J 


s> 


died  March  i,  1860;  Frank  D.  was  born  Feb.  25, 
1861  ;  Mary  E.  was  born  Aug.  2,  1863,  married  Geo. 
B.  Foster  and  resides  at  Shabbona;  Cora  A.,  born 
Sept.  23,  1865,  died  Oct.  31,  1865;  Lewis  J.,  born 
Oct.  2,  1866,  died  Sept.  22,  1875;  Emmet  J.  and 
Emma  M.  (twins)  were  born  June  20,  1868  :  Emmet 
J.  died  Oct.  16,  1869;  Lottie  A.,  born  Jan.  31,  1871, 
died  Sept.  17,  1879;  John  H.,  born  Oct.  6,  1873,  died 
Sept.  7,  .875. 

Politically,  Mr.  Irwin  is  a  Republican,  and  relig- 
iously, he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church. 

When  Mr.  Irwin  arrived  in  Chicago  he  had  to 
borrow  jjio  to  enable  him  to  get  to  this  county;  and 
by  his  industry  he  has  now  his  splendid  farm  in  the 
above  named  township,  besides  the  property  he  owns 
in  Iowa.  He  is  now  able  to  retire  from  active  life. 


ton.  Augustus  Adams,  of  Sandwich,  is  the 
pioneer  inventor  and  foundryman  of  North- 
ern Illinois,  having  established  at  Elgin  the 
first  foundry  and  machine-shop  west  of  Chicago. 
Mr.  Adams  was  born  May  10,  1806,  in  Genoa, 
Cayuga  Co.,  N.  Y.  Samuel  Adams,  the  father 
of  Augustus  Adams,  died  when  the  latter  was  1 1 
years  old,  leaving  to  his  son  the  heritage  of  an  un- 
sullied name  and  the  necessity  of  immediate  effort 
for  self-maintenance.  In  the  succeeding  spring  he 
went  with  his  brother-in-law  to  Chester,  Geauga  Co., 
Ohio,  where  he  spent  some  years  in  alternate  farm 
labor  and  attending  school. 

In  boyhood  Mr.  Adams  had  a  studious  nature  and 
a  reflective  mentality,  and  he  made  the  best  use  of 
the  limited  advantages  afforded  by  the  sections  of 
New  York  and  Ohio  where  he  resided,  lx>lh  being  in 
their  pioneer  period.  By  devoting  his  leisure  time  to 
study  and  reading,  he  acquired  a  substantial  store  of 
general  knowledge,  and  an  education  which  on 
reaching  mature  years  he  made  available  in  teaching, 
and  in  this  avenue  of  effort  he  passed  several  win- 
ters. From  the  bent  of  his  tastes  and  circumstances, 
he  decided  on  mechanical  inventions  as  a  field  for 
the  development  of  his  genius,  having  been  aroused 
to  the  crudeness  and  inefficiency  of  farming  imple- 
ments, and  believing  with  all  the  enthusiasm  of  true 
genius  in  the  possibilities  open  to  inventors  of  agricul- 


tural machinery.  While  he  labored,  his  mind  was 
busy  with  plans  for  the  future,  and  he  worked  on, 
saving  the  results  of  his  industry  and  frugality  until, 
in  1829,  he  was  enabled  to  establish  a  foundry  and 
machine  shop  at  Pine  Valley,  Chemung  Co.,  N.  Y. 
Upon  the  inventors  of  that  early  day  rested  con- 
victions of  a  twofold  necessity.  Not  only  invention 
waited  on  opportunity,  but  ways  and  means  as  well ; 
and  facilities  to  aid  the  inventor  in  testing  his  appli- 
ances, being  practically  wanting,  and,  to  the  mind  of 
the  latter,  remote  from  the  centers  of  progress,  the 
necessity  for  such  assistance  was  as  palpable  as  the 
dream  of  his  genius.  The  establishment  at  Pine 
Valley  was  in  successful  operation-  until  1837. 
Meanwhile,  the  thousand  tongues  of  rumor  had 
painted  glowing  pictures  of  the  promise  and  oppor- 
tunity of  the  undeveloped  West  on  every  imagination 
east  of  the  lakes,  and  filled  every  mind  with  longing 
to  test  the  possibilities  that  awaited  effort. 

To  Mr.  Adams  the  field  for  the  exercise  of  his  in- 
ventive faculties  opened  by  the  agricultural  resources 
of  the  Prairie  State,  offered  the  opportunity  he  had 
hardly  dared  to  hope  for,  and  he  foresaw  the  im- 
portance and  necessity  of  labor-saving  machinery  in 
dealing  with  the  enormous  crops.  Gradually  he 
formed  the  purpose  of  transferring  his  business  and 
interests  to  the  land  of  promise,  a  plan  which  he  car- 
ried into  successful  operation  in  the  fall  of  1838, 
when  he  came  to  Elgin,  where  he  operated  as  he 
found  opportunity,  bringing  every  effort  to  bear  on 
his  ultimate  purpose.  His  family  joined  him  at 
Elgin  in  the  fall  of  1840,  and  in  the  year  following, 
associated  with  James  T.  Gifford,  he  fulfilled  his 
cherished  plan  and  found  himself  at  the  head  of  a 
machine  shop  and  foundry  in  the  midst  of  the  bound- 
less, beautiful  prairies,  whence  every  outlook  was 
freighted  with  promise  of  successful  application  and 
the  fruits  of  effort  and  genius.  Here  he  labored  with 
vigor  and  efficiency,  and  invented  and  manufactured 
the  first  "  harvester  "  on  which  grain  was  collected 
and  bound.  He  and  Philo  Sylla  also  invented  the 
"  Hinge  Sickle  Bar,"  which  is  now  in  use  on  all  mow- 
ing-machines. He  there  commenced  the  manu- 
facture of  the  Adams  Corn-Shellers.  These  machines 
were  the  outgrowth  of  a  necessity  consequent  upon 
the  change  in  the  staple  product  of  Illinois, — wheat 
failing  from  the  nature  of  the  soil  and  corn  taking  its 
place.  Shelters  were  indispensable,  and  the  hand 
machines  which  were  manufactured  to  some  extent 


vx 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


in  the  shops  at  Elgin  were  entirely  inadequate  in 
disposing  of  the  huge  crops  that  grew  on  the  broad 
acres  of  Illinois  and  other  prairie  States.  This  new 
want  re-awakened  the  energies  of  Mr.  Adams,  and 
the  "  Self-feeding  Corn-Shellers  "  have  given  his 
name  a  permanent  place  in  the  consciousness  of 
every  agriculturist  between  the  eastern  and  western 
oceans.  In  1856  Mr.  Adams,  while  still  resident  at 
Elgin,  started  a  machine  shop  on  a  limited  scale  at 
Sandwich,  where  he  experimented  in  the  construction 
of  a  power  corn-sheller.  Within  a  year  the  idea  was 
perfected ;  and,  the  opportune  destruction  of  his 
small  engine  giving  him  an  opportunity  to  replace  it 
by  one  larger  and  more  available,  he  was  enabled  to 
push  the  work  of  manufacturing  as  fast  as  his  means 
would  "permit.  In  a  few  months,  so  to  speak,  the 
Sandwich  Corn-Sheller  attained  a  popularity  which 
crowded  the  factory  to  its  utmost  capacity,  and  as 
early  as  1861  the  works  afforded  employment  for  a 
large  force  of  men.  The  shops  were  destroyed  by 
fire  at  a  time  when  the  products  were  in  great  de- 
mand, when  the  firm  which  had  become  A.  Adams 
&  Sons,  with  their  well-known  energy,  reconstructed 
the  building  on  a  larger  and  better  scale  and  by  ex- 
traordinary exertions  supplied  the  demand.  The 
value  and  necessity  of  the  corn-sheller  was  an  estab- 
lished fact,  and  in  1867  home  capital  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  an  incorporated  company  flowed  in 
abundantly,  resulting  in  the  organization  of  the  Sand- 
wich Manufacturing  Company,  with  Augustus  Adams 
as  its  President.  Increasing  demand  for  machines 
necessitated  increased  facilities,  and  the  results  are 
manifest  in  the  superb  shops  at  Sandwich. 

In  1870  Mr.  Adams  established  his  younger  sons 
at  Marseilles,  111.,  in  the  manufacture  of  corn-shellers, 
in  order  to  make  available  the  fine  water-power  of 
the  Illinois  River  in  view  of  its  greater  economy  as 
compared  with  steam  power.  They  organized  and 
were  incorporated  under  the  State  laws  as  the 
"  Marseilles  Manufacturing  Company,"  with  the 
senior  Adams  as  its  President,  he  having  resigned 
his  position  as  chief  official  of  the  Sandwich  com- 
pany. His  interests  are  at  present  writing  centered 
in  the  establishment  at  Marseilles,  whose  products 
have  acquired  a  national  reputation. 

Mr.  Adams  is  an  inflexible  adherent  to  the  prin- 
ciples, and  supporter  of  the  issues,  of  the  Republican 
element  in  politics;  While  a  resident  at  Elgin  his 
characteristic  traits  of  good  judgment  and  clear  fore- 


sight  received  recognition  in  his  election,  in  1847,  as 
a  Delegate  to  the  Constitutional  Convention  of  Illi- 
nois to  revise  the  Constitution,  and  he  performed 
efficient  service  as  a  member  of  that  body.  In  1850 
he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  House  of  Represent- 
atives in  the  Assembly  of  Illinois,  and  in  1854  he 
was  elected  to  the  Senatorial  branch  of  that  body. 
•  He  was  also  appointed  one  of  the  commissioners  to 
locate  the  Insane  Asylum  of  Northern  Illinois.  In 
religious  convictions  and  connection  Mr.  Adams  is  a 
Congregationalist,  and  belongs  to  the  orthodox  type 
of  the  Christian  element. 

He  was  married  Oct.  21,  1833,  toLydia  A.  Phelps, 
and  they  became  the  parents  of  nine  children, — eight 
sons  and  a  daughter, — who  were  born  as  follows : 
Darius,  Aug.  26,  1834:  J.  Phelps,  Sept.  18,  1835  ; 
Henry  A.,  Jan.  21,  1837;  John  Q.,  July  23,  1839; 
H.  Raymond,  June  29,  1842;  Amy  W.,  May  29, 
1844;  Oliver  R.,  Sept.  10,  1845;  Walter  G.,  July  12, 
1848;  Charles  H.,  Feb.  17,  1855.  The  mother  died 
Dec.  14,  1867.  Mr.  Adams  was  a  second  time  mar- 
ried Jan.  13,  1869,  to  Mrs.  L.  M.  Mosher. 

The  portrait  of  Mr.  Adams  on  another  page  is  an 
appropriate  accompaniment  to  the  collated  records 
of  De  Kalb  County,  whose  welfare  has  been  so  long 
one  of  his  chief  interests.  The,  gallery  of  the  por- 
traits of  inventors  who  have  secured  her  permanent 
reputation  and  prosperity  would  be  singularly  deficient 
without  it,  and  the  citizens  of  Sandwich  will  welcome 
it  on  these  pages  as  that  of  a  personal  friend, — one 
who  has  walked  among  them  in  manly  rectitude  and 
to  whom  his  features  have  a  more  than  common 
interest. 


"ohn  C.  Hopkins,  attorney  at  Hinckley,  was 
born  June  21,  1858,  in  Yorkville,  Kendall 
Co.,  111.,  and  is  the  son  of  Robert  and  Mary 
(Cook)  Hopkins.  His  parents  came  to  Ken- 
dall County  in  1838,  where  they  passed  the 
remaining  years  of  their  lives.  They  had  six 
children,— William  H.,  Martha  C.,  John  C.,  Hiram 
R.,  Mary  E.  and  Stella. 

Mr.  Hopkins  was  an  atlendant  at  the  common 
schools  until  he  was  15  years  of  age,  when  he  en- 
tered the  Chicago  University  and  was  graduated 
there  in  1880.  He  entered  at  once  upon  the  study 
of  law  and  was  graduated  in  1882  in  the  Union  Law 

^t$%0£ ^i^a£@ 

TX:^  ^"^TS^T^V^ 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


'  School.  In  January,  1883,  he  was  admitted  to  prac- 
|  tice  in  the  Federal  Courts,  and  in  September,  that 
year,  he  established  his  practice  as  an  attorney  at 
Hinckley.  In  political  faith  Mr.  Hopkins  is  a  Demo- 
crat. He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and 
belongs  to  the  Chapter,  R.  A.  M. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  at  Aurora,  111.,  Sept. 

29,  1883,  to  Emma  A.  Young.     Mrs.  Hopkins  was 

born  April  7,  1865,  in  Oswego,  Kendall  Co.,  111.,  and 

is  the  daughter  of  Henry  and  Sarah  (Gray)  Young. 

The  only  child  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hopkins — Robert 

a   H.— was  born  Sept.  3,  1884. 

I 


Tames   Lane,  farmer,  owning    193^   acres 
on  section    13,  Shabbona   Township,  ,was 
born  in  Kent,  near  London,  England,  Nov. 
23,  1836,  and  is   a  son  of  Henry  and   Mary 
(Luxford)  Lane,  natives  of  that  country. 

James  Lane  was  brought  up  on  a  farm  in  his 
native  country  and  received  the  advantages  afforded 
by  the  common  schools.  He  emigrated  to  this  coun- 
try during  his  23d  year,  in  1859,  and  landed  at 
New  York  May  16  of  that  year.  He  immediately 
came  to  this  State  and  on  May  23  located  in  La 
Salle  County,  where  he  followed  the  vocation  of  a 
farmer.  He  continued  to  follow  that  calling  in  that 
country  until  1874,  and  then  came  to  Shabbona 
Township,  this  county,  and  purchased  land  on  sec- 
tion 24.  On  this  land  he  resided  until  1878,  when 
he  removed  to  his  present  residence  on  section  13. 
He  worked  the  place  until  1880  as  tenant  and  then 
purchased  it. 

Mr.  Lane  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Anna 
M.  Johnson,  in  Crawford  Parish,  England,  May  23, 
1858.  She  was  a  daughter  of  George  and  Ann 
(Turner)  Johnson,  natives  of  England,  and  was  born 
in  Dartford,  Kent,  England,  Feb.  16,  1837.  Her 
grandfather  was  an  English  soldier  and  took  part  in 
the  memorable  battle  of  Waterloo,  in  which  engage- 
ment he  was  wounded  and  died  near  the  battle- 
ground. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lane  have  been  the  parents  of  nine 
children,  seven  of  whom  were  born  in  La  Salle  and 
two  in  this  county  :  Henry  G.  was  born  April  12, 
1860;  Edgar  A.,  Feb.  17,  1862,  and  died  in  October, 
1863;  Maud  M.,  born  Jan.  25,  1864,  is  now  the  wife 


of  Lewis  Olmstead,  a  farmer  of  Shabbona  Township ; 
EllaM.  was  born  March  n,  1866;  Elmer  E.,  April 
14,  1868;  Arthur  A.,  March  27,  1870 ;  Charles  J., 
March  n,  1872;  Oscar  E.,  June  12,  1875;  and 
Frederick,  July  21,  1879. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lane  are  members  of  the  Congrega- 
tional Church  at  Shabbona. 


D.  Olmsted,  farmer,  section  31,  Clin- 
ton Township,  and  owner  of  205  acres  in 
the  township,  was  born  in  Catharine,  Tioga 
County,  now  Schuyler  Co.,  N.  Y.,  June  21, 
1822.  He  is  a  son  of  Coleman  and  Clara*(Dau- 
chey)  Olmsted.  He  lived  at  home  assisting  his 
father  and  attending  the  common  schools  until  1835, 
when  he  removed  with  his  parents  to  Big  Flat,  Che- 
mung  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  three  years  later,  1838,  came 
with  them  to  Illinois.  The  family  located  in  La 
Salle  County,  where  they  continued  to  reside  until 
the  spring  of  1841,  when  they  removed  to  Shabbona 
Grove,  this  county.  The  Olmsted  family  are  of 
Revolutionary  stock.  His  great-grandfather  died  at 
Valley  Forge. 

Mr.  Olmsted  was  married  Nov.  10,  1846,  at  Clin- 
ton, this  State,  to  Miss  Ann  B.  McNish.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  Alexander  McNish,  of  Washington  Co., 
N.  Y.,  and  was  born  in  that  county.  She  was  the 
mother  of  two  children  by  Mr.  O.,  both  of  .whom  died 
in  infancy.  The  wife  and  mother  died  July  19, 1849, 
and  Mr.  Olmsted  was  again  married  Dec.  12,  1850, 
to  Miss  Elizabeth  A.  Frost,  at  Catharine,  Schuyler 
Co.,  N.  Y.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Jonathan  and  Eliz- 
abeth L.  (Sherwood)  Frost.  She  was  born  in  Catha- 
rine, Schuyler  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  has  become  the  mother 
of  four  children  by  Mr.  Olmsted.  Their  children  are : 
Frank  D.,  born  Nov.  9,  1851,  married  Malinda  Cam- 
eron and  resides  in  Shabbona.  George  J.  F.,  born 
Sept.  i,  1854.  Charles  S.,  born  March  6,  1856,  and 
died  Oct.  i,  same  year.  Charles  J.  C.,  born  Sept.  13, 
1858,  and  died  March  9,  r86i. 

Mr.  Olmsted  settled  on  his  present  farm  in  1847. 
Two  years  afterward  his  house  was  burned,  which  he 
rebuilt  and  has  continued  to  reside  upon  the  farm 
ever  since. 

In  politics  Mr.  Olmsted,  in  the  days  of  the  old 
Whig  party,  was  a  member  of  it,  but  since  the  or- 

—  -4*@^£@. 


8 1 


ganization  of  the  Republican  party,  has  acted  and 
voted  with  it.  He  and  his  wife  were  both  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  with  which  de- 
nomination Mr.  Olmsted  has  been  identified  ever 
since  its  organization  at  Shabbona. 


j'ollef  T.  Bide  is  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Eide  &  Hommersand,  dealers  in   general 
merchandise  at   Lee,  Lee  Co.,  111.     These 
gentlemen  established  their  business  here  Oct. 
1 6,  1883,  and  carry  an  average  stock  of  $8,000 
in  value.   They  are  enjoying  a  very  prosperous 
business. 

Mr.  Eide  was  born  in  Norway,  Dec.  12,  1852,  and 
and  is  the  son  of  Torres  and  Randvei  Eide ;  he  was 
brought  up  as  a  farmer  and  as  a  fisherman  in  Central 
and  Northern  Norway.  He  arrived  in  the  United 
States  Dec.  19,  1882,  coming  directly  to  Chicago, 
where  he  spent  a  few  months,  and  in  February,  1883, 
he  came  to  the  village  of  Lee,  Shabbona  Township, 
and  engaged  as  a  clerk  in  the  general  store  of  Berliz- 
heimer  &  Stensland.  Oct.  16,  1883,  he  formed  the 
existing  partnership  with  Mr.  Hommersand,  purchas- 
ing the  establishment  where  he  had  been  acting  as 
manager  since  April  15,  of  that  year.  The  present 
firm  are  succeeding  well  in  their  business. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Eide  took  place  in  Norway, 
July  15,  1881,  to  Miss  Christina  H.  Greve,  born  Aug. 
12,  1861,  is  a  daughter  of  John  Greve  and  a  native 
of  Norway.  They  have  had  two  children,  namely: 
Torres,  born  in  Norway,  March  19, 1882;  and  Helena, 
born  in  Lee,  April  23,  1883. 

Mr.  Eide  is  a  Republican  in  his  political  views, 
and  both  himself  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Lu- 
theran Church. 


,lmer  Bushnell,  farmer,  section  36,  Squaw 
Grove  Township,  has  been  a  resident  of 
De  Kalb  County  since  1865,  and  is  the 
owner  of  200  acres  of  land,  on  which  he  is  now 
prosecuting  his  agricultural  operations,  and 
which  is  nearly  all  under  cultivation.  He  was 
born  March  30,  1830,  in  Cattaraugus  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and 
is  the  son  of  Amasa  and  Mila  (Frary)  Bushnell. 
His  parents  were  natives  of  New  York,  and  came 

^€3^ — @ 


thence  to  Kendall  Co.,  111.,  in  1855,  where  the  father  * 
died  on  the  2oth  of  September  of  the  same  year.    ' 
The  mother  removed  to  De  Kalb  County  in   1865, 
and  died  Jan.  9,  1876.     Their  three  children  were 
named  William  J.  (see  sketch),  Elmer  and  Marcus  S. 

Mr.  Bushnell  was  reared  as  a  farmer's  son,  obtain- 
ing his  education  at  the  public  schools  and  working 
as  a  farm  assistant  on  the  home  place  until  the  age 
of  25  years.  He  came  to  Kendall  County  when  his 
parents  removed  there,  and  he  lived  at  Little  Rock 
in  that  county  until  his  removal  to  Squaw  Grove 
Township  in  1865.  He  has  officiated  as  Overseer  of 
the  Highway,  and  is  identified  in  politics  with  the 
Republican  party. 

He  was  married  Nov.  25,  1852,  in  Cattaraugus  Co., 
N.  Y.,  to  Paulina  R,  daughter  of  William  Merchant. 
She  was  born  April  4,  1832,  near  Cazenovia,  N.  Y. 
Of  their  marriage  the  following  children  have  been 
born:  Lillie  M.,'Ada  C., George  H.,  Lettie  and  Kitty. 
Ada  and  Kitty  are  deceased. 


acob  Stone,  farmer,  section  10,  Milan  Town- 
ship, was  born  June  20,  1832,  in  Chester 
Co.,  Pa.  He  is  of  German  descent,  his 
grandfather,  Garrett  Stone,  having  been  a  na- 
tive of  that  country.  The  latter  was  a  black- 
smith by  calling  and  emigrated  to  the  United 
States,  where  he  located  in  Chester  County  and  died 
there  nearly  90  years  old.  Jacob  Stone,  senior,  son 
of  Garrett,  was  a  shoemaker  in  early  life  and  is  now, 
at  80  years  of  age,  engaged  in  farming  in  Perry  Co., 
Pa.  The  mother  of  Mr.  Stone  of  this  sketch,  Mar- 
garet (Glenn)  Stone,  was  of  Irish  descent  and  was 
born  in  Pennsylvania.  Her  father,  Hugh  Glenn, 
was  born  on  the  Atlantic  Ocean  while  his  parents 
were  en  route  to  the  United  States.  The  latter  set- 
tled on  a  farm  in  Pennsylvania,  where  they  died. 
Margaret  (Glenn)  Stone  died  Feb.  28,  1865,  in  Perry 
Co.,  Pa.,  when  nearly  58  years  old. 

Mr.  Stone  is  third  in  order  of  birth  of  eight  chil- 
dren, four  of  whom  are  deceased.  He  was  taugtit 
the  details  of  the  shoemaker's  craft  by  his  father,  and 
when  he  became  19  years  of  age  he  set  out  to  operate 
as  a  journeyman,  that  method  of  obtaining  employ- 
ment being  in  vogue  at  that  period  and  necessary  to 
both  craftsman  and  beneficiary,  as  settlements  were 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


sparse.  He  passed  a  year  in  that  capacity,  and  then 
became  the  manager  of  the  homestead  farm,  in  which 
he  was  employed  until  his  marriage. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  Dec.  29,  ^857,  in 
Coral  Township,  Perry  Co.,  Pa.,  to  Susannah  S.  Hen- 
derson. She  was  born  April  15,  1830,  in  Perry 
County,  and  is  the  daughter  of  H.  and  Nancy 
(White)  Henderson.  Her  father  was  born  in  Ire- 
land. Her  mother  was  a  native  of  Perry  County,  and 
was  of  Irish  extraction.  She  died  in  the  same  county, 
in  1872.  The  father's  decease  occurred  in  1884. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stone  have  been  the  parents  of  seven 
children,  all  of  whom  are  living  except  one, — John 
^  W.  The  others  are  William  H.,  Margaret  A.  (Mrs. 
George  Applebee),  Israel  A.,  Benjamin  W.,  James  E., 
and  Eddy  T. 

The  family  came  West  in  1868.  They  located  on 
1 60  acres  of  unbroken  prairie,  which  has  been  con- 
verted into  an  attractive  and  valuable  farm,  by  ap- 
'  plication  and  industry.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stone  are 
actively  interested  in  the  progress  and  welfare  of  the 
ft*  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  to  which  the  entire 
^  family  belong,  and  in  which  the  former  has  officiated 
igj  in  the  several  public  relations.  He  has  also  acted  as 
c^  school  officer.  In  political  faith  and  connection  he 
•$  is  a  Republican. 


Llliam  D.  Coulson,  resident  on  section  23, 
Squaw  Grove  Township,  has  been  a  farm- 
er in  the  State  of  Illinois  since  1853,  with 
the  exception  of  three  years  which  he  spent 
in  the  military  service  of  the  United  States. 
He  was  born  March  15,  1838,  in  England,  and 
is  the  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Dale)  Coulson.  His 
parents  lived  and  died  on  their  native  soil.  They 
had  10  children,  of  whom  Mr.  Coulson  of  this  sketch 
is  the  oldest.  He  came  to  America  in  1853  and  at 
once  located  in  Illinois.  In  the  summer  of  1862  he 
enlisted  in  the  127111  111.  Vol.  Inf.,  and  was  in  the 
service  until  the  war  closed.  He  was  wounded  once, 
receiving  a  gunshot  wound  in  the  right  hand  at  the 
siege  of  Atlanta.  After  his  discharge  from  the  army 
he  returned  to  Kendall  Co.,  111.  He  continued  there 
three  years,  and  in  1868  bought  165  acres  of  land, 
which  has  since  constituted  his  homestead  and  on 
which  he  has  erected  a  fine  residence.  He  is  the 


*. 


swner  of  240  acres  of  land  in  Squaw  Grove  Town-    ^ 


ship,  all  of  which  is  under  cultivation.  In  political 
faith  he  coincides  with  the  principles  of  the  Repub- 
lican party. 

He  was  married  Jan.  15,  1867,  at  Yorkville,  Ken- 
dall Co.,  111.,  to  Phebe  "A.,  daughter  of  John  and 
Leah  (Jones)  Darnell.  Her  parents  were  natives  of 
North  Carolina,  and  had  a  family  of  10  children. 
Mrs.  Coulson  was  born  Sept.  19,  1842.  She  is  the 
mother  of  three  children, — Addie  L.,  Alice  M.  and 
Harry  G.  The  parents  are  members  of  the  Method- 
ist Church. 


homas  Wright,  deceased,  was  an  early  pio- 
neer of  Shabbona  Township,  being  one  of 
the  four  Englishmen  who  located  in  the 
western  part  of  the  township  in  the  fall  of  1851 
and  laid  the  foundation  for  the  settlement 
since  known  as  the  "  English." 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Woodhall, 
Yorkshire,  England,  Dec.  2r,  1802,  his  parents  be- 
ing William  and  Fannie  Wright.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  big  native  parish,  April  3,  1831,  to  Miss 
Mary,  daughter  of  George  and  Julianna  Mullins. 
She  was  born  in  Yorkshire,  Feb.  6,  1809.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Wright  had  five  children,  all  born  in  England, 
namely:  George,  born  Oct.  10,  1832,  was  married 
first  to  Elizabeth  Scott,  and,  after  her  death,  to  Em- 
ily C.  Johnson,  and  is  a  farmer  of  Shabbona  Town- 
ship; Ann,  born  July  13,  1835,  is  now  the  wife  of 
William  Cutts,  of  Lee  County ;  William,  born  May 
9,  1840,  became  a  soldier  of  Co.  E,  io5th  111.  Vol. 
Inf.,  was  wounded  at  Resaca  May  15,  1864,  and 
died  in  the  hospital  on  the  25th  of  that  month ;  Rob- 
ert M.,  born  Nov.  i,  1844,  married  Elizabeth  Fowler, 
and  is  now  a  resident  of  Fort  Dodge,  Iowa,  where  he 
is  practicing  law;  Julianna,  born  Jan.  31,  1844,  is 
now  the  wife  of  James  Spaulding  and  lives  in  Palo 
Alto  Co.,  Iowa. 

In  England  Mr.  Wright  was  employed  as  over- 
seer of  a  gentleman's  farms.  He  emigrated  to 
America  in  1850,  reaching  Morris,  Grundy  Co.,  111., 
May  31  of  that  year.  During  the  ensuing  summer 
he  came  to. Shabbona,  and  in  November,  1851,  he 
moved  his  family  to  that  place.  He  came  in  com- 
pany with  S.  Story,  Wm.  Cutts  and  Joseph  Billam. 

D      >ijgy        -  t-f)g^^ 


DE  KALB    COUNTY. 


) 


31 


Settling  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  18,  he 
engaged  in  farming  and  continued  in  that  calling 
until  about  eight  years  prior  to  his  death,  when  he 
removed  to  Lee  County.  He  died  Sept  7,  1882,  in 
that  county,  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  In  his  political,  action  he  voted  with  the 
Republican  party. 


.rnest  Peckman,  farmer,  section  6,  Squaw 
Grove  Township,  was  born  in  Germany, 
Aug.  30,  1830.  He  lived  in  his  native 
country  until  he  was  24  years  old — in  1854 — 
and  settled  in  Kendall  Co.,  111.,  to  which  place 
he  at  once  proceeded  in  landing  in  the  United 
States.  He  resided  four  years  there  and  came 
thence  to  Somonauk  Township,  and  after  a  residence 
there  of  seven  years  he  bought  102  acres  in  the 
township  of  which  he  has  been  a  citizen. 

He  was  married  in  Kendall  County,  to  Justinia 
Wollenweber,  and  they  have  three  children — Her- 
man, Henry  and  Ernest.  Mrs.  Peckman  is  a 
native  of  Germany  and  was  born  Sept.  7,  1829. 
With  her  husband,  she  belongs  to  the  Lutheran 
Church. 


lamuel  Cutts,  farmer,  section  18,  township 
of  Shabbona,  occupying  203  acres  of  landt 
was  born  in  the  village  of  Harthill,  York- 
shire, England,  June  28,  1831,  and  is  the  son 
of  George  and  Sarah  (Rudeforth)  Cutts.  He 
was  reared  to  agricultural  pursuits,  and  emi- 
grated to  America  in  September,  1851,  coming  direct- 
ly to  Lisbon,  111.,  where  he  resided  a  year.  He  then 
came  to  Shabbona  Township  and  "  took  up  "  the 
west  half  of  fractional  northwest  quarter  of  section 
18, — a  track  containing  100  acres;  he  has  since 
purchased  103  acres  additional.  He  was  one  of  the 
pioneer  party  of  young  Englishmen  who  founded  the 
so-called  English  settlement  in  the  western  part  of 
Shabbona  Township  in  1852.  The  surrounding  coun- 
try at  that  time  was  in  its  natural  state,  and  the  most 
familiar  neighbors  of  these  men  were  prairie  wolves. 
Mr.  Cutts  has  always  voted  with  the  Republicans  ; 
and,  while  not  a  member  of  any  Church  he  has  con- 


tributed liberally  in  the  support  of  the   Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  of  his  neighborhood. 

He  was  married  in  Shabbona  Township,  June  23, 
1857,  to  Mrs.  Mary  Dalton,  widow  of  Thomas  Dai- 
ton  and  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  (Tiffin)  Barnes. 
She  was  born  in  Aspatria,  Cumberland  County,  Eng- 
land, March  31,  1828,  and  had  four  children  by  her 
first  marriage,  namely;  Mary  P.,  born  July  27,  1849; 
Thomas  P.,  Jan.  15,  1851,  married  Lydia  Hampton 
and  lives  in  Lee,  111.;  Isabella,  born  Aug.  29,  1853, 
is  the  wife  of  Siren  Madison  and  resides  in  Nebraska ; 
and  Sarah  A.,  born  Feb.  27,  1855.  Mrs.  Cutts  came 
to  America  in  1852,  and  her  children  born  in  this 
country,  by  the  present  marriage,  are  :  Margaret  E., 
born  March  12,  1858;  Agnes,  born  March  2,  1861, 
died  May  23,  1876;  John  W.,  born  Jan.  i,  1864; 
Addie  M.,  July  22,  1867  ;  and  Emma  M.,  Nov.  10, 
1870. 


£& 


arwood  Veale,  farmer,  section  4,  Milan 
Township,  was  born  Sept.  13,  1849,  in 
Devonshire,  England,  and  is  the  son  of 
Oliver  and  Mary  A.  (Bailey)  Veale.  His 
parents  emigrated  from  their  native  land  to  the 
province  of  Ontario,  Canada,  settling  in  Darling- 
ton. Their  removal  to  the  New  World  was  effected 
in  1852,  and  they  became  farmers  in  Canada.  Six 
children  were  included  in  their  family,  and  in  1864 
the  parents  with  four  children  came  to  Illinois.  The 
father  selected  and  purchased  160  acres  of  land  in 
Milan  Township.  On  this  they  settled  and  there 
the  mother  died,  Nov.  19,  1872.  After  that  event 
Mr.  Veale  entered  upon  the  work  of  conducting  the 
homestead,  and  not  long  after  his  father  went  back 
to  his  children  in  Canada  for  a  permanent  home. 
He  is  now  75  years  old. 

Mr.  Veale  was  married  March  28,  1871,  to  Flora 
Blackman.  Her  parents,  Ira  and  Sophia  (Kibbee) 
Blackman,  were  born  in  the  State  of  New  York,  and 
were  of  New  England  descent  and  English  ancestry. 
They  belong  to  the  agricultural  class  in  New  York, 
and  in  1846  removed  to  Wisconsin,  settling  in  Rock 
County.  Mrs.  Veale  was  born  there  Feb.  21,  1848, 
and  was  a  resident  there  until  the  removal  of  her 
parents  in  1860  to  a  farm  in  the  township  of  Milan. 
Her  father  and  mother  are  respectively  83  and  70 


I 


COUNTY. 


years  of  age,  and  reside  in  their  declining  years  in 
the  village  of  Malta.  Mrs.  Veale  was  educated  with 
care  and  when  19  engaged  in  the  labors  of  a  teacher, 
pursuing  that  vocation  until  her  marriage.  Clyde  B., 
Merta  S.,  Bertha  M.,  Lester  I.  and  Marwood  V. 
are  the  names  of  the  several  children  now  includ- 
ed in  the  family. 

Mr.  Ve'ale  managed  the  homestead  on  shares  for 
12  years.  In  April,  1883,  he  became  its  sole  pro- 
prietor by  purchase,  and  now  has  160  acres  of  land 
under  excellent  tillage  and  greatly  increased  in  value 
by  the  farm  buildings  he  has  erected  since  his  pur- 
chase. He  is  a  Republican  in  practice  and  theory, 
and  has  held  various  township  offices.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Veale  are  both  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church. 


leremiah  Libby  Brown,  for  many  years  a 
prominent  and  respected  citizen  of  Genoa 
Township,  but  now  deceased,  was  born  of 
American  parents,  at  Scarborough,  Maine, 
April  17,  1805.  He  had  only  such  educational 
advantages  as  were  afforded  in  the  common 
schools  of  that  period.  He  lived  with  his  parents, 
working  on  the  farm  during  the  summer  seasons  and 
attending  school  winters,  until  he  was  18  years  old. 
At  that  time  he  seemed  to  have  formed  a  gfeat  de- 
sire for  seafaring  life,  and  selected  the  most  exciting 
and  romantic,  as  well  as  most  dangerous  kind  of 
ocean  life,  that  of  whaling.  He  joined  a  whaling 
vessel,  with  which  he  remained  three  years,  when  he 
returned  home  and  with  his  father's  family  moved  to 
the  town  of  Hope,  Hamilton  Co.,  N.  Y. 

In  August,  1830,  Mr.  Brown  was  married  to  Judith 
Richardson,  of  Johnstown,  N.  Y.  The  seven  chil- 
dren born  of  this  marriage  were  Julia  Ann,  born  June 
20,  1831;  James  P.,  Jan.  31,  1833;  Judith,  April  6, 
1835;  Esther  E.,  June  15,  1837;  Abigail  J.,  Aug.  6, 
1840;  Ruth  Sina,  Nov.  12,  1842;  and  Jeremiah  W. 
(see  sketch),  Aug.  7,  1845  ;  all  are  now  living  except 
Julia  Ann,  who  died  April  27,  1844;  and  Ruth  Sina, 
July  n,  1856. 

Mr.  Brown  moved  with  his  family  to  Illinois  in  the 

^&& :*Cfrr     'Q.A 


fall  of  1837,  and  settled  ori  section  30,  Genoa  Town- 
ship. He  was,  therefore,  one  of  the  very  earliest 
settlers  in  this  part  of  the  State.  Three  years  prior 
to  this  date  there  was  not  a  white  settler  within  the 
borders  of  De  Kalb  County.  He,  as  well  as  his 
family,  were  compelled  to  undergo  many  hardships, 
but  able,  sturdy  and  worthy  men  and  women  were 
developed  by  these  hardships  and  difficulties.  His 
life  was  a  successful  one,  and,  besides  accumulating 
considerable  property,  he  lived  to  do  a  great  deal  of 
good  and  in  many  ways  aided  in  developing  his  town- 
ship and  building  up  a  good  society. 

Mrs.  Brown  died  March  4,  1848,  at  the  home  farm 
in  Genoa  Township.  Mr.  Brown  was  married  again 
in  May,  1850,  to  Eliza  A.,  daughter  of  Abner  and 
Mary  Jackman,  of  the  town  of  Sycamore.  Four  chil- 
dren were  born  of  this  marriage:  Emma  R.,  born 
Feb.  8,  1851 ;  Dillon  S.,  May  12,  1852;  Charles  A., 
Jan.  12,  1858;  and  Lizzie.  M.,  Jan.  5,  1866.  His 
last  wife  and  all  the  children,  except  the  two  men^ 
tioned,  are  now  living. 

Mr.  Brown  was  never  especially  prominent  in 
politics,  yet  always  active.  He  served  continu9usly 
in  some  township  official  position,  for  a  number  of 
terms  being  Supervisor.  In  early  life  he  was  a 
Democrat.  In  1840  his  brother-in-law,  Ezra  Starr 
Gregory,  cast  the  first,  and  that  year  the  only,  Aboli- 
tion vote  cast  in  the  county,  voting  for  James  G. 
Birney  for  President.  Mr.  Gregory  was  the  pioneer 
of  that  grand  political  movement  in  De  Kalb  County, 
and  his  name  should  be  honored  as  the  first  to 
come  boldly  to  the  front  in  an  effort  to  remove  the 
dreadful  stain  of  slavery  from  our  civilization.  At 
the  next  election  Mr.  Gregory  was  joined  by  others 
of  De  Kalb  County's  worthy  citizens,  who  wanted  all 
men  under  our  flag  who  should  obey  the  laws  of  the 
country,  to  be  as  free  as  they  were.  These. men  were 
Jeremiah  L.  Brown,  Abner  Jackman,  Justus  Preston, 
Gideon  King,  John  Judd,  and  Benjamin  P.  Brown, 
brother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  At  the 
next  election  these  patriots  were  joined  by  a  host. 
Upon  the  formation  of  the  Republican  party,  Mr. 
Brown  accepted  its  principles  and  the  remainder  of 
his  life  he  passed  within  its  ranks.  He  died  at  his 
home,  Jan.  5,  1882. 

As  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  county,  and  a  gentle- 
man respected  and  esteemed  by  all  who  knew  him, 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


we  place  a  portrait  of  him  in  this  volume.  It  is  en- 
graved from  a  photograph  taken  shortly  before  his 
death. 


.  ames  Darnell,  farmer,  has  been  a  resident 
on  section  6,  Squaw  Grove  Township,  since 
1859,  with  the  exception  of  three  years, 
during  which  he  lived  at  Sandwich.  He  is  the 
sixth  of  ten  children  born  to  his  parents,  John 
and  Leah  (Jones)  Darnell,  who  were  natives  of 
North  Carolina.  They  removed  thence  to  Kendall 
Co.,  111.,  where  the  son  was  born,  Sept.  7,  1835.  He 
there  grew  to  the  estate  of  manhood,  and  in  1859 
came  to  the  site  of  his  present  residence,  where  he 
purchased  106  acres  of  land,  of  which  he  has  since 
been  the  owner;  and  he  has  added  by  later  pur- 
chases until  his  estate  now  comprises  186  acres. 

He  is  a  Republican  in  his  political  views  and  has 
officiated  seven  years  as  School  Director.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Congregational  Church. 

He  was  married  April  3,  1862,  at  Sycamore,  111., 
to  Susanna  Taylor,  and  they  are  now  the  parents  of 
four  children, — Elizabeth  M.,  Anna,  Jessie  B.  and 
Edna  E.  Mrs.  Darnell  was  born  Dec.  16,  1840,  in 
Philadelphia,  Pa.,  and  is  the  daughter  of  William 
and  Catherine  (Roberts)  Taylor.  Her  parents  set- 
tled in  Kendall  Co.,  111.,  in  November,  1854.  Her 
father  is  a  resident  of  Piano  ;  her  mother  died  at 
Sandwich,  May  12,  1864.  They  had  eight  children, 
of  whom  Mrs.  Darnell  is  the  oldest.  The  father  of 
Mr.  Darnell  died  in  Kendall  Co.,  111.,  Jan.  15,  1852. 


;,enry  W.  Wormley,  farmer,  residing  on  sec- 
tion 4,  Shabbona  Township,  and  the  owner 
of  365  acres  in  the  township,  was  born  at 
East  Painted  Post,  now  called  Corning,  Steuben 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  Nov.  2,  r832.  He  is  a  son  of  John 
and  Deborah  (Winans)  Wormley,  who  emi- 
grated, when  Henry  was  five  years  of  age,  to  Oswego, 
Kendall  County,  this  State. 

Henry  was  brought  up  on  a  farm  in  the  latter 
county,  and  alternated  his  labors  thereon  by  attend- 
ance at  the  common  schools  until  he  attained  the 
age  of  17  years.  He  then  engaged  as  a  clerk  and 

^g^ @ 


followed  that  vocation  until  1852.  During  that  year 
he  went  to  California,  via  New  York  and  Nicarauga. 
He  spent  14  months  in  that  State,  mining  and  en- 
gaged in  other  pursuits,  then  returned  to  this  State. 
In  1854  he,  in  company  with  his  brother,  purchased 
the  homestead  farm  near  Oswego,  Kendall  County. 

In  the  spring  of  1856  Mr.  Wormley  came  to  this 
county  and  purchased  land  in  Shabbona  Township, 
on  section  4,  on  which  he  at  present  resides.  When 
he  purchased  the  land  it  was  in  its  natural  condition, 
and  by  energetic  toil  he  has  succeeded  in  converting 
it  into  a  fine,  productive  farm. 

Mr.  Wormley  was  married  in  Oswego,  Kendall 
County,  this  State,  Jan.  5,  1858,  to  Miss  Miranda  S., 
daughter  of  Samuel  and  Elizabeth  (Wolever)  Lilley. 
She  was  born  in  Hornby,  Steuben  Co.,  N.  Y.,  March 
25,  1837.  Six  children  constituted  the  issue  of  their 
union,  and  their  record  is  as  follows :  Cassius  L., 
born  Nov.  2,  1858,  died  March  20,  1860.  Carrie  M., 
bom  Nov.  15,  i86r  ;  Lois  M.,  March  24,  1868;  Jes- 
sie N.,  April  23,  1873;  Blanch  C.,  Jan.  12,  1876; 
Harry  R.,  Sept.  25,  1879. 

Politically,  Mr.  Wormley  is,  and  has  been  -;ver 
since  the  organization  of  the  party,  a  Republican. 
He  has  held  the  office  of  Justice  of  the  Peace  15 
years,  Highway  Commissioner  several  years  and  As- 
sessor two  terms. 


jl  atrick  M.  Hart,  farmer,  section  16,   Milan 
Township,    was   born    Aug.    i,    1831,    in 
County  Sligo,  Ireland.     Edward  Hart,  his 
father,  was  a  farmer  and  was  born  and  died 
on  the  Green  Isle,  as  did  the   mother,   Kittie 
(M addon)  Hart.     They  reared  seven  children, 
of  whom  Mr.  Hart  is  third  in  order  of  birth. 

His  marriage  to  Maggie  Burns  took  place  in  Ire- 
land, Jan.  i,  1855.  She  is  the  daughter  of  William 
and  Jane  (Noble)  Burns,  who  were  members  of  the 
agricultural  class  in  Ireland.  Her  mother  died  when 
Mrs.  Hart  was  a  small  child,  and  in  due  course  of 
time  her  father  was  again  married.  He  is  still  a  resi- 
dent of  Dunn  Bakon,  County  Sligo,  Ireland,  where 
Mrs.  Hart  was  born,  in  March,  1832. 

After  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hart  decided 
to  emigrate  to  America,  which  they  did  in  the  sprinj 
following,  and  they  first  located  near  Toronto,  Can- 
ada. They  continued  there  but  a  year,  when  they 


COUNTY. 


came  to  Kendall  Co.,  111.,  where  they  worked  farms 
on  shares  nine  years.  In  the  spring  of  1866  they 
proceeded  westward  with  their  savings  to  found  a 
home  for  themselves,  and  they  purchased  160  acres 
of  land  on  section  16,  in  the  township  of  Milan, 
which  has  since  been  their  field  of  operation,  and 
which  they  have  reclaimed  from  its  original  state  in 
which  it  was  still  lying  when  they  became  its  pos- 
sessors. It  is  equipped  with  suitable  and  creditable 
farm  buildings. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hart  have  had  five  children,  re- 
corded as  follows:  William  E.,  Cora  A.,  wife  of 
William  Wescott,  a  farmer  in  Milan  Township,  Alice 
J.,  Edward  and  George.  Mr.  Hart  is  a  Republican 
and  is  a  school  official.  The  family  attend  the 
Church  of  England. 


eorge  Wright,  farmer,  owning  120  acres 
located  on  section  7,  Shabbona  Township, 
and  residing  thereon,  whose  postoffice  is 
Lee,  Lee  County,  was  born  near  Sheffield, 
England,  Oct.  10,  1832.  He  was  brought  up 
in  Darnell,  three  miles  from  Sheffield.  He 
emigrated  to  this  country  in  1850,  when  18  years  of 
age,  with  his  parents,  and  in  November,  1851,  came 
with  them  to  this  county,  locating  at  Shabbona. 

Mr.  Wright  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Scott, 
Feb.  26,  1857,  in  Shabbona.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
William  and  Jane  Scott,  and  was  born  in  Brooklyn, 
N.  Y.,  Sept.  3,  1835,  of  English  parentage.  Seven 
children  constituted  the  issue  of  their  union,  namely: 
Thomas  W.,  born  Dec.  29,  1857,  married  Miss  Jane 
Parris  and  resides  in  Calhoun  Co.,  Iowa.  Mary  J., 
born  Dec.  n,  1859,  is  the  wife  of  Clark  Richardson, 
of  Calhoun  County;  John  E.,  born  March  25,  1861, 
married  Sadie  Willrett  and  resides  in  Malta  Town- 
ship; Cora  E.,  born  Dec.  4,  1862,  is  the  wife  of 
William  W.  Hallett,  a  teacher  in  the  schools  at  Lee, 
Lee  County;  Stephen  A.,  bom  Dec.  8,  1865  ;  George 
C.,  born  May  14,  1869;  Robert  S.,  born  Feb.  8,  1877, 
died  May  8,  1881. 

Mrs.  Wright  died  March  u,  1877,  and  Feb.  5, 
1879,  in  Shabbona  Township,  Mr.  W.  was  again  mar- 
ried. His  second  matrimonial  alliance  was  formed 
with  Miss  Emily,  daughter  of  John  and  Christina  E. 


Johnson,  natives  of  Sweden.     She  was  born  in 
country,  Nov.  i,  1840. 

Mr.  Wright,  soon  after  his  parents  came  to  this 
county,  engaged  in  the  occupation  of  farming,  and 
has  constantly  followed  that  vocation  except  about 
two  and  a  half  years,  which  he  spent  at  Lee.  He 
has  a  good  farm  of  120  acres,  comfortable  residence 
and  good  outbuildings,  and  enjoys  the  comforts  of  his 
hard-earned  possessions. 

Politically,  he  is  a  Republican,  having  cast  his  first 
vote  for  Fremont,  and  continued  to  vote  that  ticket 
to  the  present  time.  Religiously,  he  and  his  wife  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 


enjamin  K.  Favor,  farmer,  section  23, 
Squaw  Grove  Township,  is  a  native-born 
citizen  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  having  been 
born  Dec.  29,  1839,  in  Kendall  County.  His 
parents,  Ephraim  W.  and  Roxalana  (Webster) 
Favor,  were  born  in  New  Hampshire  and 
came  to  Kendall  Co.,  111.,  in  1836.  They  passed  the 
remaining  years  of  their  lives  on  their  farm  in  that 
county.  Their  children  were  Emily  R.,  Mary  A.,  F. 
W.,  Sarah  A.,  Benj.  K.  and  Susan. 

Mr.  Favor  was  brought  upon  his  father's  farm  and 
remained  at  home  a  year  after  attaining  his  majority. 
In  1862  he  enlisted  in  the  I2?th  Regiment  of  Illinois 
Volunteers,  and  continued  in  the  military  service  of 
the  Union,  receiving  his  discharge  July  16,  1865,  at 
Quincy,  111.  Returning  to  Kendall  County,  he  re- 
sumed the  occupation  of  a  farmer  and  continued  a 
resident  of  that  county  until  March,  1876,  when  he 
came  to  De  Kalb  County  and  purchased  the  farm  on 
which  he  has  since  operated.  He  purchased  200 
acres  of  land  on  sections  23  and  24,  and  the  entire 
place  is  now  in  fine  agricultural  condition. 

Mr.  Favor  coincides  politically  with  the  Republi- 
can party  and  has  been  School  Director.  The  mar- 
riage of  Mr.  Favor  to  Cornelia  A.  Doyle  took  place 
at  Bristol,  Kendall  Co.,  111.,  Aug.  14,  1862.  Mrs. 
Favor  was  born  Aug.  26,  1843,  in  the  State  of  New 
York,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Edward  and  Catherine 
(Fallen)  Doyle.  Her  parents  were  born  in  Ireland, 
were  married  there  and  afterward  emigrated  to  the 
United  States.  They  landed  at  the  port  of  New 
York,  and  later  went  to  Canada,  were  they  main- 


f 


I 


484 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


tained  a  residence  as  long  as  they  lived.  Of  their 
six  children  four  survive, — Cornelia  A.,  Michael,  Ber- 
nard and  John  E.  Annie  and  John  are  deceased. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Favor  four  children  have  been 
born,— Brodie  K.,  Myrtie  A.,  Wallace  M.  and  Ethie 
M.  Wallace  died  when  about  a  year  old. 


,  illiam  Converse  Phelps,  Assistant  Secre- 
tary of  the  Sandwich  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, was  born  June  16,  1849,  in  Kirkland, 

Oneida  Co.,  N.  Y.     His  father,  Alonzo   E. 

Phelps,  was  born  Jan.  17,  1804,  in  Cazeno- 
via,  N.  Y.,  and  married  Juliet  Bradley,  who  was 
born  in  Cayuga,  Co.,  N.  Y.  Dr.  Phelps  removed  to 
Sandwich  in  October,  1869,  and  after  practicing  his 
profession  a  short  time,  he  retired.  He  died  at  Sand- 
wich, Nov.  14,  1882.  The  mother  of  Wm.  C.  died  at 
Sandwich,  only  a  short  time  subsequent  to  removal 
hither,  her  demise  occurring  Dec.  25,  1869.  They 
had  seven  children:  Mary  B.  and  Juliet  B.  were 
twins.  The  former  is  the  wife  of  J.  P.  Adams,  of 
Sandwich,  and  the  latter  married  William  Barnes,  a 
farmer  in  Kirkland,  Oneida  Co.,  N.  Y.  Francis  B.  is 
a  machinist  in  the  employment  of  the  Sandwich 
Manufacturing  Company. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  youngest  of  the 
four  surviving  children.  When  he  was  15  years  of 
age  he  entered  a  variety  store  in  Clinton,  N.  Y., 
where  he  was  employed  two  years,  after  which  he  be- 
came assistant  book-keeper  in  Clark's  cotton  mills  in 
New  York  State,  and  operated  in  that  capacity  two 
years.  He  next  obtained  a  situation  in  the  office  of 
a  wholesale  hardware  manufacturing  company  in  the 
city  of  New  York,  where  he  remained  four  years,  dis- 
charging the  duties  of  order  clerk  and  managing  the 
entire  routine  of  affairs  pertaining  to  that  department. 
He  entered  upon  the  work  of  book-keeper  of  the  cor- 
poration in  whose  interests  he  is  now  engaged,  jn 
February,  1871.  Two  years  subsequently  ~he  was 
elected  to  the  position  he  now  fills,  and  operated  in 
the  local  office  until  the  fall  of  1880.  At  that  date 
he  went  to  Lincoln,  Neb.,  in  order  to  conduct  a  branch 
house  of  the  company  and  continued  in  that  avenue 
of  business  until  November,  1881,  and  during  that 
time  opened  up  a  large  business  for  his  company  in 
that  particular  field.  On  his  return  to  Sandwich  he 


was  again  elected  to  his  former  position,  in  which  he' 
has  since  officiated.  Mr.  Phelps  is  the  present  City 
Treasurer  of  Sandwich.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Ma- 
sonic fraternity,  and  also  belongs  to  the  order  of 
Mutual  Aid  of  Illinois. 

His  marriage  to  Frances  J.  Root  occurred  Nov.  8, 
1871,  at  Sandwich.  Three!  children  have  been  born 
to  them  as  follows :  Clare  A.,  Aug.  19,  1872  ;  Mary 
B.,  Aug.  26,  1875;  Ethel  J.,  Oct.  18,1877.  Mrs- 
Phelps  was  born  Sept.  26,  1850,  in  Utica,  N.  Y.,  and 
is  the  daughter  of  George  W.  and  Salina  A.  Root. 


.manuel  Younggren,  farmer  (postoffice, 
Lee,  Lee  County),  residing  on  section  8, 
Shabbona  Township,  where  he  owns  160 
acres,  and  also  owning  80  acres  in  Milan  Town- 
ship and  two  acres  of  timbered  land  in  Shab- 
bona Grove,  was  born  in  Jonkoping,  Sweden, 
March  24,  1823.  He  is  a  son  of  Magnus  and  Cattha- 
rine  (Andersdolter)  Younggren,  natives  of  that 
country,  where  his  father  followed  the  occupation  of 
a  farmer. 

Emanuel  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his 
native  country  and  brought  up  on  a  farm.  After  at- 
taining his  majority,  he  learned  the  carpenter's  trade, 
and  for  seven  years  was  employed  in  the  widely 
known  match  manufactory  of  his  native  town. 

Mr.  Younggren  was  married  in  his  native  town 
Dec.  26,  1848,  by  Rev.  Pastor  Wadell,  to  Miss  Mar- 
garetha,  daughter  of  Andrew  and  Margaretha  Sand- 
man, natives  of  that  country.  She  was  born  in  Jon- 
koping, that  country,  Oct.  i,  1817.  Five  children 
constitute  the  issue  of  their  union.  The  record  is  as 
follows :  Charles  Wm.  was  born  in  Jonkoping,  Jan. 
28,  1850;  Axel  Rudolph  was  born  at  the  same  place, 
Jan.  20,  1852;  Gustavus  Magnus  was  born  on  the 
sea  near  the  shore  of  Newfoundland,  Sept.  5,  1854; 
Jenny  was  born  in  Shabbona,  this  county,  May  20, 
1858,  and  died  Dec.  22,  1858;  Melvina  Clarinda  was 
born  in  the  same  village,  Nov.  29,  1859,  and  died 
Aug.  4,  1 88 1. 

Mr.  Younggren  emigrated  with  his  family  to  this 
country  in  1854,  leaving  his  native  country  June  23, 
of  that  year.  He  landed  at  Quebec  and  came  thence 
by  boat  and  rail  to  Chicago,  arriving  at  that  city  Oct. 
8,  of  the  same  year.  From  the  latter  place  he  came 
direct  to  Shabbona  Township,  this  county,  and  at 
?*$&Z ^^^@.- 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


once  engaged  in  farming  and  working  at  his  trade. 
In  1863  he  purchased  his  present  farm  on  section  8 
and  has  since  continued  to  reside  there.  About  this 
time,  Oct.  8,  1863,  he  sustained  a  serious  accident 
while  engaged  in  threshing.  His  right  hand  was 
drawn  into  the  cylinder  of  the  machine  and  so 
crushed  that  he  was  obliged'  to  have  it' amputated, 
two  inches  above  the  wrist.  This  was  a  severe  blow 
to  a  man  dependent  on  his  labors  to  support  a  large 
family.  He  nevertheless  was  not  the  man  to  give  up, 
and  by  his  push,  pluck  and  energy,  has  succeeded  in 
accumulating  a  fine  property. 

Politically,  Mr.  Y.  is  a  Republican.  He  has  held 
the  office  of  Commissioner  of  Highways,  Tow.n  Col- 
lector and  other  minor  offices.  Religiously  he  and 
his  family  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church.  . 


larles  H.  Hitchcock,  M.  D.,  physician 
and  surgeon  at  Hinckley,  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  that  place  since  1869.  He  was  born 
Oct.  16,  1831,  in  Strong,  Franklin  Co.,  Maine. 
His  parents,  Enos  and  Ann  (Richards)  Hitch- 
cock, were  born  in  the  same  State,  where  they 
were  married  and  lived  until  death.  The  decease  of 
the  mother  occurred  June  6,  1849;  the  father  died 
May  31,  1872.  Their  children  were  six  in  number 
and  were  named  William,  Charles  G.,  J.  Bennett, 
Julia,  Charles  H.  and  Laura. 

Dr.  Hitchcock  obtained  an  elementary  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  State,  and  at  18 
years  of  age  went  to  Massachusetts,  where  he  spent 
two  years.  He  went  thence  to  Philadelphia  and 
prepared  for  the  career  which  he  has  since  chiefly 
pursued  without  intermission.  He  attended  medical 
lectures  in  the  City  of  Brotherly  Love  and  studied 
medicine  two  years,  after  which,  in  1855,  he  pro- 
ceeded to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where  he  passed  a 
similar  period  in  study  under  the  direction  of  Pro- 
fessor Stockwell,  and  was  graduated  in  the  American 
Medical  College  in  February,  1857. 

On  receiving  his  credentials,  Dr.  Hitchcock  came 
to  Illinois  and  located  at  Earlville,  La  Salle  County, 
where  he  entered  upon  his  practice,  and  operated 
there  about  18  months.  In  1859  he  went  to  Mc- 
Lean in  the  county  of  the  same  name,  where  he  pros- 
ecuted the  duties  of  his  profession  until  he  entered 


the  army  of  the  United  States.  In  1862  he  became 
surgeon  of  the  117111  Regt.  111.  Vol.  Inf.,  and  after  a 
service  of  15  months  in  that  capacity  he  resigned  and 
returned  to  his  former  field  of  action,  where  he  re- 
mained until  1866,  when,  on  account  of  impaired 
health,  he  went  to  Dixon,  111.,  and  embarked  in  the 
drug  business.  In  1869  he  removed  to  Hinckley  and 
resumed  his  practice,  which  he  has  continued  to 
prosecute  with  uninterrupted  success.  In  political 
views  and  connections  he  is  a  Republican.  He  be- 
longs to  the  Masonic  fraternity. 

Dr.  Hitchcock  was  married  in  Earlville,  Oct.  13, 
1858,  to  Lizzie  M.,  daughter  of  Rev.  Samuel  Gallo- 
way. Her  parents  were  born  respectively  in  Penn- 
sylvania and  New  Jersey.  Her  father  is  a  graduate 
from  Princeton  College,  and  after  marriage  located  in 
the  South ;  but,  the  climate  not  being  favorable  to 
the  health  of  his  wife,  they  returned  to  'New  Jersey, 
where  she  died.  He  is  now  located  in  Texas.  Their 
children  were  named  Charles,  Lizzie,  Mary.  Jacob 
and  Mattie.  Mrs.  Hitchcock  was  born  July  28,  1837. 
Four  children  have  been  born  to  Dr.  Hitchcock  and 
his  wife,  of  whom  two  are  deceased, — Arthur  S.  and 
Lillian.  Hattie  E.  and  Mollie  S.  are  the  names  of 
those  yet  living. 


( 

is  hilo  Slater,  resident  at  Hinckley,  is  the  son 
of  Thomas  and  Mary  (Tears)  Slater,  the 
former  a  native  of  Connecticut,  the  latter  of 
the  State  of  New  York.     They  settled  first  in 
Slaterville,  Tompkins  Co.,   N.  Y.,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1838  came  to  Kane  Co:,  111.     Both 
are  deceased. 

Mr.  Slater  is  the  fourth  of  their  children  in  order  / 
of  birth,  and  he  was  born  May  20,  1824,  in  Tompkins 
Co.,  N.  Y,  He  was  14  years  of  age  when  he  came 
with  his  parents  to  Illinois,  and  he  was  .23  years  old 
when  he  bade  adieu  to  the  parental  roof  and  set  out 
in  life  independently.  He  bought  a  farm  in  Kane 
County,  which  he  carried  on  seven  years.  He  then 
sold  out  and  in  1854  came -to  De  Kalb  County.  He 
bought  a  farm  of  190  acres  in  Squaw  Grove  Town* 
ship,  on  which  he  has  since  lived.  He  is  now  the 
owner  of  425  acres  of  land,  with  350  acres  in  tillage. 
Mr.  Slater  is  a  prominent  Republican,  and  during 
the  campaign  of  1884  was  President  of  the  Repub- 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


lican  Club  at  Hinckley.  He  is  President  of  the 
Board  of  Village  Trustees,  has  been  Supervisor  and 
Justice  of  the  Peace  and  held  most  of  the  minor 
offices. 

He  was  married  Nov.  10,  1847,  in  Sugar  Grove 
Township,  Kane  County,  to  Sallie,  daughter  of  Cyrus 
C.  and  Almira  (Avery)  Nichols.  Her  parents  were 
natives  respectively  of  Vermont  and  New  York,  and 
had  six  children.  Mrs.  Slater  was  born  Sept.  26, 
1828,  in  Chenango  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  died  Jan.  25, 
1884,  in  Hinckley.  She  had  been  the  mother  of  five 
children,  one  of  whom — Sarah — is  deceased.  Cyrus 
T.,  Mary  A.,  Philo  F.  and  Eva  are  living. 


Barnes   L.    Greenfield,   farmer,  section  23, 
Shabbona  Township,  was   born  in  Rensse- 
laer  Co.,  N.  Y.,  March  10,  1821,  and  is  the 
f  son  of  Joseph  R.  and  Polly  (Green)  Greenfield. 
He  removed  in  childhood  to  Oneida  County, 
that  State,  and  resided  both  at  Trenton  and 
Steuben,  receiving  a  common-school  education  and 
working  on  a  farm. 

In  1844  he  came  to  Illinois  and  located  at  Sugar 
Grove,  Kane  County,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farm- 
ing two  and  a  half  years.  He  then  returned  to  his 
native  State,  where,  at  Steuben,  he  engaged  in  mer- 
cantile business  till  1854.  Finally  he  came  to  De 
Kalb  County  and  purchased  the  farm  on  which  he 
now  resides. 

He  was  married  in  Trenton,  N.  Y.,  Jan.  24,  1849, 
to  Miss  Elizabeth  D.  Ball,  daughter  of  Capl.  Thad- 
deus  and  Cynthia  (Tuthill)  Ball,  who  was  born  at 
Trenton,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  13,  1827.  They  have  had  two 
daughters  and  one  son,  viz.:  Mary  E.,  born  Oct.  10, 
1850,  became  the  wife  of  J.  L.  Airs,  and  died  May 
27,  1881 ;  Lillian  E.,  born  Sept.  2,  1857,  is  the  wife 
of  H.  H.  Bouslough,  of  Somonauk  Township;  and  J. 
Emerson,  born  Sept.  25,  1864,  is  employed  as  a  mer- 
chant's clerk  at  Aurora. 

Mr.  Greenfield  devoted  his  attention  to  the  man- 
agement of  his  farm  until  failing  health  compelled 
him  to  seek  ease  and  comfort  in  retirement  from 
active  duty.  He  and  his  wife  still  reside  at  their 


pleasant  country  home.  In  political  matters  he  votes 
the  Republican  ticket;  and,  while  he  takes  a  warm 
interest  in  public  affairs,  he  has  never  consented  to 
accept  public  office  beyond  some  minor  position  of 
local  jurisdiction.  He  is  satisfied  to  have  won  the 
respect  and  esteem  of  his  neighbors  and  fellow  citi- 
zens. Mrs.  Greenfield  and  her  surviving  daughter 
are  members  of  the  Congregational  Church.  The 
elder  daughter  in  her  life-time  was  a  member  of  the 
same  Church. 


sa  M.  Calkins,  deceased,  a  former  resident 
of  Sycamore  Township,  was  born  Nov.  i  o, 
1796,  in  New  Berlin,  Chenango  Co.,  N.  Y. 
He  was  married  Sept.  17,  1817,10  Ruth  Am- 
bler, who  was  also  born  at  New  Berlin,  Sept.  25, 
80  r.  Mr.  Calkins  owned  a  farm  in  the  town 
where  he  was  born,  and  after  marriage  settled  him- 
self to  the  pursuit  of  agriculture.  After  a  few  years 
his  wife's  health  became  precarious,  and  he  removed 
to  the  village  where  he  was  occupied  as  a  merchant 
until  1842,  when  he  returned  to  his  farm.  A  year 
later  he  sold  the  place,  and  in  the  fall  of  1843  set 
out  for  Illinois.  The  family  journeyed,  by  stage  to 
Utica  and  thence  by  canal  to  Buffalo,  and  from  there 
by  the  lake  route  to  Chicago,  whence  a  private  team 
conveyed  the  parents  and  eight  children  to  Sycamore. 
Mr.  Calkins  leased  the  City  Hotel  and  managed  a 
house  of  public  entertainment  one  year,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Boone  Co. ,111.,  and  spent  two  years  in 
the  management  of  a  rented  farm.  He  then  returned 
to  De  Kalb  County  and  entered  '  a  claim  of  land  in 
Kingston  Township,  where  he  built  a  frame  house 
and  improved  a  portion  of  the  land.  Soon  afterwards 
he  removed  to  Genoa,  where  he  spent  a  winter,  and 
in  the  spring  following  bought  a  farm  on  section  9, 
Sycamore  Township.  This  he  retained  in  his  pos- 
session until  1865,  when  he  again  sold  out  and  re- 
turned to  the  State  of  New  York,  locating  in  Palmyra, 
Wayne  Co.,  N.  Y.,  where  he  died  Aug.  26,  1872. 
His  first  wife  died  Aug.  2,  1841,  and  left  six  children : 
Maria  A.  died  in  November,  1870.  Lois  A.  is  the 
wife  of  Abner  Angell,  M.  D.,  of  Belvidere.  Melissa 
J.  is  the  widow  of  J.  M.  Hammond,  of  Boone  Co., 

D        ^£^f  -f^g^C^ 


(t) 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF  THE 
UMERSITY  OF  H.IWOS 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


111.  Caroline  M.  is  the  widow  of  Wm.  H.  Wise  (see 
sketch).  Mary  E.  married  M.  M.  Tovvnsend,  M.  D. 
MathewB.  died  June  10,  1869,  at  Belvidere.  Mary 
(Hovey)  Calkins,  second  wife  of  Asa  M.  Calkins,  died 
in  May,  1882,  at  Palmyra,  N.  Y. 


auncey  W.  Broughton,  farmer  &  stock- 
raiser,  residing  on  the  northeast  quarter  of 
section  31,  Afton  Township,  and  owning 
about  900  acres  of  land  on  sections  30,  31 
and  32,  was  born  in  Pepperell,  Middlesex  Co., 
Mass.,  July  22,  1817.  He  is  a  son  of  Will- 
iam and  Ruth  (Winters)  Broughton,  both  of  whom 
died  in  Ashburnham,  Worcester  Co.,  Mass.,  his 
father  when  he  was  42  years  old  and  his  mother 
about  1870. 

After  the  death  of  his  father,  which  occurred  when 
Mr.  Broughton  was  about  13  years  of  age,  he  went  to 
live  with  an  uncle,  John  Conant,  in  Brandon,  Rut- 
land Co.,  Vt.  His  uncle's  business  was  diversified. 
He  was  the  owner  of  a  blast  furnace,  was  a  merchant, 
and  later  followed  the  milling  business.  Mr.  Brough- 
ton lived  with  him,  receiving  the  advantages  afforded 
by  the  common  schools,  until  he  attained  majority. 
On  arriving  at  that  age  he  received  $150  and  two 
suits  of  clothes  from  his  uncle,  and  went  forth  to 
fight  the  battles  of  adversity  alone.  He  worked  in 
his  uncle's  mill  for  a  while  by  the  month,  and  then 
engaged  in  the  woolen  business,  in  which  he  was  in- 
terested for  about  a  year,  after  which  he  engaged  in 
the  marble  business  and  remained  in  that  about  a 
year.  He  accumulated  nothing  in  either  line  of 
work. 

Mr.  Broughton,  at  this  period  in  his  life's  history, 
took  the  "  Western  fever  "  (a  "  disease  "  he  is  glad 
existed  at  that  time),  and  sold  out  his  possessions  in 
Vermont  and  came  to  this  State  in  1884.  He 
located  in  Kaneville,  Kane  County,  and  purchased 
200  acres  of  land  from  the  Government,  which  he 
soon  after  increased  by  a  purchase  of  40  acres 
of  timbered  land  from  Mr.  A.  Churchill  and  has  in- 
creased it  to  700  acres.  He  had  great  faith  in  the 
future  development  of  the  country  and  the  conse- 
quent enhanced  value  of  his  land,  and  entered  at 
once  upon  its  improvement.  He  built  a  small  frame 
house,  and  in  1845  replaced  it  with  a  more  comforta- 

<or^,ft__  ^.axa^     .       p.    ,V 

.^..  »y-  —  -•-..,-.,•• 


ble  and  commodious  building  and  continued  to  reside 
on  and  improve  his  land  for  about  nine  years.  The 
Western  fever  still  clung  to  him  and  he  sold  his  pos- 
sessions and  moved  to  Fayette  Co.,  Iowa,  where  he 
bought  land  and  remained  from  May,  1854,  to  March, 
1855.  During  the  latter  month  he  returned  to  this 
county,  intending  to  remain  a  short  time  and  then 
move  to  Kansas.  The  report  of  cholera  existing  in 
that  (then)  Territory  induced  him  to  change  his  mind, 
and  he  purchased  a  half  section  of  land  on  sections 
30,  31  and  32,  Afton  Township,  this  county,  on  which 
he  has  resided  ever  since.  He  has  one  of  the  larg- 
est farms  in  that  township,  and  conducts  it  in  a 
thorough,  systematic  and  practical  manner.  He  has 
about  three-fourths  of  his  land  under  subjugation, 
a  fine  frame  residence,  large  barn  and  good,  commo- 
dious out-buildings.  He  has  this  present  year  (1885) 
120  acres  of  corn  and  a  large  crop  of  oats  and 
grass.  He  keeps  about  100  head  of  cattle,  and  this 
year  has  200  head  of  hogs,  besides  25  head  of 
horses. 

Mr.  Broughton  was  married  May  3,  1843,  to  Miss 
Mary,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Mary  (Richards) 
Churchill.  She  died  May  4,  1860,  on  the  farm  where 
Mr.  B.  now  resides,  leaving  one  child,  C.  Preston, 
born  Feb.  23,  1844,  in  Brandon,  Vt.,  and  at  present 
a  resident  of  Jackson  Co.,  Mo.  Mr.  Broughton  was 
a  second  time  married  Jan.  30,  1861,  to  Miss  Caro- 
line C.  Churchill,  a  sister  of  his  first  wife.  She  died 
on  the  farm  in  Afton  Township,  May  29,  1871,  leav- 
ing three  children,  two  having  departed  this  life  pre- 
vious to  her  death.  Their  children  were  Ella,  born 
Jan.  26,  1865;  Wm.  A.,  born  Feb.  19,  1863,  and 
died  Jan.  6,  1866;  May,  born  May  7,  1867;  Judson 
K.,  born  April  2,  1869,  and  died  Oct.  26,  same  year; 
and  Ben,  born  May  25,  1871. 

Mr.  Broughton  was  again  married  March  25,  1875, 
to  Miss  Belle,  daughter  of  Charles  and  Mary  A. 
Beers.  Her  father  died  Sept  25,  1877,  aged  80  years, 
and  her  mother  is  living  with  a  daughter,  Mrs.  Chan- 
dler, at  De  Kalb,  and  was  born  Jan.  9,  1808; 

Two  children  constitute  the  issue  of  the  last  union, 
namely:  Charles  B.,  born  June  18,  1877,  and 
Chauncey  W.,  Jr.,  born  Sept.  10,  1879,  both  in  this 
county. 

Mr.  Broughton  has  been  Supervisor  of  his  town 
ship  four  terms,  and  while  a  resident  of  Kane  County 
was  Assessor  two  terms.  He  is  truly  one  of  the 

4^ **^* 


DE  KALB 


V    ^ 

COUNTY. 


i 


representative  and  practical  men  of  the  c.ounty. 
Commencing  life  with  $150  and  "  two  suits  of  clothes," 
he  has,  through  his  own  good  judgment  and  perse- 
verance, procured  a  competency,  and  in  his  home 
content  sits  in  the  lap  of  plenty  while  success  smiles 
at  the  trials  of  the  past. 

As  a  representative  and  self-made  man  of  the 
county,  as  a  man  whose  good  judgment  and  ener- 
getic determination  conquered  all  obstacles  that  stood 
between  him  and  success,  and  as  a  respected  and 
honored  citizen  of  the  county,  we  are  pleased  to  give 
a  portrait  of  Mr.  Broughton  in  this  work. 


onathan  Stevens,  deceased,  formerly  a 
farmer  on  section  3,  Shabbona  Township, 
and  section  34,  Milan  Township,  was  born 
in  Scipio,  Cayuga  Co.,  N.  Y.,  in  1815;  moved 
to  Monroe  Co.,  Mich.,  in  boyhood;  learned  the 
millwright's  trade,  at  which  he  worked  in  vari- 
ous places  for  a  number  of  years;  and  then  purchased 
a  farm  near  Adrian,  Mich.,  which  he  carried  on  until 
1851,  when  he  removed  to  La  Salle  County,  this 
State.  '  In  that  county  he  bought  a  farm  and  con- 
ducted it  till  1857,  when  he  finally  came  to  this 
county  and  purchased  a  farm  on  the  line  between 
Shabbona  and  Milan  Townships,  on  sections  3  and  34. 
He  built  his  house  in  Shabbona  Township,  within  a 
few  feet  of  the  line.  He  subsequently  increased  the 
area,  of  his  landed  estate  to  500  acres,  and  continued 
in  agricultural  pursuits  thereon  until  the  time  of  his 
death,  which  occurred  Dec.  9,  1874. 

Mr.  Stevens  was  twice  married.  First,  in  his  na- 
tive county,  he  married  Miss  Ann  R.  Fisher,  who 
died  within  a  year  afterward  ;  secondly,  in  Chicago, 
111 ,  May  23,  1863,  Mrs.  Lucy  G.,  widow  of  Henry 
O.  Osborne  and  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Electa 
(Newton)  Newcomb,  who  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Thetford,  Orange  Co.,  Vt.,  and  removed  with  her 
parents  to  Livingston  Co.,  N.  Y.,  when  12  years  of 
age.  She  was  first  married  in  the  town  of  York,  N. 
Y.,  April  19,  1840,  to  Henry  O.  Osborne,  and  they 
resided  at  Perry,  Wyoming  Co.,  N.  Y.,  where  Mr.  O. 
was  engaged  in  hotel-keeping.  They  subsequently 
removed  to  Michigan,  locating  first  in  Almont,  La- 
peer  County,  and  afterward  at  Mt.  Clemens,  Macomb 
County.  In  1855  they  came  to  this  State  and  settled 


at  Leland,  La  Salle  County,  where  he  died,  Jan.  7, 
1861.  He  was  a  native  of  Brixworth,  Northampton- 
shire, England.  Mrs.  Osborne  continued  to  reside 
at  Leland  until  her  marriage  to  Mr.  Stevens,  May 
23,  1863. 

Mr.  S.,  while  a  resident  of  Shabbona,  held  various 
local  offices,  as  Commissioner  of  Highways,  etc.  He 
was  a  zealous  worker  for  the  interest  of  the  Baptist 
Church,  was  at  the  head  of  the  building  ccmmittee 
when  the  present  church  edifice  was  built  at  Shab- 
bona, and  contributed  liberally  to  clear  the  society  of 
debt.  He  devoted  himself  so  energetically  to  the 
cause  of  the  Church  in  his  later  years  that  he  seri- 
ously impaired  his  health.  He  was  very  generally 
highly  esteemed  as  a  public-spirited,  worthy  citizen. 
He  never  had  any  children.  His  wife  survives  him, 
and  designs  in  making  the  old  homestead  in  Shab- 
bona Township  her  future  home. 


ufus  Harrington,  farmer,  section  12,  Squaw 
Grove  Township,  has  been  a  resident  of 
his  homestead  in  that  township  35  years, 
having  settled  on  a  tract  of  land  in  1850 
which  he  bought  in  1848,  the  year  in  which 
he  came  hither  from  his  native  State.  His 
original  purchase  included  200  acres,  but  he  has 
disposed  of  all  but  40  acres  in  Squaw  Grove  Town- 
ship and  40  acres  in  Kane  Co.,  111. 

He  was  born  Sept.  i,  1809,  in  Pittsfield,  Otsego 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  is  the  son  of  Jacob  and  Polly  (Spen- 
cer) Harrington,  natives  of  New  England.  They 
had  five  children,  all  of  whom  lived  to  mature  years. 
They  were  named  Lydia,  Job,  Rufus,  Huldah  and 
Clarissa  A.  Their  mother,  Mrs.  Harrington,  died 
when  Rufus  was  six  years  old,  and  he  lived  from 
that  time  until  he  was  12  years  of  age  with  a  man 
who  was  a  miller  by  trade.  As  soon  as  he  was  old 
enough  he  became  a  farm  assistant,  and  was  in  the 
employment  of  different  individuals  until  he  was  16 
years  of  age.  In  1825  he  began  to  learn  the  busi- 
ness of  chair-making  and  painting,  serving  an  ap- 
prenticeship of  three  years,  and  following  it  nearly 
20  years  as  a  vocation.  He  received  $48  a  year 
while  learning  his  trade,  and  board,  and  he  clothed 
himself.  He  came  to  De  Kalb  County  in  Septem- 
ber, 1848.  He  has  held  the  offices  of  Township 


O 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


Clerk  and  Commissioner  of  Highways,  and  is  a  Re- 
publican. 

He  was  married  Feb.  25,  1833,  in  New  Berlin, 
Chenango  Co.,  N.  Y.,  to  Eliza  Welch,  and  they  had 
five  children,  four  only  of  whom  grew  to  advanced 
life.  One  died  in  infancy.  Those  who  survived 
were  named  George,  Blin,  Jesse  and  Buel  S.  Blin 
became  a  soldier  in  the  i27th  111.  Vol.  Inf.  and  was 
killed  May  19,  1863,  at  the  battle  of  Vicksburg. 
Mrs.  Harrington  was  born  July  8,  1813,  in  New  Ber- 
lin and  is  the  daughter  of  Vine  and  Polly  (Tyler) 
Welch.  Her  parents  were  born  in  the  State  of  New 
York  and  had  eight  children :  Calista,  Vine,  Polly, 
Eliza,  Sarah  and  Ebenezer  lived  to  mature  life.  Two 
died  in  infancy.  Mr.  ,and  Mrs.  Harrington  have 
been  members  of  the  Baptist  Church  since  1834. 


aman  Olmsted,  deceased,  was  born  in 
Wilton,  Fairfield  Co.,  Conn.,  April  9, 1792. 
He  is  a  son  of  David  and  Rebecca  (Jackson) 
Olmsted.     About  r8r4  he  removed  to  Tioga 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  near  what  is  now  called  Odessa, 
and  was  a  pioneer  of  that  county.  He  learned 
the  trade  of  blacksmith    and  followed  it  in  Tioga 
County  until  1838. 

In  the  spring  of  the  year  named  he  moved  with  his 
family  to  this  State  and  located  in  La  Salle  County. 
He  remained  there  until  the  spring  of  i84r,  when  he 
removed  to  Shabbona  Township  and  entered  Govern- 
ment land.  He  also  purchased  a  half  section  of  the 
Reservation.  His  title  was  uncertain,  and  to  perfect 
the  same  he  was  compelled  to  pay  for  his  land  three 
times.  In  1846  he  moved  to  Ottawa,  La  Salle  Co., 
this  State,  and  for  several  years  lived  on  a  farm.  In 
1872  he  went  to  Missouri,  was  unfortunate  in  his 
business  ventures,  lost  heavily  and  returned  to  his 
son's,  D.  D.  Olmsted,  where  he  died,  June  5,  1881. 

Mr.  Olmsted  was  twice  married.  His  first  alliance 
was  with  Miss  Clara  Duchey,  in  i8ir.  Of  this  union 
six  children  were  born:  George,  Jan.  19,  1816;  Re- 
becca, Julys,  1818,  and  died  in  1849;  John  D., 
July  7,  1820;  Daniel  D.,  June  21,  1822;  Jane,  Aug. 
28,  1824;  Clara,  Nov.  5,  1^26. 

Mrs.  Olmsted  died  July  14,  1828,  and  Nov.  4 
of  that  year  Mr.  Olmsted  was  united  in  marriage 

(g\vp^5OT Sig^e: — '   n  A 

^ytv^^tf^ 


with  Mrs.  Hannah  Bedient.     Four  children  were  the 
issue  of  their  union,  namely  :  Clara  M.,  born  Aug.  6,     < 
1829;  Samuel  B.,  Jan.  24,  1831 ;    Hannah,  Sept.  9, 
1833;  Mary,  Aug.  n,  1846. 


rrin  M.  Norton,  farmer,  section  2,  Squaw 
Grove  Township,  was  born  Nov.  27,  1825, 
in  Geauga  Co.,  Ohio.  He  is  the  son  of 
Robert  and  Lovisa  (Monroe)  Norton,  who  were 
born  respectively  in  Vermont  and  Connecticut, 
and  were  of  Scotch  descent.  Their  children 
were  Orrin  M.  and  Orry  T.  (twins)  and  Mary  Jane. 
The  family  removed  to  Kane  Co.,  111.,  about  1837, 
and  some  years  later  made  a  permanent  residence 
in  the  township  of  Squaw  Grove.  The  senior  Norton 
died  April  n,  1849;  the  mother's  demise  took  place 
Jan.  i,  1877. 

Mr.  Norton  has  been  a  resident  of  the  township 
since  his  parents  removed  here,  and  he  is  the  owner 
of  a  fine  house,  a  farm  of  305  acres,  under  advanced 
improvements,  well  stocked  and  supplied  with  neces- 
sary and  suitable  farm  buildings.  Mr.  Norton  is  a 
Republican  and  has  held  the  office  of  School  Di- 
rector. 

He  was  married  Dec.  25,  1853,  in  Geneva,  Kane 
Co.,  111.,  to  Jemima  Drake,  and  they  have  had  two 
children,— Charles  M.  and  Alice.  Alice  died  Nov. 
16,  1863.  Mrs.  Norton  was  born  Aug.  10,  1835,  in 
Allegany  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Ede  and 
Hannah  (Seavey)  Drake,  natives  of  New  England, 
who  were  the  parents  of  nine  children, — George, 
William,  Ede,  Laura,  Arvilla,  Rosina,  Betsey,  Salina 
and  Jemima. 


^ayid  C.  Hoag,  farmer,  section  20,  Paw  Paw 
L  Township,  where  he  owns  and  occupies  81 
s  acres  of  land,  was  born  in  Johnstown, 
Montgomery  Co.,  N.  Y.,  July  i,  1829,  and 
when  six  years  of  age  his  parents,  Abram  and 
Nancy  (Lamb)  Hoag,  moved  with  him  to  Ber- 

rien  Co.,  Mich.,  where  he  was  brought  up,  in  agricult 

ural  pursuits. 

April  3,  185  r,  he  married  Miss  Clarissa,  daughter 

of  Jeremiah  and  Phebe  A.  (Long)  Ketcham.     Sh 


j 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


was  born  on  Long  Island,  Dec.  3,  1831.  The  chil- 
dren of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  comprise  two  sons  and  five 
daughters,  viz.:  Frank  A.,  born  Jan.  29,  1855,  mar- 
ried Harriet  Atherton  and  lives  in  Paw  Paw  Town- 
ship; Jennie  M.,  born  July  3,  1857,  is  the  wife  of  Or- 
lando B.  Woodward,  of  the  same  township  ;  Celia  C., 
born  Oct.  20,  1859,  is  the  wife  of  Lewis  P.  Woods,  of 
Lee  Co.,  111.;  John  C.,  born  Sept.  30,  1862,  is  living 
at  his  parental  home;  Martha  M.,  born  June  n,  1866, 
is  the  wife  of  John  Butterfield,  of  State  Center,  Iowa; 
Carrie  B.  was  born  June  n,  1868;  and  Bertha  A., 
Nov.  9,  1870. 

Mr.  Hoag  removed  to  Kingston,  this  county,  in 
1851,  and  engaged  in  farming  thereuntil  1856, when 
he  changed  his  residence  to  Paw  Paw  Township,  set- 
tling upon  section  29.  In  April,  1865,  he  removed 
to  his  present  farm  on  section  20.  He  has  held  va- 
rious local  offices,  having  served  as  Township  Col- 
lector three  terms,  Road  Commissioner  three  ye  ars, 
etc.,  etc.  He  is  a  pronounced  Prohibitionist.  For 
12  years  his  was  the  only  Prohibition  vote  cast  in  his 
town,  but  in  the  last  Presidential  campaign  he  was 
re-enforced  by  six  others.  He  and  his  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 'Church  of  South 
1'aw  Paw. 


^ 


a 


enry  A.  Sanderson,  farmer,  section  29, 
Milan  Township,  is  the  owner  of  60  acres 
of  the  undivided  estate  which  was  once  a 
portion  of  his  father's  homestead,  and  he  is  also 
the  proprietor  of  80  acres  of  land  on  section  20. 
|  The  entire  amount  in  both  tracts  is  under  ex- 
cellent improvement.  He  is  the  son  of  Sander  H. 
and  Anna  (Morland)  Sanderson.  His  father  was 
born  March  12,  1825,  in  Norway,  and  came  to  the 
Uhited  States  in  1843.  He  has  held  the  office  of 
Justice  of  the  Peace  about  10  years,  and  other  minor 
offices.  He  has  also  been  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness,at  Lee,  Lee  County,  for  about  three  years  :  the 
firm  name  was  S.  Sanderson  &  Son.  He  died  Dec. 
i,  i88r.  His  wife,  Anna  Sanderson,  was  born  May 
5,  1832,  and  died  Nov.  24,  1881. 

Mr.  Sanderson  is  the  oldest  of  10  children,  one  of 
whom  died  in  infancy.  His  birth  occurred  Oct.  14, 
1851,  in  La  Salle  County,  and  he  remained  an  in- 


mate  of  his  paternal  home  until  the  death  of  his 
father  and  mother,  and  has  since  continued  there 
resident. 

He  was  married  Jan.  17,  1884,  in  York  Township, 
Green  Co.,  Wis.,  to  MelindaNessa.  Mrs.  Sanderson 
is  the  daughter  of  Nels  and  Isabella  (Moland)  Nessa. 
Her  parents  were  born  in  Norway,  where  they  were 
married,  and  in  1854  emigrated  to  the  United  States. 
Their  daughter  was  born  in  Norway,  Nov.  24,  1853. 
On  first  coming  to  America  they  fixed  their  residence 
in  Green  Co.,  Wis..  and  are  still  living  in  York  Town- 
ship. They  have  reared  a  family  of  eight  children, 
of  whom  Mrs.  Sanderson  is  third  in  order  of  birth, 
and  three  of  her  brothers  and  sisters  are  deceased. 

Politically,  Mr.  Sanderson  is  a  Republican,  and 
both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Lutheran 
Church. 


braham  V.  Van  Deusen,  farmer,  residing 
on  and  owner  of  140  acres  of  land  located 
on  section   34,   Shabbona   Township,   was 
born  in  Galway,  Saratoga  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Dec.  r3, 
831.     He  is  a  son  of  John  B.  and  Sarah  A. 
(Marquith)  Van  Deusen,  respectively  of  Hol- 
land and  French  extraction. 

His  father's  family  moved  to  Clifton  Park,  in  his 
native  county,  when  Abraham  was  an  infant,  and  in 
that  place  he  spent  his  boyhood  years,  attending  the 
public  schools.  Arriving  at  maturity  he  learned  the 
carpenter's  trade,  and  in  April,  1857,  came  to  this 
State  and  located  in  La  Salle  County.  He  worked 
at  his  trade  in  that  county  until  October,  the  same  year, 
and  then  came  to  this  county  and  lived  in  Paw  Paw 
until  March,  1860,  when  he  purchased  the  land  on 
which  he  at  present  resides.  It  was  in  its  original 
natural  condition,  and  he  engaged  in  the  laborious 
task  of  improving  and  cultivating  it.  That  his  labors 
have  accomplished  the  intended  desire,  to  prepare  a 
home  for  himself  and  family  that  would  be  a  comfort 
to  them  in  the  future,  the  fine  appearance  and  con- 
dition of  his  farm  will  testify. 

Mr.  Van  Deusen  was  married  in  Crescent,  Sarato- 
ga Co.,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  6,  r854,  to  Miss  Elizabeth,  daugh- 
ter of  David  and  Jane  Ann  (Wilbur)  Steenburgh,  of 
Holland  and  English  extraction.  She  was  born  in 
Clifton  Park,  Saratoga  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Dec.  15,  1834. 
The  issue  of  their  union  was  one  child,  Ernest  C., 


born  in  Shabbona  Township,  June  4, 1869.  They  al- 
so have  an  adopted  daughter,  Alida  M.  Van  Wert, 
born  in  Shabbona,  April  22,  1872. 

Mrs.  Van  Deusen  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  in  1853,  and  continued  a  member  of  the  same 
until  1865,  when  she  joined  the  Seventh-Day  Ad- 
ventists,  her  church  being  located  at  Serena,  LaSalle 
Co.,  111.  Politically,  Mr.  Van  Deusen  has  voted  with 
the  Republican  party  ever  since  its  organization.  It 
is  worthy  of  remark  that  he  uses  neither  intoxicating 
liquors  of  any  kind,  tea,  coffee  nor  tobacco. 

^ ^  <>  + ^. 

larles  Alfred  Bishop,  whose  portrait  ap- 
pears on  the  opposite  page,  is  a  member 
of  the  law-firm  of  Jones  &  Bishop,  of 
Sycamore,  and  was  born  Sept.  26,  1854.  He 
is  English  in  lineal  descent,  and  his  immedi- 
ate progenitors  were  natives  of  Nova  Scotia. 
His  paternal  grandparents,  Gordon  and  Elizabeth 
(Oakes)  Bishop,  were  of  pure  Anglo-Saxon  extraction 
and  became  the  parents  of  seven  children,  born  in 
the  order  following:  Eunice  A.,  Adolphus  and  Ed- 
ward G.  (twins),  James  L.,  Mary  E.,  Allen  and 
Ainslie.  The  homestead  estate  was  in  the  township 
of  Horton  in  Kings  Co.,  Nova  Scotia,  and  a  portion 
of  it  lay  in  the  section  known  to  all  the  nations 
of  the  earth  through  "  Evangeline,"  Longfellow's 
exquisite  poem,  the  provincial  character  and  location- 
of  which,  as  much  as  any  other  of  his  works,  gave 
the  author  a.  Continential  recognition,  which  event- 
uated in  securing  a  place  for  his  memorial  bust  in 
Westminster  Abbey.  The  geographical  location  of 
the  portion  referred  to  is  designated  Grand  Pre,  and 
has  become  known  to  literature  through  the  writings 
of  several  other  authors  of  distinction,  among  them 
the  author  of  Antony  Erode,  or  the  Boys  of  Grand 
Pre  School. 

As  they  approached  the  period  of  manhood's 
estate  in  years  and  physical  development,  the  twin 
brothers,  Adolphus  and  Edward,  assumed  the  man- 
agement of  the  homestead,  and  continued  their  joint 
operations  until  the  marriage  of  Adolphus  to  Joanna 
Willett,  daughter  of  George  and  Ann  (Dunn)  Willett. 
She  died  in  1861,  leaving  three  sons, — Charles  A., 
David  A.  and  Franklin  W.  She  was  a  lady  of  re- 
markable, amiable  and  lovely  character,"and  though 


she  died  young  she  lived  long  enough  to  impress  th 
remembrance  of  her  winning  graces  and  equable 
sunny  temperament  indelibly  on  the  memories  of 
her  friends.  After  her  death,  the  husband  and 
father  turned  his  attention  to  mining  and  became 
largely  interested  in  the  Waverly  and  Joggins  gold 
mines,  situated  respectively  in  the  counties  of  Hali- 
fax and  Lunenburg  in  Nova  Scotia.  In  1863  he  mar- 
ried the  sister  of  his  deceased  wife,  Mary  E.  Willett, 
a  lady  of  culture  and  refinement  and  an  accom- 
plished and  popular  vocalist.  Of  the  second  mar- 
riage two  children  were  born,  namely,  Ernest  (now 
deceased)  and  Nellie  May,  born  in  February,  1875. 
Adolphus  Bishop  was  born  in  1822.  He  has  been 
all  his  life  in  active  business,  and  has  operated  ex- 
tensively for  some  years  as  a  speculatorin  farm  prod- 
uce, buying  and  shipping  to  New  York,  Boston  and 
parts  of  the  West  Indies.  Previous  to  1867,  the 
date  of  the  "  Confederation  of  the  Provinces,"  he 
was  a  loyalist  or  Tory  in  political  principle ;  subse- 
quently he  was  identified  with  the  Anti-Confederate 
party.  He  is  a  man  of  prominence  and  ability  and 
has  been  active  in  the  local  affairs  of  his  county  and 
township,  having  served  several  successive  terms  as 
a  member  of  the  Common  Council  of  Kings  County, 
representing  the  division  known  as  "  Ward  Four." 
He  has  also  been  unremitting  in  his  interest  and 
efforts  in  behalf  of  the  welfare  and  improvement  of 
the  locality  where  he  has  resided  most  of  his  life. 
He  acted  as  Fish  Commissioner  under  appointment 
from  the  Dominion  Government  from  1870  to  1875. 
In  character,  the  father  of  Mr.  Bishop  of  this  sketch 
is  a  representative  of  the  best  type  of  men  belonging 
to  the  class  distinctly  characterized  as  yeomanry. 
Honorable,  upright,  dignified  and  courteous,  he  has 
wielded  all  his  life  a  palpable  influence  in  his  family 
and  social  circle.  He  reared  his  sons  on  the  old- 
school  plan,  subjecting  them  to  inflexible  discipline 
tempered  with  judicious  and  considerate  kindness, 
but  never  lapsing  into  indulgence.  He  is  a  man 
respected  by  all  classes,  and  his  home  has  always 
been  the  center  of  a  broad  and  generous  hospitality. 
The  younger  sons  are  business  men  in  their  native 
province.  David  is  a  merchant  at  Truro,  and  Frank- 
lin is  a  fanner  in  the  township  of  Horton. 

Mr.  Bishop  was  early  placed  at  school  and  receiv- 
ed a  thorough  preparatory  education  in  the  excellent 
schools  of  Kings  County,  which  are  of  the  same 
type  throughout  the  confederated  provinces  of  the 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


Dominion.  When  he  was  17  years  of  age  he  en- 
tered Acadia  College  at  Wolfville,  Nova  Scotia,  where 
he  was  a  student  until  June,  1873,  pursuing  a  literary 
and  scientific  course  of  study.  In  September  of 
that  year  he  went  to  Sackville,  New  Brunswick,  to 
avail  himself  of  the  advantages  of  the  Wesleyan 
College,  and  remained  a  student  there  until  June, 
1875,  when  he  yielded  to  solicitation  and  accepted  a 
position  as  Principal  of  the  High  School  at  Sackville, 
in  which  he  officiated  until  May,  1878;  then  came 
to  Illinois,  to  fill  a  more  advantageous  situation. 
An  unavoidable  delay  of  a  few  hours  while  en  route 
occasioned  the  loss  of  a  creditable  and  remunerative 
position  in  Kane  County,  and  after  a  few  days,  de- 
liberation Mr.  Bishop  decided  to  proceed  farther 
West,  and  made  all  necessary  arrangements  to  that 
effect. 

A  chance  visit  to  Sycamore  changed  all  his  plans 
and  purposes,  and  he  sought  admission  to  the  privi- 
leges of  the  various  law  offices  at  Sycamore,  which 
he  finally  obtained  in  that  of  H.  A.  Jones,  who  re- 
ceived him  for  a  prescribed  period,  pending  the 
absence  of  a  student  to  whom  the  opportunity  had 
been  promised.  The  latter  failed  to  avail  himself  of 
his  right,  and  Mr.  Bishop  continued  his  reading  in 
the  office  of  Mr.  Jones.  In  June,  1880,  he  presented 
himself  before  the  Appellate  Court  of  Illinoisjn  ses- 
sion at  Ottawa,  for  admission  to  the  Bar.  He  passed 
an  examination  of  unusual  severity,  ranking  third  in 
a  class  of  34  applicants. 

Two  years  after  entering  the  office  Mr.  Jones  he 
became  his  associate,  and  the  firm  is  now  engaged  in 
the  prosecution  of  an  extensive  business  which 
places  it  among  the  prominent  law  associations  of 
De  Kalb  County.  The  cases  which  Messrs.  Jones 
&  Bishop  are  called  to  manage  are  largely  of  a  civil 
character,  including  a  fair  share  of  criminal  practice. 
Although  Mr.  Bishop  is  still  a  comparatively  young 
lawyer,  he  has  already  earned  a  creditable  reputa- 
tion as  an  advocate,  and  the  natural  traits  of  his 
character  are  such  as  to  promise  a  steady  and  silb- 
stantial  preferment  in  his  profession.  Cool,  wary, 
imperturbable  and  gifted  with  discernment,  he  is 
fully  sensible  of  the  advantage  of  making  haste 
slowly,  realizing  the  force  of  the  truism  that  "  fools 
rush  in  where  angels  fear  to  tread,"  Believing  that 
a  man's  worth  to  the  world  depends  on  the  quality  of 
his  work  therein,  he  strives  to  exercise  a  .-prudence 


and  judgment  which  will  leave  no  necessity  of  re- 
trieval. 

In  addition  to  the  business  connections  of  his  pro- 
fession, Mr.  Bishop  has  farming  interests  in  De  Kalb 
County  and  Iowa.  He  has  hitherto  been  too  busy 
to  become  an  aggressive  politician,  but  from  princi- 
ple adopts  and  supports  the  issues  of  the  Republican 
party.  He  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows,  Lodge  No.  105  at  Sycamore,  and  be- 
longs to  the  Ellwood  Encampment,  No.  173.  He 
was  a  Delegate  from  the  subordinate  lodge  at  Syca- 
more to  the  School  of  Instruction  held  at  Blooming- 
ton,  111.,  under  orders  issued  by  the  State  Grand 
Lodge,  when  he  obtained  the  unwritten  work  of  the 
order  as  theretofore  changed  by  the  Sovereign  Grand 
Lodge  of  the  United  States,  in  order  to  communi- 
cate the  same  to  the  local  lodge,  a  work  which  he 
accomplished  in  accordance  with  the  obligations  im- 
plied in  his  selection  for  the  duty.  He  delivered 
the  address  of  welcome  at  the  63d  anniversary  of 
the  Order  of  Odd  Fellows-  which  was  held  at  Syc- 
amore in  1882.  He  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Education  of  Sycamore  in  the  spring  of 
1882,  and  has  since  been  connected  with  that  body, 
of  which  he  has  officiated  in  the  capacity  of  Secre- 
tary since  1884. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  to  Parmelia  J.  Wharry, 
on  the  25th  day  of  August,  1880,  at  Sycamore,  111. 
Mrs.  Bishop  is  the  daughter  of  Major  Evans  Whar- 
jy,  who  was  the  first  to  make  a  practical  attempt  to 
found  a  town  at  this  point,  and  who  is  inseparable 
from  its  earliest  history.  In  May,  1836,  he  came  to 
De  Kalb  County  as  the  representative  of  a  company 
of  capitalists  who  had  formed  the  plan  of  establish- 
ing a  city  on  the  Kishwaukee  River,  and  where  he 
entered  vigorously  into  the  projected  work,  of  which 
a  description  is  given  in  the  historical  portion  of  this 
work.  The  scheme  came  to  naught  through  the  col- 
lapse attendant  upon  the  undue  inflation  of  values 
which  precipitated  the  financial  stress  of  1837,  but 
Major  Wharry  continued  his  individual  effort  for  the 
progress  of  the  place,  and  established  a  mercantile 
enterprise,  which  was  probably  the  first  in  that  ave- 
nue of  business  in  the  vicinity  of  Sycamore.  Almost 
his  first  work  was  the  building  of  a  saw-mill  on  the 
river,  and  he  constructed  the  first  dam  .across  the 
stream.  Major  Wharry  was  a  prominent  and  influ- 
ential element  in  securing  the  establishment  of  the 
.Q S^9J£ «&*§£ 


I 


;/ 


DE  KALB  COUNTY 


county  seat  at  Sycamore,  and  he  contributed  liber- 
ally of  money  and  effort  to  that  end.  He  continued 
his  exertions  in  behalf  of  the  place  as  long  as  they 
ware  needed,  interesting  himself  in  the  systematic 
arrangement  and  naming  of  the  streets.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  family  of  his  daughter.  He  was 
born  Aug.  23,  1801,  at  Little  Falls,  Herkimer  Co.,  N. 
Y.,  and  is  the  son  of  Hon.  Evans  and  Phebe  (Bel- 
knap)  VVharry,  both  of  whom  were  members  of  the 
distinguished  families  in  the  Empire  State.  The 
earliest  known  ancestor  in  the  paternal  line  went 
from  Scotland  to  the  North  of  Ireland,  and  after  one 
or  two  generations  Robert  or  David  Wharry,  a  Prot- 
estant, came  to  the  New  World,  landing  at  the  city 
of  New  York,  whence  he  proceeded  to  Goshen,  and 
there  married  Polly  Peacock,  who  was  of  the  same 
national  lineage,  coming  from  Ireland  to  Goshen 
when  she  was  six  years  of  age.  Of  her  marriage 
10  children  were  born,  of  whom  Evans,  afterward 
Judge,  Wharry  was  the  second.  He  was  born  in 
1749,  in  Orange  Co.,  N.  Y.  He  was  early  orphaned 
and  devoted  his  abilities,  which  were  of  a  superior 
order,  to  the  study  of  navigation;  but  one  trial  of  a 
seafaring  life  sufficed,  and  he  abandoned  the  project 
to  become  a  surveyor,  a  business  which  tended  to 
intertst  him  in  the  contingencies  of  the  Colonial  re- 
volt against  the  mother  country,  and  in  which  he  be- 
came personally  active.  The  details  of  his  military 
service  are  meager  from  obvious  reasons,  but  it  is 
matter  of  record  that  he  was  in  command  of  a  com- 
pany at  the  siege  of  Quebec.  His  services  obtained 
recognition  from  the  Government,  and  he  was  the 
recipient  of  a  pension  which  was  continued  to  his 
wife,  who  survived  him  nearly  20  years. 

After  the  Revolution  he  settled  in  Herkimer  Coun- 
ty and  passed  the  remainder  of  his  life  in  honorable 
and  useful  citizenship,  serving  as  a  judge  to  the  ex- 
treme of  the  constitutional  limit.  He  was  the  friend 
and  associate  of  Washington,  Franklin,  Knox,  Ham- 
ilton, Burr,  Governor  Clinton  and  others  whose  names 
are  on  the  "  eternal  roll  of  fame."  He  died  at  Little 
Falls,  in  April,  1831.  His  wife,  who  was  greatly  his 
junior  in  years,  was  an  acknowledged  beauty.  She 
was  the  daughter  of  Joseph  Belknap,  of  Newburg, 
one  of  the  intimate  friends  of  General  Washington 
and  in  whose  family  circle  he  was  a  frequent  guest 
during  his  residence  at  Newburg.  It  is  well  known 
that  Washington  was  a  great  lover  of  children,  and 
the  younger  members  of  the  families  ^f  his  friends 


were  the  objects  of  his  special  attention.  Miss 
Phebe  was  in  comparative  childhood,  and  was  a  spe- 
cial favorite  of  the  distinguished  guest  of  her  father. 
Of  her  marriage  to  Evans  Wharry,  nine  children 
were  born,  and  she  died  about  1850,  at  a  great  age. 
The  record  of  Herkimer  County  states  that  Judge 
Wharry  had  "  one  or  two  sons  who  left  the  country 
many  years  ago,"  but  he  failed  to  discover  that  one 
of  the  individuals  of  indefinite  ultimatum  became  a 
pioneer  of  De  Kalb  County.  Major  Evans  Wharry 
married  Mrs.  Martha  Smith.  Mrs.  Bishop,  only 
daughter  of  her  parents,  was  born  April  2,  1856,  at 
Sycamore,  where  she  was  brought  up  to  tha  age  of 
1 5  years,  when  she  was  sent  to  Fairfield  Seminary 
in  the  State  of  New  York.  She  was  a  pupil  at  that 
institution  three  years,  and  in  1874  entered  Wells 
College  at  Aurora,  N.  Y.,  completing  a  course  of 
study  there  in  1877.  She  possesses  superior  literary 
abilities,  which  were  recognized  and  appreciated  dur- 
ing her  collegiate  course,  as  she  was  made  Presi- 
dent of  the  "  Phoenix  Literarum,"  a  literary  society : 
she  also  conducted  the  Chronicle,  the  Wells  Col- 
lege journal.  She  returned  to  Sycamore  in  1878. 
Mrs.  Bishop  is  acknowledged  to  be  a  lady  of  excep- 
tional brilliancy  and  attainments,  and  is  a  valuable 
member  of  the  social  circles  in  which  she  moves. 


:lark  Nichols,  farmer,  section  13,  Squaw 
Grove  Township,  is  a  citizen  of  that  town- 
ship of  more  than  40  years'  standing,  hav- 
ing accompanied  his  parents  hither  in  1844. 
He  was  born  Nov.  3,  1841,  in  Allegany  Co., 
N.  Y.,  and  is  the  son  of  Eli  G.  and  Phebe 
(Horton)  Nichols.  His  parents  were  natives  of  New 
York  and  came  thence  in  the  fall  of  1844  to  make  a 
permanent  residence  in  De  Kalb  County.  Their 
deaths  occurred  respectively  Oct.  2,  1851,  and  Oct. 
24,  1873.  Huldah  A.,  Phebe  A.  and  Clark  are  the 
names  of  their  children. 

Mr.  Nichols  has  been  engaged  all  his  life  in  farm- 
ing. He  is  the  owner  of  78  acres  where  he  residesj 
and  also  of  30  acres  in  Kane  County.  He  has  held 
the  office  of  School  Director  and  politically  affiliates 
with  the  Republican  party. 

His  marriage  to  Mary  A.  Schryver  took  place  Sept. 
27,  1866,  in  Kane  Co.,  111.  Her  parents,  William 


L>E  KALB   COUNTY. 


and  Martha  (Amerman)  Schryver,  were  born  in  the 
State  of  New  York  and  were  of  mixed  German  and 
English  descent.  Mrs.  Nichols  was  born  Sept.  16, 
1844,  in  the  city  of  New  York.  William  E.  and 

X      Mary  A.  are  the  names  of  the  children  of  Mr.  and 

™     Mrs.  Nichols. 


,  enry  S.  Dickinson,  wagon-maker  and  deal- 
er in  carriages  at  East  Paw  Paw,  was  born 
in  Otsego  Co.,  N.    Y.,  April  27,  1833,  his 
parents   being   Oliver  H.  and   Olive   (Brooks) 
Dickinson.     He  was  brought  up  in  his  native 
county   and  was  educated  in  the   public  and 
select  schools  of  the  day. 

He  learned  the  wagon-maker's  trade  in  the  East, 
came  to  East  Paw  Paw,  111.,  in  the  fall  of  1855,  and 
worked  as  a  journeyman  at  his  trade  until  Jan.  18, 
1856,  when  he  bought  out  his  employer,  since  which 
time  he  has  carried  on  his  business  continuously  and 
with  success. 

As  to  politics,  Mr.  Dickinson  has  always  been  a 
Republican. 

He  was  married  at  East  Paw  Paw,  111.,  Dec.  9, 
1856,  to  Miss  Nancy  S.,  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Mary 
(McCoy)  Wirick.  She  was  born  at  Far  West,  Mo., 
March  5,  1839. 


Bernard  C.  Allbee,  retired  farmer  at  Hinck- 
ley,  is  the  son  of  Joseph  and  Electa  (Crip- 
pen)  Allbee.  They  were  natives  of  the 
State  of  New  York,  and  had  a  family  of  13 
children,  Mr.  Allbee  of  this  sketch  being  sec- 
ond in  order  of  birth.  He  was  born  June  10, 
r,  in  Cayuga  Co.,  N.  Y.  When  two  years  old  his 
parents  moved  to  Ohio,  where  he  lived  till  1838.  In 
that  year  he  came  to  De  Kalb  County  and  settled  in 
the  township  of  Squaw  Grove.  He  arrived  here  pre- 
vious to  the  land's  coming  into  market  and  located 
on  what  is  now  section  15.  He  has  been  the  owner 
of  several  different  farms,  and  has  lived  in  Squaw 
Grove  Township  since  1840. 

In  1 883  he  retired  from  active  farm  labor,  and  re- 
moved to  the  village  of  Hinckley.     He  is  a.  Republi- 

^* & 


can  in  political  sentiment  and  relations,  and  has  held 
several  official  positions. 

Mr.  Allbee  was  married  Jan.  4,  1840,  in  the  town- 
ship  of  Sugar  Grove,  Kane  Co.,   Ill,  to  Mary  E., 
daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Anna  (Vanbelger)  Jones.   \& 
Her  parents  were  natives  of  Connecticut  and  had  sev- 
en children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Allbee  is  second  in  order 
of  birth.     She  was  born  June  5,  1823,  in  the  city  of 
New  York.     She  has  been  the  mother  of  16  children, 
— Sarah,  Catherine,  Joseph  P.,  Eleazer  and  Electa 
(twins),  Emma  E.,  John  B.,  Charles  F.,  Ella  M.,  Ber-    i 
nard  C.,  Anson  G.,  Phebe  J.,  Willie  H.,  Carrie  A.,  Lil-   <| 
lie  M.  and  Edgar. 


dam  Haish,  farmer,  section  26,  Pierce 
Township,  is  a  pioneer  of  that  township. 
He  is  a  native  of  Bonddish,  Germany,  where 
e  was  born  Aug.  12,  1830.  Two  years  after 
his  birth  his  parents  emigrated  from  "das 
Faderland  "  to  the  United  States.  They  made 
a  short  stay  in  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  where  his 
mother  died.  After  that  event  his  father  settled  on 
a  tract  of  land  in  Crawford  Co.,  Ohio.  There  were 
five  children  in  the  family,  of  whom  Mr.  Haish  is 
the  youngest.  In  1850  the  family  came  to  De  Kalb 
County,  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Pierce  Township. 

Mr.  Haish  made  his  home  with  his  parents  until 
18156,  when  he  made  a  purchase  of  40  acres  of  prairie 
land  at  $5  per  acre.  Two  years  later  he  sold  the 
same  for  three  times  the  original  price.  He  then 
purchased  80  acres  of  wholly  unimproved  land  on 
section  35,  and  has  now  40  acres  on  section  36, 
which  he  bought  at  $15  per  acre,  and  later  bought 
40  acres  additional  for  which  he  paid  at  the  rate  of 
$44  per  acre.  In  1877  he  bought  the  Eberly  farm, 
comprising  160  acres,  paying  therefor  $8,000.  In 
1883  he  bought  the  place  known  as  the  Lintner  farm, 
containing  82  acres,  at  $50.60  per  acre.  These  farms 
are  all  supplied  with  excellent  buildings. 

Mr.  Haish  was  married  May  17,  1853,  to  Lydia 
Kuter,  and  they  ,had  five  children, — Lucy  Ann, 
Henry,  William  and  Jacob  G.  Jeremiah  died  in  in- 
fancy. Mrs.  Haish  was  born  Feb.  9,  1828,  and  is 
the  daughter  of  John  and  Lydia  Kuter. 

Mr.  Haish  is  one  of  the  substantial  citizens  of 
Pierce  Township,  and  is  a  fine  sample  of  what  a  man 


t 


of  foreign  birth  may  accomplish  in  contrast  with  the 
possibilities  open  to  him  in  his  own  country,  where 
every  foot  of  soil  is  crowded,  and  all  opportunities  of 
advancement  closed  long  before  they  reached  to  the 
class  to  which  he  belonged.  In  the  United  States 
all  he  needs  is  energy,  perseverance  and  under- 
standing. 

In  October,  1884,  Mrs.  Haish  was  attacked  by  a 
painful  disease  which  proved  to  be  cancer  of  the 
stomach,  from  which  she  suffered  for  24  weeks.  Her 
death  occurred  Feb.  23,  1885.  In  calm  resignation 
she  arranged  the  details  of  her  burial,  and  her  fu- 
neral sermon  was  preached  from  Isaiah,  351)1  chap- 
ter, loth  verse,  which  she  selected  herself. 


form  Palm,  retired  farmer,  residing  at  Shab- 
bona, was  born  in  Austin  Township,  Trum- 
bufl  Co.,  Ohio,  Dec.  4,  1812,  and  is  a  son 
of  David  and  Mary  (Shivley)  Palm.  His 
father  followed  the  vocation  of  a  farmer,  and 
Mr.  Palm  grew  to  manhood  on  the  farm,  re- 
ceiving the  advantages  afforded  by  the  common 
schools. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Catharine 
Flick,  daughter  of  George  and  Margaret  (Randolph) 
Flick,  Oct.  13,  1831.  She  was  born  in  Bald  Eagle, 
Center  Co.,  Pa.,  Aug.  3r,  1811.  Four  years  after 
marriage,  in  1835,  Mr-  Palrn  moved  with  his  family 
to  Southington,  same  county,  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, which  vocation  he  followed  in  that  county  for 
some  years.  He  then  removed  to  Middlefield, 
Geauga  County,  State  of  Ohio,  remaining  there  until 
the  spring  of  1845,  when  he  removed  to  Shabbona 
Grove,  this  county,  and  entered  160  acres  of  Govern- 
ment land  on  section  14,  township  38  north,  of  range 
3  east.  In  1850  he  went  by  the  overland  route  to 
California,  where  he  was  engaged  in  placer-mining; 
but,  contracting  typhoid  fever,  he  was  not  able  to 
work  for  about  three  months,  yet  afterwards  accumu- 
lated a  moderate  amount  of  means  before  returning. 
He  came  home  in  a  little  less  than  two  years  and 
paid  for  his  land  and  made  some  substantial  im- 
provements on  it.  In  1862  he  leased  his  farm  and 
moved  to  Leland,  La  Salle  Cj.,  this  State.  He  re- 
mained seven  years  at  the  latter  place,  and  then,  in 
1869,  he  returned  to  his  farm,  which  he  «ontinued  to 


cultivate  until  1877.  At  this  time  he  was  afflicted 
with  the  partial  loss  of  his  eye-sight,  and  again 
rented  his  farm  and  moved  into  Shabbona,  soon  af- 
ter commencing  treatment  for  his  eyes,  having  built 
a  fine  residence  before  moving  to  the  village.  Noth- 
ing that  money  could  procure  or  skill  accomplish 
did  him  any  good,  and  about  1879  he  was  hopelessly 
deprived  of  one  of  the  greatest  gifts  to  man,  his 
power  of  vision. 

At  this  writing  (1885)  Mr.  Palm  is  in  full  posses- 
sion of  all  his  other  faculties.  He  is  cheerful  in  dis- 
position and  vigorous  and  clear  in  his  mental  faculties. 
He  still  owns  an  extensive  farm  of  236  acres  in 
Shabbona  Township,  which  he  rents,  besides  a  com- 
fortable residence  and  13  lots  in  the  village  of  Shab- 
bona. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Palm  are  the  parents  of  six  children, 
three  sons  and  three  daughters,  only  two  of  whom 
are  living.  The  eldest,  Margaret,  was  born  Aug.  13, 
1832,  married  Alonzo  Olmstead  and  died  in  her  25th 
year.  The  second  child,  Adam,  was  born  Jan.  7, 
1834,  lived  to  maturity,  married  Miss  Almina  Fuller, 
is  a  farmer  by  vocation  and  resides  at  Shabbona. 
Mary  J.,  born  Sept.  3,  1837,  lived  to  maturity  and 
became  the  wife  of  Henry  Husk,  a  farmer  of  Shab- 
bona Township.  Hannah,  born  July  30,  1839,  grew 
to  womanhood,  became,  the  wife  of  William  Husk, 
Postmaster  at  Shabbona,  and  died  in  August,  1865. 
David,  fifth  child,  was  born  May  3,  1842.  He  grew 
to  manhood  under  the  parental  roof-tree,  and  on  the 
breaking  out  of  the  late  Civil  War,  enlisted  in  Co.  E, 
ic>5th  111.  Vol.  Inf.,  and  died  in  November,  1862,  in 
the  hospital  at  Bowling  Green,  Warren  Co.,  Ky.,  from 
disease  contracted  in  the  army.  John,  sixth  and 
youngest  child,  was  born  Jan.  21,  1845,  and  died 
when  five  and  one-half  years  of  age: 

While  a  resident  of  Leland,  La  Salle  County,  Mr. 
Palm  held  the  office  of  Trustee  four  seasons  in  suc- 
cession. On  coming  to  Shabbona  he  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  first  Board  of  Village  Trustees,  and 
at  the  expiration  of  his  term  was  re-elected  and  held 
the  office  four  years.  It  was  largely  due  to  his  lib- 
erality and  public  enterprise  that  the  railway  station 
was  established  at  this  place.  He  generously  gave 
the  undivided  one-half  interest  in  40  acres  of  land 
for  a  village  plat,  besides  giving  the  right  of  way 
through  1 60  acres  to  the  railroad  company.  He  also 
gave  away  quite  a  number  of  lots  to  encourage  the 
teSy^^Ti) 


i 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


i\ 


growth  and  settlement  of  the  village.  His  gift  to 
the  railroad  company  was  double  that  of  any  single 
individual,  and  was  the  means  of  inducing  others  to 
give.  Truly,  he  is  entitled  to  the  honor  of  being 
credited  as  one  of  the  founders  of  the  village  of 
Shabbona,  as  well  as  one  of  her  most  respected  citi- 
zens. 

A  lithographic  portrait  of  the  venerable  subject  of 
the  foregoing  sketch  is  given  on  the  page  opposite  the 
beginning,  and  doubtless  will  be  pleasurably  appre- 
ciated by  a  very  large  circle  of  acquaintances.  It 
was  engraved  from  a  photograph  taken  in  1870. 

—  


Toseph  Henry  Denton,  Clerk  of  Pierce 
Township,  was  born  Aug.  25,  1837,  in  the 
town  of  Stockton,  Chautauqua  Co.,  N.  Y. 
His  earliest  traceable  paternal  ancestor,  Solo- 
mon Denton,  was  born  in  Greenwich,  Conn.,  in 
{$  Y  the  year  1700,  and  from  him  Mr.  Denton  is  the 
]E^  fifth  in  the  line  of  descent.  Solomon  Denton  (^d), 
^jft  great-grandson  of  the  first  Solomon  Denton  and 
=  grandfather  of  J.  H.  Denton,  was  born  Aug.  4,  1754. 
^  He  entered  the  Colonial  service  during  the  Revolu- 
tionary War  and  was  connected  with  the  Federal 
army  until  the  expiration  of  the  term  for  which  he 
enlisted.  On  obtaining  his  discharge  he  made  an 
attempt  to  cross  Long  Island  Sound,  was  captured 
by  the  British  soldiery  and  held  prisoner  of  war  about 
18  months.  On  obtaining  his  liberty  he  went  to  Nova 
Scotia,  where  he  became  acquainted  with  and  mar- 
>  ried  Clara  Anderson.  She  was  born  in  a  town  on  the 
JjL  banks  of  the  Hudson  River,  near  New  York  city. 
^  After  marriage  they  settled  (about  1792),  in  the  town 
'  of  Beekman,  Dutchess  Co.,  N.  Y.,  where  Fowler 
Denton,  father  of  J.  H.,  was  born,  April  10,  1803. 
The  latter  was  twice  married;  Sophia  Caldwell,  his 
first  wife,  was  the  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Anna 
Caldwell  and  granddaughter  of  Col.  Henry  Luding- 
ton,  who  became  distinguished  in  the  War  of  1776. 
To  them  were  born  four  sons  and  three  daughters. 
The  second  wife  was  Amy  G.,  daughter  of  Oliver  and 
Zilpha  (Guild)  Arnold,  and  granddaughter  of  Nathan 
Morgan,  who  lived  during  the  Revolutionary  War  at 
Royalton,  Vermont.  On  becoming  his  "own  man," 
Fowler  Denton  was  employed  for  a  short  time  as  a 
clerk  in  a  store,  and  in  the  .spring  of  1824  he  entered 

(?)V^3vf'oi   -  ^£%T'        O/* 

OriV^V*'*^8*  TxT^ 


the  Hudson  River  service  and  conducted  a  sailing 
vessel  in  the  transportation  of  freight  from  Cold 
Spring,  Putnam  Co.,  N.  Y.  In  the  spring  of  1831  he 
embarked  in  a  mercantile  enterprise  at  Carmel  in  the 
same  county,  which  he  prosecuted  until  the  winter  of 
1833,  when  he  sold  his  business  and  its  appurten- 
ances. In  the  fall  of  1834  he  purchased  a  farm  in 
the  town  of  Stockton,  Chautauqua  Co.,  N.  Y.,  where 
he  resided  until  his  death,  which  occurred  March  30, 
1874.  Three  of  his  children  are  now  living:  Julia 
A.,  wife  of  J.  M.  Hardenburg,  resides  at  Brockton, 
Chautauqua  Co.,  N.  Y.  Cecilia,  widow  of  Norman 
Safford,  lives  at  Rockford,  Winnebago  Co.,  111. 

Mr.  Denton  is  the  youngest  surviving  child  of  his 
parents  and  is  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth.  He  was 
brought  up  to  a  knowledge  of  the  methods  of  farm- 
ing, and  was  educated  in  the  common  schools.  When 
he  was  18  years  of  age  he  entered  the  employment  of 
a  seed  house  in  his  native  county,  for  whom  he  trav- 
eled five  years,  and  subsequently  engaged  in  farm- 
ing. In  1864  he  came  to  De  Kalb  County  and 
settled  on  section  14,  Pierce  Township,  where  he  has 
since  operated  as  a.  practical  farmer.  All  his  land  is 
well  improved  and  he  has  built  a  commodious  frame 
house,  with  other  large  and  well  constructed  farm 
buildings,  and  has  set  out  an  orchard  and  a  number 
of  shade  and  ornamental  trees.  The  farm  is  drained 
by  goo  rods  of  tile. 

Mr.  Denton  was  married  Dec.  9,  1862,  to  Maria 
McCoul.  She  was  born  in  Allegany  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and 
is  the  daughter  of  James  and  Triphena  (Arnold) 
McCoul.  Their  five  surviving  children  are  named 
Mary,  Alta,  Frank,  Blanche  and  Solomon.  George, 
oldest  child,  was  born  July  13,  1865,  and  died  Dec. 
9,  1877. 


W 

j  hineas  Joslyn,  deceased,  a  pioneer  of  De 
£  Kalb  County,  and  formerly  a  resident  on 
section  16,  Cortland  Township,  was  born 
1791,  in  Westmoreland,  Oneida  Co.,  N.  Y.  * 
His  parents  removed  in  his  youth  to  Genesee 
County,  where  they  were  pioneers  of  Western  New  *. 
York,' and  where  they  improved  a  farm  and  estab-  £ 
lished  a  home.  His  father  died  there.  ^ 

Mr.  Joslyn  was  married  in  Genesee  County,  to    ® 
Lorinda  Woodworth,  a  native  of  Bennington,  Vt.,  and      ' 
*^,(g 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


5°3 


after  marriage  they  settled  in  a  portion  of  Pembroke 
Township,  now  included  in  the  township  of  Darien, 
buying  a  form  lying  within  the  tract  of  land  in  the 
State  of  New  York,  sold  by  Robert  Morris,  first 
Secretary  of  the  Treasurer  of  the  Colonial  Govern- 
ment of  America  to  an  Amsterdam  company  and 
known  for  a  long  term  of  years  as  the  "  Holland 
Purchase."  sln  1830  he  sold  the  property  and  re- 
moved to  Erie  County,  locating  on  a  farm  in  the 
township  of  Alden.  *In  1838  he  severed  all  his  busi- 
ness relations  with  his  native  State  and  set  out  for 
De  Kalb  County  with  a  team  of  horses  and  a  wagon, 
accompanied  by  his  wife  and  nine  children.  He 
drove  to  Buffalo,  where  he  embarked  on  a  steamer 
for  Detroit.  Arriving  at  the  City  of  the  Straits,  he 
again  set  out  as  originally,  and  drove  to  De  Kalb 
County.  They  carried  with  them  their  domestic  im- 
plements and  lived  enfamille,  as  a  Frenchman  would 
say,  on  the  route,  which  was  thereby  converted  into 
a  picnic  of  some  days'  duration.  On  reaching  Cort- 
land, Mr.  Joslyn  secured  a  claim  of  land  on  section 

9,  in  Cortland  Township.     The  land  was  still  un- 
surveyed  and  was  not  yet  in  market,  but  the  proprie- 
tor resided  thereon  some  years  and  improved  a  fine 
farm,  which  he  sold  later  on  and  went  to  Sycamore 
to  pass  the  last  years  of  his  life,  and  died  there  in 
1868.     The  mother  died  Nov.  i,  1881. 

Harry  A.  Joslyn,  the  oldest  son,  was  born  Dec. 

10,  1816,  in  the  township  of  Darien,  Genesee  Co., 
N.  Y.,  and  when  he  was   14  years  of  age  removed 
thence  with  his  parents  to  Erie  County.  He  obtained 
a  common-school  education,   and  in  the  winter  of 
1837-8  he  engaged  in  teaching  in  Alden  Township. 
In   the  spring  of  1838   he  came  to  De  Kalb  County, 
reaching  Chicago  by  the  lake  route,  and  thence  on 
foot  to  Cortland  Township.     He  secured  a  claim  of 
land  and  returned  to  the  State  of  New  York.     In  the 
fall  of  the  same  year  he  came  back  to  Cortland,  ac- 
companied by  the  entire  family  of  his  parents,  as  has 
been  stated.     He  lived  at  home  and  engaged  alter- 
nately in  the  labors  of  the  farm  and  in  teaching. 

He  was  married  May  n,  1841,10  Lucy  A.,  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Deborah  (Aldrich)  Waterman,  a 
native  of  Perry,  Genesee  Co.,  N.  Y.  Her  parents 
were  natives  of  Rhode  Island,  and  located  in  1837 
in  De  Kalb  County,  in  what  is  now  Cortland  Town- 
ship. Her  father  first  operated  as  a  renter  of  land, 
but  later  bought  a  claim  on  section  4,  in  the  same 

xpr- MJJ  •^nyjMXfp''  r~^A.\. 

^•'•*S''  -^^y " 


township.  After  "  entering  "  the  land  he  built  a  log 
house  and  improved  the  farm,  which  he  conducted 
four  years.  Subsequently  he  sold  his  place  and 
bought  another  on  section  3,  where  he  was  resident 
seven  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  moved  to 
Sycamore  and  there  passed  three  years  in  trade.  At 
the  close  of  the  war  in  1865,  he  bought  a  farm  on 
section  16,  where  he  was  a  resident  until  1883,  when 
he  sold  again  and  bought  the  farm  on  which  he  now 
resides,  on  section  5,  situated  one-fourth  of  a  mile 
from  Cortland  village. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Joslyn  have  had  five  children  :  John    c 
P.,  second  son,  was  born  March  24,  1850,  and  died 
Sept.  2,  1878.     Louisa  A.,  Frank  M.,  William  L.  and 
James  C.  are  the  four  who  survive. 


amin  F.  Atherton,  farmer,  section  31, 
Shabbona  Township,  owning  180  acres  of 
land  (postoffice,  Paw  Paw,  Lee  County),  is 
a  son  of  Joseph  and  Phebe  (Vosburg)  Ather- 
ton. The  former  was  born  in  Luzerne  Co., 
Pa.,  Feb.  17,  1800.  The  latter  was  born  in 
New  York  about  18 10.  They  both  died  in  Penn- 
sylvania, she  in  1836,  and  he  in  1845. 

Mr.  Atherton,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born 
in  Luzerne  Co.,  Pa.,  Oct.  24,  1828,  and  was  brought 
up  on  a  farm,  alternating  his  labors  thereon  by  at- 
tendance at  the  common  schools.  He  was  married 
Oct.  26,  1858,  in  Factoryville,  Wyoming  Ca,  Pa.,  to 
Miss  Mira,  daughter  of  Thomas  J.  and  Susan  (Cap- 
well)  Maynard.  She  was  born  in  Factoryville,  Wy- 
oming Co.,  Pa.,  Feb.  20, 1835.  Her  father  was  born 
in  Marlboro,  Mass.,  March  29,  1802,  and  moved 
to  Factoryville,  Pa.  He  was  married  July  16, 
1829,  to  Susan  Capwell.  They  had  four  sons,  all  of 
whom  were  Union  soldiers  in  the  late  Civil  War. 
Stephen  H.  was  in  the  571)1  Pa.  Vol.  Inf.,  and  was 
killed  at  Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862.  James  G. 
was  in  Co.  L,  3d  Pa.  Heavy  Artillery,  and  was 
drowned  July  7,  1864,  in  the  James  River,  at  Fort 
Powhat'.an,  Va.  Thomas  was  a  member  of  the  57th 
Pa.  Vol.  Inf.;  and  Garrick  M.  was  assistant  engineer 
on  the  steamer  "Baltic."  The  mother  was  born  at 
Factoryville,  March  12,  1804,  and  died  in  the  same 
place  Aug.  12,  1876;  the  father  came  to  Illinois  in 

^n-dBgyil^  •»S\@Xxf(® 


VX 


S°4 


DE  KALB  COUNTY 


xh,  * 880  and  passed  his  remaining  days  with  his  daugh- 
^  ter.  He  died  May  21,  1884. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Atherton  have  had  four  children,  as 
follows:  Maude  E.,  born  March  26,  1860;  Blanch, 
born  Jan.  17,  1864,  died  Oct.  5  same  year.  Thomas 
M.,  born  July  22,  1865,  died  Oct.  14,  1880;  and 
Joseph  E.,  born  Oct.  17,  1870. 

Mr.  Atherton  came  to  this  county  in  the  spring 
and  located  with  his  brother  Charles,  on  the  land  on 
which  he  is  at  present  residing.  The  brothers  have 
been  in  partnership  in  the  farm  and  the  cultivation 
of  it  ever  since  coming  to  the  county  in  1855. 

Politically,  Mr.  Atherton  is  identified  with  the 
issues  and  principles  of  the  Republican  party. 


dwin  H.  Fay,  farmer,  section  27,  Squaw 
Grove  Township,  is  the  son  of  Horace  W. 
and  Roxana  (Eaton)  Fay.  The  latter  died 
in  December,  1835,  ln  New  York  State,  where 
she  was  born.  About  the  year  1838  the  father 
came  to  De  Kalb  County,  and,  in  company 
with  Wells  A.  Fay,  purchased  a  farm.  Subsequently 
he  went  to  Will  Co.,  111.;  after  a  residence  there  of 
three  years  he  returned  to  Squaw  Grove.  During 
the  course  of  the  war  he  enlisted  in  the  Union  ser- 
vice, and  died  at  Vicksburg,  Miss.,  in  the  spring  of 
1863.  For  several  years  prior  to  enlistment  he  offi- 
ciated as  Surveyor  of  De  Kalb  County.  His  children 
were,- Edwin  H.,  Mahala  P.,  Mary  I,  Rhoda  H.  and 
Frances  C. 

Mr.  Fay  was  born  Aug.  4,  1826,  in  Manlius,  Onon- 
daga  Co.,  N.  Y.  His  mother  died  when  he  was  nine 
years  old,  and  he  went  to  Michigan  with  his  uncle, 
making  the  route  there  through  Canada  with  a  wagon. 
He  remained  there  between  two  and  three  years,  and 
then  came  to  De  Kalb  County,  where  he  has  since 
resided  with  the  exception  of  about  16  months, 
which  he  spent  in  the  Mexican  war,  as  a  volunteer  in 
the  1 6th  Ky.  Inf.  He  owns  160  acres  of  land,  of 
which  [zi  acres  are  tillable.  Mr.  Fay  endorses  and 
supports  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party.  He 
has  held  the  office  of  School  Inspector  and  other 
public  situations  of  less  importance. 

He  was  married  in  April,  1855,  in  Will  Co.,  111.,  to 
Ann  W.  Haywood,  and  they  had  four  children,— 
Arthur  H.,  Herbert  W.,  Oscar  H.  and  Orpha  A.  The 


' 


last  named  child  died  in  infancy.  Mr.  Fay  died  in 
Squaw  Grove,  Nov.  n,  1884.  She  was  born  May 
21,  1830,  in  Waterville,  Maine,  and  was  the  daughter 
of  Timothy  and  Eleanor  Haywood. 


eorge  Earner,  farmer,  section  22,  Pierce 
Township,  was  born  April  21,  1844,  in 
Richland  Co.,  Ohio,  and  came  thence  with 
his  parents,  Henry  and  Susanna  (Troup) 
Ramer.  He  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm, 
and  there  made  his  home  until  after  his  mar- 
riage. He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools. 
Jan.  8,  1863,  he  was  married  to  Anna,  daughter  of 
Timothy  Haley. 

In  187  r  he  purchased  a  farm  on  section  22,  Pierce 
Township,  and  has  erected  a  good  dwelling-house, 
barn  and  granary.  He 'has  also  set  out.  an  apple 
orchard  of  180  trees  and  a  variety  of  small  fruits.  He 
is  a  Republican  in  political  opinion  and  he  and  his 
wife  are  members  of  the  Evangelical  Association. 

There  are  seven  children  in  the  family, — Oscar, 
Nora,  Mina,  Viola,  Rosa,  Robert  and  Ivan. 


.aniel  Pierce,  banker  at  Sycamore,  was  born 
in  the  town  of  Neversink,  Sullivan  Co.,  N. 
Y.,  July  18,  1814,  and  is  the  son  of  Joseph 
and  Elizabeth  (Corgill)  Pierce.  Wm.  Pierce, 
the  paternal  grandsire,  lived  and  died  in  West- 
chester  Co.,  N.  Y.  On  his  mother's  side  Mr. 
Pierce  is  of  Scotch  lineage.  Joseph  Pierce  was  born 
in  Westchester  County  and  went  to  Sullivan  County 
when  15  years  of  age.  He  died  in  March,  1819, 
aged  3r  years,  leaving  a  wife  and  six  children — Wil- 
liam, Polly,  John,  Daniel,  Nellie  and  Catherine.  In 
1822  the  widow  married  Edward  Porter.  Mr.  Pierce 
senior  had  owned  what  was  called  a  "lease  farm  "  in 
the  town  of  Neversink,  and  this  the  family  occupied 
some  years. 

At  the  age  of  12  years  Mr.  Pierce  of  this  sketch 
was  thrown  upon  his  own  resources  for  maintenance, 
and  he  went  to  work  at  $3  per  month  for  the  first 
seven  months.  He  continued  in  the  occupation  of  a 
farm  laborer"  until  he  obtained  his  title  to  the  home- 
stead and  operated  agriculturally  on  his  own  account. 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


He  was  married  Dec.  17, 1835,  to  Phebe  J.,  daugh- 
ter of  Abijah  and  Sarah  (Lane)  Brundige.  She  was 
born  Aug.  17,  1818,  in  Orange  Co.,  N.  Y.  They 
lived  on  the  homestead  until  1839,  when  Mr.  Pierce 
purchased  another  lease  of  a  farm  in  a  different 
locality,  where  he  operated  five  years,  buying  a  third 
farm  under  similar  circumstances.  On  this  he  re- 
mained until  1848,  when  he  bought  three  farms,  his 
purchase  including  the  homestead.  He  lived  in 
Sullivan  County,  with  the  exception  of  two  years, 
-until  1855.  He  passed  the  two  years  referred  to  in 
Ulster  County,  where  he  owned  and  managed  a  tan- 
nery associated  with  his  brother. 

In  1855  he  sold  the  major  portion  of  his  land  in  his 
native  county,  and  came  to  Sycamore  Township, 
where  he  rented  a  farm  one  year.  In  1856  he  re- 
moved to  the  city  of  Sycamore,  where  he  lived  until 
1865.  In  that  year  he  took  possession  of  a  farm  on 
section  6,  Cortland  Township,  where  he  is  still  re- 
siding. 

On  his  removal  to  Sycamore  in  1856,  he  engaged 
in  land  speculation,  trafficking  in  real  estate,  and  im- 
proving land.  In  1867  the  banking  house  of  Pierce, 
Dean  &  Co.  was  established,  which  in  1871  became 
Pierce  &  Dean.  In  1883  another  change  instituted 
the  banking  firm  of  Daniel  Pierce  &  Co.,  the  existing 
style.  Mr.  Pierce  is  still  dealing  in  real  estate  and  is 
the  proprietor  of  several  farms. 

His  family  includes  two  daughters :  Eleanor  P. 
married  A.  W.  Townsend.  Sarah  P.  is  the  wife  of 
G.  P.  Wild.  The  first-born  child  died  in  infancy. 
The  mother  died  Oct.  4,  1876. 


August  Bastian,  farmer,  section  20,  Squaw 
Grove  Township,  is  a  son  of  Jacob  P.  and 
Mary  C.  (Thomas)  Bastian,  who  were  na- 
tives of  Nassau,  Germany.  They  had  a  fam- 
ily of  six  children,  of  whom  August  was  the 
fourth  in  order  of  birth.  He  was  born  in  Ger- 
many Dec.  22,  1822,  and  when  29  years  of  age  he 
came  to  America,  and  after  a  year's  residence  at 
Louisville,  Ky.,  he  came  to  this  county  and  first  lived 
two  years  in  Somonauk  Township,  then  a  year  in 
Kendall  County,  and  finally  he  settled  upon  his 
present  place  of  residence.  At  first  he  bought  120 


acres,  but  he  now  has  double  that  acreage.  He  has 
served  the  community  as  Overseer  of  Highways  and 
as  School  Director.  In  his  political  views  he  is  a 
Democrat. 

He  was  married  in  Oswego,  Kendall  Co.,  111.,  Oct. 
n,  1855,  to  Miss  Louisa  C.  Thomas,  daughter  of 
Cost  H.  and  Mary  C.  (Post)  Thomas,  who  were  na- 
tives of  Germany.  She  also  was  born  in  that  coun- 
try Dec.  14,  1829.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bastian  have  eight 
children, — Lewis,  Peter,  Mary  C.,  Gustave  W.,  Ber- 
tha, Frank,  Anna  and  Charlie  A. 


lenjamin  Gurler,  farmer  and  stock-raiser, 
located  on  section  32,  De  Kalb  Township, 
was  born  Oct.  25,  1807,  in  Nelson,  N.  H., 
and  is  the  son  of  Thomas  and  Susan  (Far- 
well)  Gurler.  His  father  was  born  in  Mar- 
blehead,  Mass.,  and  married  a  lady  who  was 
a  native  of  New  Hampshire,  where  they  settled  and 
where  both  died.  They  had  10  children. 

Mr.  Gurler  is  their  eldest  son,  and  he  continued  to 
reside  in  his  native  State  until  1856.  He  was  there 
interested  in  farming,  and  passed  13  years  in  the 
manufacture  of  cast-steel  augers  and  bits.  He  set- 
tled in  De  Kalb  County  in  the  fall  of  the  year  named, 
purchasing  160  acres  of  land  in  De  Kalb  Township, 
and  eight  acres  in  the  township  of  Afton.  He  lo- 
cated on  the  quarter-section  which  he  owned  in  De 
Kalb  Township,  and  there  established  his  home- 
stead. He  owns  288  acres  of  improved  and  valu- 
uable  land,  stocked  with  70  head  of  cattle,  6  horses 
and  about  TOO  hogs. 

Politically,  Mr.  Gurler  is  a  Republican.  While 
a  resident  in  New  Hampshire,  he  was  a  Captain  in 
the  old  State  Militia  seven  years. 

He  was  married  May  9,  1839,  in  Chesterfield,  N. 
H.,  to  Harriet  F.  Hopkins,  and  they  became  the 
parents  of  five  children  :  Henry  B.  was  born  May 
21,  1840,  in  Chesterfield.  Sarah  M.  was  born  Oct. 
13,  1841,  in  Keene,  N.  H.,  which  was  the  birthplace 
of  George  H.,  born  March  29,  1844.  Mary  J.  was 
born  Sept.  6,  1848,  in  Chesterfield,  and  died  in  De 
Kalb,  Nov.  20,  1859.  Lizzie  T.  was  born  in  De 
Kalb,  Feb.  8,  1861.  Mrs.  Gurler  was  born  Oct.  29, 
1817,  in  Colerain,  Mass.,  and  is  the  daughter  of 
Richard  and  Emmeline  (Lewis)  Hopkins.  Her  par- 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


.  ents  were  natives  of  New  Hampshire,  where  they  re- 
sided nearly  all  their  lives  with  the  exception  of  six 
years,  when  they  lived  at  Colerain,  Mass.  They  died 
in  the  State  of  their  nativity. 

As  a  man  eminently  worthy  a  place  among  the 
leading  men  of  De  Kalb  County,  we  place  Mr.  Gur- 
ler's  portrait  in  this  work.  It  is  engraved  from  a 
picture  taken  in  1874. 


illiam  P.  Wheeler,  farmer,  section  23, 
Clinton  Township,  is  a  son  of  Nathan  and 
Abigail  (King)  Wheeler,  natives  of  Ver- 
mont. The  senior  Wheeler  died  in  his 
native  State,  and  Mrs.  W.  in  Clinton  Town- 
ship, this  county. 
Mr.  Wheeler,  whose  name  heads  this  sketch,  was 
born  in  Colchester,  Vt,  Aug.  i,  1810;  learned  the 
trade  of  carpenter  and  joiner;  followed  it  till  1845, 
then  for  six  years  worked  in  a  saw-mill,  and  then,  in 
1851,  he  came  to  this  county  and  purchased  a  quar- 
ter of  section  33,  where  he  has  since  resided,  and  14 
acres  in  Shabbona  Township.  He  now  owns  84 
acres,  most  of  which  is  in  good  cultivation. 

In  political  matters  he  is  identified  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party.  He  has  held  the  office  of  Justice  of  the 
Peace  four  years,  Township  Clerk,  one  year,  etc. 

He  was  married  in  Rutland  Co.,  Vtv-Oct.  15, 
1834,  to  Miss  Mary  A.,  daughter  of  William  and 
Lucy  (King)  Ambler,  natives  also  of  the  Green 
Mountain  State.  She  was  born  in  Lyons,  Wayne 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  Oct.  ip,  1810,  the  youngest  of  five  chil- 
dren. Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  are  the  parents  of  Lucy, 
William,  Wallace,  Julia  F.  and  Henry  K. 


"  saac  Kirkpatrick,  manufacturer  and  miller 
at  Waterman,  is  a  native  of  the  Keystone 
State.  His  parents,  Jesse  and  Ruth 
(Smiley)  Kirkpatrick,  natives  also  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, emigrated  to  De  Kalb  County,  111., 
in  the  spring  of  1855,  where  they  spent  the 
remainder  of  their  lives.  He  died  in  the  spring  of 
•1858,  and  she  Oct.  8,  1879.  They  had  six  chil- 
dren, named  Ann,  Isaac,  Smiley,  Hiram,  Margaret 
and  Ellen. 
Mr.  Kirkpatrick  was  born  in  Perry  Co.,  Pa.,  Oct. 


20,  1822;  followed  farming  and  lumbering  in  his 
youth  till  1855,  when  he  came  and  settled  in  Clinton 
Township,  on  a  farm  which  he  had  bought  two  years 
previously.  Here  he  followed  agricultural  pursuits 
for  17  years,  when  he  sold  his  place  and  removed  to 
the  village  of  Waterman,  and  began  the  milling  busi- 
ness and  afterwards  the  manufacture  of  bee-hives 
and  water  and  stock  tanks  and  cisterns.  He  had 
formed  a  partnership  with  his  son-in-law,  W.  S. 
Andrews,  under  the  firm  name  of  Kirkpatrick  & 
Andrews,  before  he  began  the  manufacture  of  bee- 
hives, water  and  stock  tanks,  etc.,  and  they  are  man- 
aging a  good  business.  In  his  political  views  Mr.  K. 
is  a  Republican.  Officially  he  has  been  Overseer  of 
Highways  in  his  township  and  Street  Commissioner 
in  Waterman.  Both  himself  and  wife  belong  to  the 
Presbyterian  Church. 

He  was  married  in  Perry  Co.,  Pa.,  Oct.  28,  1848, 
to  Catherine  McCord,  who  was  born  in  thai  county, 
Oct.  17,  1817.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kirkpatrick  are  the 
parents  of  four  children — Lizzie,  Inda,  Ida  S.  and 
one  who  died  in  infancy.  Mrs.  K.'s  parents,  Benj. 
and  Elizabeth  (Smiley)  McCord,  were  also  natives  of 
Pennsylvania,  where  they  passed  their  entire  lives. 


athew  W.  Olmstead,  retired  farmer,  re- 
siding in  the  village  of  Shabbona,  was 
one  of  the  very  first  pioneers  of  Shabbona 
Township,  being  the  fourth  person  to  effect 
a  settlement  in  it.     He  was  born  in  Wilton, 
Fairfield  Co.,  Conn.,  Nov.  22,  1804,  and  is  the    ^ 
son  of  David  and  Rebecca  (Jackson)  Olmstead. 

When  about  13  years  of  age  he  removed  with  his  | 
parents  to  Tompkins  Co.,  N.  Y.  He  attended  the 
common  schools  in  that  county,  learned  the  black- 
smith's trade,  and  removed  to  Chemung  County, 
that  State,  where  he  worked  at  his  trade  until  1837. 
During  this  year  he,  in  company  with  his  brothers, 
Lewis  and  Nathan,  came  to  La  Salle  County,  this  f 
State ;  one  year  and  two  months  later  he  came  to 
Shabbona,  locating  there  in  September,  1838.  On 
arrival  at  Shabbona,  he  found  Edmond  Towne,  Oliver 
P.  Johnson,  Nathan  Olmstead  and  David  Smith. 

Mr.  Olmstead  selected  his  claim  prior  to  the  Gov- 
ernment survey,  and  after  the  survey  was  made  he 
found  his  land  comprised  a  portion  of  sections  25 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


!i 


ind  36,  his  house  being  located  on  section  25.  His 
farm  comprised  207  acres,  which  he  sold  some  years 
later  and  removed  to  section  36,  same  township.  In 
1878  he  removed  to  the  village  of  Shabbona,  where 
he  has  a  fine  residence  and  three  and  a  half  acres  in- 
side the  village  corporation. 

Mr.  Olmstead  was  married  in  Chemung  Co.,  N.  Y., 
June  28,  1828,  to  Catharine,  daughter  of  Benajah 
and  Agnes  Lockerby.  She  was  born  in  Veteran 
Township,  Chemung  Co.,  N.  Y.,  April  6,  1801,  and 
was  the  mother,  by  Mr.  Olmstead,  of  five  children, 
— two  boys  and  three  girls.  The  eldest,  Robert  L., 
was  married  to  Louisa  Clapsaddle,  was  a  member  of 
an  Iowa  Inf.  Reg.,  was  wounded  in  the  Red  River 
expedition,  taken  prisoner,  and  died  from  the  effects 
of  his  wound,  in  Texas.  Hannah  was  the  wife  of 
Howell  Leyson,  and  died  in  June,  1881.  Araminta 
is  the  wife  of  Lewis  Larkin.  a  resident  of  Iowa.  Re- 
becca is  the  wife  of  William  Van  Vlack.  William 
W.  married  Ellen  Walker,  was  a  member  of  the  same 
regiment  as  his  brother,  was  taken  prisoner,  ex- 
changed and  died  soon  after  from  disease  contracted 
while  in  service. 

Mrs.  Olmstead  died  Jan.  8,  1857,  and  June  28, 
1858,  Mr.  Olmstead  married  Mary  Walker,  at  Syca- 
more, this  county.  She  died  in  1863,  without  issue. 
Mr.  Olmstead  was  a  third  time  married  Jan.  2,  1882, 
at  Northfield,  Minn.,  to  Miss  Armina,  daughter  of 
Benjamin  and  Elizabeth  Lockerby.  She  was  born  in 
Washtenaw  Co.,  Mich.,  March  15,  1836,  and  accom- 
panied her  parents  to  Northfield  in  1855.  They 
were  pioneers  of  that  place  and  she  resided  there 
until  her  marriage. 

Politically,  Mr.  Olmstead  is  a  Republican.  He 
has  held  the  office  of  School  Treasurer  some  10 
years. 


fhomas   B.  Kolbrook,  a  retired  farmer  at 
Waterman,   is   from   New   England.      His 
parents,    Jacob   and    Dorothy  (Blahchard) 
Holbrook,  were  natives  of  Weymouth,  Mass., 
where  they  also  terminated  their  lives.     Their 
three  children  were  Ruth  W.,  Thomas  B.  and 
Jacob,  Jr. 

The  second  born,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was 
born  also  in  Weymouth,  July  22,  1813,  learned  the 
trade  of  shoemaker  of  his  father,  and  followed  it  until 


he  came  West  in  1856.  He  bought  88  acres  of  land 
in  Clinton  Township,  this  county,  and  lived  there 
until  January,  1882;  then,  after  spending  nearly  a 
year  in  Michigan,  he  settled  in  the  village  of  Water- 
man, where  he  now  has  his  residence.  He  is  the 
owner  of  167  acres  of  land  in  this  county.  Publicly, 
he  has  been  a  School  Director,  and  in  his  views  of 
national  affairs  he  sympathizes  with  the  Republican 
party. 

He  was  married  in  AVeymouth,  Mass.,  June  28, 
1843,  to  Miss  Mary  A.,  daughter  of  Isaac  and  Cyn- 
thia (Pratt)  Reed,  who  also  were  natives  of  Wey- 
mouth, where  they  passed  their  entire  lives.  They 
had  a  family  of  eight  children — Eliza,  Cynthia,  Mary 
A.,  Asa,  Isaac,  Frederick  and  Stephen.  One  died  in 
infancy.  Mrs.  H.  was  born  in  Weymouth,  Jan.  4, 
1824,  and  has  become  the  mother  of  five  children. 
Ann  and  Andrew  died  in  infancy,  and  the  surviving 
children  are  T.  Frank,  Ruth  W.  and  Cynthia  R. 
Ruth  W.  is  the  wife  of  George  C.  Pratt  and  resides 
in  Jackson,  Mich.  Cynthia  R.  is  the  wife  of  Hum- 
phrey Roberts,  Jr.,  and  resides  in  Waterman.  T. 
Frank  is  settled  near  Fergus  Falls,  Minn. 


v 


acob   Wirick,   deceased,   was  the   second 
settler  of  East  Paw  Paw,  coming  here  in 
1842.     He  was  born  in  Cumberland  Val- 
ley, Pa.,  May  22,  1789,  and  during  his  life  was 
a  farmer  by  occupation.     He  was  married  in 
1811,  to  Mary  McCoy,  who  was  born  in  the 
same  county  with  him,  Dec.  12,  1795. 

They  first  emigrated  to  Ohio  and  thence  to  a  Mor- 
mon settlement  in  Missouri  called  the  "  Far  West ;" 
but,  becoming  dissatisfied  there,  they  changed  their 
residence  to  Adams  Co.,  111.,  and  later  to  Nauvoo, 
111.,  where  Mr.  W.  was  still  identified  with  the  Mor- 
mons, but  opposed  to  polygamy.  In  1842  he  moved 
to  East  Paw  Paw,  this  county,  and  bought  out  the 
only  white  settler  at  that  point,  Wm.  Rogers,  who 
kept  a  hotel.  Mr.  Wirick  bought  also  80  acres  of 
land  of  Mr.  Rogers,  and  added  to  it  by  subsequent 
purchases  until  he  had  a  total  of  240  acres.  He 
also  increased  the  capacity  of  the  hotel,  which  he 
named  the  "  Paw  Paw  House,"  where  he  dispensed 
with  a  liberal  hand  the  substantial  fare  of  the  fron- 
tier. He  was  a  man  of  sterling  qualities,  remark- 
able for  his  positive  opinions  and  force  of  character. 


Q 


r. 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


In  early  life  he  was  a  Democrat  in  his  political  views, 
but  toward  his  latter  days  he  became  independent 
in  his  voting. 

He  had  14  children,  1 1  of  whom  grew  up,  namely  : 
John,  born  Dec.  9,  1812,  died  after  he  had  attained 
the  age  of  manhood  :  Harriet,  born  Feb.  25,  1815, 
died  in  California;  Cornilla,  born  Oct.  13,  1816,  is 
now  the  wife  of  Justin  Merrill,  of  Utah ;  William, 
born  May  13,  1818,  married  Phebe  Potts  and  lives 
at  Princeton,  111.;  George,  born  Feb.  n,  1820,  mar- 
ried Juliette  Atwood  and  lives  in  Aurora,  111.;  James, 
born  Aug.  29,  1823,  lives  in  Adrian,  Mich.;  Ed- 
mond,  born  June  25,  1825,  married  Mary  Leyson 
and  lives  at  Storm  Lake,  Iowa ;  Rebecca,  born 
March  13,  1827,  is  now  the  widow  of  J.  H.  Breese 
and  resides  at  Aurora,  111. ;  Mary,  born  April  23, 
1829,  is  the  wife  of  D.  A.  Baxter,  of  Rochelle,  111., 
Valentine,  born  March  25,  1831,  first  married  Eliza- 
beth Hildebrand,  and  afterward  Jennet  Quothera, 
and  now  is  a  resident  of  Rochelle,  111. ;  and  Nancy 
S.,  born  March  5,  1839,  is  the  wife  of  H.  S.  Dickin- 
son of  East  Paw  Paw. 

•  It  •    K 


!.A.  Schermerhorn,  farmer,  section  30,  Clin- 
ton Township,  is  a  son  of  Henry  and  Mi- 
randa (Mattison)  Schermerhorn,  natives  of 
New  York.  They  came  to  this  county  in  1846 
and  settled  on  section  30,  Clinton  Township, 
where  the  son  now  resides.  His  mother  died 
on  the  old  homestead  Aug.  20,  i86r.  His  father  still 
survives  and  resides  in  Clinton  Township.  Their 
family  comprised  eight  children,  namely:  Myron 
B.,  Herschel  A.,  Lorenzo,  George  H.,  Ossian  D., 
Mary  E.,  William  M.  and  Hannah  J. 

Herschel  A.  Schermerhorn,  subject  of  this  bio- 
graphical notice,  was  born  in  Jefferson  Co.,  N.  Y., 
Feb.  22,  1845,  and  was  only  two  years  old  when  his 
parents  moved  to  this  county.  He  has  lived  in  this 
county  since  1846,  except  seven  years  which  he 
spent  in  Kane  County  during  the  early  period  of  his 
life.  He  lived  at  home  assisting  on  the  farm  and  at- 
tending the  common  school  until  he  attained  the 
age  of  16  years.  On  arriving  at  this  age,  he  en- 
gaged to  learn  the  trade  of  a  carpenter  and  joiner, 
which  he  completed,  and  which  trade  he  has  fol- 
lowed in  connection  with  fanning  ever  since.  He  is 


the  owner  of  100  acres  of  land  in  Clinton  Township, 
all  of  which  is  in  a  good  condition  of  cultivation. 

Mr.  Schermerhorn  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Emily  A.  Hall,  Dec.  18,  1866,  in  Somanauk  Town- 
ship. She  is  a  daughter  of  Wm.  and  Susan  (Sim- 
mons) Hall,  natives  of  "York  State."  TJiey  had  a 
family  of  four  children,  namely:  Mary  E.,  Susan 
A.,  Emily  A.  and  George  B. 

Emily  A.,  wife  of  Mr.  Schermerhorn,  was  bom  in 
Clinton  Township,  Jan.  10,  1849.  She  resided  with 
her  parents,  assisting  in  the  household  duties  and 
embracing  the  opportunities  afforded  by  the  common 
schools  of  the  county,  until  her  marriage  to  Mr.  S. 
She  has  borne  him  five  children,  four  of  whom  are 
yet  living,  namely :  Ettie,  Charles  H.,  Estella  and 
Ralph  E.  Effiie  died  when  three  years  of  age. 

Politically  Mr.  Schermerhorn  is  a  believer  in  and 
supporter  of  the  doctrines  and  principles  of  the  Re- 
publican party. 


sa  Bailey,  residing  with  his  son  Cyrenius, 
on  section  23,  Shabbona  Township,  was 
born  in  Schoharie  Co.,  N.  Y.,  June  19, 
1797,  the  son  of  Asa  and  Lucy  Bailey,  and  was 
reared  in  the  vocations  of  milling  and  farming. 
He  has  been  married  twice, — first,  in  early 
manhood,  to  Anna  McNeil,  by  whom  he  had  six  C 
children,  four  of  whom  are  living.  Mrs.  B.  died  in 
1852,  and  Mr.  Bailey,  in  November,  1854,  married 
Mrs.  Esther  Shauber,  who  was  born  in  Saratoga  Co., 
N.  Y.,  Feb.  24,  1811. 

In  1861   Mr.   Bailey  came  to  Illinois,  settling  in 
Scott  Township,  Ogle  County,  where  he  was  engaged    \ 
in  agricultural  pursuits  until  1876,  when  he  came  to 
Shabbona  to  make  his  home  with  his  sen.     He  is    / 
now  88  years  of  age,  and  begins  to  feel  the  weight  of 
his  many  years. 


homas  Shoop,   farmer,  section   25,    Pierce    ' 
Township,    was    born    Jan.     r,    1846,   in 
Holmes  Township,  Crawford  Co.,  Ohio,  and 
>  but  one  year  old  when  John   and  Sarah 
(Schultz)   Shoop   came  to    Illinois,    and    they 
were     among    the    pioneer   settlers   of  K 
County.     He  was  brought  up  to  the  vocation  of  his 


' 


(Si 


father — that  of  farming — and  attended  the  pioneer 
schools.  After  his  marriage  he  bought  a  farm  in 
Kane  Township,  which  he  conducted  until  1882, 
when  he  bought  his  present  farm,  which  is  located  on 
section  25  of  Pierce  Township. 

Mr.  Shoop  was  married  May  9,  1871,10  Kate 
Gusler,  who  died  Sept.  31,  1877,  aged  33  years, 
leaving  two  children,  Charles  H.  and  Glen  Edward. 
Her  parents  were  early  settlers  of  Du  Page  County. 
The  second  wife  of  Mr.  Shoop,  to  whom  he  was 
married  April  30,  1878,  was  Emma,  daughter  of 
Jacob  and  Jane  Harter.  She  was  born  in  Center 
Co.,  Pa.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shoop  have  one  child, 
Jessie.  Mr.  Shoop's  mother  died  in  Pierce  Town- 
ship, Feb.  20,  1885,  aged  69  years.  She  was  born 
in  Columbia  Co.,  Pa. 


"  oseph.  Bartlett,  deceased,  one  of  the  pioneer 
settlers  of  Paw  Paw,  was  born  in  North- 
ampton, Mass.,  Jan.  27, 1790.  His  parents 
were  Joseph  and  Lucy  (Post)  Bartlett.  When 
19  years  of  age  he  moved  from  Massachusetts 
to  Geauga  Co.,  Ohio,  in  which  county,  in  Hamp- 
den,  March  23,  1810,  he  married  Miss  Temperance 
Pomeroy,  daughter  of  Ichabod  Pomeroy.  They  had 
five  sons  and  five  daughters,  viz.:  Wealthy,  born  Dec. 
18,  1810,  is  the  wife  of  Shadrach  Bosley  and  resides 
in  Iowa;  Sally  (ist),  born  May  7,  1812,  died  Dec. 
12  following;  Sally  (2d),  born  March  15,  1813,  is  the 
wife  of  Lorenzo  Fitch,  of  Ohio ;  Marcus  A.,  born 
Dec.  25,  1816,  married  Mary  A.  Fowler  and  resides 
in  Paw  Paw  Township  ;  Roxana,  born  April  22,  1818, 
is  now  the  widow  of  Charles  Firkins,  and  resides  in 
Paw  Paw  Township;  Lucy,  born  April  9,  1820,  be- 
came the  wife  of  Cyrus  Bosley,  and  died  April  20, 
1879;  Moses,  born  Oct.  n,  1825,  first  married  Miss 
Martha  Harper  and  afterwards  Mrs.  Mary  Christy, 
and  now  is  a  resident  of  Paw  Paw  Township  ;  Joseph, 
born  Aug.  17,  1827,  married  Ann  Graves  and  resides 
in  Colorado  ;  Lester  A.,  born  Oct.  3,  1829,  died  Aug. 
1 1,  1842  ;  and  Eli  O.,  born  March  17,  1831,  married 
Harriet  Wales,  and  is  a  resident  of  Paw  Paw  Town- 
ship. 

Mr.  Bartlett  maintained  positive  and  strict  princi- 
ples in  regard  to  morality,  religion  and  governmental 
policy.  He  was  an  enthusiastic  and  practical  tem- 


perance and  anti-slavery  man.     He  "  harbored  "  and    2o 
assisted  many  a  fugitive  slave  making  his  way  from    ^ 
Egypt  to  Canaan,  that  is,  from  the  land  of  bondage, 
ignorance  and  misery  to  the  land  of  freedom,  Canada, 
on  the  "  under-ground  railway."     In  his  religious  his-    V 
tory  he,  as  well  as  his  wife,  was  in  early  life  a  Pres- 
byterian, but  after  coming  to  Paw  Paw  he  joined  the 
Congregational  Church. 


enry  Cristman,  deceased,  formerly  a  resi- 
dent on  section  8,  South  Grove  Township, 
was  for  many  years  a  leading  agriculturist 
and  a  prominent  citizen  of  De  Kalb  County. 
He  was  born  Feb.  i,  1830,  in  Herkimer  Co., 
N.  Y.  His  parents  were  of  German  extraction, 
and  are  deceased.  ^Mr.  Cristman  grew  to  manhood 
in  his  native  county  and  obtained  his  education  in 
the  common  schools.  On  attaining  his  majority  he 
began  to  operate  as  a  common  laborer,  and  soon  re- 
alized 'the  reward  of  thrift  and  industry.  He  was 
married  Dec.  29,  1853,  when  he  was  23  years  of  age, 
to  Louisa  Pooler.  She  was  born  Feb.  6,  1837,  on 
the  German  Flats,  an  Herkimer  County,  and  is  the 
daughter  of  Henry  Pooler  (see  sketch),  who  was  a 
prominent  actor  in  the  history  of  that  county.  He 
was  extensively  interested  in  agriculture,  acquiring 
considerable  property  in  that  business.  He  came 
to  Illinois  and  settled  on  a  tract  of  300  acres  of  land, 
which  he  purchased  in  the  township  of  Cortland  and 
where  he  has  since  resided,  on  one  of  the  most  valu- 
able farms  in  the  county.  The  mother  of  Mrs. 
Cristman,  Margaret  (Shoemaker)  Pooler,  was  born 
in  New  York,  and  is  still  living.  Mrs.  Cristman  is 
the  mother  of  three  children :  Emma  is  the  wife  of 
Amos  Willis,  of  Kingston,  and  has  had  two  children  : 
Ida,  who  married  Fred  Goodrich,  a  farmer  in  South 
Grove  Township,  and  has  had  two  children;  and 
Mary  (Mrs.  Schram)  has  one  child. 

About  one  year  subsequent  to  marriage,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Cristman  came  to  Illinois  and  purchased  128 
acres  of  improved  land.  The  proprietor  exercised 
the  same  proclivities  which  had  proved  efficacious  in 
his  early  experience,  and  made  additions  to  his 
estate  until  it  aggregated  600  acres.  He  enga 
general  farming  and  in  raising  stock,  also  entering 
largely  into  the  manufacture  of  cheese.  Later  on, 

»4*@££@. 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


he  became  interested  in  traffic  in  horses,  and  en- 
gaged to  a  considerable  extent  in  buying  and  ship- 
ping to  Eastern  markets.  He  had  a  wide  reputation 
as  a  judge  of  horses  and  stock  generally,  and  his 
herds  on  his  farm  made  a  good  exhibit  of  cattle,  sheep 
and  swine  of  excellent  grades. 

Mr.  Cristman  died  Jan.  4,  1883,  in  the  prime  of 
his  manhood  and  at  the  height  of  his  success  and 
popularity  as  a  man  and  citizen  of  De  Kalb  County. 
He  was  a  Republican  in  politics  and  had  held  the 
most  responsible  local  official  positions.  His  estate  is 
managed  by  his  heirs,  who  conduct  its  affairs  on  the 
same  basis  as  formerly. 

Among  the  many  valuable  portraits  of  prominent 
citizens  of  De  Kalb  County  included  in  this  valuable 
volume,  will  be  found  those  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crist- 
man, made  from  photographs  taken  in  1874. 


_than  A.  Pritchard,  deceased,  was  former- 
ly a  lawyer,  and  a  farmer  on  section  29,  in 
Clinton  Township.  His  parents,  Reuben 
and  Maria  (Mason)  Pritchard,  natives  of  New 
York  State,  had  four  children,  who  in  order  of 
birth  were  Reuben  M.,  Ethan  A.,  Ira  and  Maria. 
He  was  born  in  Malone,  N.  Y.,  Nov.  8,  1832,  and 
came  in  1845  to  this  county  with  his  parents,  who 
settled  in  Clinton  Township.  In  the  fall  of  1857 
Ethan  A.  moved  to  Aurora,  111.  In  April,  1861,  he 
enlisted  for  the  war  in  defense  of  his  country,  in  the 
i3th  111.  Vol.  Inf.,  and  served  three  years,  participat- 
ing in  the  sieges  of  Vicksburg  and  Jackson,  Miss., 
,  and  other  heavy  engagements,  as  well  as  in  many 
§  skirmishes,  etc.  He  was  promoted  from  the  private 
*  ranks  to  the  position  of  First  Lieutenant.  After  his 
term  of  enlistment  expired  he  returned  to  Aurora, 
and  in  March,  1865,  to  Clinton  Township,  and  died 
the  following  291)1  of  July,  of  consumption.  When 
about  24  years  of  age  he  took  up  the  study  of  law, 
and  practiced  that  profession  with  marked  success. 
At  the  time  of  his  death  he  owned  353  acres  of  land 
in  Clinton  Township.  In  religion  he  was  a  member 
of  the  Congregational  Church,  and  in  politics  a  Re- 
publican, and  at  the  date  of  his  death  he  was  a  nom- 
inee for  County  Treasurer. 

He  was  married  July  20,  1856,  at  Linwood,  Benton 
Co.,  Iowa,  to  Miss  Sarah  E.,  daughter  of  Josiah  and 

^^ % 


Locena  (Hodges)  Wilkins.  Her  parents  were  natives 
of  the  State  of  New  York,  had  a  family  of  1 3  chil- 
dren :  Elizabeth,  Anson  T.,Dayton,  Alfred  T.,  Josiah, 
Sarah  E.,  Afaminta,  Ursula,  Newton  J.,  Mary  A., 
Hannah  J.,  and  two  who  died  in  infancy.  Mrs. 
Pritchard  was  bom  in  Ontario  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Jan.  24, 
1833,  and  is  the  mother  of  three  children, — Ethan 
A.,  who  was  drowned  when  about  seven  years  old  at 
Aurora  on  Fox  River,  Elotia  A.  and  Elliott  A.  Mrs. 
Pritchard  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational  Church. 


ra  Park,  retired  farmer,  residing  at  Earlville, 
La  Salle  Co.,  111.,  was  a  pioneer  of  Shabbona 
Township,  De  Kalb  Co.,  having  located 
herein  1838.  He  was  born  in  Massachusetts, 
in  1812,  and  is  a  son  of  Jonathan  and  Patience 
(Fox)  Park.  His  parents  moved  to  Ohio  when 
the  son  was  four  years  of  age,  where  he  grew  to  man- 
hood. He  followed  the  vocation  of  a  farmer  while  in 
that  State.  He  was  married  in  Marion  Co.,  Ohio,  to 
Matilda  McNeal,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Elizabeth 
(Finley)  McNeal.  She  was  born  March  2,  1815,  in 
Ireland,  and  came  to  America  with  her  parents  when 
she  was  two  years  old. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Park  were  the  parents  of  six  chil- 
dren, as  follows  :  Elizabeth  was  born  in  Marion  Co., 
Ohio,  Aug.  13,  1832,  and  died  Dec.  18,  1876  ;  John 
B.  was  born  in  Marion  Co.,  Ohio,  Oct.  26,  1834; 
Sarah  A.  was  born  at  Holderman  Grove,  111.,  Feb. 
10,  1838,  and  died  Dec.  15, 1865  ;  Levi  W.  was  born 
in  Shabbona  Township,  June  12,  i84r,  and  died  May 
7,  1869;  George  F.  was  born  June  17,  1849,  in  Shab- 
bona Township ;  and  one  child  died  in  infancy. 

Politically,  Mr.  Park  is  a  Republican ;  and  himself 
and  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church. 


^umphrey  Roberts,  a  prominent  pioneer  of 
Clinton   Township,  is  a   native   of  Wales. 
His  parents,  Humphrey  and  Mary  (Owens) 
Roberts,  natives  also  of  that  county,  emigrated    t  f 
to  America  in  1832  and  settled  in  Oneida  Co., 
N.  Y.,  where  his  father  died,  in  June,  1854;  his 
mother  died  in  Wyoming  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Dec.  28,   1867.     ($)] 
They  had  a  family  of  eight  children,  namely,  Mary, 


I 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


.^ 


v/ 


Owen,  Griffith,  Robert,  John,  Thomas,  Ellen  and 
Humphrey. 

The  youngest  above  mentioned,  the  subject  of  this 
brief  biographical  outline,  was  born  Dec.  22,  1823, 
and  was  ten  years  old  when  he  came  with  his  par- 
ents to  America.  Remaining  at  the  paternal  home 
until  23  years  of  age,  he  married,  and  a  year  after- 
ward he  came  to  Kane  County,  this  State,  where  he 
followed  farming  for  ten  years.  In  1857  he  came  to 
De  Kalb  County  and  settled  upon  a  quarter-section 
of  land  in  Clinton  Township,  which  he  had  bought 
some  six  years  previously.  After  successfully  prose- 
cuting agricultural  pursuits  there  about  25  years,  he 
built  a  fine  residence  in  Waterman,  into  which  he 
moved  in  1882.  He  is  the  possessor  of  340  acres  of 
land  in  Clinton  Township,  besides  100  acres  in  Lee 
County.  The  village  of  Waterman,  which  he  platted, 
is  located  upon  what  was  once  his  land.  He  has 
held  the  office  of  Highway  Commissioner  two  terms, 
and  has  had  minor  official  trusts.  In  his  political 
views  he  is  a  Republican,  and  in  religion  a  Baptist. 

Mr.  Roberts  was  married  in  Oneida  Co.,  N.  Y., 
Jan.  7,  1846,  to  Miss  Catherine,  daughter  of  Wm.  G. 
and  Grace  (Williams)  Jones.  Her  parents  were 
natives  of  Wales,  and  emigrated  (before  marriage)  to 
the  above  mentioned  county,  where  her  parents  died. 
Her  mother  died  June  6,  1830.  Their  two  children 
were  —  Catherine  and  Wm.  G.,  Jr.  Mrs.  Roberts  was 
born  in  that  county,  July  23,  1824.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  R. 
have  had  six  children,  namely:  William  W.,  born 
Oct.  16,  1846;  John  Q.,  March  12,  1849;  J.  Delos, 
July  7,  jSsi  ;  Helena  W.,  Jan.  28,  1853;  Grace  A., 
Nov.  30,  1855  ;  Humphrey,  Jr.,  April  28,  1858.  John 
Q.  died  Aug.  31,  1851,  and  Helena  W.,  Aug.  21, 


le  A.  Hommersand,  of  the  firm  of  Eide  & 
Hommersand,  dealers  in  general  merchan- 
dise, at    Lee,  was  born  near   the   city   of 
Stavanger,  Norway,  Aug.  16,  1858,  and  is  the 
son  of  Andreas  and  Lena  (Irubs)  Hommers- 
and.     He  emigrated    from    Norway    to   the 
^   United  States  in   the  spring  of  1871,  and  until  De- 
>j>  cember,  1874,  made  his  home  on  a  farm  near  Lee, 
[®    in  De  Kalb  County.     Returning  then  to  his  native 
country,  he  was  employed  as  a  merchant's  clerk  until 


1 88 1,  when  he  came  again  to  the  land  of  greater 
opportunity,  engaging  the  next  year  as  a  clerk  in  the 
general  store  of  Berlizheimer  &  Stensland  at  Lee, 
this  county.  On  the  i6th  of  October,  1883,  he 
formed  the  present  partnership  with  T.  Eide,  and  V, 
their  business  is  in  a  prosperous  condition. 

In  his  political  views,  Mr..  H.  is  a  Republican,  and 
in  religion  he  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 


bijah  Little,  Jr.,  retired  farmer,  residing  at 
Waterman,  Clinton  Township,  is  a  son  of 
Abijah,  Sr.,  and  Elizabeth  (Bean)  Little,  na- 
tives of  New  Hampshire.  His  father's  family 
comprised  10  children,  of  which  Abijah,  Jr.,  is 
the  fifth  in  order  of  birth.  He  was  born  in 
Canada  June  9,  1809.  His  early  years  were  spent 
on  his  father's  farm,  assisting  in  its  cultivation  and 
attending  the  common  schools  in  Canada.  June  20, 
1848,  he  came  to  this  State  and  purchased  an  entire 
section  of  land  (section  8)  in  Clinton  Township,  this 
county.  He  subsequently  disposed  of  a  part  of  the 
land,  and  continued  to  reside  an  the  remainder  until 
the  spring  of  1875.  At  that  date  he  retired  from  the 
farm  and  erected  a  fine  residence  at  Waterman, 
where  he  is  at  present  residing.  He  learned  the  car- 
penter and  joiner's  trade  in  his  younger  days,  and  did 
the  larger  portion  of  the  work  on  his  residence  at 
Waterman  himself.  His  present  arable  possessions 
comprise  about  170  acres  in  Clinton  and  Shabbona 
Townships,  most  of  which  is  in  a  tillable  condition. 
Mr.  Little  has  been  twice  married.  He  was  first 
united  in  marriage  Sept.  20,  1830,  in  Canada,  to  Miss 
Eleanor  McNorton,  who  was  a  native  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, of  Scotch  parentage.  The  union  was  blessed 
with  seven  children,  namely :  William,  born  Aug.  20, 
1831;  John,  born  in  September,  1832;  Elizabeth, 
born  in  November,  1834;  Edwin,  born  July  7,  1835 
Jennette,  born  in  August,  1838;  Edgar  and  Ellen, 
twins,  born  in  April,  1841. 

The  wife  and  mother  died  in  Clinton  Township,  in 
August,  1860.  His  second  marriage  occurred  April 
27,  1867,  at  De  Kalb.  Mrs.  Lucy  Fearon,  widow  of 
Alfred  Fearon,  was  the  bride.  Her  husband  died  in 
Canada  Nov.  29,  1857.  Her  maiden  name  was  East- 
man and  she  is  a  daughter  of  Peter  and  Thankful 
(Powley)  Eastman,  and  was  eighth  in  order  of  birth  ot 


I 
I 


DE  KALB    COUNTY. 


_  _  children  born  to  them.     She  was  born  in  Canada 
ij    May  24,  1829,  and  is  the  mother  by  Mr.  Fearon  of 
two  children,  namely:  Ida  A.,  born  Nov.  9,  1852,  and 
Alfred  J.,  born  April  21,  1854. 

(^j  Mr.  Little  was  the  first  Mayor  of  Waterman.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Democrat  and  has  held  many  of  the 
minor  offices  of  his  township. 


:  awling  A.  Morey,  farmer,  section  30,  Paw 
|!  Paw  Township,  was  born  in  Ballston,  Sara- 
toga Co.,  N.  Y.,  Dec.  14,  1829,  and  was 
brought  up  on  the  farm.  His  parents  were 
Jesse  and  Amanda  (Pawling)  Morey.  On 
coming  to  Illinois  in  1853,  he  spent  a  short 
time  in  prospecting  in  La  Salle  and  De  Kalb  Coun- 
ties, and  returned  East. 

In  the  spring  of  1855  he  came  to  De  Kalb  County 
and  located  in  Shabbona  Township,  where  he  pur- 
chased a  quarter  of  section  33,  in  partnership  with 
Cyreniiis  Bailey.     After  a  residence  of  four  years 
there  he  purchased  a  place  on  section  3,  Paw  Paw 
_    Township.     In  1869  he  bought  his  present  farm  of 
$    1 60  acres,  on  section  30,  where  he  prosperously  man- 
ages  a  comfortable  home.     In  his  political  views  he 
)     is  independent. 

He  was  married  in  Paw  Paw  Township  Feb.  22, 
1859,  to  Miss  Sallie  A.,  daughter  of  Peter  and  Maria 
(Wilkison)  Hagadorn.  She  was  born  in  Albany,  N. 
Y.,  Aug.  i,  1827.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Morey  have  two 
children,  namely:  David  C.,  born  in  Shabbona 
Township,  Dec.  r8,  1860;  and  Jessie  A.,  in  Paw  Paw 
Township,  Dec.  20,  1865. 


Joseph  Dyas,  proprietor  of  the  Sandwich 
House  at  Sandwich,  is  the  son  of  Joseph 
and  Abigail  (Abbey)  Dyas,  and  was  born 
Jan.  i,  1825,  in  Albany,  N.  Y.  In  early  life  he 
passed  some  years  as  a  saw-mill  assistant,  and 
later  went  to  Wisconsin,  buying  160  acres  of 
land  in  the  township  of  Harris,  Marquette  County, 
where  he  was  engaged  eight  years  in  farming.  He 
went  thence  to  Green,  Lake  County,  in  the  same 
State,  where  he  passed  two  years  on  80  acres  of 
prairie  farm  land.  He  went  in  1861  to  Minnesota, 

'  


where  he  had  previously  purchased  a  farm  about  30 
miles  southeast  of  St.  Peter's,  and  not  long  after  went 
to  Cedar  Falls,  Iowa,  and  in  company  with  a  brother- 
in-law,  G.  N.  Miner,  entered  into  the  manufacture  of 
lumber  and  also  of  flour  barrels,  heading  and  staves, 
in  which  line  of  business  he  was  interested  two  years. 
He  exchanged  his  property  for  160  acres  of  land  in 
De  Kalb  County,  township  of  Shabbona,  which  he 
managed  three  years.  In  the  fall  of  1865  he  came 
Sandwich  and  bought  the  hotel  which  he  has  since 
conducted.  The  house  is  the  leading  place  of  public 
entertainment  at  Sandwich,  and  can  accommodate 
about  40  guests. 

Mr.  Dyas  was  married  in  Peru,  Berkshire  Co., 
Mass.,  May  9,  r847,  to  Mary  Ann  Miner,  and  they 
have  three  sons:  Joseph  P.,  born  June  4,  1848.  He 
married  Carmina,  daughter  of  Carmi  and  Mercy 
(Phelps)  Wells.  Webster  M.  was  born  Sept.  28, 
1852,  and  married  Caroline  Gertrude  Sedgwick, 
daughter  of  Hon.  W.  W.  Sedgwick.  He  is  a  druggist 
at  Arlington  Heights,  111.  Charles  De  Witt  Clinton, 
born  Dec.  r4,  1857,  is  a  traveling  salesman. 


miley  Kirkpatrick,  farmer,  section  22, 
Clinton  Township,  is  a  son  of  Jesse  and 
Ruth  (Smiley)  Kirkpatrick,  natives  of  Penn- 
sylvania, who  in  1855  settled  in  the  above 
mentioned  township,  where  they  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  their  life :  he  died  Dec.  ig,  1857, 
and  she  Oct.  8,  1880.  They  had  six  children, 
namely,  Ann,  Isaac,  Smiley,  Hiram,  Margaret  and 
Eleanor. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Perry  Co,, 
Pa.,  March  31,  1825.  He  received  his  education  at 
the  common  school  and  at  New  Bloomfield  Academy 
in  his  native  county,  attending  the  latter  about  two 
years.  His  father  had  a  saw-mill,  and  he  assisted 
in  the  operation  of  the  mill  and  also  of  the  farm,  un- 
til 20  years  of  age,  when  for  seven  months  he  taught 
school.  He  followed  clerking  in  a  store  for  a  time 
and  traveled  a  period.  In  1855,  when  30  years  of 
age,  he  came  to  this  county,  settling  upon  80  acres 
of  land  in  Clinton  Township,  which  he  had  bought 
in  1853.  At  the  same  time  he  purchased  a  quarter- 
section  of  Government  land  in  Milan  Township. 
Since  that  date  he  has  resided  in  Clinton  Township, 


and  is  now  the  owner  of  320  acres,  all  in  good  till- 
able condition.  At  the  present  time  he  has  his  two 
sons,  Marvin  H.  and  I.  Frank,  associated  with  him 
in  the  management  of  his  farm.  He  keeps  about 
135  head  of  live  stock. 

Mr.  Kirkpatrick  has  held  the  office  of  Justice  of 
the  Peace  one  term,  that  of  Township  Clerk  two 
terms,  and  other  offices.  He  is  a  Republican  in  his 
political  views,  and  in  religion  a  member  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church,  as  is  also  Mrs.  K. 

He  was  married  in  his  native  county,  Sept.  15, 
1853,  to  Anna  M.  Hippie,  daughter  of  Lawrence 
and  Sarah  (Heafy)  Hippie,  who  were  also  natives  of 
the  Keystone  State,  of  Holland  ancestry.  They  had 
a  family  of  1 1  children.  Mrs.  K.  was  born  in  Carl- 
isle, Cumberland  Co.,  Pa.,  March  27,  1831,  and  she 
has  had  10  children :  Marvin  H.,  Elmer  H.,  I. 
Frank,  Emma  S.,  Mary  E.,  Jesse  L.,  William  L., 
Albert  O.  and  a  pair  of  twins  who  died  in  infancy. 


^pafford  Smith,  whose  portrait  appears  on 
the  page  opposite,  is  a  retired  farmer,  and 
is  resident  at  Sycamore.  He  was  born 
May  18,  1809,  in  Windsor,  Vt.  He  is  the  son 
of  Asahel  and  Elizabeth  (Kendall)  Smith,  and 
his  father  was  the  son  of  one  of  the  pioneer 
settlers  of  Windsor,  who  died  therein  1810.  The 
family  originated  in  Connecticut,  and  Asahel  Smith 
was  born  in  Farmington  in  that  State,  Oct.  15,  1756. 
He  was  nine  years  of  age  when  his  parents  joined 
the  pioneers  of  the  Green  Mountain  State,  then 
known  as  the  New  Hampshire  Grants.  He  became 
a  soldier  of  the  Revolution  and  saw  much  active  ser- 
vice in  the  course  of  that  struggle.  He  was  present 
at  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne  at  the  battle  of  Sara- 
toga. He  died  in  Windsor,  in  1848. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Smith  was  a  farmer  and  reared 
the  son  to  habits  of  thrift  and  industry,  giving  him 
what  was  then  considered  a  fair  education.  He  was 
apprenticed  at  17  years  of  age  to  learn  the  business 
of  a  carpenter,  and  after  obtaining  a  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  all  its  details  he  pursued  it  as  a  vocation 
summers  and  taught  school  winters.  Later,  he  oper- 


ated as  a  contractor  and  builder,  and  managed  a 
considerable  business  until  1839,  when  he  came  to 
De  Kalb  County.  He  became  the  proprietor  of  300 
acres  of  land  in  Mayfield  Township,  and  fora  period 
of  seven  years  worked  as  a  carpenter  and  managed 
his  farm.  At  the  expiration  of  that  time  he  found 
the  twofold  duties  inconvenient  and  injurious,  and 
he  relinquished  the  pursuit  of  his  trade  as  a  builder. 
At  the  time  of  his  arrival  in  De  Kalb  County  the 
homes  of  the  few  settlers  were  built  of  logs;  there 
were  no  roads,  and  the  nearest  market  place  was 
Chicago.  When  he  built  a  house  a  pound  of  nails 
was  worth  a  pound  of  butter.  There  was  one  hotel 
at  Sycamore  and  three  small  houses,  and  he  has  been 
the  witness  of  the  entire  growth  and  progress  of  the 
place.  There  was  no  school  at  Sycamore  for  several 
years,  and  for  nearly  two  years  after  he  came  here 
there  was  no  meeting  held,  the  community  being  too 
small  in  number  to  form  a  respectably  sized  congre- 
gation. 

Mr.  Smith  has  been  a  resident  of  the  city  of  Syca- 
more since  1870,  and  has  been  actively  interested  in 
whatever  enterprises  have  promised  permanent  ben- 
efit to  the  place.  He  is  a  sincere  friend  of  morality 
in  every  phase  and  has  been  a  substantial  promoter 
of  religious  interests,  aiding  with  his  means  in  the 
building  of  the  various  church  edifices,  and  has  been 
a  stockholder  in  the  different  manufacturing  interests 
of  the  place.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church 
in  which  he  is  an  official,  and  has  also  done  effective 
service  in  the  temperance  ranks.  He  has  served  his 
generation  in  official  capacities,  has  been  Assessor 
several  .times,  and  has  taken  an  active  interest  in 
school  matters,  discharging  the  duties  of  the  several 
official  positions. 

Mr.  Smith  has  traveled  considerably  in  his  own 
country,  visited  the  Centennial  Exposition  and  spent 
ten  days  in  the  City  of  Brotherly  Love.  He  has 
journeyed  through  New  England  and  in  the  West, 
particularly  in  Nebraska.  He  has  suffered  from  ac- 
cident more  than  most  men  in  the  ordinary  walks  of 
life,  sustaining  at  one  time  a  fracture  of  four  ribs. 
At  another  he  had  a  shoulder  broken,  and  afterwards 
the  other  shoulder,  and  is  still  in  unbroken  health, 
and  sound  in  constitution. 

He  was  married  June  9,  1835,  to  Eliza  Sholes,  and 
they  had  three  children, — Louisa,  Eliza  Ann  and 
Edwin  P.  They  also  had  an  adopted  daughter, 
Ar-^ •^nJSilLiir'  _*A^vX 


& 


I 


Jennie.     The  mother  died  in    1880,  and  Mr.  Smith 
was  a  second  time  married   in   December,  1882,   to 
•9   Mrs.  Marcia  Van  Horn. 




I 


acob  F.  Plapp,  deceased,  was  one  of  the 
earliest  of  the  permanent  pioneer  settlers 
of  the  township  of  Pierce,  where  he  located 
1848.  He  was  a  native  of  Wurtemburg, 

Germany,  where  he  was  born  June  29,  1816. 

According  to  the  law  of  that  country  he  was 
placed  at  school  at  the  age  of  six  years  and  continued 
there  until  he  was  14  years  old.  He  was  then  em- 
ployed in  a  vineyard  where  he  spent  two  years,  after 
which  he  engaged  in  the  management  of  a  dairy, 
which  he  conducted  18  months.  He  next  passed 
six  months  at  home,  and  then  re-entered  the  service 
of  his  first  employer,  with  whom  he  continued  about 
one  year  and  was  subsequently  engaged  in  agricul- 
tural labor  until  he  decided  to  cross  the  ocean  and 
cast  his  fate  in  another  land  and  among  another 
people.  In  1838  he  set  out  for  the  Western  Conti- 
nent on  a  sailing  vessel,  and  after  a  passage  of  42 
days'  duration  landed  at  Baltimore.  He  found  him- 
self in  the  beautiful  Monumental  City  without  money, 
but  his  readiness  to  work  soon  obtained  employment, 
and  a  month  later  he  had  sufficient  means  to  set  out 
for  Pennsylvania.  He  left  Baltimore  on  foot,  and 
14  miles  from  the  city  he  obtained  employment  on 
a  farm  at  $6  a  month.  He  worked  at  that  point  five 
months,  and  then  made  his  way  to  his  uncle's  in 
Erie  Co.,  Pa.  He  remained  there  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  chopping  wood  until  1844,  when  he  located 
in  Kane  Co.,  111.  He  was  there  employed  by  the 
Howard  Mill  Company  and  assisted  in  erecting  the 
mills  at  Geneva,  after  which  he  engaged  in  farming. 
When  he  came  to  De  Kalb  County,  in  1848,  he 
settled  on  the  east  half  of  the  northeast  quarter  of 
section  24,  township  No.  39,  range  5  east,  now  in- 
cluded in  Pierce  Township.  He  had  saved  his 
earnings,  and  at  once  proceeded  to  the  land  office  at 
Chicago,  and  had  a  sufficient  sum  to  pay  the  re- 
quired amount  in  full.  He  worked  the  first  year  for 
a  Mr.  Churchill  in  Kane  County,  and  in  1849  built  a 
small  frame  house  on  his  land  and  began  the  im- 
provement of  his  property.  He  owned  at  the  time 
of  his  death  80  acres,  all  under  good  improvement, 


with  a  fine  frame  house  and  fruit  and  shade  trees. 
He  was  also  the  owner  of  50  acres  of  land  in  Kane 
County,  situated  across  the  road  from  his  homestead. 
This  is  devoted  to  the  growth  of  grain  and  stock- 
raising. 

Mr.  Plapp  was  married  in  1850,  to  Elizabeth  Lipp, 
She  was  born  Sept.  25,  1820,  in  Wurtemburg,  Ger- 
many. Nine  of  their  children  are  living, — Mary,  Re- 
becca, Jacob,  David,  Philip,  Elizabeth,  Jonathan, 
Catherine  and  Aaron.  The  father  and  mother  are 
members  of  the  Evangelical  Association. 

When  he  first  fixed  his  residence  in  Pierce  Town- 
ship, Mr.  Plapp  was  obliged  to  go  to  Geneva,  16 
miles  distant,  for  mill  privileges,  and  he  took  his  first 
crops  to  Chicago, — 60  miles, — with  an  ox  team.  The 
condition  of  the  roads,  sloughs  not  being  bridged,  re- 
tarded progress  to  such  extent  that  four  days  were 
commonly  consumed  in  going  there. 

Mr.  Plapp  died  at  his  residence  in  Pierce  Town- 
ship, Jan.  25,  1885,  loved  and  respected  by  all  who 
knew  him. 


Hoot,  farmer,  section  7,  Clinton  Town- 
ship, is  a  son  of  Lawrence  and  Rocksa 
(Pratt)  Root,  natives  of  New  York.  They 
came  'to  this  county  in  1856  and  settled  in  De 
Kalb  Township,  where  they  resided  until  their 
death.  Of  14  children  born  of  their  union  n 
survive,  namely,  Icy,  Fanny,  Jerome,  Rocksa,  Caro- 
line, Horace  (2d),  Cynthia,  Philo  J.,  Lewis  A.,  Ger- 
main (2d),  and  James  M.  Germain  (ist),  Horace  D. 
(ist)  and  an  infant  are  deceased. 

Horace  Root  was  born  in  Herkimer  Co.,  N.  Y., 
Feb.  24,  1833.  He  resided  on  his  father's  farm,  as- 
sisting in  the  cultivation  of  the  same,  and  attending 
the  common  schools  during  his  early  years,  until  he 
was  28  years  old.  At  that  age  he  accompanied  his 
father  to  this  county,  in  1856,  and  located.  Soon 
thereafter,  Mr.  Root  rented  a  farm  in  Sycamore 
Township,  which  he  cultivated  one  year,  and  then 
ranted  a  farm  in  De  Kalb  Township.  He  cultivated 
the  latter  farm  two  years,  then  moved  to  Muskegon, 
Mich.,  and  engaged  in  carpentering,  which  trade  he 
had  mastered  in  York  State.  He  followed  his  trade 
at  the  latter  place  for  two  and  one-half  years,  then 
returned  to  this  county  and  from  his  savings  pur- 

-SH^JK: «4^^^@ 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


chased  99  acres  of  land  situated  on  section  7,  Clin- 
ton Township,  on  which  he  moved  and  is  at  present 
residing.  His  land  is  all  in  a  tillable  condition. 

Mr.  Root  was  married  in  De  Kalb,  Dec.  20,  1860, 
to  Miss  Mary  A.  De  Long.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
Hiram  and  Eliza  (Post)  De  Long,  natives  of  New 
York.  They  came  to  this  county  in  1855  and  set- 
tled in  the  village  of  De  Kalb.  To  them  were  born 
six  children,  namely  :  Mary  A.,  Elizabeth,  James, 
Matilda  A.,  Elinor  and  Hiram  A. 

Mrs.  Root  was  born  in  Herkimer  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Oct. 
n,  1837.  They  have  one  daughter,  adopted,  Nora 
A.,  born  Dec.  29,  1869. 

Politically,  Mr.  Root  is  a  Republican.  He  has 
held  the  office  of  Road  Commissioner,  School  Di- 
rector and  others  of  minor  impoit. 


eorge  R.  Holmes,  farmer,  section  25,  Paw 
Paw  Township,  is  a  son  of  Richard  and 
Lucretia  (Smith)  Holmes,  and  was  born  in 
Oneida  Co.,  N.  Y.,  June  n,  1840.  His  father 
was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  during  the  in- 
fancy of  his  son  George,  moved  his  family  to 
Jefferson  Co.,  N.  Y.  He  left  that  county  in  1846  and 
came  with  his  family  to  this  county,  settling  in  Paw 
Paw  Township. 

George  Holmes  consequently  came  to  this  county 
with  his  parents  when  in  his  sixth  year,  and  has  re- 
sided here  ever  since.  He  was  brought  up  on  his 
father's  farm,  in  Paw  Paw  Township,  and  received  an 
academic  education. 

Mr.  Holmes  was  married  at  Leland,  La  Salle 
County,  this  State,  Dec.  24,  1861,  to  Miss  Frances 
M.,  daughter  of  Dr.  Darwin  and  Martha  C.  (Smith) 
Hinckley,  of  Leland.  She  was  born  in  Mercer,  Som- 
erset Co.,  Me.,  July  24,  1844,  and  came  to  Hardin, 
this  State,  with  her  parents  when  four  years  of  age. 
Seven  children  constituted  the  issue  of  their  union, 
namely:  Ella  M.,  born  Oct.  6,  1863,  in  Leland. 
Mary  C.,  Oct.  23,  1865.  S.  Wright,  July  17,  1868. 
George  H .,  Aug.  i  r ,  1 87  i .  Frances  L.  (called  "  Tot "), 
Oct.  31,  1877.  Bert  D,  Feb.  8,  1881.  Clyde  R., 
July  13,  1883. 

Mr.   Holmes  has  a  well   improved   farm   of   240 

, :SHJ£%JK: Q-& 


acres,  and  is  one  of  the  active,  energetic  farmers  of    ^ 
the  county.     Politically,  he  votes  and  acts  with  the 
Democratic  party. 


ohn  Kuter,  deceased,  a  former  resident  of 
Pierce  Township,  was  born  in  1792  in 
Brooks  Co.,  Pa.  His  parents  were  both 
$  T  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  and  his  father  was  a 
Revolutionary  patriot.  He  died  at  the  age  of 
91  years.  In  early  life,  John  Kuter  bought  a 
farm  in  Schuykill  Co.,  Pa.  Previous  to  that  he  had 
learned  the  trade  of  carpenter,  which  he  followed 
but  a  few  years.  He  married  Lydia  Kahler,  also  a 
native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  in  1850  sold  his  farm  in 
the  Keystone  State,  and,  accompanied  by  his  son, 
Israel,  came  to  De  Kalb  County  and  bought  400 
acres  of  land  on  section  25,  of  township  39,  range 
5.  He  secured  his  claim  by  payment  of  part  of  the 
Government  demand  and  stipulated  for  the  payment 
of  the  remainder  in  the  spring  of  the  year  to  follow. 
He  returned  to  Pennsylvania  and  spent  the  winter, 
and  set  out  for  his  farm  in  Illinois  in  the  spring,  car- 
rying with  him  $4,000  in  gold  and  silver  coin.  It 
was  too  heavy  to  be  carried  like  any  other  baggage, 
and  was  placed  in  a  wooden  box  and  strapped  with 
iron  and  wooden  hoops.  It  was  missent  from  Harris- 
burg,  and  he  was  delayed  at  Detroit  while  awaiting 
its  return  from  St.  Louis.  He  wished  to  take  the 
box  with  him  in  the  car  in  which  he  traveled  West- 
ward, but  the  railroad  officials  decided  against  him, 
and  it  was  placed  in  a  freight  car,  from  which  it  was 
stolen.  Through  an  attorney  of  Chicago  he  brought 
suit  against  the  railroad  company  for  the  recovery  of 
the  value  of  his  property,  and  won  the  case,  which 
was  sent  to  the  Appellate  Court  and  the  judgment 
sustained.  He  recovered  a  portion  of  his  loss. 
After  remaining  a  year  on  the  land  for  which  he  had 
bargained,  he  relinquished  his  claim,  and  purchased 
the  southeast  quarter  of  section  24  in  the  same 
township,  where  he  resided  until  death.  He  became 
the  father  of  12  children,  nine  of  whom  are  living. 

Israel  Kuter,  eldest  son,  was  born  June  23,  1824, 
in  Schuykill  Co.,  Pa.  He  was  reared  on  the  farm 
and  taught  in  the  public  schools.  At  the  age  of  15 
years  he  connected  himself  with  the  Evangelical 
Association,  and  as  soonjas  practicable  began  to  pre- 


524 


DE  KALB  COUNTV. 


pare  for  the  ministry.  He  entered  upon  the  duties 
of  a  preacher  in  the  Naperville  circuit  of  the  Evan- 
gelical Church,  and  continued  his  efforts  in  ministe- 
rial labors  until  1878,  preaching  at  Chicago, Milwau- 
kee, Racine,  Winona,  and  other  places.  He  was 
stationed  at  the  place  last  named  seven  years  ;  in  all, 
he  officiated  as  Presiding  Elder  eight  years.  Some 
years  previous  he  had  purchased  the  family  home- 
stead in  Pierce  Township,  and  of  this  he  took  pos- 
session in  1878.  Since  that  date  he  has  put  the  place 
in  excellent  condition,  erected  good  farm  buildings 
and  set  out  fruit,  shade  and  ornamental  trees. 

He  has  been  twice  married.  Elizabeth  Louter- 
mich,  to  whom  he  was  married  May  6,  1849,  was 
born  June  4,  1830,  and  died  Dec.  20,  1861.  Of  this 
union  three  children  were  born  named  Henry, 
George  and  Sarah.  The  last  named  was  born  Dec. 
!?>  1859,  and  died  July  25,  1881.  Mr.  Kuter  was 
married  again  Oct.  16,  1862,  to  Margaretta  Schweit- 
zer, a  native  of  Freeport,  Stephenson  Co.,  III.  She 
is  the  daughter  of  John  and  Barbara  (Kaercher) 
Schweitzer,  and  her  parents  were  pioneers  of  Free- 
port.  Her  father  went  to  California,  and  her  mother, 
during  his  absence,  settled  at  Preston,  Fillmore  Co., 
Minn.,  where  she  bought  a  claim  of  land.  '  On  this 
land  now  stands  the  beautiful  village  of  Preston,  the 
present  county  seat  of  Fillmore  County.  Mrs. 
Schweitzer  proved  to  be  a  better  financier  than  her 
husband,  for,  during  his  absence  she  made  more 
money  in  Minnesota  than  he  did  in  California! 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kuter  have  six  children, — Albert  H., 
Luella  I.,  Charles  E.,  Daniel  M.,  Ida  M.  and  Ruth- 
erford L. 


;ichael  J.    O'Connor,   farmer,    section   7, 
Clinton  Township,  is  from  the  State  of 
New  York.     His  parents,  John  and  Mary 
(Joyce)  O'Connor,  natives  of  Ireland,  emi- 
grated to  America  in  1825,  settling  in  the  State 
of  New  York,  where  they  spent  the  remainder 
of  their  lives. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  the  youngest  of  a 
family  of  10  children,  was  born  in  Franklin  Co.,  N. 
Y.,  Feb.  12,  1844.  Lived  at  home  till  about  17 
years  old,  when  he  entered  service  on  the  lakes, 
which  he  followed  for  1 1  summer  seasons,  in  differ- 


ent relations.  He  first  came  to  De  Kalb  County  in 
the  summer  of  1865,  but  did  not  settle  permanently 
in  the  county  until  1872.  In  1874  he  purchased  160 
acres  of  land  in  Clinton  Township,  on  section  7, 
where  he  has  since  lived.  He  is  now  the  owner  of 
240  acres,  200  of  which  is  in  a  good  state  of  cultiva- 
tion. In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  in  religion 
both  himself  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Catholic 
Church. 

Mr.  O'Connor  was  married  in  Chicago,  111.,  July  5, 
1873,  to  Maria  Lynch,  daughter  of  Thomas  and 
Margaret  (Feeney)  Lynch,  natives  of  Ireland,  and 
came  to  La  Salle  Co.,  111.,  about  1856;  in  r866  they 
removed  to  this  county,  settling  in  the  township  of 
Paw  Paw.  Mrs.  O'Connor,  the  second  child  in  a 
family  of  seven  children,  was  born  in  Columbia  Co., 
N.  Y.,  March  r7,  1851.  She  has  become  the  mother 
of  four  children,  named  Minnie,  Thomas,  John  and 
Margaret  P.  Thomas  died  when  two  and  a  half 
years  of  age. 


ames  B.  Harper,  farmer,  section  35,  Paw 
Paw  Township,  was  born  in  Argyle,  Wash- 
ington Co.,  N.  Y.,  June  19,  1819.  His 
father,  James  Harper,  was  of  Irish  descent, 
and  his  mother, nee  Elizabeth  Black,  of  Scotch. 
He  came  to  Paw  Paw  Township  Dec.  3,  1853, 
locating  at  Ross  Grove,  where  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing until  1860,  when  he  removed  to  his  present  farm, 
which  comprises  240  acres. 

Politically  Mr.  H.  is  an  earnest  Democrat. 
He  was  married  in  Sterling,  Cayuga  Co.,  N.  Y., 
Nov.  18,  1844,  to  Miss  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  James 
and  Mary  (Brown)  Smiley.  She  was  born  at  Lyons, 
Wayne  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Nov.  20,  1826.  By  this  marriage 
there  were  five  children,  namely :  Mary  E.,  born 
Sept.  26,  1845,  died  aged  eight  years;  Andrew  G., 
born  March  25,  1847,  married  Emma  Wallace  and 
resides  in  Aurora,  111.;  Dewitt  C.,  born  Dec.  r8, 
1848,  married  Cora  Rice  and  is  a  resident  of  Sedg- 
wick  Co.,  Kan.;  Thomas  A.,  born  Dec.  18,  1850, 
married  Carrie  Gorton  and  lives  also  in  Sedgwick 
Co.,  Kan.;  and  Alanson  C.,  born  Oct.  14,  1852,  died 
at  the  age  of  five  years. 

Mrs.  Harper  died  Oct.  20,  1852,  and  Mr.  Harper 
was   again  married,  March  18,  1854,  in  Oswego  Co., 


v, 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


527 


N.  Y.,  to  Miss  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Chancy  and 
Sally  (Scott)  Comins.  She  was  born  in  Steuben  Co., 
N.  Y.,  Nov.  15,  1833,  and  by  this  marriage  there 
have  been  seven  children,  viz. :  James  H.,  born 
June  22,  1854,  married  Jennett  Hubbel,  and  lives  in 
La  Salle  Co.,  111. ;  Alice  E.,  born  Dec.  7,  1855,  is  the 
wife  of  Reuben  Baxter,  of  Paw  Paw  Township ; 
William,  born  April  7,  1857  ;  Robert,  Aug.  10,  1862, 
died  Dec.  5,  1864;  Mary  J.,  born  Feb.  13,  1864; 
Margaret  A.,  Nov.  29,  1865  ;  and  Charles,  April  15, 
1867. 

Mrs.  H.  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church. 


rank  O.  Van  Galder,  associate  editor  and 
junior  member  of  the  firm  of  Hix  &  Van 
Galder,   publishers   of    the    City  Weekly, 
Sycamore,  111.,  was  born  in  La  Prairie  Towrt- 
*f?*     "ff$~*  sn'P>  near  Janesville,  Wis.,  on  the  6th  day  of 
ica       {      January,  1855,  andis  theson of  Truman  W.  and 
Mary  (Phelps)  Van  Galder.     The  father  was  a  native 
of  Niagara  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  was  born  July  3,  1822. 
££  The  mother  is  a  native  ofMt.  Morris,  Livingston  Co., 
^   N.  Y.,  and  was  born  March  9,  1822.     The   parents 
of  the  former  were  natives  of  Vermont,  and  those  of 
the  latter  of  Pennsylvania.     The  Van  Galders  came 
originally  from  Holland. 

Truman  W.  Van  Galder  and  Mary  Phelps 'were 
united  in  marriage  at  Montville,  Ohio,  Jan.  29,  1843, 
and  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  four  sons  and 
five  daughters,  all  of  whom  survive  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  youngest  daughter.  From  Ohio,  they 
removed  to  Michigan  at  quite  an  early  day,  and  from 
the  latter  State  to  Wisconsin  in  185 1.  Mr.  Van  Gal- 
der was  a  cooper  by  trade  and  carried  on  the  busi- 
ness extensively  in  the  city  of  Janesville.  His 
establishment,  in  fact,  was  the  first  of  the  kind  in  the 
place.  While  a  citizen  of  Wisconsin,  during  a  large 
portion  of  which  time  he  was  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits,  he  held  several  offices  of  trust,  having 
served  as  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  and  Supervisor  of 
his  town.  In  1868  the  family  removed  to  Sycamore, 
where  he  became  a  manufacturer  of  brick  on  a  large 
scale,  a  business  which  he  followed  until  his  death, 
Jan.  24,  1882,  and  is  continued  by  his  sons,  Philo  H. 
and  FredW.  While  a  resident  of  New  York,  Mr. 


Van  Galder  was  engaged  in  operating  a  number  of 
salt  wells.  He  was  a  man  of  great  industry  and  en- 
ergy, and  a  citizen  of  sterling  worth.  He  was  a 
member  of  Lodge  No.  105,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  of  the 
Patriarchal  Circle,  No.  2.  Truman  Temple  was 
organized  in  1882,  and  was  named  in  honor  of  Mr. 
Van  Galder.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  also  a 
member  of  Lodge  No.  105,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  of  the 
Good  Templar!'  Lodge. 

The  educational  advantages  enjoyed  by  him  were 
those  of  the  common  school.  In  1874  he  entered 
the  office  of  the  Free  Methodist,  with  a  view  of 
learning  the  printing  trade.  He  also  worked  for  a 
time  in  the  office  of  the  News,  at  De  Kalb,  and  the 
True  Republican,  at  Sycamore.  As  local  editor  of 
the  Daily  News  he  was  employed  a  few  months. 
On  the  i4th  of  January,  1878,  the  firm  of  Van  Gal- 
der &  Davis  commenced  the  publication  of  the  Daily 
Free  Press,  Mr.  Van  Galder  retiring  in  August 
following.  In  September,  1878,  he  became  associ- 
ated with  V.  Hix  in  the  publication  of  the  Sycamore 
City  Weekly,  the  partnership  then  formed  continuing 
to  the  present  time.  From  1881  to  1883  the  firm 
also  was  engaged  in  the  publication  of  the  Daily  Re- 
corder. '  He  is  at  present  the  Sycamore  representa- 
tive of  the  Chicago  Times.  Frank  O.  Van  Galder 
and  Florence  M.  Talbot,  daughter  of  Charles  and 
Harriet  Talbot,  of  Cortland,  early  settlers  of  this 
county,  were  united  in  marriage  March  17.  1881.  She 
was  born  in  Cortland,  Jan.  17,  1861.  They  have 
two  children, — Annie  Claire  and  Cora  May. 


eptimus  Storey,  farmer,  owning  400  acres 
of  prairie  land  and  four  and  one-half  acres 
of  timber  in  Shabbona  Grove,  and  residing 
on  section  17,  Shabbona  Township,  was  born 
in  the  parish  of  Harthill,  Yorkshire,  England, 
Feb.  10,  1829. 
He  is  a  son  of  Barnabas  and  Sarah  Storey,  natives 
of  England.  He  was  reared  under  the  parental  roof- 
tree  and  attended  the  schools  of  his  native  country, 
alternating  his  study  therein  by  learning  the  trade  of 
a  wrought-nail  maker  until  he  attained  his  majority. 
His  forefathers  were  wrought-nail  makers,  and  after 
learning  the  trade  he  continued  to  follow  it  until  16 
years  of  age.  He  emigrated  to  the  United  States  in 


; 

& 


f 


DE  KALB    COUNTY. 


\f  1850,  spent  one  year  in  Kendall  County,  this  State, 
^j?  and  then  came  to  this  county. 

^  p      He  was  one  of  the  four  emigrants  from  England 
1!    who  in  the  fall  of  1851  selected  the  western  parts  of 
/£>    Shabbona  Township  for  their  future  homes,  while  the 
land  was  in  its  original  natural  -condition,  and  thus 
established  the  foundation  for  what  has  since  been 
known    as    the  "  English   Settlement."      His    com- 
panions were  George  Glossup,  Thomas  Wright,  Joseph 
Billam   and  William  Cutts.     Mr.   Storey  located  on 
j  the  land  oa  which  he  is  at  present  residing,  in  the 
,  fall  of  1851.     He  procured  it   from  the  Government 
in  its  wild  state,  and  entered  vigorously  upon  the 
laborious,  task  of  cultivating  and  improving  it.     How 
well  he  has  succeeded,  the  splendid  condition  of  his 
farm  will  testify. 

Mr.  Storey  was  married  in  Shabbona  Township 
Dec.  23,  1856,  to  Miss  Mary,  daughter  of  Robert  and 
Sarah  Mullins.  She  was  born  in  Sheffield,  England, 
)  June  10,  1839,  and  came  to  the  United  States  with 
her  parents  in  1852.  Nine  children,  six  sons  and 
^  three  daughters,  have  been  born  of  their  union: 
a  Robert  M.,  Jan.  i,  1857, died  Jan.  5,  1861  ;  Sarah  S. 
§  Aug.  3, 1860,  is  the  wife  of  Harvey  Greene,  a  resident 
3  of  Victor  Township,  this  county ;  Annie  M.,  born 
'$  Sept.  14,  1862,  died  April  24,  1865;  John  L.,  born 
April  3,  1865;  Charles  E.,  May  14,  1867;  William 
")  H.,  Aug.  3,  1869;  George  T.,  Aug.  r4,  1871;  Lillian 
•M.,  Nov.  22,  1873  ;  De  Forrest  L.  C.,  April  19,  1876. 
Mr.  Storey,  politically,  is  a  Republican.  He  has 
held  the  office  of  Overseer  of  Highways,  School 
Director  and  Trustee,  and  Supervisor,  which  latter 
office  he  is  at  present  holding.  Religiously,  he  and 
(  his  wife,  together  with  his  two  oldest  children,  are 
J  a  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

A  portrait  of  Mr.  Storey,  printed  from  a  fine  stone 
engraving,  approprialely  accompanies  this  sketch  and 
embellishes  this  work. 


;saac   Potter,    farmer,   section    17,  Clinton 
'•    Township,  is  a  son  of  James  and  Margaret 
(Thome)  Potter,  who  were  natives  of  New 
York  State.     They  came  to  Illinois  in    i8s3j 
settling  in  Kane  County,  and  a  year  afterward 
in    the    above    named    township,    where   they 
.  spent  the   remainder  of  their  days.     In  their  family 


-X 


were  the  following  children :  Silas,  William,  Theron, 
Isaac,  Seneca  and  Fanny. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Dutchess 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  May  7,  1831.  When  about  15  years  of 
age  he  moved  to  Wyoming  County,  that  State,  where 
he  lived  until  the  spring  of  1867.  He  then  came  to 
Kane  Co.,  111.,  and  in  1876  to  this  county,  purchas- 
ing r6g  acres  of  land,  on  which  he  now  resides.  He 
has  held  the  office  of  Justice  of  the  Peace  four  years, 
and  other  official  positions.  In  his  political  views  he 
prefers  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party. 

He  was  married  in  Allegany  Co.,  N.  Y.,  May  30, 
1855,  to  Miss  Mary,  daughter  of  Moses  and  Polly 
(Lebrett)  Robinson,  natives  of  Massachusetts,  who 
passed  the  latter  portion  of  their  lives  in  the  Empire 
State.  Mr.  R.  died  April  2,  1852,  and  Mrs.  R.  Dec. 
27,  1861.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robinson  have  had  ten 
children,  namely,  Sally,  Rufus,  Joseph,  Hubbard, 
Philena,  Hosea,  Harvey,  Matilda,  Cordelia  and 
Mary.  Mrs.  Potter  was  born  in  Hume,  Allegany 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  Feb.  18,  1834.  She  is  the  mother  of  one 
child,  Florence  E.,  who  was  born  July  3,  1858.  She 
became  the  wife  of  Henry  B.  Bridge,  Feb.  6,  1884. 
He  is  a  farmer  residing  in  Clinton  Township. 


sher  Downer,  farmer,  in  section  32,  Milan 
Township,  is  the  son  of  Abel  and  Lucinda 
(Loonier)  Downer,  and  was  born  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Naperville,  Ontario,  Canada,  Aug.  30, 
1832.  His  mother  was  born  July  4,  1799, 
on  Grand  Isle,  in  Lake  Champlain,  belonging 
to  Vermont.  His  father  was  born  in  Windsor  Co., 
Vt.,  in  February,  1789.  Their  ancestral  lineage  orig- 
inated in  Connecticut.  The  family  came  to  Illinois 
in  1840  and  located  in  Aurora,  then  a  small  village 
having  but  two  stores,  and  there  the  parents  passed 
the  remainder  of  their  lives.  The  father  died  in 
June,  1864,  when  73  years  of  age.  The  demise  of 
the  mother  occurred  May  27,  1884,  she  being  at  the 
time  nearly  85  years  of  age.  They  had  nine  chil- 
dren, seven  of  whom  were  born  previous  to  their 
removal  to  Illinois.  Six  of  the  number  are  yet  living. 
With  one  exception  they  are  residents  of  the  State  of 
Illinois.  One  son  is  a  farmer  in  Nebraska. 

Mr.  Downer  acquired  a  good  education  and 
attended  school  at  odd  times  until  he  was  25  years 
of  age.  He  was  married  March  27,  1858,  in 


'*  ! 
f 


Batavia,  Kane  Co.,  111.,  to  Elizabeth  Curtis.  Mrs. 
Downer  was  born  Dec.  9,  1828,  in  Lee,  Oneida  Co., 
N.  Y.  When  she  was  22  years  of  age  she  accompanied 
her  father,  Ephraim  Curtis,  to  Illinois.  He  was  born 
in  Lee,  Oneida  Co.,  N.  Y.,  July  3, 1802.  He  came  to 
Aurora,  111.,  in  1852,  where  he  remained  until  1857, 
when  he  moved  to  Clinton  Co.,  Iowa,  where  he  died, 
Jan.  29,  1866.  His  first  marriage  was  to  Miss  Sybil 
M.  Brooks,  by  whom  he  had  three  children.  She 
died  in  New  York,  in  1836.  Mr.  Curtis  was  again 
married,  his  second  wife  being  Miss  Sarah  Wickwire. 
Mrs.  Downer  continued  the  occupation  of  teaching, 
in  which  she  had  previously  engaged  in  her'  native 
State.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Downer  are 
Fred  C.,  born  July  21,  1859;  H.  Curtis,  Aug.  22, 
1860,  and  Mary  S.,  June  27,  1862. 

Mr.  Downer  removed  to  Milan  Township  in  August, 
1858,  and  located  on  a  piece  of  property  of  which  he 
became  proprietor  through  inheritance  from  his 
father.  To  this  he  has  added  until  he  owns  360 
acres  of  fine  land,  all  of  which  is  situated  in  the  same 
township.  The  improvements,  buildings  and  stock 
are  all  of  creditable  character,  and  the  owner  is  con- 
sidered one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  Milan  Town- 
ship. He  is  a  Republican,  and  is  actively  engaged 
in  promoting  educational  interests,  and  has  for  a  long 
time  been  connected  therewith  in  an  official  capacity. 
Mrs.  Downer  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church. 


.  acob  Kunes,  an  early  settler  in  Pierce 
Township  was  born  Dec.  18,  1825,  in 
Lebanon  Co.,  Pa.,  and  is  the  son  of  Law- 
rence and  Eve  (Meyer)  Kunes.  He  grew  to 
manhood  in  the  Keystone  State  and  learned 
the  trade  of  carpenter,  besides  passing  one 
year  as  a  coal  miner.  He  was  married  Nov.  14, 
1 849,  to  Eve,  daughter  of  John  and  Lydia  (Keler) 
Kuter,  and  in  1851  they  accompanied  her  parents  to 
the  township  of  Pierce.  The  two  families  lived 
together  one  year  after  their  arrival,  when  Mr.  Kunes 
bought  80  acres  of  prairie  land  on  section  25  and 
began  the  career  of  an  independent  farmer.  He  has 
reaped  the  reward  common  to  industry  and  good 
judgment,  and  his  fine  farm  of  240  acres  is  all  under 
excellent  improvements  and  devoted  to  the  cultiva- 


tion of  grain  and  raising  of  stock.  When  he  bought  ~\ 
the  place,  Mr.  Kunes  paid  $3  per  acre  for  it  and  d 
borrowed  the  money  to  buy  the  claim,  at  10  per  cent;  *  * 
but,  being  delayed  in  his  plans  by  sickness  and  heavy 
expenses,  by  the  time  the  place  was  paid  for  it  had  ^ 
cost  $70  an  acre. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kunes  have  six  children  living — 
John,  William,  Wilhelmina  (Mrs.  Alfred  Phillips,  of 
Aurora),  George,  Adam  and  Ella.  Mr.  Kunes  is  a 
Republican  in  political  belief,  and  belongs  to  the 
Evangelical  Church,  of  which  his  wife  is  also  a  mem- 
ber. 


illiam  Bowers,  farmer,  section  5,  Clinton 
Township,  is  a  son  of  John  and  Ursula 
(Brooks)  Bowers,  natives  of  New  Hamp- 
shire. They  removed,  from  that  State  to 
Vermont  and  thence  to  "  York  State,"  where 
they  resided  until  their  death.  They  were  the 
parents  of  12  children,  namely,  Elizabeth,  John,  Abi- 
gail, William,  Isaac,  Ursula  A.,  George",  Loren, 
Mary,  Charles,  Sanford  and  Charlotte. 

William  Bowers,  the  subject  of  this  biographical 
notice,  was  born  in  Hancock,  Hillsborough  Co.,  N. 
H.,  Jan.  18,  1814.  He  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Sarah  Field,  Feb.  6,  1836,  in  Jefferson  Co.,  N. 
N.  She  bore  him  two  children,  namely :  Helen  and 
Corinne.  Helen  is  the  wife  of  Albert  Dickey  and 
resides  near  Columbus,  Ohio.  Corinne  is  deceased. 

Mr.  Bowers  came  to  this  county  in  1848,  bringing 
his  wife  and  two  children.  He  purchased  1 08  acres 
of  land  in  Clinton  Township,  on  which  he  moved  and 
resided  three  years,  until  1851,  when,  Nov.  1 6  of  that 
year,  his  wife  died.  He  then  sold  his  land  and 
returned  on  a  visit  to  "  York  State."  While  in  this 
county,  for  about  two  years,  he  followed  "  trafficking 
in  produce." 

Mr.  Bowers  purchased  two  farms,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1865  purchased  220  acres  of  land  on  sec- 
tion 5,  where  he  at  present  resides.  He  is  at  pres- 
ent the  owner  of  225  acres,  nearly  all  of  which  is  in 
a  first-class  state  of  cultivation. 

On  his  return  from  New  York,  Dec.  7,  1853,  Mr. 
Bowers  was  again  married,  the  lady  of  his  choice 
being  Miss  Laura  E.  Allen,  daughter  of  Reuben  and 
Nancy  (Andrews)  Allen,  natives  of  New  England. 

-#g§*<® 


53° 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


They  moved  to  this  county  in  1845  and  located  in 
Shabbona,  where  they  resided  until  their  death.  They 
were  the  parents  of  six  children,  namely:  B.  F., 
Henry  E.,  Elmira  M.,  Hiram  P.,  Laura  E.  and 
Martin  V. 

Laura  E.  Bowers  was  born  in  St.  Lawrence  Co.,  N. 
Y.,  April  u,  1830.  She  lived  at  home  with  her  par- 
ents, assisting  the  mother  in  the  household  duties 
and  attending  the  common  schools,  and  accompanied 
her  parents  to  this  county  in  1845  and  continued 
to  reside  with  them  until  her  marriage.  She  is 
the  mother  of  seven  children  by  Mr.  Bowers,  namely  : 
Lillian  A.,  Ada  L.,  Herbert  W.,  Nancy  C.,  Albert  A., 
Mina  E.  and  Grant  H.  Ada  L.  died  in  Clinton 
Township,  Nov.  16,  1869,  when  13  years  of  age. 

Mr.  Bowers,  is  a  believer  in  the  principles  advo- 
cated by  the  Republican  party,  has  held  the  office 
of  Assessor  of  his  township  and  other  minor  positions 
of  public  trust. 


javid  Hughes,  baker  and  grocer  at  Sand- 
wich, was  born  Oct.  24,  1839,  in  Ayrshire 
Scotland,  the  cottage  of  his  parents  being 
situated  on  the  road  where  the  home  of 
Robert  Burns  was  located,  and  about  one-fourth 
of  a  mile  from  the  birth-place  of  the  poet.  His 
father,  James  Hughes,  after  his  birth  went  to  Glas- 
gow, the  capital  city,  where  he  was  employed  on  the 
municipal  detective  force,  and  he  died  in  his  native 
country.  The  mother,  Margaret  (Hendry)  Hughes, 
is  also  deceased. 

Mr.  Hughes  learned  the  business  of  pastry  baker 
and  confectioner  in  the  city  of  Glasgow,  and  in  1866 
he  came  to  the  city  of  New  York.  After  a  brief  tarry 
there,  he  came  to  Chicago,  where  he  lingered  a  short 
time,  going  thence  to  Elgin.  He  next  proceeded  to 
Aurora,  111.,  and  conducted  a  steam  bakery  there  until 
June,  1874,  the  date  of  his  coming  to  Sandwich.  He 
became  possessor  of  the  bakery  and  confectionery 
business  already  established,  and  has  since  contin- 
ued its  management  with  the  exception  of  one  year. 
He  is  conducting  a  prosperous  and  profitable  busi- 
ness. He  is  interested  in  local  politics,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  fraternities  of  Masons  and  Odd 
Fellows. 

He  was  married  April  12,  1865,  in  Glasgow,  Scot- 

sSDjj^ff- 2®$$^ 9"*1 


land,  to  Isabella  M.  Shaw,  and  they  have  had  seven 
children,  born  in  the  following  order:  James  (de- 
ceased), Margaret,  David,  Samuel  (deceased),  Alex- 
ander (deceased),  Maude  and  Raymond.  Mrs. 
Hughes  is  the  daughterof  James  and  Margaret  Shaw,  ^ 
and  was  born  in  Scotland. 


,vid  Gerlach,  deceased,  was  a  pioneei  of 
De  Kalb  County.  He  was  born  March 
27,  1796,  in  Wurtemburg,  Germany,  where 
he  was  brought  up  under  the  personal  super- 
vision of  his  parents.  He  was  married  there  to 
Wilhelmina  Oover,  a  native  of  the  same  State. 
They  left  their  native  country  in  1830  and  came  to 
the  United  States,  landing  at  the  port  of  New  York, 
after  a  passage  of  57  days  on  a  sail  vessel.  They 
made  their  way  to  Erie  Co.,  Pa.,  where  Mr.  Gerlach 
bought  80  acres  of  timber  land ;  but  owing  to  the 
hard  times  and  advanced  price,  he  was  obliged  to 
surrender  his  claim  from  inability  to  pay  for  it.  After 
a  struggle  of  nine  years,  the  family  came  to  Naper- 
ville,  111.,  traveling  with  their  own  teams  and  camp- 
ing nights  in  their  wagons.  On  arrival  at  the  latter 
place  the  father  rented  land  about  one  and  a  half 
years,  subsequently  going  to  Geneva,  Kane  County, 
where  he  rented  farms  until  1849.  In  that  year 
he  came  to  De  Kalb  County  and  entered  a  claim 
on  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  24,  in  township 
39,  range  5,  now  Pierce  Township.  On  this  he  es- 
tablished his  homestead  and  vigorously  prosecuted 
the  improvements  until  his  death,  Feb.  8,  1873. 
Mrs.  Gerlach  died  April  27,  1883.  Their  children, 
eight  in  number,  are  all  living,  and  are  recorded  as 
follows :  Henrietta  is  the  widow  of  Gotlieb  Buerer, 
of  Pierce  Township.  Amanda  is  the  widow  of 
Nathaniel  Lintner,  of  Naperville.  Elizabeth  married 
Peter  Ramer  (see  sketch).  Sarah  survives  her 
husband,  Jacob  Eberly,  and  resides  at  Hinckley. 
Caroline  is  the  wife  of  James  Boston,  of  Pawnee  Co., 
Neb.  Samuel  is  the  manager  of  the  homestead. 
Regina  married  John  Lintner,  of  Sibley,  Osceola  Co., 
Iowa.  Andrew  is  the  youngest  child. 

Samuel  Gerlach  was  born  April  9,  1836,  in  Erie 
Co.,  Pa.,  and  accompanied  his  parents  to  Illinois. 
He  was  married  in  1857  to  Catherine,  daughter  of 
John  and  Sarah  (Shultz)  Shoop,  and  they  have  six 

— sjjMjjsr:; „£%&£££/& 

^^VvS^^^^^^^^^ swgWSgc^TtrlA.^ 


\l 


. ) 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


children  living :  Lucy,  wife  of  Henry  Zeigler;  Mary, 
wife  of  Louis  Zeigler;  Elizabeth  (Mrs.  Oliver 
Snyder);  Frances,  Carrie  and  Mattie. 

Andrew  Gerlach  was  born  in  Erie  Co.,  Pa.,  July  7, 
1841.  He  was  less  than  two  years  of  age  when  his 
parents  came  to  Naperville,  111.,  and  but  eight  years 
of  age  when  they  came  to  Pierce  Township,  where 
he  has  since  resided.  His  marriage  to  Mary  J.  Har- 
ter  took  place  Oct.  5,  1862.  She  was  born  in  Center 
Co.,  Pa.,  and  her  parents  afterward  removed  to 
Naperville,  Du  Page  County,  where  they  are  now 
resident.  When  he  was  married  he  located  for  life 
on  the  farm  on  which  he  now  resides,  situated  on  the 
southeast  quarter  of  section  14.  He  owns  240  acres 
of  land,  a  large  proportion  of  which  is  under  improve- 
ments, with  excellent  farm  buildings.  He  is  chiefly 
engaged  in  raising  grain  and  stock.  Franklin  E.  and 
Harrison  G.  are  the  names  of  his  children.  He  is  a 
Republican,  and,  with  his  wife,  belongs  to  the  Evan- 
gelical Association. 


Lhabbona,  the  celebrated  Indian  Chief  and 
friend  of  the  whites,  was  born  near  the 
Maumee  River,  in  Ohio,  about  the  year 
1775.  Some  published  accounts  differ  as  to 
the  place  of  his  birth,  but  he  gave  to  the  late 
William  Hickling,  formerly  of  Ottawa,  but  later 
of  Chicago,  and  who  was  a  warm  personal  friend  of 
his,  the  above  as  correct.  The  fatner  of  Shabbona 
belonged  to  the  Ottawa  tribe,  and  was  one  of  that 
numerous  band  of  Ottawas  who  fought  with  the 
great  Ottawa  Chieftain,  Pontiac,  throughout  his  wars, 
and  upon  his  defeat  returned  with  him  to  the  Illinois 
country  in  the  year  1764. 

In  early  manhood  Shabbona  married  the  daughter 
of  a  Pottawatomie  chief,  whose  village  was  on  the 
Illinois  River  bottom,  near  Ottawa.  He  lived  at  this 
village  a  few  years,  when  he  moved  with  his  family, 
or  band,  to  Shabbona  Grove*  De  Kalb  County.  Here 
he  and  his  band  had  their  village  and  council-house, 
and  resided  until  the  fall  of  1837,  at  which  time  they 
numbered  some  130  souls. 

Shabbona  was  a  great  admirer  of  Tecumseh,  and 
in  the  war  of  1812,  with  his  warriors,  he  joined  the 
great  chief  and  stood  by  his  side  when  he  fell  at  the 
battle  of  the  Thames.  He  was  a  warm  friend  of  "the 


Sauganash,"  Billy  Caldwell,  whom  he  probably  knew 
as  early  as  1800.  At  the  memorable  battle  of  the 
Thames  and  the  defeat  of  the  Indians  and  the  En- 
glish, both  Shabbona  and  Caldwell  lost  all  faith  in 
the  power  and  promises  of  their  British  allies.  A  short 
time  afterward  they  visited  Gen.  Cass,  at  Detroit,  and 
to  him  gave  their  submission  to  the  United  States. 
At  the  time  of  the  Winnebago  war,  in  1827,  he  visited 
almost  every  village  among  the  Pottawatomies,  and 
by  his  persuasive  arguments  prevented  them  from 
taking  part  in  the  war.  By  request  of  the  citizens  of 
Chicago,  Shabbona,  accompanied  by  Billy  Caldwell 
(Sauganash),  visited  Big  Foot's  village  at  Geneva 
Lake,  in  order  to  pacify  the  warriors,  as  fears  were 
entertained  that  they  were  about  to  raise  the  toma- 
hawk against  the  whites.  Here  Shabbona  was  taken 
prisoner  by  Big  Foot,  and  his  life  threatened,  but  on 
the  following  day  was  set  at  liberty.  From  that  time 
the  Indians  (through  reproach)  styled  him  "  the 
white  man's  friend,"  and  many  times  his  life  was 
endangered.  The  next  and  last  attempt  made  to 
embroil  the  Pottawatomies  and  Ottawas  in  a  war 
with  the  "  pale  faces,"  was  that  made  by  Black  Hawk 
and  the  Prophet,  in  1832.  These  two  chiefs,  repre- 
senting the  Sauk  and  Fox  nations,  met  the  Pottawat- 
omies and  Ottawas  in  council  at  Indiantown,  in 
February  of  that  year,  and  eloquently  pointed  out  to 
the  large  number  of  Indians  assembled  there,  the 
necessity  of  co-operation,  in  order  to  save  their  na- 
tions from  the  further  encroachments  of  the  white 
men  upon  their  hunting  grounds.  In  that  large  as- 
semblage the  voice  of  but  one  Pottawatomie  chief 
was  raised  in  favor  of  war  and  union  with  Black 
Hawk,  and  that  was  given  by  old  Wau-pan-seh.  In 
that  council,  Shabbona,  in  answer  to  that  fervent  ap- 
peal of  Black  Hawk  for  union,  and  his  figurative  as- 
sertion that  such  an  union  would  give  them  an  army 
of  warriors  equal  in  number  to  the  trees  of  the  forest, 
replied :  "  Yes,  and  the  army  of  the  pale  faces  you 
will  have  to  encounter  will  be  as  numerous  as  the 
leaves  on  those  trees."  At  the  period  of  this. confer- 
ence, probably  no  other  chief,  excepting  Caldwell, 
possessed  greater  influence  with  the  tribes  assembled 
than  did  Shabbona,  and  Ihese  two  leaders  so  well 
knew  the  power  and  military  resources  of  the  white 
race,  and  how  futile  it  wou)d  be  to  engage  in  another 
war  with  them. 

Subsequently,  when  Black   Hawk  and   his    band 
crossed  over  to  the  east  side  of  the  Mississippi,  and 


II 


-~~- 


5.34 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


just  before  the  commencement  of  his  foray  on  the 
white  settlements,  he  made  one  more  attempt  to  se- 
cure a  union  with  the  Pottawatomies,  and  sent  his 
runners  or  emissaries  to  visit  Shabbona,  who,  at  this 
time,  with  his  band,  were  encamped  and  on  a  hunt- 
ing expedition  in  the  Bureau  timber.  Shabbona  here 
again  rejected  all  offers  of  alliance  made  by  Black 
Hawk.  Seeing  that  hostilities  must  soon  commence, 
Shabbona  broke  up  his  hunting  camp  and  returned 
home  to  his  grove.  Shortly  afterwards,  the  defeat  of 
Major  Stillman's  forces  followed,  and  opened  a  clear 
path  for  the  hostile  Indians  to  make  a  foray  upon  the 
settlements.  This  Shabbona  foresaw ;  and  here  the 
goodness  of  his  heart,  his  humanity,  and  desire  to 
avert  the  horrors  of  savage  warfare,  are  shown  in  the 
arduous  and  disinterested  efforts  made  by  him  in  be- 
half of  the  few  white  settlers  so  soon  to  be  exposed  to 
savage  fury.  Immediately  he  sent  his  son  and 
nephew  to  notify  the  scattered  settlers  on  the  Fox 
River  and  at  Holderman's  Grove,  of  their  great 
danger,  urging  them  in  all  haste  to  leave  their  homes 
and  seek  the  sheltering  walls  of  the  fort  at  Ottawa. 
The  old  Chief  himself  undertook  the  task  on  his 
mission  of  mercy  to  warn  the  settlers  of  Bureau  and 
Indian  Creek  of  their  great  danger.  His  appearance 
on  that  1 6th  day  of  May,  riding  at  full  speed,  bare- 
headed, his  pony  heated  and  jaded  by  the  long  ride 
through  the  scattered  settlements,  has  been  well 
described  by  other  writers.  Nearly  all  the  persons 
interested  followed  Shabbona's  advice  and  fled  in 
haste  to  Ottawa,  leaving  their  homes  but  a  few  hours 
in  advance  of  the  entry  of  the  hostile  Sauk.  A  few 
persons,  however,  in  the  Indian  Creek  settlement, 
took  no  heed  of  Shabbona's  warning,  and  paid  in  a  few 
hours  afterwards  the  penalty  of  their  rashness,  by  all 
their  party,  excepting  four  persons,  being  massacred 
in  the  one  log  house  in  which  they  had  sought  refuge, 
and  which  they  so  heroically  defended. 

At  a  treaty  made  at  Prairie  Du  Chien,  July  29, 
1829,  Shabbona's  old  home  at  the  Grove,  consisting  of 
two  sections,  was  reserved  for  him.  This  consisted 
of  all  of  section  23,  the  east  half  section  26  and  the 
west  half  of  section  25.  By  direction  of  Major 
Langham,  then  Surveyor-General  of  Illinois  and 
Missouri,  a  survey  and  plat  of  the  reservation  was 
made  by  a  deputy  surveyor,  and  Shabbona  fondly 
hoped  that  the  house  which  he  and  his  family  had 
occupied  for  so  many  years  was  secured  to  him  and 
them  forever.  Upon  this  subject  William  Hickling, 
^^^ % 


in  his  address  upon  the  life  of  Shabbona  before  the 
Chicago  Historical  Society,  says  : 

"I  believe  that  in  all  the  other  reservations  of 
land  granted  by  the  aforementioned  treaty,  all  the 
parties  thereto  having  such  reservations  enjoyed 
them  in  fee,  and  only  required  the  consent  and 
signature  of  the  President  of  the  United  States,  in 
order  to  pass  a  good  title  to  parties  purchasing  such 
reserved  lands.  Why  Shabbona's  case  should  differ 
from  all  the  rest  I  could  never  determine.  At  any 
rate,  when  the  survey  of  the  public  lands,  lying  north 
of  the  old  Indian  boundary  line  was  ordered  by  the 
Land  Department  to  be  made,  the  Deputy  Surveyor 
had  instructions  to  ignore  the  previous  survey  of  the 
reservations,  and  include  the  lands  thereon  contained 
in  the  regular  section  lines  of  the  United  States  sur- 
vey; and  during  the  absence  of  poor  old  Shabbona 
and  his  family  in  Kansas,  these  lands  were  sold  by 
public  sale  at  Dixon.  The  home  of  the  old  Chief  and 
his  family  passed  into  other  hands,  strangers  to  him, 
and  in  answer  to  an  appeal  made  at  Washington  in 
Shabbona's  behalf,  the  Commissioner  of  the  General 
Land  Department,  in  answer,  said  that  Shabbona  had 
forfeited  and  lost  his  title  to  the  lands  by  removing 
away  from  them." 

In  1 837 ,  Shabbona  was  notified  by  the  Indian  Agent, 
that  by  the  terms  of  the  late  treaty,  all  members  of 
his  band,  with  the  exception  of  those  of  his  own 
family,  must  remove  to  their  new  reservation  in 
Western  Missouri.  The  parting  with  so  many  of 
those  with  whom  he  so  long  had  been  associated,  he 
could  not  endure ;  so  he  resolved,  with  all  his  family, 
to  accompany  them  to  their  new  homes.  But  no 
sooner  had  ^Shabbona  and  his  family  reached  their 
lodges  in  their  new  homes  than  new  troubles  began. 
The  Sauks  and  Foxes,  unfortunately,  had  their  new 
reservation  in  close  proximity  to  that  of  the  Potta- 
watomies  and  Ottawas.  The  well-known  hostility, 
a  few  years  previous,  of  Shabbona  to  Black  Hawk, 
and  the  part  which  the  Ottawas  took  against  him  and 
his  followers  in  the  wai  which  followed,  were  still 
fresh  in  the  mind  of  the  individual  Sauk  leader 
and  made  enemies  of  two  noted  braves.  The  war- 
fare against  Shabbona  and  his  family  resulted  in 
the  murder  of  his  eldest  son,  Pypeogee,  and  a  nephew, 
Pyps.  The  old  Chief  Shabbona  narrowly  escaped  with 
his  life  from  the  vengeance  of  his  foes.  This  caused 
him  and  his  family  to  return  to  Illinois,  in  about  one 
year  after  having  left  it.  From  this  time  until  in 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


1849,  Shabbona  and  his  family,  some  20  to  25  in  num- 
ber, lived  at  the  Grove  in  peace  and  quietness  with 
the  white  neighbors  surrounding  them.  By  this  time, 
the  Pottawatomies  and  Ottawas  had  been  again  re- 
moved to  a  new  reservation  granted  them  in  Kansas, 
and  Shabbona  again,  with  his  family,  left  their  old 
homes  in  Illinois,  to  join  their  red  brethren  in  the 
new  one  to  be  occupied.  He  remained  there  with 
his  old  friends  and  tribe  some  three  years,  then 
again  with  his  family  retraced  their  steps  back  to 
their  old  home  in  the  Illinois  grove,  only  to  find  his 
village  and  lands  in  the  possession  of  strangers ;  the 
old  home  he  and  his  family  had  occupied  for  more 
than  40  years,  was  lost  to  him  forever !  When  he 
fully  realized  his  forlorn  situation,  it  is  said  that  the 
old  warrior,  who  probably  had  scarcely  ever  before 
shed  a  tear,  here  "wept  like  a  child."  But  his  cup 
of  misery  was  not  yet  full.  An  unfeeling  brute,  the 
new  owner  of  the  land,  upon  which,  on  his  return, 
Shabbona  and  his  family  encamped,  cursed  the  poor 
old  man  for  having  cut  a  few  lodge  poles  on  what  he 
thought  was  his  own  property,  and  peremptorily 
ordered  him  and  his  family  to  leave  the  Grove.  This 
they  did,  and  it  is  said  that  Shabbona  never  visited  it 
again. 

Mr.  Tracy  Scott,  an  old  pioneer  of  this  section,  re- 
lated the  following  incident  of  Shabbona,  which 
occurred  at  this  time :  He  was  returning  from 
Aurora,  and,  coming  through  Big  Rock  timber,  saw 
the  Indians  encamped.  Shabbona  seemed  utterly 
cast  down;  and,  in  reply  to  Scott's  inquiry  as  to  why 
he  left  and  where  he  was  going,  said  he  had  always 
been  a  friend  to  the  whites ;  that  he  had  treated  them 
well ;  that  his  wife  and  some  of  his  children  were 
buried  in  the  Grove ;  that  he  had  lived  there,  and 
wanted  to  die  there;  that  he  had  lost  all;  was  very 
poor;  then  he  told  that,  because  his  band  had  burned 
a  few  sticks  of  wood,  "big  white  man  call  me  damn 
Indian!  Shabbona  never  damn  white  man  .'"and 
pointing  upwards,  while  the  tears-  ran  down  his  old 
cheeks,  he  continued,  "  No  big  white  man — no  damn 
Indian  up  there — all  'like ;  all  like !  " 

A  few  friends  realizing  the  destitute  situation  in 
which  the  poor  old  Chief  and  his  family  were  placed, 
purchased  for  him  a  small  tract  of  20  acres  of  timber 
land  on  the  Illinois  River,  being  the  north  half  of 
the  northwest  quarter  of  the  southeast  quarter  of 
section  20,  township  33  north,  range  6  east  of  the  3d 


Principal  Meridian  (Norman  Township),  Grundy 
Co.,  111.  The  title  of  this  land  was  vested  in  the 
Judge  of  the  Circuit  Court  of  La  Salle  County,  111., 
.for  the  use  of  Shabbona  and  his  heirs.  Here,  in  a 
semi-state  of  poverty  and  wretchedness,  the  old  Chief 
and  part  of  his  family  lived,  most  of  the  time  in 
wigwams,  or  tents,  using  the  house  for  storage 
purposes  and  as  a  barn.  Shabbona  died  at  his  wig- 
wam, July  17,  1859,  aged  about  84  years.  He  was 
buried  in  the  cemetery  at  Morris ;  and  be  it  said  to 
the  shame  of  the  white  men,  no  memorial  stone, 
nothing  but  a  piece  of  board  stuck  in  the  ground, 
shows  the  spot  where  lies  the  remains  of  the  best  and 
truest  Indian  friend  which  the  early  settlers  of 
Northern  Illinois  had  in  the  day  of  their  tribulation! 

Shabbona's  first  wife  was  buried  at  the  Grove.  His 
second  wife,  Pokanoka,  a  large  and  decrepid  old 
woman,  weighing  some  400  pounds,  and  two  of  her 
daughters,  came  back  to  their  old  home  at  Shabbona 
Grove,  July  5,  1864,  took  quiet  possession  of  a  thicket 
near  their  old  home  and  remained  three  days.  Soon 
after  this,  Nov.  30,  1864,  while  crossing  Mazon  Creek, 
Grundy  County,  with  her  grandchild,  they  were 
thrown  from  her  wagon  and  drowned  in  about  six 
inches  of  water,  and  both  were  buried  by  the  side  of 
Shabbona. 

Shabbona  was  not  by  birth  an  hereditary  chief, 
and  in  fact  only  became  one  over  his  band  by  their 
tacit  consent,  after  the  death  of  his  first  wife's  father. 
In  his  personal  appearance,  he  was  a  model  of  phys- 
ical strength, — one  of  the  finest  specimens  of  the 
American  Indian.  Tall  in  stature,  straight  as  an 
arrow,  large  head  and  face,  with  pleasant  features 
and  an  agreeable  expression  of  countenance.  He 
was  hot  much  of  an  orator,  yet  his  words  of  wisdom 
always  had  their  weight  in  council  deliberations. 
Until  quite  late  in  life  (after  his  return  from  the  West 
in  1838),  he  was  remarkably  temperate  in  his  habits, 
scarcely  ever  tasting  of  the  "  fire-water,"  that  great 
enemy  of  his  race.  No  doubt  his  long  association 
with  Tecumseh,  who  also  was  remarkably  temperate  in 
his  habits,  had  its  influence  upon  the  mind  and  char- 
acter of  Shabbona. 

The  name  and  memory  of  Shabbona  should  be  ever 
dear  to  the  old  settlers  of  this  section  of  the  West ; 
the  prompt  action  he  took  to  thwart  the  schemes  of 
that  wily  old  savage,  Black  Hawk,  and  save  from  his 
savage  fury  the  lives  of  so  many  of  our  early  pio- 


vg) 


I 
I 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


neers,  many  of  whom  would  certainly  have  been 
sacrificed  had  it  not  been  for  his  disinterested  efforts 
in  their  behalf,  deserve  greatest  praise  from  the 
whites. 

Shabbona's  name  is  variously  spelled.  In  a  cer- 
tificate  of  character  given  him  by  Billy  Caldwell, 
Aug.  i,  1816,  and  which  is  now  in  the  archives  of 
the  Chicago  Historical  Society,  it  is  spelled  Cham- 
blee.  Others  in  early  time  spelled  it  Chab-o-neh 
and  Shau-be-na.  John  H.  Kinzie  and  G.  S.  Hubbard, 
both  of  whom  knew  him,  spelled  his  name  with  a 
"  C  "  instead  of  "  S."  Even  at  present  it  is  frequently 
spelled  as  follows:  Shabonee,  Shau-be-nay  and 
Shab-eh-ney.  The  meaning  of  his  name  is,  "  head 
and  shoulders  like  a  bear." 

The  portrait  of  Shabbona  which  we  present  in 
connection  with  this  sketch  was  made  from  a  portrait 
by  F.  B.  Young,  of  Rome,  N.  Y.,  painted  about  1840. 
By  those  who  knew  Shabbona  personally,  it  is  pro- 
nounced a  splendid  likeness  of  the  good  old  Chief. 


ev.  William  Brown,  farmer,  resident  on 
section  IT,  Milan  Township,  was  born 
March  13,  1831,  in  County  Donegal,  Ire- 
land. John  Brown,  his  father,  was  also  a  native 
of  Ireland,  of  Scotch  extraction  and  ancestry, 
belonging  to  the  race  known  as  Scotch-Irish, 
and  was  an  active  and  zealous  member  of  society 
and  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Mary  (Johnson) 
Brown,  the  mother  was  born  in  Ireland,  of  English 
parentage,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land, as  was  her  parents  before  her,  and  in  -whose 
tenets  she  was  brought  up.  They  had  five  sons  and 
a  single  daughter.  Nathaniel  is  a  farmer  in  the 
township  of  Milan.  John  is  a  Presbyterian  minister 
in  the  South  of  Ireland,  at  a  military  station  com- 
manding the  entrance  to  Waterford  Harbor.  James 
studied  for  the  ministry,  but  owing  to  failing  health 
abandoned  his  intentions  in  that  direction,  and  is  now 
a  farmer  on  the  family  homestead.  William  is  the 
next  in  order  of  birth.  Thomas  died  when  nine 
years  of  age.  Elizabeth  married  Mr.  Campbell  and 
lives  in  Ireland.  It  was  the  ambition  of  the  father 
that  his  sons  should  enter  the  ministry,  and  Mr. 
Brown  was  taught  at  home  with  that  end  in  view. 

The  latter  had  from  his  boyhood  an  overwhelming 
conviction  of  the  attractions  and  merits  of  the  New 


World,  and  when  he  was  about  19  years  of  age  he 
came  to  the  United  States,  settling  at  first  near 
Sandusky,  Ohio ;  after  a  tarry  there  of  four  years  he 
returned  to  his  native  land,  finding  home  and  its  in- 
mates as  he  had  left  them.  In  1855  he  returned  to 
the  United  States,  accompanied  by  his  sister  and  old- 
est brother.  After  some  prospecting  they  settled 
near  Sycamore,  De  Kalb  Co.,  111.,  fixing  their  resi 
dence  there,  May  i,  1855.  The  oldest  brother  and 
sister  soon  returned  to  Ireland,  where  the  former  re- 
mained until  the  next,  year,  when  he  came  back  to 
De  Kalb  County  and  located  in  Milan  Township. 

In  1853,  during  his  first  stay  in  America,  Mr. 
Brown  bought  353  acres  of  land  on  section  n,  Milan 
Township,  which  was  in  an  entirely  uncultivated  and 
unimproved  condition.  He  accumulated  sufficient 
means  during  the  four  years  referred  to,  to  make  his 
title  secure.  After  his  marriage  he  took  possession 
of  his  estate  where  he  has  since  pursued  the  career 
of  a  skilled  and  prosperous  farmer.  He  his  at  pres- 
ent the  owner  of  560  acres  of  finely  located  and  valu- 
able land,  all  under  the  plow,  and  the  place  in  point 
of  management  and  equipments  is  one  of  the  most 
valuable  in  the  township.  . 

Mr.  Brown  was  one  of  the  pioneer  preachers  of 
Methodism  in  Malta,  and  he  has  been  active  in  the 
interest  of  that  denomination  since  1856.  He  has 
been  also  actively  interested  in  educational  matters. 
He  is  a  zealous  adherent  of  the  Republican  party. 

Dec.  18,  1859,  he  was  united  in  marriage,  in  Jeffer- 
son Township,  Hillsdale  Co.,  Mich.,  to  Sarah,  daugh- 
ter of  Theron  B.  and  Sarah  (Edgerly)  Seely.  The 
former  was  of  Irish  descent,  and  the  latter  was  of 
German  lineage.  They  were  pioneers  of  Hillsdale 
Co.,  Mich.,  and  were  among  the  first  permanent 
settlers  of  Pittsford  Township  in  that  county.  They 
removed  later  to  Jefferson,  where  they  became  exten- 
sive landholders.  The  mother  died  there  in  October, 
1878;  the  father  in  January,  1879.  Mrs.  Brown  is 
the  seventh  child  and  fourth  daughter  in  a  family  of 
nine  children.  She  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools,  and  has  reared  her  five1  children  in  a  credit- 
able manner.  Theron  is  a  teacher  at  Morgan  Park, 
near  Chicago ;  Grace  M.  is  an  accomplished  musician, 
and  is  engaged  in  teaching  instrumental  music ; 
Sarah  E.  has  finished  a  preparatory  teachers'  course 
at  Aurora,  111.;  William  J.  and  Pearl  A.  are  the 
youngest. 

The  parents  of  Mr.  Brown  died  in  their  native 


Of  W 
WnVERSITC  OF  fl.L«Qts 


land,  after  long  and  useful  lives.  The  demise  of  his 
father  occurred  in  June,  1859;  that  of  his  mother, 
Jan.  26,  1865. 


^lijah  Curtis,  farmer,  section  8,  Afton 
Township,  was  born  in  Douglass,  Worces- 
ter Co.,  Mass.,  Nov.  23,  1836.  His  father, 

^  Bryant  Curtis,  was  born  in  the  same  county, 
Dec.  4,  1803,  and  died  in  Afton  Township,  Dec. 
8,  1880.  His  mother,  Patience,  nee  Powers, 
was  born  June  n,  1803,  in  Croydon,  Sullivan  Co., 
N.  H.,  and  died  March  12,  1876,  in  Afton  Township, 
this  county.  She  was  twice  married,  the  issue  of  her 
first  marriage  being  one  son,  and  of  her  second,  four 
sons  and  four  daughters.  Her  first  son  was  Harvey 
Powers  Robbins.  The  names  of  her  other  children 
are  Joanna  Maria,  Mary  E.,  Elijah,  Sarah,  Martha 
A.,  Stephen,  David  B.  and  Nathan  S. 

Elijah  Curtis,  subject  of  this  notice,  was  reared  on 
a  farm  in  Worcester  Co.,  Mass.  He  assisted  in  the 
farm  labors  and  attended  the  common  schools  until 
the  age  of  19  years,  then  came  to  this  county,  arrivT 
ing  here  in  1856.  He  engaged  in  farm  labor  by  the 
month,  and  continued  in  that  vocation  until  1859. 
He  then  began  working  land  on  shares  and  followed 
that  until  1861. 

At  this  period  in  his  life's  history,  the  nation  be- 
came imperiled,  and  he  went  forth  to  aid  in  her  de- 
fense. He  enlisted  in  Co.  C,  s8th  111.  Vol.  Inf., 
Capt.  G.  W.  Kittell  and  Col.  W.  F.  Lynch,  of  the 
i6th  Corps,  2d  Division.  His  regiment  was  in  ac- 
tive service  at  Fort  Donelson.  He  also  participated 
in  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  and  was  wounded,  April  6, 
1862.  He  then  came  home  on  a  furlough,  the  hos- 
pital being  full,  and  spent  three  months,  after  which 
he  returned  to  his  regiment  at  Camp  Danville,  Miss. 
He  was  in  the  battle  of  Corinth  and  received  a 
wound  in  the  right  ankle  Oct.  4,  1862.  The  wound 
was  made  by  what  was  supposed  to  be  a  sharp- 
shooter's ball,  a  piece  of  which  was  found  in  his 
stocking.  He  was  taken  to  the  hospital,  where  he 
remained  two  weeks,  and  was  then  sent  to  the  hos- 
pital at  St.  Louis ;  was  there  a  month,  received  a 
furlough,  came  home  and  remained  two  months,  then 
went  to  the  hospital  at  Chicago  and  was  there  four 
months,  when  he  returned  to  his  regiment  at  Spring- 

:st^^ £ 


field,  111.  His  regi.nent  was  recruiting  at  Springfield, 
and  two  months  later  moved  to  Cairo,  111.,  where  it 
was  encamped  during  the  fall  and  winter  of  1863-4. 
The  regiment  then  joined  Sherman's  army  at  Vicks- 
burg,  and  participated  in  a  raid  through  Mississippi, 
after  which  it  returned  to  Vicksburg.  He  then  par- 
ticipated in  the  Red  River  expedition  and  during  the 
same  was  wounded  in  the  lefl  thigh,  May  18,  1863, 
and  was  sent  to  Jefferson  Barracks,  Mo.  He  remained 
there  two  months,  received  a  furlough  for  a  month 
and  then  joined  his  regiment  at  Jefferson  Barracks. 
The  regiment  "were  after"  Price  and  had  a  battle 
with  him  near  Kansas  City,  after  which  it  returned  to 
St.  Louis  and  shipped  on  board  a  steamer  for  Nashville 
to  join  Gen.  Thomas  in  time  to  participate  in  the  bat- 
tle of  Nashville.  The  regiment  then  went  to  Eastport, 
Tenn.  Mr.  Curtis  then  left  the  regiment  to  be  mus- 
tered out,  his  time  having  expired,  and  was  dis- 
charged Feb.  7,  1865,  at  Chicago.  He  enlisted  as 
a  private,  and  at  the  time  of  his  muster  out  he  was 
Sergeant. 

On  receiving  his  discharge  from  the  army,  Mr. 
Curtis  came  to  this  county  and  engaged  in  farm  la- 
bor by  the  month,  which  he  followed  for  a  year,  and 
then  traded  40  acres  of  land  for  an  8o-acre  tract  in 
Clinton  Twonship,  on  which  he  moved. 

Mr.  Curtis  was  first  married  July  2,  1865,  to  Miss 
Candace  E.  Bovee.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Richard 
and  Orpha  (Parks)  Bovee,  and  was  born  in  Erie  Co., 
N.  Y.,  Sept.  14,  1836,  and  died  June  22,  1875.  She 
was  the  mother  of  one  child,  David  G.,  born  Feb.  9, 
1868.  He  was  married  a  second  time,  April  3,  1879, 
to  Miss  Juliette  E.  Hurd,  a  daughter  of  Alanson  and 
Jerusha  A.  (Springer)  Hurd,  both  natives  of  "  York ," 
State,  the  former  born  April  4,  1812,  and  the  latter 
Dec.  25,  1820.  Both  her  parents  are  living  in  Dakota, 
and  their  children  comprised  five  sons  and  four 
daughters,  namely :  Robert  F.,  Juliette  E.,  Susan  P., 
Harriet  M.,  Mary  S.,  Durfy  S.,  Millie  M.  and  Samuel 
A.  B'y  the  last  marriage  of  Mr.  Curtis  there  are  two 
children,  namely:  Hortense,  born  Sept.  9,  1880, died 
Oct.  10,  1884,  and  Sarah  E.,  born  Jan.  10,  1883. 

The  grandfather  of  Mr.  Curtis  W;as  a  Revolutionary 
soldier  and  participated  in  the  capture  of  Burgoyne's 
army ;  and  Mr.  Curtis  still  retains  in  his  possession 
the  old  musket  that  his  grandfather  used  during 
those  dark  days.  The  family  of  Mr.  Curtis,  his 
father's  family,  and  his  grandfather's  family  all  lived 
on  a  piece  of  land  that  was  deeded  to  his  great- 

.  Q.          '^jy «f*^£< 


\\ 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


grandfather,  Beriah  Curtis,  by  the  King  of  England. 

Mr.  Curtis  also  his  in  his  possession  a  cutlass  his 
great-grandfather  captured  at  Cape  Town,  West  In- 
dies. The  mother  of  our  subject  had  four  uncles 
ii  who  participated  in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  and 
were  among  the  fortunate  ones  to  escape  unhurt.  A 
brother  of  Mr.  Curtis  died  in  a  rebel  prison  at  Dan- 
ville, Vt.,  and  a  brother  of  Mrs.  Curtis  died  in  a  hos- 
pital at  Helena,  Ark 

Mrs.   Curtis,  present   wife  of  the  subject  of  this 
/   notice,  was  horn   in   Marion  Co.,  Ind.  Aug.  14,  1844. 
<?  a  •  Her  parents  were  farmers  and  of  German  descent. 
^       Mr.  Curtis  added  80  acres  to  .his  original  80,  and 
in  1873  exchanged  the   160  for  his   present  farm  of 
200  acres.     He  is  at  present  Highway  Commissioner 
and  Town  Clerk,  and  also  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
School  Directors,  of  which  he  is  Clerk.     Politically 
he  is  a  Republican.     Socially,  he   is   a  member  of 
Merritt  Simonds  Post,  No.  283,  G.  A.  R.,  of  which  he 
is  Sergeant  Major. 

The  subject  of  the  foregoing  biographical  notice 
being  a  representative  man  and  a  prominent  citizen 
of  De  Kalb  County,  the  publishers  place  a  portrait  of 
his  features  in  this  work. 


& 


'& 


i\ 


jarshall  Miller,  of  Squaw  Grove  Township, 
has  been  a  resident  therein  since  the  fall 
of  1836,  having  come  here  when  about  18 
months  old.  His  parents,  Samuel  and  Gil- 
ley  M.  (Sebree)  Miller,  were  natives  of  Kentucky 
and  Indiana,  and  on  coming  to  Illinois  settled  in 
Squaw  Grove  Township.  Their  only  child  at  that 
time  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  They  pas?ed  their 
after  lives  in  and  near  the  village  of  Hinckley.  The 
death  of  the  mother  occurred  about  1849;  that  of  the 
father  took  place  Feb.  2,  1880.  Mr.  Miller  had  five 
brothers  and  sisters, — John,  William,  Charles,  Melissa 
and  Augusta. 

Mr.  Miller  obtained  a  common-school  education  of 
the  kind  common  to  pioneers.  He  was  an  inmate  of 
the  paternal  homestead  until  he  was  27  years  of  age, 
when  he  married  and  settled  down  to  an  independent 
career.  He  is  now  the 'owner  of  no  acres  of  land, 
the  chief  proportion  of  which  is  under  tillage. 

He  was  married  Dec.  31,  1860,  to  Maria  L.,  daugh- 
ter of  Alexander  and  Miranda  (Nichol)  Coster,  in 


Milan  Township,  De  Kalb  County.  Her  parents  re- 
moved from  New  York,  their  native  State,  to  Milan 
Township,  De  Kalb  County,  in  the  spring  of  1855, 
Her  mother  died  Dec.  28,  1866,  and  her  father  is 
now  a  resident  of  Sandwich.  Their  nine  children 
were  named  Millicent  B.,  Philander  C.,  Rachel  E., 
Maria  L.,  Richard  L.,  John  B.,  Emily  N.,  Cornelia 
A.  and  Peter  E.  Mrs.  Miller  was  born  June  25, 
1840,  in  Erie  Co.,  Pa.,  and  was  about  15  years  of  age 
when  her  parents  removed  to  De  Kalb  County.  Two 
children  have  been  born  of  her  marriage, — Alice  L. 
and  Sammy  E.  The  daughter  died  Dec.  20,  1881. 


'ohn  Wedlake,  farmer,  section  2,  jtlilan 
Township,  was  born  May  10,  1828,  in 
Somersetshire,  England.  Henry  Wedlake. 
his  father,  was  an  English  farm  laborer,  and 
was  born,  lived  and  died  in  the  native  shire  of 
his  son.  His  death  occurred  in  April,  1879. 
Betty  (Pierce)  Wedlake,  the  wife  and  mother,  was 
also  a  native  of  the  same  place,  where  she  died,  in 
June,  1876. 

Seven  children  were  born  to  Henry  and  Betty 
Wedlake,  John  being  the  oldest.  The  first  important 
event  in  his  life  was  his  marriage.  He  was  born  to 
poverty,  and  according  to  the  customs  of  the  class  to 
which  his  parents  belonged  was  early  made  acquain- 
ted with  labor.  He  was  compelled  to  work  when 
only  six  years  of  age,  receiving  for  his  remuneration 
six  cents  a  day,  which  was  increased  to  eight  cents 
daily  when  he  became  eight  years  old.  His  marriage 
to  Harriet  Orchett  took  place  April  5,  1851.  She 
was  the  daughter  of  George  and  Mary  (Bardford) 
Orchett,  and  her  parents  lived  in  the  same  house  in 
which  they  were  born  in  Somersetshire,  and  where 
three  families  of  three  successive  generations  had 
lived  before  them.  -Mrs.  Wedlake  was  born  Sept.  14, 
1827.  She  was  in  service  until  she  was  married. 
She  has  been  the  mother  of-fwo  children,— Henry 
and  George.  The  latter  died  in  England  when  four 
years  of  age.  Some  years  after  marriage  Mr.  Wed- 
lake determined  to  seek  the  promised  opportunities 
of  the  New  World,  and  leaving  his  family  in  comfort 
he  set  out  alone  to  examine  the  feasibility  of  the 
claims  of  which  such  glowing  accounts  came  across 
the  sea  to  the  homes  of  the  English  peasantry.  He 


r 


located  for  .a  time  in  Onondaga  Co.,  N.  Y.,  where  he 
operated  as  a  common  laborer  on  a  farm.  After  two 
years  he  had  accumulated  sufficient  means  to  return 
for  his  wife  and  only  child,  one  having  died.  They 
returned  to  Onondaga  County  and  remained  there 
two  years.  In  1861  they  came  to  the  township  of 
Milan,  and  were  tenants  on  the  farm  of  James  Mc- 
Carroll,  which  he  worked  one  summer  and  then 
rented  of  William  Brown  six  years.  In  1868  Mr. 
Wedlake  bought  80  acres  of  land,  to  which  he  after- 
ward added  extensively  by  purchase,  and  is  now  the 
owner  of  240  acres,  which  he  has  finely  improved 
and  augmented  in  value.  Politically  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican. He  is  a  zealous  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  as  is  also  his  wife. 


arles  Hallam,  retired  farmer,  at  Shab- 
bona village,  was  born  in*  Nottingham, 
England,  Sept.  14,  1836,  and  is  a  son  of 
William  and  Mary  (Burton)  Hallam.  He 
received  an  academic  education,  and  by  pro- 
fession became  an  accountant. 
He  emigrated  to  America  in  May,  1855,  and  was 
first  engaged  as  an  accountant  in  New  York  city  for 
nine  years ;  then  spent  about  two  years  in  various 
States,  and  finally  settled  down  on  a  farm,  in  1866, 
on  section  28,  Shabbona  Township,  where  he  con- 
tinued farming  until  January,  1885,  when  he  removed 
to  his  present  residence  in  Shabbona  village.  He 
still  retains  possession  of  his  farm,  which  consists  of 
1 60  acres.  Since  coming  to  this  country,  Mr.  Hal- 
lam has  visited  his  native  land  five  times,  and  thus 
has  crossed  the  Atlantic  Qcean  n  times. 

He  was  first  married  Jan.  7,  1864,  in  New  York 
city,  to  Miss  Emily  Millington,  and  Nov.  16  follow- 
ing they  had  a  daughter,  Emily  E.  Mrs.  H.  died 
April  1 6,  1865,  and  Mr.  Hallam  was  again  married 
July  28,  1866,  at  Jacksonville,  111.,  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
Challand,  daughter  of  Reuben  and  Rebecca  Chal- 
land.  She  was  born*ri  England,  Aug.  n,  1845,  and 
was  brought  by  her  parents  to  America  in  1 85  i .  By 
this  marriage  there  have  been  one  son  and  two 
daughters,  namely:  Charles  P.,  born  Jan.  29,  1877  ; 
Winnie  L.,  Feb.  26,  1879,  and  Millie  R.,  Dec.  15, 
1883. 

r.   Hallam,  in    his   political    action,    votes    the 
Democratic  ticket. 


\\ 


arvey  L.  Fuller,  farmer,  section  9,  Clinton 
Township,  is  a  native  of  New  York.  His 
parents,  Norman  and  Sophronia  (Buck) 
Fuller,  were  also  natives  of  that  State,  and 
came  to  Kane  Co.,  111.,  in  185  i,  where  he,  the 
father,  died  in  September,  1854.  They  had 
five  children,  namely  :  Harvey  L.,  Rosetta  L.,  Mary, 
Antoinette,  Edwin  A.  and  Adelbert  U. 

The  eldest,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  in 
Orleans  Co.,  N.-Y.,  Sept.  22,  1835,  and  came  with  his 
father  to  Kane  Co.,  111.,  in  1851,  and  the  spring  of 
1855  to  this  county.  He  has  since  lived  here,  and 
now  owns  400  acres  of  land,  most  of  which  is  good 
farming  land.  Politically,  he  is.  identified  with  the 
Republican  party,  and  he  has  held  several  positions 
of  public  trust. 

Mr.  Fuller  was  married  in  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  Oct. 
15,  1863,10  Sarah  Brady,  daughter  of  Stephen  and 
Lydia  (Gordon)  Brady.  The  children  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Fuller  are  five  in  number,  namely :  Carrie  L. 
was  born  July  15,  1864;  Lewis  G.,  July  4,  1868; 
Dwight  A.,  April  4,  1870;  Mary  E.,  April  i,  1875  ; 
and  James  G.,  Sept.  12,  1880. 


dolphus  G.   Smith,   Supervisor   of  Pierce 
Township,  and  a  farmer  on  section  23,  was 
born  in  the  township  of  Lykins,  Crawford  Co., 
Ohio,  Sept.  2,  1842.     His  parents,  John  Fred-  v 
erick  and  Christlieba  (Lippman)  Smith,  were 
'        both  born  in  Germany.     They  had  come  early    ^ 
in  life  from  their  native  land  and  remained  all  their  ' 
subsequent  lives  in  Ohio.     The  mother  died  in  1848, 
and  the  husband  married  again  not  long  after  her 
death. 

Mr.  Smith  acquired  a  fair  education  in  the  public 
schools  and  was  thoroughly  trained  in  a  knowledge 
of  agricultural  pursuits.  He  came  to  Illinois  when 
he  was  20  years  of  age,  and  became  a  farm  laborer 
in  Kane  County  one  year.  He  then  rented  and 
worked  on  a  farm  five  years,  and  returned  to  Ohio 
and  worked  four  years  with  his  brother,  who  was  a 
carpenter  and  builder  by  trade.  He  then  returned 
to  Illinois  to  establish  a  permanent  home  on  a  farm 


Q 


fa 


) 


542 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


I 


on  section  23  in  Pierce,  which  he  had  bought  two 
years  previously.  The  place  now  boasts  of  a  good 
dwelling-house,  fruit  and  shade  trees  and  commodi- 
ous farm  buildings.  In  political  sentiment  Mr.  Smith 
is  independent  of  any  organized  party.  He  votes 
according  to  his  judgment  irrespective  of  party  or 
politics.  His  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Evangelical 
Association.  He  has  filled  various  township  offices, 
among  them  School  Trustee,  Assessor  and  Collector, 
and  in  1883  was  appointed  to  fill  a  vacancy  as  Su- 
pervisor, and  he  was  elected  to  the  incumbency  in 
1884. 

He  has  continued  resident  on  his  farm,  but  has 
devoted  his  attention  to  his  trade  of  contractor  and 
builder,  in  which  he  has  operated  successfully  15 
years.  Among  the  dwellings  he  has  constructed  are 
the  residences  of  John  Pooler  and  Nicholas  Klemm 
in  Afton  Township,"  P.  W.  Gallagher,  Thomas  Gal- 
lagher, George  Schule  and  William  Van  Ohlen,  in 
Squaw  Grove  Township. 

He  was  married  in  March,  1863,  to  Mary  Ann 
Shoop.  Three  of  their  children  are  living, — Harvey 
W.,  Sarah  Alice  and  Alta  G.  Ella,  second  child  in 
order  of  birth,  died  when  about  three  years  of  age. 
Mrs.  Smith  is  the  daughter  of  John  and  Sarah 
(Shultz)  Shoop.  Her  parents  were  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania and  were  among  the  earliest  permanent  settlers 
in 'Kane  Co.,  111. 


orge  N.  Maxwell,  Principal  of  the  Shab- 
bona  schools  since  Jan.  i,  1883,  was  born 
in  Assonnett,  Bristol  Co.,  Mass.,  Oct.  30, 
1847,  and  is  a  son  of  Rev.  John  S.  and  Lucy 
(Babcock)  Maxwell,  and  removed  with  his 
parents  to  La  Salle  County,  this  State,  in  1868, 
settling  near  Leland.  He  was  educated  in  Giundy 
Co.,  111.,  at  the  common  school. 

In  the  winter  of  1868-9  he  commenced  teaching 
school,  and  continued  in  that  profession  during  the 
winter  seasons  for  ten  years,  alternating  with  farm 
labor  during  the  intervening  summers ;  but  since  his 
removal  to  Shabbona  his  only  occupation  has  been 
teaching.  He  was  married  in  Highland,  Grundy 
Co.,  111.,  Oct.  4,  1871,  to  Miss  Emma,  daughter  of 
Alonzo  and  Maria  (Andrews)  Spink,  who  was  born  at 
Blackberry,  Kane  Co.,  111.  They  have  had  three 


children,  namely :  Alice,  who  died  aged  one  year, 
Charles  E.,  and  Arthur  W. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Maxwell  are  members  of  the  Con 
gregational  Church  of  Shabbona. 


eorge  Easterbrook,  deceased,  was  a  farm- 
er on  section  14,  Pierce  Township,  and 
had  been  a  landholder  in  De  Kalb  County 
from  1856  to  the  date  of  his  death.  In  that 
year  he  purchased  80  acres  of  unimproved 
land  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  14, 
and  four  years  later  he  purchased  an  additional  80 
acres  on  section  14.  In  1883  his  wife  made  a  third 
purchase,  of  80  acres  on  the  section  last  named,  and 
the  estate  now  includes  300  acres  of  land,  under  good 
improvements,  provided  with  suitable  farm  buildings 
and  a  good  orchard. 

Mr.  Easterbrook  was  born  Dec.  29,  1825,  in  Sack- 
ville,  Westmoreland  Co.,  New  Brunswick,  where  he 
was  reared  to  the  pursuits  of  agriculture  and  also  in- 
structed in  the  vocation  of  stone  mason.  In  1847 
he  came  to  Freeport,  111.,  and  there  worked  as  a 
farm  assistant  and  also  as  a  mason,  alternating  be- 
tween the  two  callings  for  two  years.  Subsequently  he 
went  to  Kane  Co.,  111.  He  was  there  married  Feb. 
17,  1853,  to  Priscilla,  daughter  of  James  and  Eliza- 
beth (Reed)  Outhouse.  Her  parents  were  both  born 
in  the  province  of  New  Brunswick,  and  were  pioneers 
of  Kane  County,  whither  they  removed  in  1834. 
They  are  of  Holland  descent  and  are,  at  present 
date  (1885),  residents  in  Blackberry.  The  parents 
of  Mr.  Easterbrook  were  of  English  birth,  and  his 
paternal  grandfather  was  for  many  years  a  member 
of  the  House  of  Commons  in  England,  and  his  father 
served  as  a  member  of  the  Canadian  House  of  Par- 
liament. 

Soon  after  his  marriage,  Mr.  Easterbrook  went  to 
Iowa  and  purchased  200  acres  of  land  in  Black  Hawk 
County.  He  made  no  location  for  a  home,  but  re- 
turned to  Kane  County,  where  he  remained  until  the 
year  named,  in  which  he  settled  in  Pierce  Township. 
He  died  Dec.  9,  1864,  leaving  five  children, — Isa- 
bella, James  George,  Susan  Emma,  Wilson  E.  and 
Alvin  W.  After  his  decease,  his  wife  rented  the 
farm  and  returned  to  Kane  County.  She  bought  a 
farm,  where  she  resided  until  1875,  when  she  re- 


s 


1 

s 

/ 


*  f  turned  to  the  homestead  in  Pierce  Township."  'Her 
'A  sons  are  continuing  the  management  of  the  estate  in 

a  highly  creditable  manner.     Isabella  married  John 

Vosburgh,  of  Kingston ;  Susan  E.  is  the  wife  of 
/§.  William  Postle,  and  lives  in  Virgil  Township,  Kane 

County.     James  G.  Easterbrook  is  the  Assessor  of 

Pierce  Township. 


,vid  Orr,  hardware  merchant  at  Water- 
man, Clinton  Township,  is  a  son  of  Samuel 
and  Mary  (Burnett)  Orr,  natives  of  Ireland 
.nd  New  Jersey.  The  record  of  their  family 
is  as  follows :  Jane,  David,  Thomas  B., 
Smith,  Samuel,  Levi  and  William.  Three 
children  are  dead — James,  Alfred  and  one  child  that 
died  in  infancy. 

David  was  born  in  Ohio,  May  10,  1818.  He 
lived  on  the  farm,  assisted  in  the  support  of  the 
family  and  attended  the  common  schools  until  he 
attained  the  age  of  21  years. 

For  one  year  after  attaining  his  majority,  Mr.  Orr 
was  engaged  in  clearing  land,  and  then  hired  to 
learn  the  carpenter's  trade.  He  soon  mastered  the 
same  and  was  engaged  in  following  it  for  13  years. 

In  1852  Mr.  Orr  came  to  this  county  and  settled 
in  Somonauk  Township.  He  remained  there  only  a 
short  time  and  rented  a  farm  in  Clinton  Township, 
which  he  cultivated  one  season.  Previous  to  this, 
when  he  first  came  to  the  county,  Mr.  Orr  entered  a 
quarter  section  of  land  in  Clinton  Township.  After 
managing  a  rented  farm  one  year,  he  moved  on  his 
homestead,  and  at  once  entered  vigorously  upon  its 
improvement.  He  lived  on  this  farm  for  20  years, 
with  the  exception  of  about  two  years,  which  he  spent 
working  at  his  trade,  and  succeeded  in  placing  it  in 
a  good  tillable  condition. 

In  1872  Mr.  Orr  sold  his  farm  and  moved  to 
Waterman:  His  son,  J.  D.,  had  engaged  in  the  hard- 
ware business  a  year  previous,  and  Mr.  Orr  formed  a 
partnership  with  him,  which  only  continued  a  short 
time,  as  the  son  died  in  December,  1872.  Mr.  Orr 
carried  on  the  business  for  three  years  alone,  when 
another  son,  Levi  R.,  was  admitted  to  the  firm  part- 
nership, and  the  business  is  now  conducted  under 
the  firm  name  of  David  Orr  &  Sons,  David  E.  hav- 
ing been  admitted  to  the  firm  in  1884.  The  busi- 


ness  is  a  progressive  and  successful  one,  and  their 
sales  approximate  annually  to  $65,000. 

Mr.  Orr  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
McCleery,  in  Wayne  Co.,  Ohio,  Jan.  14,  1845.  She 
was  born  in  "  York  State  "  about  1817,  and  was  the 
mother,  by  Mr.  Orr,  of  six  children,  namely,  Mary  A., 
James  D.,  Ellen,  John  S.,  William  and  Smith.  John 
S.  and  Ellen  are  the  only  ones  surviving.  Ellen  is 
the  wife  of  Charles  A.  Low,  and  resides  in  Iowa. 
Mrs.  Orr  died  Feb.  25, 1858.  Mr.  Orr  was  again  mar- 
ried, March  i,  1860,  to  Miss  Martha  J.  McAffee, 
daughter  of  William  and  Martha  (Ray)  McAffee. 
She  was  born  in  Ireland,  in  February,  1825,  and  emi- 
grated to  the  United  States  in  1837. 

Four  children  were  born  of  his  second  union,  two 
of  whom  are  deceased.  The  living  are,  Levi  R., 
born  Dec.  3,  1860;  and  David  E.,  Feb.  13,  1865, 
both  of  whom  are  associated  with  their  father  in  busi- 
ness. 

Mr.  Orr  affiliates  with  the  Republican  party ;  has 
held  the  offices  of  School  Director  and  Highway 
Commissioner,  and  has  been  one  of  the  village  Trus- 
tees for  several  years. 


phraim  Depue,  farmer,  section   13.  Genoa 
Township,  is  the  son  of  Samuel  and  Eliza- 
beth (Ogden)  Depue,  and  is  one  of  a  family 
of  10  children.     Ose,  Sarah,  Benjamin,  Jesse, 
Phebe  and  Theo  C.  are  the  names  of  his  broth- 
ers and  sisters  who  reached  mature  life.    Three 
children  died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Depue  was  born  Oct.  n,  1816,  in  Sussex  Co., 
N.  J.  At  the  age  of  18  years  he  was  apprenticed  to 
acquire  a  knowledge  of  the  wagon-making  trade,  and 
served  an  indentureship  of  three  )iears.  He  em- 
barked independently  in  the  business,  in  which  he 
operated  about  20  years.  In  1848  he  became  a  citi- 
zen of  Illinois,  taking  up  his  residence  at  Elgin,  Kane 
County.  He  passed  three  years  there  in  the  pursuit 
of  his  trade,  and  about  1851  entered  the  employment 
of  the  old  Galena,  Chicago  &  Illinois  Central  Rail- 
road Company,  his  route  extending  from  Chicago  to 
Freeport  and  from  Dubuque  to  Centralia. 

He  came  to  De  Kalb  County  in  1861  and  bought 
90  acres  of  land  in  Genoa  Township,  moving  his 
family  hither  in  the  autumn  of  the  same  year.  His 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


j 


homestead  farm  now  comprises  360  acres,  with  230 
acres  under  improvement,  supplied  with  suitable 
and  creditable  farm  buildings  and  well  stocked.  In 
political  faith  and  connections  Mr.  Depue  is  identi- 
fied with  the  Republican  party  ;  he  has  officiated  as 
School  Director  and  in  other  local  offices. 

He  was  married  April  21,  1838,  in  New  Jersey,  to 
Catherine  M.  Dennis,  and  they  have  five  surviving 
children, — Lucy,  Elizabeth,  Henry  C.,  Allen  and 
Emma.  Anna  M.,  Catherine  M.  and  Caroline  A. 
and  a  child  unnamed  died  in  infancy.  Mrs.  Depue 
was  born  Sept.  26,  1813,  in  New  Jersey,  and  is  the 
daughter  of  John  and  Lucy  Dennis.  She  had  two 
brothers  and  two  sisters,  born  in  the  following  order : 
Elizabeth,  Henry  C.,  Allen  and  Emma.  She  is  the 
oldest  of  her  parents'  children,  and  is  a  member  of 
the  Congregational  Church. 

The  publishers  of  this  ALBUM  take  pleasure  in 
presenting  to  the  public  of  De  Kalb  County  a  litho- 
graphic portrait  of  Mr.  Depue,  as  one  of  the  worthy 
and  representative  farmers  of  Northern  Illinois. 


fohn  H.  Merritt,  farmer,  section  5,  Clinton 
|p  Township,  is  from  the  State  of  New  York. 
His    parents,    Joseph  and   Esther   (Dean) 
Merritt,  were  also    natives  of  that   common- 
wealth, and  passed  their  lives  there. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  who  was  the 
third  in  order  of  birth  of  ten  children,  was  born  in 
Dutchess  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Oct.  6,  1828,  and  when  about 
seven  years  old  went  to  live  with  a  family  by  the 
name  of  Hanford,  in  Westchester  Co.,  N.  Y.  He 
lived  there  until  1849,  when  he  came  to  De  Kalb 
County,  this  State,  and  purchased  80  acres  in  Somo- 
nauk  Township.  He  remained  in  that  township  un- 
til the  summer  of  1852,  when  he  moved  to  the  place 
where  he  now  resides,  and  where  he  owns  100  acres 
of  good  land,  and  five  acres  of  timber  in  Shabbona 
Township.  Mr.  Merritt  has  held  the  office  of  Road 
Commissioner,  Overseer  of  Highways,  School  Direc- 
tor, etc.,  and  politically  is  identified  with  the  Repub- 
lican party. 

He  was  first  married  at  Freeland's  Corners,  this 
county,  Oct.  n,  1854,  to  Rhoda  S.  Fay,  a  native  of 
the  State  of  New  York,  who  died  Nov.  12,  1862,  in 
Clinton  Township.  She  was  the  mother  of  two  chil- 

^5^!- ^^ — ^ 


dren,— Charles  H.  and  Fred  F.  Mr.  Merritt  was 
again  married  Oct.  10,  1865,  to  Mrs.  Betsey  (nee 
Simpson),  widow  of  Ira  Chamberlain,  who  died  in 
Orleans  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Feb.  8,  1857.  She  had  had  by 
her  first  marriage  two  children, — Clara  V.  and  Kate. 
Mrs.  M.  was  born  in  Clarendon,  Orleans  Co.,  N.  Y., 
Dec.  20,  1830,  her  parents  being  Ira  and  Fanny 
(Cox)  Simpson,  natives  of  that  State.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
M.,  by  their  present  marriage  relation,  have  had  two 
children,  namely,  George  and  Emma.  George  died 
when  about  one  year  and  three  months  old. 


dam  Palm,  retired  farmer, 'residing  in  the 
village  of  Shabbona,  is  the  son  of  John  and 
Catharine  (Flick)  Palm  (see  sketch  of  John 
Palm),  and  was  born  Jan.  7, 1832,  in  Trumbull 
Co.,  Ohio.  He  came  to  Illinois  in  1846,  one 
year  later  than  his  father,  and  began  farming 
on  section  14,  Shabbona  Township.  He  has  since 
exchanged  this  for  one  on  section  22,  of  120  acres. 
Besides  this,  he  is  at  present  the  owner  of  three  vil- 
lage lots  in  Shabbona.  He  retired  from  the  active 
duties  of  farming  life  in  1884,  moving  into  the  vil- 
lage. In  political  matters  he  votes  with  the  Repub- 
lican party. 

He  was  married  at  Paw  Paw,  Jan.  i,  1857,  to  Miss 
Elmina,  adopted  daughter  of  David  R.  and  Angeline 
Fuller.  Mrs.  Palm  was  born  in  Geauga  Co.,  Ohio, 
Aug.  14,  1839,  and  came  to  this  State  in  1853.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Palm  have  had  one  child,  a  daughter,  now 
the  wife  of  Ira  E.  Stevens  and  residing  in  the  town- 
ship of  Shabbona. 


'ohn  Cain,  farmer,  section  27,  Squaw  Grove 
Township,  is  a  son  of  John  and  Mary 
(McElwain)  Cain,  who  were  natives  of  Ire- 
land and  had  a  family  of  six  children,  namely  : 
Samuel,  John,  Eliza  J.,  Margaret,  James  and 
Joseph  H.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
born  in  Ireland,  March  17,  1832,  and  was  about 
eight  years  old  when  his  parents  emigrated  with  their 
family  to  America.  He  lived  at  home  until  about 
26  years  of  age,  and  in  1856  came  to  De  Kalb 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


County,  first  settling  in  Paw  Paw  Township,  next  in 
Somonauk  Township,  and  in  r86s  in  Squaw  Grove 
Township,  where  he  now  has  119  acres  of  land,  all 
of  which  is  in  cultivation. 

He  was  married  in  Paw  Paw  Township  Dec.  23, 
1858,  to  Elizabeth  McElwain,   a   native  of  Ireland. 
The   have   five    children,— Charles   A.,   Hattie    L., 
Mary  A  ,  Margaret  R.  and  Fanny  J.    Mrs.  Cain  died 
June  21,  1872,  in  Squaw  Grove  Township.  Mr.  Cain 
was  again  married  Feb.  19,  1874,  in  the  same  town- 
A  ship,  to  Miss  Mary  J.,  daughter  of  Gerrit  and  Mary 
A  g  Brower,  and  born  in  Dutchess  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Jan.  28, 

¥  1845- 

Mr.  Cain,  in  his  political  views,  is  a  Republican, 
and  in  his  district  he  has  held  the  office  of  School 
Director. 


Christopher,  of  the  firm  of  Christopher  & 
Jorgensen,  dealers  in  grain,  lumber,  coal 
.nd  live  stock  at  Lee  (on  the  county  line  be- 
tween this  and  Lee  Counties),  their  business 
house  being  located  in  this  county,  was  born 
in    Norway,   April  7,    1832,   and    is  a  son    of 
Chris,     and    Juliane    Christopher,    natives   of  that 
country. 

He  was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native  country, 
where  he  learned  the  carpenter's  trade  and  followed 
it,  in  Norway  and  Sweden,  until  1855.  July  i,  of  that 
year  he  emigrated  from  the  latter  country  to  the 
United  States,  came  direct  to  this  State  and  located 
in  Bradford  Township,  Lee  County.  He  worked  at 
his  trade  and  farming  until  1863,  when  he  purchased 
a  farm  located  on  section  i,  Willow  Creek  Township, 
that  county,  and  with  his  family  moved  on  it,  and  at 
once  entered  on  its  improvement  and  cultivation. 
He  subsequently  purchased  additional  land  in  Alto 
Township,  that  county,  and  at  present  is  the  owner 
of  200  acres. 

In  1867  Mr.  Christopher  visited  his  native  country, 
where  he  remained  enjoying  the  hospitality  and 
company  of  his  relatives  and  friends  for  almost  a 
year.  He  then  returned  to  this  country  and  contin- 
ued his  labors  on  the  farm.  In  1871,  in  company 
with  Ole  Jorgensen  Prestegard,  he  opened  the  first 
busines  house  at  Lee  station  under  the  firm  name  of 
Christopher  &  Jorgensen,  which  relation  still  exists. 
The  firm  is  widely  and  favorably  known  as  enter- 


prising and  fair-dealing,  and  to  be  composed  of  men 
of  unquestioned  integrity,-  and  their  business  is  a 
steady,  increasing  and  prosperous  one.  Mr.  Chris- 
topher was  prominently  identified  with  the  growth 
and  development  of  the  village  of  Lee,  and,  his  resi- 
dence being  in  the  village,  is  at  the  present  time  one 
of  its  enterprising  business  men. 

Mr.  Christopher  was  married  in  Bradford  Town- 
ship, Lee  County,  Oct.  17,  1857,  to  Miss  Betsy, 
daughter  of  A.  and  Annie  Aadson.  She  was  born  in 
Norway,  March  16,  1838,  and  emigrated  to  the 
United  States  in  1854.  Of  their  union,  six  children 
were  born,  namely :  Juliane,  May  23,  1858,  married 
Holden  L.  Reisetter  Nov.  n,  1875,  and  resides  in 
Willow  Creek  Township,  Lee  County ;  Annie,  born 
Nov.  13,  1860,  married  Wm.  K.  Reisetter  March  29, 
1880,  also  a  resident  of  Willow  Creek  Township; 
Betsy,  born  July  26,  1862,  married  Ole  Solomonsen 
June  9,  1881,  and  resides  in  the  same  township; 
Lena,  born  Aug.  25,  1864;  Christina,  Feb.  10,  1869, 
and  Maria,  Oct.  24,  1876.  The  latter  three  reside 
at  home.  Politically,  Mr.  C.  is,  and  always  has  been 
since  the  formation  of  the  party,  a  Republican.  He 
has  served  as  School  Director  many  years,  and  Trus- 
tee of  the  village  of  Lee  several  years.  Religiously, 
he  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Lutheran 
Church. 


dward  Boyland,  farmer,  section  4,  Clinton 

Township,  was  born   in  Ireland,  June  14, 

r823-      His    parents,    Patrick    and   Sarah 

(Robinson)  Boyland,  natives  also  of  that  coun-     <Q> 

try,  passed  their  entire  lives  there. 

When  25  years  of  age,  Edward  emigrated  to 
the  "  land  of  the  free  and  the  home  of  the  brave," 
landing  in  New  Orleans,  La.,  and  coming  soon  after 
to  Chicago,  111.  In  the  fall  of  1851  he  came  to  De 
Kalb  County  and  purchased  162  acres  of  land  in 
Clinton  Township,  on  section  4,  where  he  has  since 
resided.  He  now  owns  242  acres,  most  of  which  is 
good  farming  land.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat, 
and  in  religion  both  himself  and  wife  are  members  of 
the  Catholic  Church. 

He  was  married  in   Chicago,  Sept.    17,   1851,  to 
Mary  A.  O'Brien,  a  native  also  of  "  Erin's  green  isle." 
__  ^4^N§£@ 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


The  living  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boyland  are 
three  in  number,  namely,  Sarah,  James  and  Cather- 
ine. They  have  lost  to  the  other  world  Patrick,  Jane, 
Edward  and  Mary. 


|arcusA.  Bartlett,  farmer,  residing  on  sec- 
tion 8,  Paw  Paw  Township,  is  the  owner 
of  80  acres  of  land.  He  is  a  native  of 
the  State  of  Ohio,  and  was  born  in  Thomp- 
son Township,  Geauga  County,  Dec.  25,  1816. 
His  parents,  Joseph  and  Temperance  (Pome- 
roy)  Bartlett,  were  residents  of  Geauga  County, 
where  the  father  followed  the  occupation  of  a  farmer. 

Marcus  was  brought  up  on  his  father's  farm  in 
Geauga  County.  He  attended  the  common  schools, 
and  assisted  in  clearing  300  acres  of  land  (of  the 
timber  that  grew  thereon),  and  aided  in  the  cultiva- 
tion of  the  same. 

He  was  married  Jan.  i,  1839,  to  Miss  Mary  A., 
daughter  of  Capt.  John  and  Nancy  (Crane)  Fowler. 
She  was  born  in  Westfield,  Hampden  Co.,  Mass., 
Oct.  10,  1811.  In  1840  he  and  his  family  emigrated 
from  Ohio  to  this  State  and  located  in  Bureau 
County,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  until  Feb- 
ruary, 1844.  At  that  time  he  came  to  Paw  Paw 
Township,  this  county,  and  made  a  claim  on  section 
9  of  that  township.  He  sold  his  claim  the  following 
year  and  purchased  the  property  on  section  8,  same 
township,  on  which  he  has  constantly  resided  to  the 
present  time. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bartlett  have  been  blessed  with  five 
children,  four  girls  and  one  boy.  Their  record  is 
given  as  follows  :  Cora  was  born  June  17,  1840,  in 
Ohio,  is  the  widow  of  Joseph  Haslett  and  resides  in 
West  Paw  Paw.  Louisa  was  born  in  Bureau  County, 
this  State,  Oct.  6,  1842,  and  died  Feb.  24,  1865. 
The  three  younger  were  born  in  Paw  Paw,  namely : 
Alice,  Oct.  10,  1846,  is  the  wife  of  A.  E.  Garnet,  of 
Chicago;  Emma  J.,  May  17,  1849;  Albert  F.,  Sept. 
9,  r8s2.  The  two  youngest  are  single  and  reside  on 
the  homestead. 

Politically,  Mr.  B.  was  a  member  of  the  old  Whig 
party,  but  on  the  organization  of  the  Republican 
party  joined  it  and  has  always  been  identified  and 
voted  with  it.  He  was  elected  one  of  the  first  Board 


of  Trustees  of  Paw  Paw  Township,  and  has  also  V 
served  as  Road  Commissioner  and  held  various  <^y 
school  offices. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bartlett  united  with  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  in  early  life,  and  have  been  con-   \&) 
nected  with  that  denomination  at  East  Paw  Paw  for 
many  years,  of  which  Mr.  B.  has  served  as  Class- 
Leader  and  Steward  for  over  30  years. 


anics  Fulton,  merchant  at  Waterman,  Clin- 
ton Township,  is  a  son  of  Thomas  and 
Elizabeth  (Thompson)  Fulton,  natives  of 
Scotland.  They  emigrated  to  Canada  in  r842, 
where  his  father  died.  His  mother  still  resides 
there.  They  were  the  parents  of  six  children. 
The  mother  was  married  a  second  time,  to  a  Mr. 
Cole,  by  whom  she  had  two  children, — Robert  J. 
Cole,  a  farmer  of  Vinton  Township,  and  Mrs.  J.  A. 
Armstrong,  of  Somonauk  Township. 

James  Fulton  was  the  youngest  of  his  father's 
family  and  was  born  in  Haldimand  Co.,  Ont.,  May 
r2,  1846.  He  resided  at  home,  took  advantage  of 
the  opportunities  afforded  by  the  common  schools, 
attended  the  High  School  at  Seneca  and  the  Normal 
School  at  Toronto,  and  developed  into  manhood. 
After  obtaining  his  majority  and  leaving  school,  he 
engaged  in  teaching,  which  vocation  he  followed  for 
six  years,  meeting  with  success.  Leaving  the  chair 
of  the  teacher,  Mr.  Fulton  turned  his  attention  to 
mercantile  pursuits,  and  engaged  in  business  at  Lang- 
ton,  Ont.  He  continued  in  his  business  at  that 
place  for  three  years,  then  sold  out  and  came  to 
Sandwich,  this  county.  On  arriving  at  the  latter 
place  he  engaged  as  a  clerk  and  followed  that  voca- 
tion for  seven  months. 

In  the  winter  of  i88r  Mr.  Fulton  removed  to 
Waterman  and  engaged  in  general  mercantile  busi- 
ness, which  he  has  continued  to  the  present  time. 
When  he  first  came  to  Waterman,  he  formed  a  part- 
nership with  J.  A.  Armstrong,  which  relation  existed 
until  September,  1884,  when  Mr.  Fulton  purchased 
his  partner's  interest  and  has  since  conducted  it 
alone.  His  business  is  a  progressive  and  successful 
one,  and  his  stock  ample  to  meet  the  wants  of  his 
customers.  His  annual  sales  approximate  $40,000. 

Mr.    Fulton    was    married    Nov.     14,     1871,    in 


| 
\\ 


I ; 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


\ 


Canada,  to  Miss  Jane  E.  Gray.  She  is  a  daughter 
of  George  and  Jane  (Charlton)  Gray,  natives  of 
New  York  and  England  respectively. 

Mrs.  Fulton  was  born  in  Portage,  N.  Y.,  May 
19,  1846,  and  is  the  mother  of  eight  children  by  Mr. 
Fulton,  namely  :  George  T.,  born.  Aug.  18,  1872; 
William  J.,  Jan.  14,  1874;  Annie  E.,  Oct.  19,  1875  ; 
Robert  B.,  May  13,  1877  ;  Walter  S.,  March  23, 
1879;  James  T.,Sept.  26,  1880;  Frederick  G.,  Sept. 
30,  1882,  and  Ella  C.,  Aug.  25, 1884. 

The  husband  and  wife  are  both  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  Politically  Mr.  Fulton  is  a 
Republican. 


A.  Kellogg,  liveryman  at  Sycamore,  was 
born  July  10,  1853,  in  the  township  of 
Genoa,  De  Kalb  County.  His  father,  Le- 
ander  P.  Kellogg,  was  born  in  the  State  of  Ver- 
mont and  came  to  De  Kalb  County  when  a 
young  man.  He  is  a  pioneer  of  De  Kalb 
County,  and  married  Melissa  Hutchinson  subsequent 
to  his  removal  to  Illinois.  He  settled  where  he  still 
resides  in  Genoa  Township,  and  is  the  proprietor  of 
a  large  and  valuable  farm,  containing  more  than  200 
acres  of  finely  improved  land. 

Mr.  Kellogg  is  the  fourth  of  seven  children  born 
to  his  parents.  He  passed  his  minority  under  the 
authority  of  his  parents  on  the  farm,  and  at  the  age 
of  21  he  made  a  contract  for  the  control  of  the  stage 
and  mail  route  between  Sycamore  and  Marengo, 
which  he  managed  seven  years.  In  the  fall  of  1881 
he  purchased  300  acres  of  land,  two  smiles  east 
of  Genoa,  in  the  township  of  the  same  name,  and 
was  a  resident  there.  .  He  is  now  the  owner  of  194 
acres,  which  he  rents.  After  residing  on  his  farm 
two  years,  he  bought  a  livery  stable  at  Sycamore  and 
rented  another,  situated  immediately  adjoining, 
where  he  is  engaged  in  the  traffic  common  to  livery 
establishments,  keeping  about  a  score  of  horses,  with 
an  excellent  quality  of  equipments,  and  also  man- 
ages a  feed  and  sale  stable.  He  also  conducts  a 
considerable  trade  in  carriages,  dealing  chiefly  in  the 
Lewis  Cook  manufacture,  of  acknowledged  repute. 
During  the  summer  seasons  he  keeps  a  hack  line  in 
operation  between  Sycamore  and  Genoa,  a  distance 
of  eight  miles,  making  three  daily  trips. 

Mr.  Kellogg  was  married  Oct.  n,  1876,  in  Genoa, 


to  Ida  M.  Wager;  they  are  the  parents  of  one  child, 
Flossie  Pearl,  born  Feb.  10,  1884.  Mrs.  Kellogg  was 
born  Aug.  13,  1858,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Henry 
and  Deborah  Wager.  Her  father  was  born  April  19, 
1819,  at  Davenport,  Delaware  Co.,  N.  Y.  He  be- V^ 
came  a  pioneer  of  the  State  of  Illinois  in  1837,  an<^ 
died  in  Genoa  in  1875. 

He  lived  at  Genoa  for  more  than  30  years,  well 
known  throughout  the  ^county  and  universally  re- 
spected.    In    the  City    Weekly,  of  Sycamore,   there 
appeared  at  the  time  of  his  death  a  sketch  of  his  life,  \ 
in  which  were  mentioned  some  of  his  characteristics  ^  5 
of  mind  and  heart.     The  following  is  the  tribute  re-   I 
ferred  to: 

He  successfully  battled  with  the  difficulties  con- 
nected with  a  new  country,  and  by  diligence  and 
economy  succeeded  in  gathering  around  him  an 
abundance  of  this  world  s  goods.  .  Mr.  Wager  was 
possessed  of  fine  business  ability,  and  by  strict  at- 
tention to  his  own  business  was  enabled  to  possess 
and  enjoy  the  large  property  he  has  left  behind  him. 
He  was  a  man  of  sterling  integrity,  fine  tact  and  no- 
ble sentiment.  He  died  as  he  had  lived  (as  far  as 
we  know),  without  an  ememy.  Mourned  by  many 
friends,  he  passed  slowly  and  gently  away,  the  victim 
of  the  cruel  disease,  consumption.  'Liberal,  but  un- 
ostentatious, kind,  manly  and  upright,  death  had  no 
terror  for  him,  nor  the  life  across  the  river  nothing 
but  anticipated  happiness  and  everlasting  rest.  To 
the  last  he  lived  the  golden  rule,  thinking  more  _for  /• 
others  than  for  himself.  Death  did  not  come  unan- 
ticipated. Before  the  cold  hand  had  been  placed  upon 
him,  he  had  said,  calmly  and  peacefully,  "  I  am 
ready  to  die."  In  his  death,  as  in  his  life,  there  was 
an  example  and  a  lesson.  The  funeral  service  was 
held  in  the  M.  E.  Church,  of  which  he  was  a  mem- 
ber for  over  25  years.  Rev.  Joseph  Caldwell  preached 
the  funeral  sermon.  A  large  and  sympathetic  con- 
gregation assembled  in  the  church  to  pay  their  last 
tribute  of  respect  to  their  friend  and  neighbor.  The  j 
family  circle  has  lost  a  husband  and  father;  the 
Church,  a  brother  and  friend ;  the  community,  an 
honest  and  faithful  citizen.  He  leaves  a  widow  and 
ten  children,  some  of  whom  are  married  and  settled 
in  life.  His  happy  soul  is  at  rest  in  the  heaven  of 
eternal  peace.  Among  his  friends  and  relations 

There  is  weeping  on  eartli  for  the  lost, 
There  is  bowing  in  grief  to  the  groun 
But  rejoicing  and  praise  'mid  the  sanctified  host, 


There  is  bourn;;-  in  grief  to  the  "round, 

rejoicing  and  praise  'mid  the 
For  a  spirit  in  Paradise  found! 


Though  brightness  has  passed  from  the  eartli, 

Yet  a  star  is  new  born  in  the  sky, 
And  a  soul  hath  gone  home  to  the 'land  of  its  birth, 

Where  are  pleasures  and  fullness  of  joy. 
And  a  new  harp  is  strung,  and  a  new  song  is  given, 

To  the  breezes  that  float  o'er  the  gardens  of  Heav 
Mr.  Wager  was  married  in  1846  to  Miss  Mehita- 

« ^3^ 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


S 


bel  Brown,  of  Sycamore.  She  died  in  1852,  and  in 
1856  he  married  Miss  Debora  Brown,  of  Sycamore, 
sister  of  his  first  wife.  He  left  a  farm  of  860  acres, 
nicely  improved,  and  a  large  amount  of  personal 
property.  His  wife  and  ten  children  are  living  at 
this  date  (1885). 

The  portraits  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kellogg  appear  in 
connection  with  this  sketch. 


lonzo  M.  Laport,  farmer,  residing  on  sec. 
it,  Paw  Paw  Township,  and  owner  of  780 
acres  of  land,  was  born  at  Sackett's  Harbor, 
Jefferson  Co.,  N.  Y.,  April  27,  1827.  He  is  a 
son  of  Narcis  and  Minerva  (Gardner)  Laport, 
of  French  descent  on  the  father's  side.  His 
mother  traces  her  descent  from  the  English  pilgrims 
who  crossed  the  ocean  in  the  Mayflower. 

Mr.  Laport  emigrated  to  this  State  with  his  par- 
ents in  1838.  They  came  by  way  of  the  lakes,  ar- 
riving in  Chicago  in  June  of  that  year.  From  the 
latter  place  they  moved  to  Sugar  Grove,  Kane 
County,  where  they  remained  until  1845,  and  in 
March  of  that  year  came  to  this  county  and  located 
in  Paw  Paw"  Township,  on  the  same  section  on  which 
Mr.  Laport  at  present  resides.  The  country  at  that 
time  was  so  sparsely  settled  and  markets  so  remote 
that  money  was  scarce  and  hard  to  procure.  Split- 
ting rails  at  50  cents  a  hundred,  or  cutting  cord-wood 
at  25  cents  a  cord,  was  accepted  as  a  generous  re- 
muneration by  many  hungry  applicants. 

Young  Laport,  in  hopes  of  finding  a  better  remune- 
ration for  his  labors,  went  to  Racine,  Wis.,  but  found 
work  scarce  in  that  neighborhood  ;  and,  to  satisfy  a 
hungry  appetite,  was  compelled  to  go  to  work  chop- 
ping wood  at  thirty-seven  and  a  half  cents  a  cord, 
and  board  himself.  Not  being  able  to  more  than 
make  his  board  at  those  figures,  he  moved  on  to 
Milwaukee.  He  soon  after  returned  to  Paw  Paw, 
better  contented  with  a  prairie  country  for  a  home. 

Mr.  Laport  enlisted  in  Co.  I,  First  Regt.  111. 
Vol.  Inf.,  in  1848,  to  serve  in  the  Mexican  War. 
He  served  in  Mexico  under  Gen.  Price,  and  was 
honorably  discharged  in  October  of  the  same  year. 
He  then  returned  to  Paw  Paw,  and  in  April,  1850, 
he  started  overland  for  California.  Arriving  in  that 
State,  he  spent  three  years  in  mining  and  returned 


to  Paw  Paw  in  1853,  and  again  engaged  in  farming, 
and  has  continuously  followed  that  vocation  until 
the  present  time. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Laport  to  Miss  Thirsa  A. 
Hyde  occurred  Nov.  22,  1855.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
James  and  Ruth  (Corbin)  Hyde,  and  was  born  in 
Brazier  Township,  Franklin  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Nov.  2,  1838. 
They  have  six  children,  four  girls  and  two  boys, 
whose  record  is  as  follows  :  Eva  H.  was  born  Nov. 
4,  1856,  and  is  the  wife  of  Win.  Edwards,  resident  of 
West  Paw  Paw,  Lee  County.  Thirsa  L.,  born  Sept. 
28,  1858,  is  the  wife  of  Wm.  Nesbitt,  a  resident  of 
Paw  Paw  Township.  Frank  A.  L.  was  born  Nov.  5, 
1860;  Maggie  E.,  Oct.  12,  1862;  Lucia  M.,  March 
3,  1866;  James  H.,  July  n,  1873. 

Mr.  Laport,  by  industry  and  good  management, 
has  accumulated  a  competency.  His  push  and 
pluck,  together  with  his  good  judgment,  has  accom- 
plished a  determination  formed  in  early  years  ;  and, 
looking  back  over  the  trials  of  the  past  and  compar- 
ing them  with  the  present,  he  has  the  satisfaction  of 
knowing  that  he  and  his  good  help-meet  overcame 
adversity,  and  to-day  enjoy  the  fruits  of  honest, 
energetic  endeavor.  He  and  his  wife  (for  Mr. 
Laport  is  one  who  believes  in  attributing  to  the 
good  wife  her  share  in  the  honors  won)  have  accu- 
mulated a  large  property.  He  has  one  of  the  largest 
and  best  stocked  farms  in  De  Kalb  County,  with 
good  residence  and  outbuildings,  and  to-day  they  sit 
by  the  fireside  of  content  surrounded  with  plenty. 

Mr.  L.,  politically,  has  voted  with  the  Republican 
party  ever  since  its  organization  in  1856.  He  has 
never  sought  an  office,  but  accepted  the  office  of 
Road  Commissioner  and  held  the  same  four  terms. 


ohn  A.  McCormick,  proprietor  of  the  Shab- 
bona  House  and  dealer  in  live  stock,  is  a 
native  of  Ireland.  He  was  born  in  the 
county  of  Tipperary,  May  7,  1842.  His  par- 
ents, Daniel  and  Mary  (Farrell)  McCormick, 
emigrated  with  their  family  to  Upper  Canada 
in  1853;  in  1855  they  removed  to  Chicago;  in  the 
spring  of  1859  to  Paw  Paw  Township,  this  county; 
and  the  following  year  John  A.  went  to  Texas,  where 
he  was  employed  at  railroading,  at  Galveston  and 
near  Houston. 
In  the  spring  of  1861,  after  the  breaking  out  of 


xr 
II 


1 


the  late  war,  he  made  his  escape  to  the  North,  re- 
turning to  his  home.  In  August,  1862,  at  Shabbona, 
he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Co.  E,  io5th  111.  Vol.  Inf., 
which  was  attached  to  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland 
under  Gen.  Thomas,  and  was  in  all  the  engagements 
participated  in  by  his  company  till  he  was  dis- 
charged, at  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  enlistment, 
in  June,  1865. 

He  then  engaged  in  farming,  in  Clinton  Township, 
this  county,  until  December,  1872,  when  he  came  to 
Shabbona  and  erected  the' "  Shabbona  House,"  which 
he  has  conducted  as  a  hotel  to  this  date.  Although 
it  is  the  only  hotel  in  the  place,  it  is  well  kept,  and 
the  proprietor  succeeds  well  in  his  business- as  land- 
lord. 

Mr.  McCormick  was  married  at  Aurora,  111.,  April 
24,  1870,  to  Miss  Julia  Cargan,  daughter  of  James 
and  Bridget  (Lalway)  Cargan.  She  was  born  in  the 
county  of  Meath,  Ireland,  Aug.  23,  1845,  and  emi- 
grated to  America  with  her  uncle,  Peter  Lalway,  in 
18158.  They  have  a  family  of  six  children  living,  all 
girls,  viz.  :  Mary  Elizabeth,  born  in  Clinton,  111., 
Feb.  16,  1871;  Nellie,  same  place,  Sept.  12,  1872; 
Treasa,  born  May  13,  1874,  died  five  days  afterward  ; 
Eva,  born  Feb.  9,  1876,  at  Shabbona;  Lucy,  born 
March  10,  1879,  died  Aug.  31,  following  ;  Kate,  born 
May  10,  1880;  Martha,  Dec.  23, 1882, at  Shabbona; 
and  Julia,  same  place,  Feb.  3,  1884. 

Mr.  McCormick  is  a  member  of  the  Village  Board 
of  Trustees,  and  an  officer  of  T.  S.  Terry  Post,  No. 
463,  G.  A.  R.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  in 
religion  Jx>th  himself  and  wife  are  members  of  the 
Catholic  Church. 


jilliam  Colton,  farmer,  section  17,  Clinton, 
Township,  is  a  son  of  Reuben  and  Rhoda 
(Law)  Colton,  who  were  natives  of  Massa- 
chusetts and  Connecticut  respectively,  and 
settled  in  New  York  State,  where  they  reared 
a  family  of  i  r  children, — Eunice,  Flavia,  Timo- 
thy, Orrel,  Clinton,  Oramel,  Betsey,  Martin,  Laura, 
William  and  Daniel. 

The  tenth  in  the  above  family,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  born  in  Tompkins  Co.,  N.  Y.,Oct.  4,  t8r  i. 
He  was  educated  at  the  common  school,  and  he 
inued  to  live  in  his  Viative  county  till  1846,  when 


he  came  to  Kane  Co.,  111.,  and  resided  in  Sugar 
Grove  Township  three  years.  In  1849  he  came  to 
this  county  and  purchased  50  acres  of  land  in  Clin- 
ton and  Shabbona  Townships,  settling  where  he  still 
makes  his  residence.  At  present  he  is  the  owner  of 
88  acres  in  this  county,  eight  of  which  is  in  timber. 

In  regard  to  political  issues  Mr.  Colton  acts  with 
the  Republican  party.  He  has  been  Overseer  of 
Highways  and  School  Director.  Both  himself  and 
wife  are  members  of  the  Second-Advent  Church. 

He  was  married  in  Dryden,  Tompkins  Co.,  N.  Y., 
Aug.  3,  1837,  to  Lucinda,  daughter  of  Abner  and  5 
Mary  (Todd)  Emery,  natives  of  New  England.     She  , 
was  born  in  Tompkins  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Aug  16, 1818.     Mr. 
and  Mrs.  C.  have  had  nine  children,  namely  :  Lovina, 
Lucretia  (deceased),  Sarah  A.,  Maria,  Franklin,  W. 
Luther,  Samuel  C.  (deceased),  Carrie  L.  and  Charles 
Wesley.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Emery  have  also  had  nine 
children, — Stephen,    Lucinda,    Lucretia,    Mary    A., 
Franklin,  Frederick,  Hiram,  Sarah  and  Eleazer. 


•  ames  L.  Adams,  farmer,  section  7,  Paw  Paw  = 
Township,  (P.  O.,  East  Paw  Paw)  has  60  ^ 
acres  of  land.  He  was  born  in  Boston,  ^ 


i.,  in  April,  1814,  and  is  the  son  of  Albe-  , 
gence  and  Catharine  Adams.  He  lost  his 
parents  in  early  youth;  left  Boston  in  1824 
and  removed  to  Otsego  Co.,  N.  Y.  From  the  latter 
place  he  removed  to  Allegany  County,  and  from  there 
to  Chicago,  111.,  in  1836.  He  spent  a  few  months  as 
clerk  in  a  drug-store  in  that  city,  and  in  the  fall  of 
that  year  removed  to  Aurora.  He  opened  the  first 
general  store  on  the  east  side  of  that  town,  and  con- 
tinued in  business  there  two  years,  and  then  he  went 
to  Sugar  Grove,  Kane  County,  where  he  was  engaged 
in  farming. 

He  was  married  in  Sugar  Grove,  in  March,  1839, 
to  Martha  J.  Barnes,  daughter  of  Jabez  and  Mary 
Barnes.  Nine  children  were  born  to  them, — five 
sons  and  four  daughters  :  Alfred,  born  June  1 6,  1 840, 
married  and  is  living  in  Oregon ;  Lucina,  born  Aug. 
5,  1842,  died  aged  two  years;  Martha  J.,  born  April  ^ 
20,  1844,  is  the  wife  of  Henry  S.  Griffeth,  of  Webster, 
Iowa;  Jabez  A.,  born  Oct.  24,  1846,  married  Ellen 
Persons  and  resides  in  Iowa  ;  John  Q.,  born  April  3, 
1848,  lives  in  Lehigh,  Iowa  ;  Kate,  born  Aug.  3, 1849, 


>v*' lives  with  her  brother  in  Dakota;  Robert  A., born 
:?  Dec.  10,  1852,  married  Lizzie  Edwards  and  lives  in 
^  Dakota ;  Mary  A.,  born  Feb.  10, 1854,  wife  of  Spencer 
Griffeth,  of  Paw  Paw  Township;  Douglass  A.,  born 
Oct.  23,  1856,  married  Miss  Lake  and  lives  in  Dako- 
ta; Sarah  F.,  born  Aug.  9,  1858,  resides  in  Milling- 
ton,  111. ;  Mrs.  Adams  died  April  29,  1862. 

Mr.  Adams  moved  to  Shabbona  Grove  in  1849, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  merchandising  about  four 
years.  He  then  removed  to  East  Paw  Paw  and  con- 
tinued in  the  same  business  till  1859,  when  he  went 
to  California.  He  spent  three  years  in  that  State, 
during  which  time  he  was  engaged  in  mining  and  in 
dispensing  justice  as  a  frontier  'Squire.  He  returned 
to  De  Kalb  County  in  1862. 

He  was  married  again  March  3,  1864,  in  Greens- 
town,  111.,  to  Mrs.  Harriet  Firkins,  widow  of  Asahel 
Firkins,  and  daughter  of  James  H.  and  Hannah 
(Preston)  Miller.  Mrs.  Adams  was  born  in  Monroe 
Co.,  Mich.,  Jan.  25,  1823.  One  child  was  born  of 
*  their  union,  March  26. 1865,  a  daughter  named  Nellie 

•^  A.  Soon  after  his  last  marriage  Mr.  Adams  engaged 
in  farming  on  his  present  farm.  In  his  religious 
views  he  favors  the  Universalists.  In  politics  he  is 
a  Democrat. 


eorge  Jackson,  dealer   in    general    hard- 
ware, stoves,  tinware,  farm  machinery  and 
barbed  wire  at  Shabbona,  was  the  first  man 
to  open  a  tin  shop  in  the  village  named.     He 
opened  his  shop  in  March,  1874,  and  contin- 
ued the  same  for  about  a  year,  when  he  "  closed 
out."     In  October,  1876,  he  resumed  his  business  at 
i  that  point,  putting  in  a  stock  of  general  hardware, 
stoves  and  tinware,  and  has  carried  on  the  business 
continually  ever  since,  covering  a  period  of  about  nine 
years. 

In  1 88 1,  Mr.  Jackson  began  dealing  in  farm 
machinery,  making  a  speciality  of  McCormick's  ma- 
chines and  the  Bassett  and  Ottawa  wagons.  He  has 
continued  in  the  latter  line  until  the  present  time. 
His  stock  on  hand  averages  $4,000,  and  his  business 
is  a  steadily  increasing  and  prosperous  one. 

Mr.  Jackson  is  a  son  of  Jonathan  and  Mary  (Wilds) 
Jackson,  and  was  born  in  Schenectady,  N.  Y.,  Sept. 
850.     He  received  a  common-school  education 

S«^ < 


in  his  native  city  and  early  in  life  learned  the  tinner's 
trade.  In  1870  he  came  to  this  county  and  located 
at  Shabbona  Grove.  He  opened  the  pioneer  tin  shop 
of  that  place  and  continued  the  same  until  1872,  at 
the  time  the  village  of  Shabbona  was  started.  For 
two  years  from  that  time  he  was  engaged  in  farming, 
and  then  located  in  Shabbona  and  opened  a  shop,  as 
before  stated. 

Mr.  Jackson  was  married  at  Shabbona,  Oct.  16, 
1872,  to  Miss  Camelia  E.,  daughter  of  Nicholas  and 
Maria  (Quilhot)  Kittle.  She  was  born  at  Shabbona 
Grove,  Dec.  5,  1850.  Three  children  constitute  the 
issue  of  their  union, — one  son  and  two  daughters. 
Their  record  is  as  follows :  Bertie  was  born  Jan.  24, 
1874;  Ethel,  Oct.  14,  1883;  and  Lizzie,  July  22, 1881. 

Politically,  Mr.  Jackson  is  a  believer  in  and  sup- 
porter of  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party. 


ifflfiljkenry  W.  Leifheit,  "  mine  host  "  of  the  Clin- 
ton House  at  Waterman,  is  the  son  of 
Henry  and  Frederica  (Hartman)  Leifheit. 
^  They  were  natives  of  Germany  and  emigrated 
to  the  United  States  in  1852,  settling  in  York- 
ville,  Kendall  County,  this  State.  The  follow- 
ing spring,  1853,  they  came  to  this  county  and  located 
in  Somonauk  Township,  where  they  resided  for  two 
years,  and  then  returned  to  Kendall  County.  Four 
years  later  they  returned  to  Somonauk,  resided  there 
two  years  and  then  moved  into  Clinton  Township, 
where  they  are  at  present  residing.  They  were  the 
parents  of  nine  children  :  Henry  W.,  August,  William, 
Fred,  Herman,  Caroline,  Alvina,  Anna  and  Minnie. 
Henry  W.  Leifheit  was  born  in  Germany  Dec.  4, 
1840,  and  was  T2  years  of  age  when  he  crossed  the 
ocean  with  his  parents.  He  remained  with  them  on 
the  farm,  assisting  his  father  in  its  cultivation  and 
taking  advantage  of  the  opportunities  afforded  by  the 
common  schools,  until  he  attained  the  age  of  maturity. 
On  reaching  that  age,  he  rented  a  farm  in  this  county, 
on  his  own  responsibility,  and  successfully  cultivated 
the  same  for  four  years.  His  next  move  was  to  Iro- 
quois  County,  this  State,  where  he  bought  a  farm,  on 
which  he  resided  for  seven  years.  Selling  his  farm, 
he  purchased  a  hotel  in  the  village  of  Ashkum,  that 
county,  and  for  one  and  a  half  years  was  engaged  as 
landlord  of  the  same.  He  then  sold  his  hotel  and 


i 


Of  TIE 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


came  to  Clinton  Township  and  engaged  in  the 
saloon  business.  He  continued  in  the  latter  busi- 
ness for  three  years,  until  1877,  then  sold  and 
purchased  the  hotel  at  Waterman,  of  which  he  is  at 
present  proprietor.  His  hotel  is  known  as  the  "  Clin- 
ton House,"  and  is  conducted  in  a  manner  entirely 
satisfactory  to  his  guests.  He  is  as  genial  and  gen- 
tlemanly as  one  could  wish  to  meet,  and  the  pains 
he  takes  to  attend  to  the  wants  of  his  guests  and 
make  their  stay  at  his  hotel  pleasant  is  appreciated, 
as  instanced  by  his  constantly  increasing  business. 

Mr.  Leifheit  was  united  in  marriage  in  Oswego, 
Kendall  Co.,  this  State,  Nov.  25,  1860,  to  Miss  Jo- 
anna Wollenweber,  daughter  of  Earnest  and  Hattie 
Wollenweber,  natives  of  Germany,  in  which  country 
her  father  died.  Her  mother  came  to  this  country 
with  her  children,  in  1857.  They  had  nine  children, 
namely:  Earnest,  Augusta,  Henry,  William,  Joanna, 
Charles,  Minnie,  Carrie  and  Eureka. 

Mrs.  Leifheit  was  born  in  Germany  Dec.  30,  1840, 
and  came  to  the  United  States  with  her  mother  in 
1857,  as  stated.  She  is  the  mother  of  10  children 
by  Mr.  L.,  namely:  Willie,  born  July  16,  1862; 
Emma,  Dec.  n,  1863;  George  W.,  April  10,  1865; 
Albert,  Aug.  26,  1867;  Ida,  Jan.  16,  1870;  Millie, 
March  21,  1872;  Emmett,  Feb.  4,  1874;  Delia, 
March  3,  1877;  Carrie,  Aug.  4,  1879;  and  Jessie 
M.,  Dec.  22,  1 88 1.  William,  Emma  and  Ida  are 
deceased. 

Mr.  Leifheit  is  a  member  of  Lodge  No.  580,  I.  O. 
O.  F.,  and  politically  is  identified  with  the  Dem- 
ocratic party. 


^P=™?-Larle8  H.  Low,  deceased,  oldest  son  and 
second    child   of  William  R.    and   Lydia 
(Christy)  Low,  was  born  in  Mariposa,  Vic- 
toria Co.,  Ont.,  Oct.  4,    18515.     He  died  at 
Sandwich,  Jan.  10,  1884.     Although  the  rec- 
ord of  his  brief  career  must  be  wholly  memo- 
rial, it  must  also  be  typical,  and  pre-eminently  valu- 
able from  the  traits   which  characterized  him   and 
from  what  he  achieved.     From  the  beginning  of  his 
conscious  existence  he  was  an   extraordinary  [child. 
.  .    His  love  for  learning  commenced   with   his  under- 
®    standing  of  the  existence  of  knowledge,  and  even  in 
""    his  earliest  school  days  his  intellect  flashed  like  a 


gem  in  a  less  brilliant  setting.  All  branches  of  study 
delighted  him,  and  while  he  attained  wonderful  prog- 
ress in  science  and  Latin,  he  reveled  in  the  field  of 
mathematics,  which  was  the  element  of  his  nature, 
in  the  curriculum  of  instruction.  His  mind  was  in- 
herently systematic,  and  its  development  was  self- 
constructed  step  by  step,  advancing  like  a  mathe- 
matical series.  He  was  the  possessor  of  uncommon 
powers  of  demonstration,  and  the  rapidity  with  which 
he  reached  his  conclusions  proved  alike  the  clearness 
of  his  perceptions  and  the  accurate  methods  of  his 
mental  operations.  The  testimonials  of  his  teachers 
express  a  uniform  estimate  of  the  quality  of  his  in- 
tellect and  his  remarkable  precocity.  Without  excep- 
tion he  impressed  his  instructors,  not  only  with  his 
superior  abilities  but  also  with  the  sterling  worth  of 
his  character,  even  in  his  earliest  boyhood.  His 
parents,  brothers,  sisters  and  other  family  relatives 
were  regarded  by  him  with  the  tenderest  considera- 
tion, and  no  instance  is  remembered  by  them  in 
which  he  wavered  or  was  recreant  to  the  deep  and 
abiding  home  love  which  was  the  predominating 
excellence  of  his  character. 

He  came  to  Illinois  with  his  parents  in  1856,  and 
was  then  less  than  a  year  old.  He  lived  with  them 
at  Shabbona  Grove  until  the  age  of  1 1  years,  and 
from  1866  until  1869  lived  at  Piano.  Previous  to  the 
date  when  his  father  became  a  resident  of  Sandwich, 
he  had  only  the  advantages  of  the  public  schools ; 
but  he  waited  not  on  opportunity.  He  utilized  every 
privilege  that  presented  itself,  and  while  his  waking 
hours  were  crowded  with  effort  he  paid  grateful 
homage  to  all  to  whom  he  believed  himself  indebted 
for  assistance  in  his  march  of  progress.  There  was, 
in  his  composition,  no  room  for  the  exercise  of  evil 
proclivities  toward  any  one.  He  loved,  trusted  and 
believed  in  all  with  whom  he  was  brought  in  contact, 
and  he  received  from  others  measure  running  over 
of  that  which  he  gave.  He  was  the  object  of  un- 
qualified affection  and  unrestricted  confidence,  and 
was  believed  in  implicitly  by  all  who  came  to  know 
him  intimately. 

When  he  entered  the  school  taught  at  Sandwich 
by  A.  J.  Sawyer,  now  an  attorney  at  Lincoln,  Neb., 
he  was  less  than  1 2  years  of  age,  a  frail  lad  with 
locks  yet  in  their  boyish  fairness ;  he  was  found  to 
possess  a  comprehensive  understanding  of  Robin- 
son's Higher  Arithmetic  and  Algebra,  Greene's  Eng- 
lish Grammar,  of  Philosophy  and  History  and  the 

:^V^ ^^^ -$@£&®, 


vx 


560 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


commoner  English  branches,  in  which  he  passed  a 
satisfactory  examination  and  was  placed  in  the  High 
School  department.  Mr.  Sawyer  says  of  him  :  "  For 
four  years  he  was  rarely,  if  ever,  absent  from  his  seat. 
He  was  not  only  brilliant  in  scholarship,  mastering 
the  most  difficult  studies  with  the  greatest  ease',  but 
he  was  exemplary  in  deportment,  manly  in  conduct, 
generous  in  impulse  and  kind  and  accommodating  to 
all  his  classmates."  These  were  the  traits  that  char- 
acterize h,is  whole  life. 

Mentally,  he  was  equipped  for  a  business  life  at 
16,  and  in  1872  he  became  an  office  boy  in  the  em- 
ployment of  the  Sandwich  Manufacturing  Company 
and  rose  by  virtue  of  merit  in  six  years  to  the  posi- 
tion of  confidential  clerk.  The  route  by  which  he 
attained  his  preferment  need  not  be  outlined  The 
fact  of  the  achievement'  is  its  own  explanation. 
Through  one  year  he  was  the  assistant  of  J.  Phelps 
Adams,  Secretary  of  the  Company  ;  and  let  it  be  re- 
marked in  passing,  that  while  the  natural  traits  of 
"  Charlie  "  were  so  unusual,  it  must  still  be  remem- 
bered that  the  associations  and  influences  in  which 
his  business  qualities  developed  were  of  rare  type  and 
contributed  largely  to  his  advancement.  The  oppor- 
tunities he  enjoyed  through  the  years  of  his  personal 
relations  with  the  gentleman  named  were  of  incalcu- 
lable advantage  in  shaping  his  career.  He  went 
early  in  1883  to  Kansas  City  as  manager  of  the 
southwestern  department  of  the  company's  interests. 
In  August,  1883,  having  been  offered  a  responsible 
position  by  William  Deering,  of  Chicago,  which  he 
thought  would  eventually  afford  him  greater  scope 
for  work  and  achievement,  with  reluctance  and  re- 
gret on  the  part  of  the  company — his  employer  from 
childhood — and  himself,  he  resigned  his  position  at 
Kansas  City  and  entered  the  services  of  Mr.  Deering 
in  a  responsible  place  in  his  great  agricultural  works 
at  Chicago.  Mr.  Deering  had  the  highest  appreciation 
of  his  character  and  abilities.  Some  weeks  later,  he 
started  for  Oregon,  California  and  the  far  West  in  be- 
half of  his  employer.  He  took  leave  of  his  home  and 
friends  with  reluctance.  The  way  seemed  long  and 
the  burdens  onerous.  It  was  afterward  remembered 
that  the  face,  always  worn  with  intense  mental  strain, 
was  unusually  sharpened,  and  that  the  hitherto  tire- 
less, indomitable  spirit  faltered  in  view  of  its  impend- 
ing labors  and  fatigues.  But  no  one  guessed  that  he 
stood,  even  then,  within  the  mystic  shadow  of  the 
unseen  world.  He  was  seized  with  malarial  illness 

&%&& *&> ^ 


at  Salt  Lake  City,  and  though  he  received  every  care  '*   , 
and  attention  from  friends  to  whom  he  was  as  dear 
as  their  own,  his  instincts  drew  him  resistlessly  back 
to  the  home   at   Sandwich.     Following  are  the  last 
words  he   traced  with   the  hand  that  had  inscribed  v£ 
countless  loving  messages  to  the   loved  ones   under 
the  home  roof-tree  : 

SALT  LAKE  CITY,  UTAH,  Dec.  28,  1883. 
Dear  Folks: 

I  am   getting  better,  but  do  not  get   an  appetite  v 
as  I   should,   and    I  am    going  to  wait  here  for  it.  ' 
The  doctor  says  I  can  go  home  easy  enough  now,  but 
I  think  it   is   too  long  a  ride  to  take  on   an  empty  ^ 
stomach,  and  so  shall  wait  until  I  eat  better.       Will 
then  go  to  Sandwich   and  try  your  cooking.      Am 
better  this  A.  M.  than  any  time  yet,  and  it  will  only 
be  a  few  days  before  I  start. 

Yours,  etc.,         C.  H.  Low. 


And   he  came,    even    though    he   knew    that    to 


come  would  in  all  likelihood  be  at  the  risk  of 
his  sole  chance  for  recovery.  But  he  took  it,  and  he 
kept  the  holiday  of  the  opening  year  in  the  home  he  A?. 
had  craved  to  see  once  more  with  an  irresistible 
longing.  Hope  never  faltered  or  grew  dim  while 
consciousness  lasted;  but  the  remorseless  fever  sap- 
ped  his  life  forces,  and  though  the  encroachments  of 
the  grim  guest  were  contested  inch  by  inch  with  every 
device  of  science  and  love,  the  splendid  intellect  fell  ( 
at  last  in  ruin,  and  the  brave  heart  became  still.  He 
was  borne  away  to  that  house  "  whose  curtain  never 
outward  swings"  with  decorous  ceremonial;  but 
neither  the  fragrance  nor  the  beauty  of  the  wealth  of 
flowers,  nor  the  sympathy  of  the  friendly  throng,  could 
soften  the  pang  of  irreparable  loss. 

The  manhood  of  Charles  H.  Low  began  where  his 
boyhood  ended.  After  that  he  was  no  more  a  child. 
He  answered  to  the  claims  of  society,  morality  and 
the  customs  which  govern  the  business  world  with  an 
alacrity  that  finds  few  parallels  in  a  generation.  He 
was  a  member  of  Meteor  Lodge,  No.  283,  at  Sand- 
wich, of  Sandwich  Chapter,  No.  107,  R.  A.  M.,  and 
of  Aurora  Commandery,  No.  22,  Knights  Templars.  f( 
Each  of  the  Masonic  organizations  to  which  he  be- 
longed passed  the  usual  resolutions  when  he  died, 
and  the  funeral  exercises  were  conducted  by  the 
Knights  of  Aurora  Commandery  and  the  Masonic 
societies  of  which  he  was  a  member.  They  were 
held  in  the  Congregational  church,  where  he  had  rent- 
ed a  pew  from  1877,  about  the  time  he  became  of  age. 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


*  *      He  died  when  a  little  more  than  28  years  old,  as 
rA  we  note  the  succession  of  years,  but 

If  lives  he  long  which  answer  life's  great  ends, 
Where  shall  we  fix  the  sum  that  numbered  thine? 
fa       The  portrait  of  the   subject  of  this  sketch,  which 
^^  appears  on  another  page,  is  inserted  in   this  volume 
by   his    parents    as    a    perpetual    monument   to  the 
memory  of  their  beloved  son. 


on.  Robert  Hampton,  fanner,  residing  on 
section  7,  Paw  Paw  Township,  and  owner 
of  369  acres'  of  land  (postoffice,  East  Paw 
Paw),  was  born  in  Ontario,  Can.,  March  27, 
1821,  and  is  a  son  of  James  and  Clarissa  (Mc- 
Carty)  Hampton.  He  emigrated  from  Canada 
and  settled  in  Adams  County,  this  State,  in  1838, 
where  he  resided  until  1846,  and  then  came  to  this 
county,  locating  in  Paw  P^w  Township. 

Mr.  Hampton  was  married  in  Hancock  County, 
this  State,  Jan.  i,  1843,  to  Miss  Lydia,  daughter  of 
Frederick  and  Catharine  (Walters)  Zemmer.  She 
was  born  in  Fairfield  Co.,  Ohio,  July  16,  1818. 
Eight  children  constitute  the  issue  of  their  union, 
and  their  record  is  as  follows:  Hiram  D.,  born  March 
7,  1844,  died  Aug.  13,  1858;  William  S.,  born  Oct. 
12,  1846,  was  educated  for  the  ministry  and  ordained 
by  the  Congregational  Church  :  he  married  Celestia 
A.  Wood,  and  is  the  Principal  of  the  Congregational 
Academy  at  Franklin,  Neb.;  Joseph  P.,  born  Feb.  28, 
1848,  married  Catharine  J.  Nicholson,  and  resides  in 
Green  Co.,  Iowa;  Marietta,  born  Feb.  23,  1850,  is 
residing  with  her  parents;  Robert  F.,  born  Feb.  3, 
1852,  married  Elizabeth  C.  Dienest,  and  resides  in 
Paw  Paw  Township;  Riley  J.,  born  Sept.  29,1854, 
married  Sarah  A.  Henderson,  and  resides  in  Lee, 
Lee  County;  Lydia  A.,  born  Sept.  7,  1857,  married 
Thomas  P.  Dalton,  of  Lee  ;  Harriet  D.,  born  May  21, 
1860,  married  Samuel  M.  Henderson,  a  resident  of 
Clinton  Township,  this  county.  As  an  item  of  family 
history,  we  mention  the  fact  that  all  the  children  ex- 
cept two  were  teachers.  They  all  have  a  good  edu- 
cation, procured  at  the  common  schools  and  under 
parental  instruction,  and  are  well-to-do  in  life. 

Mr.  Hampton  is  a  gentleman  possessing  fine  ex- 
ecutive ability,  which  fact  the  citizens  of  his  township 
and  of  the  county  were  not  slow  to  discover  and  ap- 


preciate,  and  have  kept  him  in  office  almost  con- 
stantly since  his  residence  in  Paw  Paw  Township. 
He  was  elected  Supervisor  of  his  township  at  an  early 
day,  and  at  the  expiration  of  his  term  was  re-elected, 
has  held  the  office  12  terms,  and  is  the  present  in- 
cumbent of  the  same.  He  has  served  as  Township 
Trustee  for  16  years  and  Road  Commissioner  several 
years ;  was  elected  Justice  of  the  Peace,  served  seven 
years,  and  is  the  present  incumbent  of  that  office.  In 
1866  he  was  elected  to  the  Illinois  Legislature  from 
the  57th  Representative  District,  on  the  Republican 
ticket,  and  served  on  several  important  committees. 
In  1873  he  was  supported  by  the  farmers  for  the 
office  of  Treasurer  of  De  Kalb  County,  and  was 
elected  by  a  good  round  majority.  Politically,  Mr. 
Hampton  is  a  zealous,  working  Republican.  In 
early  life  he  was  a  Democrat,  but  left  that  party  in 
1854,  and  on  the  organization  of  the  Republican 
party  in  1856  he  cast  his  vote  for  John  C.  Fremont, 
and  has  since  been  identified  with  that  party. 

Religiously  Mr.  Hampton,  together  with  several  of 
his  family,  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church. 


renius  Bailey,  farmer  owning  168  acres 
on  section  33,  Shabbona  Township  and 
resident  thereon,  was  born  in  Schoharie  Co., 
N.  Y.,  June  21,  1823.  His  parents,  Asa  and 
Anna  (Me  Neil)  Bailey,  moved  from  Schoharie 
to  Saratoga  County,  his  native  State,  when; 
Cyrenius  was  about  13  years  old,  and  in  the  latter 
county  he  was  reared  and  educated,  receiving  his 
education  in  the  common  schools. 

He  was  married  in  Saratoga  County,  in  Ballston, 
the  county  seat,  Dec.  14,  1853,  to  Miss  Jane  A., 
daughter  of  Jesse  and  Amanda  (Pawling)  Morey, 
descendants  from  the  Revolutionary  patriots.  She 
was  born  in  Ballston,  March  15,  1826.' 

Mr.  Bailey  came  to  this  State,  with  his  family,  in 
1856,  spent  one  year  at  Paw  Paw,  Lee  County,  and, 
in  1857,  moved  on  the  land  on  which  he  is  at  present 
residing.  The  land  was  in  its  natural  state,  and  Mr. 
Bailey  entered  at  once  upon  the  laborious  task  of  im- 
proving it,  confident  the  future  development  of  the 
country  would  add  greatly  to  the  value  of  his  prop- 
i  erty,  and  determined  19  establish  a  home  for  himself 


and  family.  How  well  he  has  succeeded  the  condi- 
tion and  value  of  his  farm  will  testify. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bailey  are  the  parents  of  seven  chil- 
dren, two  living  and  five  deceased.  The  record  is 
as  follows :  Anna  A.,  born  Sept.  24,  1854,  is  the 
wife  of  George  B.  Flinders,  a  resident  of  Cherokee 
Co.,  Iowa.  Emma,  born  Aug.  3,  1856,  married  Byron 
Hinds,  and  moved  to  Iowa  :  she  had  two  children, 
and  died  Jan.  12,  1882.  Asa,  born  Oct.  30,  1858, 
lives  in  Cherokee  Co.,  Iowa.  Hattie  M.,  born  May 
20,  :86r,  died  March  14,  1862.  Jennie,  born  April 
7,  1863,  died  April  30,  1884.  Edwin  C.,born  March 
26,  1865,  died  Feb.  23,  1867.  Clara,  born  Nov.  i, 
1867,  died  Aug.  21,  1868. 

Mr.  Bailey,  politically,  is  a  Republican.  He  has 
been  Assessor  two  years,  and  has  held  other  minor 
offices.  Religiously,  he  and  his  wife  are  both  mem- 
bers of  the  Baptist  Church. 


F.  Post,  farmer,  section  2,  Shabbona  Town- 
ship, was  born  in  Potsdam,  St.  Lawrence 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  April  20,  1826,  his  parents  being 
John  and  Jerusha  (Fuller)  Post,  and  was 
reared  on  the  farm.  He  emigrated  to  Illinois 
in  the  spring  of  1850,  passed  the  ensuing  sum- 
mer in  Kane  Co.,  111.,  and  in  the  fall  came  to  John- 
son's Grove,  this  county.  In  1865  he  purchased  a 
farm  of  90  acres  and  it  now  comprises  254  acres,  in 
Shabbona  Township. 

Mr.  Post  has  been  an  active  citizen  in  local  inter- 
ests. He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Masonic  lodge 
at  Shabbona  for  20  years ;  was  a  Whig  in  early  life, 
and  has  been  a  steadfast  Republican  since  the  organ- 
ization of  that  party ;  and  in  religion  he  (as  well  as 
his  wife)  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational  Church 
of  Shabbona. 

He  was  married  April  26,  1854,  in  Aurora,  111.,  to 
Miss  Mariett,  daughter  of  Hanford  and  Dorcas 
(Perry)  Hoselton.  She  was  born  at  Lyme,  Jefferson 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  Nov.  10,  1833.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Post  have 
had  two  sons  and  three  daughters,  as  follows :  Ida 
M.,  born  April  6,  1857,  is  now  the  wife  of  A.  J. 
Chandler,  of  Plymouth  Co.,  Iowa;  Emery  A.,  born 
March  2,  1859,  married  Lineaetta  Stimpson  and  lives 


in  Shabbona  Township;  Eddie  M.,  born  Nov.  29, 
1861,  died  March  28,  1864;  Elma  D.,  born  Nov.  i, 
1869;  and  Mabel  E.,  Oct.  29,  1873. 


ewis  Nelson,  farmer,  section  26,  Squaw 
Grove  Township,  is  a  son  of  Nels  and  Ane 
(Kirstine)  Jepson,  who  passed  their  lives  in 
their  native  country,  Denmark,  having  three 
children, — Sarah,  Jeppe  and  Lewis.  The  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Denmark,  Jan.  7, 
1844,  lived  there  till  1868,  came  to  America  and  for 
two  and  a  half  years  worked  out  on  a  farm  in  Som- 
onauk  Township;  next  he  worked  two  years  in 
Whiteside  Co.,  111.,  and  then  in  1873,  he  returned  to 
Denmark  on  a  visit  for  about  two  months.  He  came 
again  to  the  "  land  of  opportunity  "  and  first  bought 
80  acres  of  land  in  Squaw^Grove  Township,  which 
he  afterward  sold,  and  purchased  159  acres,  which  he 
now  occupies,  on  section  26,  as  above  mentioned. 
Most  of  his  place  is  in  a  good  state  of  cultivation. 

He  was  married  in  Chicago  Oct  6,  1877,  to  Chris- 
tiane  Johnson,  who  was  born  in  Denmark,  March  19, 
1856,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  two  children, — 
Agnes  L.  and  Harvey  M. 

In  his  political  views  ,Mr.  Nelson  is  a  Republican. 


illiam  Harper,  deceased,  was  a  pioneer  of 
Paw  Paw  Township.  He  was  born  in  Ar- 
gyle,  Washington  Co.,  N.  Y.,  June  19, 
1815.  When  13  years  of  age  he  removed 
with  his  parents,  James  and  Elizabeth  (Black) 
Harper,  to  Sterling,  Cayuga  Co.,  N.  Y.,  was 
brought  up  on  a  farm  and  in  1844  emigrated  to  Illi- 
nois, arriving  in  Paw  Paw  Township,  De  Kalb  County, 
in  September  of  that  year.  He  entered  120  acres  of 
Government  land  on  section  14,  and  subsequently 
added  to  it  by  purchase  till  he  had  720  acres  at  the 
time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  July  6,  1881,  at 
the  old  farm. 

Mr.  Harper  was  married  in  Sterling,  N.  Y.,  April 
25,  1848,  to  Sarah  Irwin,  daughter  of  John  and  Jane 
(Kirk)  Irwin.  Mrs.  Harper  was  born  in  the  town  of 


*  '**" 


^KT 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


Argyle,  Washington  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Aug.  16,  1814.  Im- 
mediately after  their  marriage  they  made  their  home 
in  Paw  Paw  Township,  111.  There  were  five  chil- 
dren born  of  their  union,  four  boys  and  one  girl , 
Mary  J.,  born  April  14,  1849  ;  William,  Sept.  i,  1850, 
died  Jan.  n,  1857;  Thomas,  born  June  28,  1852, 
married  Katie  Santee,  who  died  Jan.  27,  1885  :  he  is 
a  resident  of  Wyoming,  Lee  Co.,  111.;  James,  born 
Dec.  2,  1853,  married  Bertha  Patrick,  and  lives  at 
East  Paw  Paw;  John  K.,born  July  15, 1856,  married 
Mary  C.  Davis,  and  lives  at  the  old  homestead  in 
Paw  Paw  Township. 

Mr.  Harper  was  a  Democrat  in  early  life,  but  on 
the  formation  of  the  Republican  party  he  joined 
that  organization,  and  continued  to  vote  that  ticket 
while  he  lived.  He  was  a  member  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Ross  Grove,  and  was  a  very 
liberal  contributor  toward  the  building  of  the  church, 
and  subsequently  to  its  support.  The  estate  has 
been  divided  among  the  hews.  His  estimable  wife 
survives  him  and  makes  her  home  at  the  old  home- 
stead. She  also  is  a  member  of  the  United  Presby- 
terian Church. 


nry  Husk,  farmer,  owning  157   acres  lo- 
cated on  sections  22,  23,  26  and  27,  Shab- 
*  bona  Township,  and  residing    at   Shabbona  vil- 
lage, was  born  in  Auburn,  Cayuga  Co.,  N.  Y., 
Jan.  7,  1835.     He  is  a  son  of  Daniel  and  Cath- 
arine (Quilhot)    Husk,   with   whom  he  resided 
until  1848. 

Mr.  Husk  received  a  good  common-school  educa- 
tion in  his  native  State,  and  assisted  his  father  until 
the  year  1848.  During  that  year  he,  with  his 
brother  William,  emigrated  to  this  State  and  June  9 
located  at  Shabbona  Grove.  Some  time  afterward 
he  purchased  a  farm  located  on  sectibn  16,  Shabbona 
Township.  He  cultivated  and  improved  this  place 
for  a  time,  then  moved  on  a  farm  located  on  section 
1 1,  same  township.  He  followed  the  occupation  of 
a  farmer  on  the  latter  place,  until  1876,  during  which 
time  he  succeeded  in  putting  the  farm  in  a  good  till- 
able condition.  He  then  sold  his  farm  and  subse- 
quently purchased  the  land  he  owns  on  sections  22, 
23,  26  and  27.  On  Feb.  28  of  that  year  named,  he 
moved  to  Shabbona  village. 

Politically,  Mr.  Husk  is  a  Republican.     He    has 

g^gS(*n  >VfrT'          C   * 

sii/X*V^vS^ 


held  several  important  local  offices,  and  is  the  pres- 
ent Deputy  Sheriff,  which  office  he  also  held  in  1864. 
He  was  also  Collector  of  taxes  five  years  and  Con- 
stable 12  years. 

Mr.  Husk  was  married  in  Shabbona  Grove,  Jan.  i, 
1855,  to  Miss  Mary  J.,  daughter  of  John  and  Cath- 
arine Palm.  She  was  born  in  Southington,  Trum- 
bull  Co.,  Ohio,  Sept.  3,  1838,  and  is  the  mother  of 
two  children  by  Mr.  H.,  namely:  Elizabeth  M.  was 
born  Oct.  14,  1858,  and  is  the  wife  of  Lloyd  Bous- 
lough,  a  resident  of  Shabbona  village ;  Mary  B.,  born 
Nov.  8,  1860,  is  residing  with  her  parents.  Relig- 
iously, Mrs.  Husk  and  her  daughter  Mary  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Congregational  Church. 


sahel  B.  Byers  is  one  of  the  most  extens- 
,  ive  farmers  and  stockmen  in  the  township 
of  South  Grove,  and  resides  on  section  10. 
He  was  born  Oct.  22,  1831,  in  Delaware  Co., 
N.  Y.  James  Byers,  his  father,  was  a  native 
of  Scotland,  and  a  farmer  by  profession ;  he 
came  to  the  American  continent  when  he  was  a  i 
years  of  age,  bringing  with  him  his  wife,  to  whom  he 
was  married  just  before  taking  a  final  leave  of  his 
native  land.  He  came  to  De  Kalb  County  in  1841, 
and  purchased  several  hundred  acres  of  land  in 
South  Grove  Township,  where  he  was  one  of  the 
pioneer  settlers.  His  death  occurred  Dec.  9,  1874, 
when  he  was  77  years  of  age.  Jane  (Scott)  Byers, 
the  mother,  was  the  child  of  Scotch  parents,  and  was 
a  most  valuable  acquisition  to  the  early  social  ele- 
ment of  the  township  where  she  settled  with  her 
husband.  She  died  Nov.  7,  1873,  when  she  wa's  78 
years  old.  They  became  the  parents  of  six  children, 
four  of  whom  are  yet  living,  and  all  are  residents  of 
the  State  of  Illinois.  Three  live  in  De  Kalb  County. 
Mr.  Byers  is  the  fifth  child  of  his  parents,  and  was 
ten  years  of  age  when  they  came  to  Illinois.  In 
their  early  days  the  order  was  -hard  work  and  limited 
education,  but,  while  the  difficulties  held  sway  to  a 
certain  extent  and  proved  a  great  inconvenience, 
they  tended  to  mature  judgment  and  convert  experi- 
ence into  education  of  a  valuable  character.  Mr 
Byers  was  married  Feb.  21,  1856,^11  Mayfield  Town- 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


't  ship,'  to  Mary  A.  McRae.  She  is  the  daughter  of 
"<*  5  Christopher  and  Celinda  (Phelps)  McRae,  respect- 
»  ively  of  Scotland  and  New  England.  After  their 
marriage,  they  removed  to  Ontario,  Can.,  where  the 
;  daughter  was  born,  Nov.  n,  i8;u-  When  she  was 
15  years  old,  her  parents  came  to  De  Kalb  County, 
and  she  resided  with  them  until  her  marriage.  Her 
father  died  in  Mayfield  Township,  in  May,  1858. 
Her  mother  is  still  living,  aged  87  years,  and  resides 
at  Waterloo,  Iowa,  with  a  daughter. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Byers  settled  on  a  farm  which  they 
y  >  had  previously  purchased,  consisting  of  500  acres 
of  land,  and  he  is  now  the  proprietor  of  i  ,300  acres 
of  land,  all  under  improvement,  besides  a  farm  of 
1 90  acres,  part  of  which  is  included  in  the  village  of 
Kirkland.  He  is  an  extensive  dealer  in  sheep,  cattle 
and  hogs,  and  takes  a  leading  rank  as  a  breeder  of 
stock  and  in  general  farming.  In  political  faith  and 
action  Mr.  Byers  is  a  Republican  and  has  discharged 
the  duties  of  several  local  offices  in  his  township. 

The  family  includes  eight  children — Christie  A., 
James,  Fred,  Margaret,  Jessie,  Frank,  Flora  and 
Myrtie  S. 

As  one  of  the  leading  agriculturists  in  De  Kalb 
County,  and  a  gentleman  altogether  worthy  the  posi- 
tion, we  present  the  portrait  of  Mr.  Byers  in  this 
volume. 


& 


vX 


idrew  Clapsaddle,  farmer,  on  section  24, 
Paw  Paw  Township,  was  born  in  Herkimer 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  March  30,  1824.     His  parents, 
George  A.  and  Nancy  (Bellinger)  Clapsaddle, 
were  of  German  descent  and  followed  agricul- 
ture.    In  1848  he  came  West  to  "  spy  out  the 
land,"  resulting  in  the  purchase  of  his  present  farm, 
consisting  of  360  acres.     At   that  time,  however,  he 
returned  East,  and  moved  to  his  new  Western  home 
in    1850.      He    has   improved   and    developed    his 
property  till  he  is  now  ranked  among  the  foremost 
of  the  wealthy  farmers  of  the  county.     In  his  politi- 
cal views  he  is  an  old-time  Democrat. 

He  was   married  in  this  county,  July  16,  1861,  to 
i    Mrs.  Mary  L.  Heustis,  widow  of  Miles  Heustis  and 
*   daughter   of  Alman   Ames.     Mrs.   C.  was    born   in 
@)    Otsego  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Nov.   12,  1830,  and  died  July  22, 
1870,  leaving  three  sons  and  two  daughters,  namely, 

g>X^)f|«« ^€^ & 


Frank  J.,  born  Nov.  21,  1862;  Esther  A.,  March 
1864;  Alman  A.,  Nov.  25,  1865;  George  F.,  Nov. 
19,  1867,  and  Mary  N.,  June  5,  1870.  Mr.  Clap- 
saddle  was  married  again  June  24, 1875,  in  Cass  Co., 
Mich.,  to  Miss  Mary  Walter,  daughter  of  George 
and  Elizabeth  (Harter)  Walter,  who  was  born  in 
Herkimer  Co.,  N.  Y.,  April  9,  1834. 


oses  Bartlett,  who  is  a  farmer  on  section 
9,  Paw  Paw  Township,  where  he  has  79 
acres,  is  one  of  the  pioneers  of  this  part 
of  the  county.  He  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Hampden,  Geauga  Co.,  Ohio,  Oct.  u,  1825,  his 
parents  being  Joseph  and  Temperance  (Pome- 
roy)  Bartlett.  He  received  a  common^school  edu- 
cation. 

In  the  fall  of  1840  the  family  emigrated  by  team 
from  Ohio  to  Bureau  Co.,  111.,  where  Moses  assisted 
his  father  in  conducting  the  farm  until  the  spring  of 
1843,  when  they  removed  to  Paw  Paw  Township,  set- 
tling on  Government  land,  which  is  still  the  residence 
of  Mr.  Bartlett. 

He  was  married  at  Ross  Grove,  Paw  Paw  Town- 
ship, June  10,  1848,  to  Miss  Martha  R.  Harper, 
daughter  of  James  and  Elizabeth  (Black)  Harper. 
Mrs.  B.  was  born  in  the  town  of  Sterling,  Oswego 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  March  19,  1823,  and, died  Oct.  2,  1872, 
leaving  one  child,  Lester  A.,  who  was  born  May  21, 
1849,  and  in  December,  1871,  married  Jennie  Blair. 
They  moved  in  1884  to  Concordia,  Cloud  Co.,  Kan.; 
they  have  four  children— three  sons  and  a  daughter. 

Mr.  Bartlett,  whose  name  heads  this  sketch,  was 
married  a  second  time  Oct.  n,  1873,  in  Clinton 
Township,  this  county,  to  Mrs.  Mary  Christy,  widow 
of  John  Christy  and  daughter  of  James  and  Jennie 
(Dobbin)  McAllister.  She  was  born  in  Greenwich, 
Washington  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Feb.  6,  1826.  By  her  first 
marriage  she  had  the  following  five  children :  James 
B.,  born  Feb.  10,  1851,  died  Aug?  29  following; 
Martha  J.,  born  Dec.  n,.i853,  died  Aug.  29,  1854; 
Alpha,  born  Aug.  9,  1855,  died  Sept.  22,  1856;  Alice, 
born  July  20,  1857,  died  Aug.  25,  1858;  Charles  W., 
born  July  26,  1859,  married  Maggie  Morrow,  Jan.  i, 
1884,  and  resides  in  West  Paw  Paw,  Lee  County. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bartlett  have  an  adopted  daughter, 
Eva,  who  was  born  Sept.  12,  1861,  and  whom  they 

— *®^ *»fe 


Q 


KALB   COUNTY. 


adopted  at   the  age  of  two  years.     She  is  a  school- 
teacher by  profession. 

In  politics  Mr.  Bartlett  is  a  Republican,  and  has 
been  such  since  the  organization  of  the  party.  He 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Congregational 
Church  of  Ross  Grove,  in  which  society  he  has  held 
the  the  office  of  Deacon  over  30  years. 


'  vando  W.  White,  a  farmer  on  section  27, 
Shabbona  Township,  was  born  in  Preble 
Co.,  Ohio.,  Jan.  24,  1849,  and  when  three 
years  of  age  his  parents,  Lemuel  and  Nancy 
(Morrow)  White,  removed  with  him  to  Boone 
Co.,  Ind.  He  was  brought  up  to  agricultural 
work  and  received  a  common-school  education.  In 
November,  1865,  he  came  to  Shabbona  Township, 
this  county,  locating  at  Shabbona  Grove.  He  pur- 
chased his  present  farm  of  100  acres  in  the  spring 
of  1880. 

Mr.  White  was  married  at  Shabbona  Grove,  Aug. 
15,  1875,  to  Annie  Lockey.  She  was  the  daughter 
of  David  and  Elizabeth  Horn,  and  was  the  adopted 
daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Enoch  Lockey,  natives  of 
Whitestown,  Ind.,  and  they  came  to  Sandwich,  De 
Kalb  Co.,  111.,  in  1866.  She  remained  with  them 
until  her  marriage.  She  is  the  mother  of  three  chil- 
dren: May,  born  March  20,  1879;  Gracie,  born 
April  20,  1881  ;  and  Jennie,  Dec.  17,  1882.  The 
mother  was  born  in  New  York,  Nov.  9,  1855. 

In  politics  Mr.  White  has  always  voted  the  Re- 
publican ticket. 


|fi£|jC  rank  H-  Perry,  merchant  at  Waterman, 

L-£'.'">    Clinton   Township,  is   a   son  of  Henry  L. 

'•>    and  Charlotte  (Hall)  Perry,  natives  of  New 

^^  York.     They  came  to  this  State  and  settled  in 

f,,  Aurora  in  1853.  While  on  a  visit  to  Water- 
man, this  county,  his  father  was  taken  ill  and 
died.  His  mother  still  survives  and  is  a  resident  of 
Aurora.  The  issue  of  their'  union  was  eight  children, 
namely:  Aimer  K.,  Edwin  S.,  Amitta,  Harvey  O., 
Frank  H.,  Newton,  Mary  A.  and  Ella  M. 

Frank  H.   Perry,  the  subject  of  this  biographical 
notice,  was  born  in  Oneida  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Jan.  25,  1845. 


r 

inducts  the  business  at  the  present  ti  s 
stock  approximating  $20,000,  and   j  * 


He  remained  under  the  parental  roof-tree,  assisting 
his  father  on  the  farm  and  attending  the  common 
schools,  until  he  attained  the  age  of  manhood. 

Arriving  at  the  age  of  maturity,  Mr.  Perry  engaged 
as  clerk  in  a  store  at  Aurora,  which  position  he  held  .t 
for  seven  years.  Resigning  his  position,  he  opened 
a  general  store  at  Kaneville,  Kane  Co.,  this  State. 
He  continued  in  the  business  at  the  latter  place  for 
five  years,  meeting  with  success,  and  then  removed 
his  stock  of  goods  to  Waterman,  this  county,  the 
date  of  his  removal  being  the  fall  of  1879.  At  the  v 
latter  place  he  cond 
time,  carrying  a  stock  approximating 
does  an  annual  business  of  about  $45,000.  Mr.  Perry 
may  be  said  to  have  spent  all  his  past  years  in  the 
mercantile  business,  at  least  since  maturity;  and  he 
is  perfectly  familiar  with  all  its  details. 

He -was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Eunice  O. 
Merrill,  Dec.  14,  1874.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Chester 
L.  and  Seraph  S.  (Wiswell)  Merrill,  natives  of  New 
York.  Mrs.  Perry  was  born  in  Troy,  N.  Y.,  June  27, 
1851. 

Mr.  Perry  is  a  believer  in  and  supporter  of  the 
principles  and  doctrines  of  the  Democratic  party. 
He  was  elected  Township  Treasurer  in  the  fall  of 
1883  and  still  holds  the  office.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  Order. 


\l 


eorge  H.  Clapsaddle,  residing  on  section 
24,  Paw  Paw  Township,  and  owning  160  v 
acres  thereon,  is  a  son  of  George  A.  and 
Nancy  (Bellinger)  Clapsaddle,  and  was  born  *j 
in  Frankfort,  Herkimer  Co.,  N.  Y.,  March  17,  * 
182  r.  His  father  was  a  farmer  by  occupation, 
and  George  was  brought  up  on  the  farm,  alternating 
his  labors  thereon  by  attendance  at  the  common 
schools,  until  he  attained  the  age  of  17  years.  On 
attaining  that  age,  he  was  apprenticed  to  learn  the 
shoemaker's  trade,  which  he  followed  for  two  years, 
mastered  and  followed  more  or  less  until  1850.  Dur- 
ing that  year  he  came  to  Paw  Paw  Township,  this 
county,  and  in  the  fall  purchased  the  farm  he  at 
present  owns  and  on  which  he  resides.  The  land 
was  in  its  natural  condition,  and  after  purchasing  it 
from  the  Government,  Mr.  C.  at  once  entered  upon 


568 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


its  improvement,   and  by  energetic  labor  has  placed 
it  in  the  excellent  condition  it  is  in  at  this  time. 

Mr.  Clapsaddle  was  married  in  Erie  Co.,  N.  Y., 
Oct.  i,  1855,  to  Miss  Clarissa,  daughter  of  Abram 
(§/  and  Electa  (Whitney)  Snook.  She  was  born  in 
Lenox,/ Madison  Co.,  N.  Y.,  June  4,  1832,  and  is  the 
mother  of  the  following  children :  Lelia  M.,  born 
March  12,  1863,  died  Sept.  4,  1875;  Alvin  G.,  born 
July  9,  1866,  died  Oct.  27,  1867  ;  John  H.,  born 
Feb.  20,  1869,  died  Jan.  9,  1870;  Alvin  A.,  born 
March  29,  1871. 

Politically,  Mr.  C.  has  been   identified  with  the 
^    Democratic  party  all  his  life.     Religiously,   Mrs.  C. 
is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church. 


f  homas  Harper,  farmer  and  breeder  of'  full- 
blooded  Norman  horses,  is  a  resident  of 
Wyoming,  Lee  County,  has  112  acres,  and 
lives  on  section  1 1 ;  postoffice,  West  Paw  Paw. 
He  was  born  in  Paw  Paw  Township,  De  Kalb 
Co.,  111.,  June  28,  1852,  and  is  the  son  of  Wil- 
liam and  Sarah  (Kirk)  Harper.  He  received  an 
academic  education  and  was  brought  up  to  agricul- 
tural pursuits. 

He  was  married  at  East  Paw  Paw,  May  i,  1876, 
to  Miss  Katie  Santee,  daughter  of  James  and  Caro- 
line (May)  Santee.  Mrs.  Harper  was  born  in  Grand 
de  Tour,  Lee  Co.,.Ill.,  June  23,  1857.  Two  children 
were  born  of  their  union,  a  daughter  and  son  :  Gracie, 
born  Dec.  29,  1878,  and  Benjamin,  July  30,  1880. 
Mrs.  Harper  died  Jan.  27,  1885. 

Mr.  Harper  was  engaged  in  farming  in  Paw  Paw 
Township  and  moved  to  his  present  farm  Sept.  9, 
1884.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 


J'ohn  Houghtby,  farmer,  section  21,  Shab- 
bona Township,  was  born  in  Northorsby, 
Lincolnshire,  England,  Sept.  19,  1819,  a 
son  of  William  and  Susannah  (Hadkins) 
Houghtby.  He  was  by  occupation  a  "  gentle- 
man's bailiff."  He  emigrated  to  the  United 
States  in  1876,  reaching  Shabbona  in  June,  and  pur- 
chased his  present  fine  farm,  which  comprises  240 
acres. 

He  was  married  Dec.  19,   1839,  at  Ashton-under- 


Line,  Lancashire,  Eng.,  to  Miss  Margaret,  daughter 
of  John  and  Bessie  (Calvert)  Gibson,  who  was  born 
in  that  shire  Sept.  5,  1815.  They  had  eight  children, 
namely:  George,  born  Oct.  5,  1840,  is  married  and 
lives  in  Shabbona;  Susannah,  born  July  19,  1843,  is 
the  wife  of  John  Lightbown,  in  England ;  Titus  C., 
born  June  18,  1845,  died  July  9,  1874;  Charles  G., 
born  Aug.  6,  1850,  married  Ettie  Abel  and  resides  in 
Shabbona  Township;  Elizabeth  C.,  born  Dec.  22, 
1852,  is  the  wife  of  Cornelius  Hall,  residing  in  Eng- 
land; Mary  A.,  born  March  3,  1855,  is  the  wife  of 
Wesley' C.  Nicholson, of  Shabbona;  John,  born  March 
i,  1858,  married  Elizabeth  Stimpson  and  resides  in 
Shabbona  Township ;  and  Sarah  J.,  born  March  27, 
1 86 1,  is  now  the  wife  of  George  Ray,  of  Shabbona. 

Mr.  Houghtby  and   family   are   members   of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Shabbona. 


>n.  Henry  M.  Boardman,  farmer,  residing 
on  section  4,  Paw  Paw  Township,  is  the 
owner  of  437  acres  in  that  township  and  320 
in  Pocahontas  Co.,  Iowa.  He  is  the  son  of 
Charles  G.  and  Submit  (Wadkins)  Boardman, 
and  was  born  in  Pittsford,  Rutland  Co.,  Vt.,  Dec.  12, 
1831. 

When  Henry  was  five  years  old,  his  parents  moved 
to  Rutland,  his  native  county,  and  he  received  his 
education  in  the  public  and  high  schools  of  that  place. 
His  days  of  minority  were  passed  on  the  farm.  In 
1854  he  came  to  this  State  and  was  employed  by  a 
marble  firm  at  Joliet  for  about  15  months.  In  the 
spring  of  1855  he  came  to  Paw  Paw  Township,  this 
county,  and  purchased  the  farm  on  which  he  at 
present  resides. 

Mr.  Boardman  was  married  Feb.  6,  1855,10  Miss 
Caroline,  daughter  of  Wait  and  Mary  (Bacon)  Chat- 
terton.  She  was  born  in  Rutland,  Rutland  Co.,  Vt., 
Aug.  15,  1833.  Two  children  were  born  of  their 
union:  Francis  A.,  May  23,  1862,  married  George  S. 
Hyde,  a  farmer  residing  in  Paw  Paw  Township; 
Jennie  M.,  born  March  17,  1867,  died  Oct.  19,  1867. 
Mrs.  Boardman  died  July  30,  1867,  and  Mr.  B.  form- 
ed a  second  matrimonial  alliance  Nov.  18,  1868,  in 
Paw  Paw  Township,  with  Miss  Christianna,  daughter 
of  Norman  H.  and  Catharine  (Hart)  Powers.  She 
was  born  in  Earl,  La  Salle  County,  this  State,  Feb. 




*s 


THF  UBHAfir 
IF  IK 

UMIVEHSiTy  OF  ILLHtOiS 


COUNTY. 


22,  1846,  and  came  to  this  county  with  her  parents 
in  1848.  Four  children  were  the  issue  of  their  union, 
namely:  Ellen,  born  July  5,  r874;  Norman  H.  and 
Catharine  S.  (twins),  born  Aug.  to,  1876 ;  and  Charles 
W.,  born  Nov.  n,  i88t. 

Politically  Mr.  Boardman  is  a  Republican,  and 
has  held  several  important  official  positions,  as  well 
as  minor  offices.  In  1882  he  was  elected  to  the  State 
Legislature  from  the  I7th  District,  on  the  Republican 
ticket,  and  served  in  the  term  of  1882-3,  with  credit 
to  himself  and  entire  satisfaction  to  his  constituents. 
He  has  served  eight  terms  as  Assessor  and  five  terms 
as  Supervisor  of  Paw  Paw  Township. 

Mr.  Boardman  is  one  of  those  who  have  accumu- 
lated their  possessions  through  honest  industry  and 
fair  dealing,  and  is  a  respected  and  esteemed  citizen 
of  the  county.  He  and  his  wife  are  both  members 
of  the  Congregational  Church  at  Paw  Paw. 


obert  H.  Harper,  deceased,  an  early 
pioneer  of  Paw  Paw  Township,  was  born  in 
the  town  of  Argyle,  Washington  Co.,  N.  Y., 
June  n,  1813,  and  was  the  son  of  James  and 
Elizabeth  (Black)  Harper.  He  .removed  to 
Cayuga  County  in  early  life,  and  was  married 
March  20,  1840,  to  Ann  Oswald.  Mrs.  Harper  was 
born  in  Oswego  Co.,  N.  Y.,  July  10,  1817.  They  had 
three  children:  James,  born  Jan.  2,  1842,  married 
Elizabeth  Nisbet  and  lives  in  Paw  Paw  Township ; 
George,  born  Aug.  3,  1845,  was  a  soldier  of  the  late 
war  and  subsequently  of  the  U.  S.  regular  army  ;  he 
died  at  the  age  of  24  years ;  Malcom,  born  April  3, 
1848,  died  in  infancy.  Mrs.  Harper  died  May  30, 
1848,  and  Mr.  Harper  was  married  again  Oct.  9, 
1852,  in  the  Township  of  Victor,  De  Kalb  County,  to 
Mrs.  Ann  Anderson,  daughter  of  Robert  and  Janet 
Brown.  Her  parents  were  born  in  Scotland.  Mrs. 
Harper  was  born  in  Canada,  near  Pearth,  Oct.  z, 
1821,  and  came  to  Illinois  in  1850.  Four  children 
were  born  of  their  union :  Malcom  C.,  Nov.  7,  1859; 
Anna  M.,  born  Feb.  7,  1861,  is  the  wife  of  John  W. 
Arnold  and  is  a  resident  of  Iowa.  Alice  M.,  born 
Dec.  9,  1862,  died  Jan.  16,  1864;  Robert  B.,  born 
Feb.  9,  1867. 

Mr.  Harper  came  to  Paw  Paw  July  20,  1848,  at 
which  time  he  purchased  the   farm   on    which    his 
widow  now  resides.     He  had  240  acres  of  land,  and 
®>5€£@fl«« 5%£%JC ©-A 


was  engaged  in  farming  in  Paw  Paw  continuously  to 
the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  March  28, 
1882.  Mr.  Harper  was  a  member  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  Church,  a  liberal  donor  toward  the  con- 
struction of  the  Ross  Grove  church,  and  a  generous 
supporter  of  the  same  for  many  years.  In  politics  he 
was  a  Republican. 


orge   Henry  Read,  deceased,  a   former 
resident  of  Sycamore,  and  whose  portrait 
we  present  on  the  opposite  page,  was  born 
April  12,  1826,  in  the  province  of  New  Bruns- 
wick.    His  paternal  grandparents  were  natives 
of  Massachusetts  and  went  to  the  provinces 
about  the  date  of  the  Revolutionary  War. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  only  12  years 
of  age  when  his  parents  came  to  Kane  Co.,  111., 
and  located  in  the  township  of  Virgil,  where  he  was 
reared  on  the  farm  and  attended  the  public  schools. 
In  1852  he  went  with  his  brother  to  Australia,  where 
he  spent  three  years  in  the  gold  mines.  On  his  re- 
turn  from  there  he  settled  in  Kane  County,  where  he 
was  married,  in  July,  r856,  to  Adeline,  daughter  of 
Samuel  and  Susan  (Bannister)  Worcester.  Her 
father  was  born  six  miles  from  Boston,  Mass.,  and 
accompanied  his  parents  to  Vermont  when  he  was 
six  years  of  age.  He  married  a  lady  of  Vermont 
birth,  who  descended  from  ancestors  of  Massachusetts 
origin.  Mrs.  Read  was  bori\  Aug.  4,  1832,  in  West 
Windsor,  Vt.  When  she  was  nine  years  of  age — in 
1841 — her  parents  removed  to  Illinois  and  became 
pioneers  of  Virgil  Township,  Kane  County.  They  | 
journeyed  hither  by  stage  from  Windsor  to  Troy,J 


thence  by  the  Erie  Canal  to  Buffalo,  taking  steamer 
passage  from  that  city  to  Chicago,  whence  they  were 
brought  by  a  team  to  Lily  Lake.  Her  father  bought 
a  claim,  where  he  built  a  house  and  resided  nine 
years,  when  he  sold  out  and  bought  a  second  farm 
one  and  a  half  miles  distant  from  the  first.  On  this 
he  resided  until  his  death  in  1860.  Her  mother  died 
in  January,  1882. 

Soon  after  marriage  Mr.  Read  settled  near  Maple  : 
Park,  Kane  County,  where  he  owned  a  tract  of  land  ;  : 
containing  300  acres.  On  this  he  built  a  frame  house  c  / 
and  other  necessary  and  suitable  farm  structures.^* 
In  1865  he  bought  a  similar  acreage  situated  four®, 
miles  from  the  first  and  containing  a  good  equipment 


-••'  V'i':'    - 


572 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


of  buildings.  He  removed  his  family  thither  and  it 
formed  his  field  of  operations  until  December,  1874. 
At  that  date  he  disposed  of  the  estate  by  sale,  bought 
four  acres  of  city  property  at  Sycamore,  with  a  resi- 
dence, and  moved  there.  In  1876  he  bought  a  farm 
on  section  34,  Sycamore  Township,  where  he  resided 
until  his  death,  April  18,  1883. 

In  1870  Mr.  Read  purchased  a  considerable  tract 
of  land  in  Hardin  Co.,  Iowa,  and  in  1882  he  bought 
300  acres  of  wild  land  in  Cherokee  Co.,  loWja,  where 
he  erected  necessary  farm  buildings.  To  these  he  gave 
considerable  personal  attention,  but  never  became  a 
resident  of  the  State. 

Mr.  Read  was  a  man  of  excellent  traits  of  charac- 
ter, and  possessed  qualities  which  received  for  him 
general  esteem  and  respect.  His  leading  character- 
istic was  a  spirit  of  boundless  charity,  and  he  was 
frequently  mentioned  as  a  philanthropist. 

Mrs.  Read  occupies  the  homestead  at  Sycamore. 
She  wrote  the  following  lines  on  the  death  of  her 
husband : 

He  came  in  youthful  vigor 

And  wooed  me  for  his  bride; 
How  glad  was  I  to  welcome 
And  go  with  him  in  pride! 

And  now  1  see  the  shadow 

Of  Death's  wing  o'er  him  fall; 

I  libt  the  knell's  sad  peeling; 
O'er  him  is  spread  the  pall. 

My  stricken  heart  is  bleeding; 

Mv  eyes  with  tears  are  dim; 
My  life  is  dark  with  anguish; 

Earth's  joys  have  flown  with  him. 
The  neighbor  and  the  stranger 

Gaze  on  with  troubled  sighs. 
Alas!  they  mourn  the  flat 

That  caused  the  sacrifice. 
But  all  fades  into  nothing 

Beside  a  wife's  deep  woe. 
And  the  helpless  grief  of  sisters, 

And  that  his  brothers  know. 
But  calm  the  heart's  wild  tumult 

Subdue  the  murmuring  will- 
In  meekness  bear  the  chastening 

And  bid  the  tempest  still. 


'  ohn  Dixon,  farmer,  section  7;  Squaw  Grove 
Township,  was  born  in  Canada,  Nov.   29, 
1820,  and  was  a  farmer  in  the  Dominion 
nil  the  spring  of  1865.     He  then  came  to 
e  Kalb  County  and  located  in   the  township 
af  Clinton.     In  the  spring  of  1874  he  removed 
to  Squaw  Grove  Township,  and,  associated  with   his 


sons,  William  and  John,  bought  305  acres,  on  which 
the  homestead  was  established.  He  is  an  adheren 
to  and  supporter  of  the  Republican  party. 

The  first  marriage  of  Mr.  Dixon  occurred  in  Can- 
ada, when  Louisa  Perry,  a  native  of  the  Dominion,  ^ 
became   his   wife.     After   becoming   the  mother   of 
seven  children,  she  died,  in  Clinton  Township,  May 
12,  1873.     Her  children  were  named   Robert,  Sarah, 
John,  William,  Maud,  Ida  and  Cyrus  L.     The  sec- 
ond marriage  of  Mr.  Dixon,  to  'Rebecca  Owen,  took 
place  at  Sandwich,   Dec.   10,    1874.     She   was1  born   V 
March  5,  1835,  in  Perry  Co.,  Pa. 

I 


rnest  S.  Chambers,  farmer,  residing  on  the 
southeast  quarter  of  section  26,  Afton 
Township,  was  born  in  Piano,  Kendall  Co., 
Ill ,  April  7,  1859.  He  is  a  son  of  Moses  and 
Sarah  (Tyler)  Chambers.  His  father  was  born 
in  Wayne  Co.,  Pa.,  Aug.  26,  1821,  and  resides 
with  his  son  on  section  26.  His  mother  was  born  in 
Tompkins  Co.,  N.  Y.,  April  8,  1821,  and  died  on  the 
home  farm  in  Afton  Township,  March  16,  1880. 

Ernest  S.  Chambers,  subject  of  this  notice,  came 
to  this  county  with  his  parents  when  but  six  weeks 
old  and  has  resided  here  ever  since.  His  education 
was  received  in  the  common  schools,  and  the  major 
portion  of  his  years  previous  to  majority  were  passed 
on  a  farm.  He  has  one  brother  and  two  sisters 
living,  namely:  Leuverna, born  Aug.  29,  1848,  mar- 
ried Henry  Richmond  and  resides  at  DeKalb;  Ade- 
lia,  born  Jan.  2,  1850;  and  Fred  S.,  born  July  22, 
1864,  at  present  living  in  Iowa  and  working  at  his 
trade,  that  of  a  carpenter. 

Mr.  Chambers  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Phena  S.,  daughter  of  Lansing  E.  and  Lurena  De 
Forest,  Dec.  20,  1882.  Her  father  was  born  in 
Southville,  HerkimerCo.,  N.  Y.,  May  10,  1832,  and 
her  mother  in  "German  Flats," Herkimer  Co.,  N.  Y., 
Dec.  31,  1831.  Both  are  living  in  this  county.  Her 
father  is  a  carpenter  and  worked  at  his  trade  after 
coming  to  this  county.  He  has  a  farm  which  he 
rents,  and  he  lives  in  the  village  of  De  Kalb.  He 
and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  seven  children, 
namely:  Ella  M.,  born  Oct.  24,  1852,  in  Oneida  Co., 
N.  Y.;  Elizabeth  A.,  born  Dec.  25,  1855,  in  Oneida 
County,;  Eugene  A.,  born  Feb.  17,  i854;Tnvena 


Jg 

I 
5 

* 

( 


^ 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


fborn  in  1857,  and  died  July  9,  1866  ;  Phena  S.,  born 
Oct.  18,  1861;  Carrie  M.,  born  Jan.  i,  1864,  and 
Lettie  E.,  born  July  3,  1870. 

Politically,  Mr.  Chambers  is   a  Republican.     He 
f§i  has  followed  the  vocation  of  a  farmer  all  his  life,  and 
truly  representative  and  practical  gentleman. 


f;  aul  H.  Nichols,  farmer  and  tile  manufac- 
irer,  resident  on  section  22,  Squaw  Grove 
Township,  is  the  son  of  Cyrus  C.  and  Al- 
mira  (Avery)  Nichols.  The  former  was  born 
in  Vermont,  the  latter  in  New  York,  and  after 
their  marriage  they  were  resident  in  the  former 
State  five  years,  subsequently  removing  to  the  State 
of  New  York.  In  1845  they  removed  to  Kane  Co., 
111.  In  1859  they  located  in  Squaw  Grove  Town- 
ship, where  the  father  died,  July  31,  1872.  The 
mother  is  yet  living.  Mr.  Nichols  had  three  sisters, 
all  older,— Fanny  A.,  Rhoda  D.  and  Sally  H. 

He  was  born  July  12,  1834,  in  Chenango  Co.,  N. 
Y.,  where  he  attended  the  public  schools.  He  ac- 
companied his  parents  in  their  various  removals, 
and,  since  November,  1859,  has  been  a  resident  of 
the  township  of  Squaw  Grove.  He  is  the  owner  of 
400  acres  of  land,  and  is  ranked  among  the  leading 
farmers  and  business  men  of  his  township.  In  1879 
he  embarked  in  the  manufacture  of  drain  tile,  in 
which  he  is  prosecuting  relations  of  rapidly  extend- 
ing popularity.  The  clay  bed  which  had  been  pre- 
viously utilized  in  the  manufacture  of  brick  to  some 
extent,  proved  on  more  extended  investigation  to  be 
of  the  most  superior  character  known  in  the  business, 
a  fact  entirely  unsuspected  by  Mr.  Nichols  at  the 
commencement  of  the  venture.  It  is  classed  as 
"  timber  "  clay,  which  exceeds  all  other  varieties  in 
tenacity  or  strength,  obviously  a  most  desirable  qual- 
ity. The  annual  product  ranges  from  350,000  to 
950,000  feet,  and  it  is  mostly  absorbed  by  local  pa- 
tronage, only  a  small  proportion  being  shipped  to  a 
distance.  During  the  season  the  working  force 
numbers  at  times  16  men.  Mr.  Nichols  has  several 
diplomas  from  local  fairs  attesting  the  comparative 
value  of  the  tile.  The  manufacturing  is  under  the 
management  of  Charles  Pratt,  and  the  value  of  the 
output  is  materially  increased  by  the  skill  exercised 
in  manipulating  the  material  and  in  the  completing 


process,  the  foreman  being  a  practical  and  experi- 
enced craftsman,  having  been  bred  to  the  business 
in  which  he  is  engaged. 

Mr.  Nichols  built  his  factory  in  the  winter  of 
1878-9,  and  had  but  opened  preparatory  operations 
when,  May  10,  the  building  was  destroyed  by  fire, 
between  five  and  six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  with  no 
insurance  save  in  the  hearts  of  his  neighbors,  who, 
before  nightfall  of  the  day  of  disaster,  had  purchased 
in  Chicago  the  material  required  for  building  another 
of  similar  pattern.  The  new  establishment  was 
ready  to  be  occupied  July  6,  following.  Mr.  Nichols 
made  the  first  successful  application  of  drying  clay 
by  means  of  steam  pipes,  a  method  now  in  general 
use. 

Politically,  Mr.  Nichols  is  an  endorser  and  sup- 
porter of  the  issues  and  principles  of  the  Republican 
party.  He  has  been  Treasurer  of  his  township  a 
little  less  than  17  years.  He  has  also  been  Town- 
ship Clerk  one  year. 

He  was  married  Feb.  3,  1858,  in  Sugar  Grove 
Township,  Kane  Co.,  111.,  to  Sarah  J.  Skiff,  and  of 
their  five  children  four  survive  :  Edwin  C.,  Obed  C., 
Fanny  E.  and  Jesse  J.  May  died  when  she  was  a 
little  child.  Mrs.  Nichols  was  born  Feb.  27,  1833, 
in  Warren  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Obed 
and  Azubah  (Judd)  Skiff.  Her  parents  were  born 
in  Massachusetts. 


homas  Harper,  Sr.,  was  a  pioneer  of  Paw 
Paw  Township  of  1842.  He  is  now  a  res- 
ident of  Wichita,  Kan.  He  was  born  in 
Ireland  in  1811,  and  is  the  son  of  James  and 
Elizabeth  (Black)  Harper,  and  emigrated  from 
Ireland  to  America  with  his  parents  in  infancy 
in  1812.  The  family  located  in  Washington  Co.,  N. 
Y.,  and  moved  from  there  to  Sterling,  Cayuga  County, 
in  1819. 

He  emigrated  to  Peoria,  111.,  about  1840,  and  from 
there  to  Paw  Paw  Township,  De  Kalb  County,  in 
1842.  He  entered  Government  land  in  that  town 
on  sections  13  and  14,  and  was  engaged  in  farming 
and  stock-growing  till  1877,  when  he  removed  to 
Shabbona  Station.  In  1880  he  removed  to  Wichita, 
Kan.,  his  present  home. 

He  was  twice    married,  first   to   Sarah   Hart,   by 


y&  whom  he  had  one  child,  a  son,  Norman,  now  a  resi- 
?  dent  of  Kansas.  His  second  wife  was  Mrs.  Hattie 

•T-.  Becker.  There  were  no  children  of  the  second  mar- 
riage. 

^         Mr.  Harper  was  a  member  of  the  United  Presby- 

^•^  terian  Church  of  Ross  Grove,  was  a  liberal  supporter 
of  the  Church  and  aided  largely  in  the  construction 
of  their  house  of  worship.  In  politics  he  was  a  Re- 
publican. 


homas  Thomason,  farmer,  section  30,  Clin- 
ton Township,  is  a  son  of  Osmon  and 
Bertha  (Sawyer)  Thomason,  natives  of  Nor- 
iray.  He  was  born  in  that  country,  March  25, 
1825,  the  third  in  order  of  birth  in  a  family  of 
five  children,  and  was  about  12  years  of  age 
when  he  came  with  his  parents  to  America.  He  fol- 
lowed farming  in  La  Salle  County,  this  State,  until 
the  spring  of- 1880,  when  he  came  and  bought  the 
Reuben  Pritchard  farm,  of  180  acres,  which  he  now 
owns  and  cultivates.  Coming  from  a  nation  noted 
for  industry,  economy  and  honesty,  and  characterized 
by  the  same  traits,  Mr.  T.  succeeds  well  in  this  land 
of  plenty.  Politically,  he  is  a  Republican,  and  locally 
he  has  been  entrusted  with  the  office  of  School 
Director. 

He  was  married  in  La  Salle  County,  July  19,  1851, 
to  Tabitha  Aget,  a  native  also  of  Norway.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Thomason  have  had  r2  children,  named  Sarah 
A.,  Francis  M.,  Thomas  H.,  Emily  J.,  Emery  J., 
Martha  M.,  Eunice  E.,  Lottie  N.,  Addie  R.  and  Ella 
J.,  and  two  who  died  in  infancy. 


j  illitim    J.    Bushnell,   farmer,   section  36, 
Squaw  Grove  Township,  was  born  April 
4,  1828,  in  Cattaraugus  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  is 
the  son  of  Amasa  and  Mila  (Frary)  Bush- 
nell.    His  parents  were  natives  of  the  State 
of  New  York,  and  came  to  Kendall  Co.,  111.,  in 
1855.  The  father  died  there  Sept.  20,1855.  The  mother 
died  Jan.  9,  1876,  in  De  Kalb  County.     They  had 
three  children — William  J.,  Elmer  and  Marcus  S. 

Mr.  Bushnell  came   to  Illinois  with  his  parents, 
and  was  then  27  years  of  age.     He  lived  in  Kendall 


County  until  1872,  and  in  the  spring  of  that  year 
took  possession  of  the  farm  where  he  is  now  a  resi- 
dent, in  Squaw  Grove  Township.  He  owns  120 
acres  of  land,  all  of  which  is  in  a  fine  state  of  culti- 
vation and  constitutes  a  valuable  farm. 

Mr.  Bushnell  was  first  married  Dec.  17,  1863,  in 
Aurora,  Kane  Co.,  111.,  to  Adaline  Hubbell,  who  was 
born  in  Kendall  Co.,  111.  Jennie,  only  child  of  this 
marriage,  died  when  she  was  one  year  old.  The 
mother  died  April  28,  1870,  in  Kendall  County.  Mr. 
Bushnell  was  a  second  time  married  Feb.  2,  1872,  in 
Cattaraugus  Co.,  N.  Y.,  to  Mrs.  Maria  (Rhoades) 
Hoard.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Asahel  and  Permelia 
(Fair)  Rhoades.  and  was  the  widow  of  Nathaniel 
Hoard.  The  latter  was  a  soldier  in  the  Ninth  N.  Y. 
Cav.  and  was  killed  near  Fairfax  Court-House,  Va. 
Cora  A.,  only  issue  of  that  marriage,  is  the  wife  of 
Charles  Foster,  of  Piano.  Frank  J.  is  the  name  of 
the  only  child  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bushnell.  The  latter 
was  born  Dec.  18,  1835,  in  Genesee  Co.,  N.  Y. 

In  political  sentiment  Mr.  Bushnell  affiliates  with 
the  Republican  party. 


athew  G.  Shackelton,  dealer  in  drugs 
and  groceries  at  Shabbona,  was  born  in 
Northampton  Co.,  Pa.,  Nov.  28, 1838,  and 
is  the  son  of  Samuel  and  Catharine  (Darling) 
Shackelton.  He  received  a  common-school 
education.  When  14  years  of  age  he  left  his 
native  place  and  came  to  Illinois  with  his  parents, 
the  family  settling  in  Clinton  Township,  this  county, 
in  the  fall  of  1851. 

Young  Shackelton  was  brought  up  on  a  farm.  In 
1861  he  went  to  Durand,  Pepin  Co.,  Wis.,  where 
he  spent  about  two  years  as  clerk  in  a  drug  and 
grocery  store.  He  was  next  engaged  in  the  hard- 
ware business  till  1864.  He  then  returned  to  Clin- 
ton and  went  from  there  to  Chicago,  where  he  spent 
the  winter  of  1865-6.  During  the  following  spring 
he  went  to  Cairo,  III.,  where  he  spent  a  few  months, 
and  returned  to  De  Kalb  County,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged in  farming  till  the  fall  of  1875.  He  then  went 
to  De  Kalb  city  and  engaged  in  the  grocery,  res- 
taurant and  bakery  business.  He  was  doing  well  till 
he  was  burned  out,  June  29,  1876,  by  which  he  lost 
about  $3,000.  He  then  bought  an  interest  in  a  hotel 


TiruwuRir 

OF  THE 


at  De  Kalb,  which  he  operated  two  years.  He  was 
next  engaged  in  farming  in  Afton  Township.  In  the 
spring  of  1880  he  erected  a  building  in  Shabbona 
and  opened  a  restaurant.  He  sold  out  to  Mr.  Lucas 
and  spent  some  time  in  traveling  in  Iowa.  He  next 
bought  a  stock  of  general  merchandise  at  Hinckley, 
111.,  and  carried  on  business  there  one  year.  He  sold 
out,  went  to  Kansas,  and  from  there  to  Missouri. 
Returning  to  Shabbona,  he  bought  back  his  old  stand, 
which  he  operated  till  March  i,  1883,  when  he 
sold  out  to  Mr.  E.  M.  Card,  and  opened  at  his  pres- 
ent stand,  in  the  drug  and  grocery  business.  He 
carries  an  average  stock  of  $3,000. 

He  was  married  in  De  Kalb,  Dec.  31,  1868,  to 
Miss  Annie  Goodrich,  (laugher  of  Erastus  and  Annie 
(Taylor)  Goodrich.  Mrs.  Shackelton  was  born  in 
Oswego,  N.  Y.,  Oct.  30,  1 85 1 .  They  have  one  child, 
a  daughter,  named  Kittie,  born  Sept.  2,  1872. 

In  politics  Mr.  Shackelton  is  a  Democrat. 


ram  Ellwood,  Secretary  and  General  Man- 
ager of  the  Superior  Barbed-Wire  Company, 
resident  at  De  Kalb,  is  one  of  the  Ellwood 
rothers,  whose  names  are  prominent  in  the 
history  of  De  Kalb  County.  The  portrait  of 
the  gentleman  who  forms  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  appears  on  the  page  opposite,  and  is  a  valua- 
ble addition  to  the  gallery  of  portraits  given  in  this 
volume. 

Mr.  Ellwood  was  born  in  Montgomery  County, 
N.  Y.,  in  the  town  of  Canajoharie,  on  the  ipth  day 
of  September,  1828.  He  is  the  son  of  Abraham"and 
Sarah  (Delong)  Ellwood.  (See  sketch  of  Hon.  C. 
Ellwood  for  further  mention  of  parents.)  When  he 
was  about  ten  years  of  age  his  father  became  a  con- 
tractor on  the  Erie  Canal,  entering  into  an  agreement 
to  build  a  mile  of  that  water  course  lying  within  the 
town  of  Minden,  Montgomery  County.  The  contract- 
or boarded  the  men  whom  he  employed,  and  every 
member  of  the  family  who  was  still  under  the  par- 
ental authority  contributed  their  share  of  assistance 
in  the  scheme.  Girls  in  the  Ellwood  household 
were  not  numerous  enough  or  large  enough  to  afford 
the  necessary  amount  of  assistance  that  is  generally 
supposed  per  se  to  fall  to  the  feminine  lot,  and  the 
boys  who  were  plenty  and  available  were  pressed 


into  domestic  dirty.  Hiram  was  one  of  the  most 
useful  adjuncts  of  the  household  and  did  valiant 
service  in  the  intervals  of  school,  his  principal  busi- 
ness at  home  being  washing  dishes,  and,  like  Billy 
Gray,  the  Boston  millionaire,  who  was  wont  to  boast 
of  the  quality  of  his  work  when  he  sawed  wood  for 
his  living,  chiefly  remembers  that  he  did  it  well,  and 
moreover  is  not  ashamed  of  it.  Later,  Abraham  Ell- 
wood went  with  his  family  to  Ilion,  in  Herkimer 
County,  N.  Y.  Hiram  engaged  as  a  salesman 
in  the  employ  of  a  Mr.  Dygert  in  the  city  of  Utica. 
He  was  then  about  15  years  of  age,  and  remained 
in  that  employment  about  two  years.  Subsequently 
he  was  employed  by  a  Mr.  Folts  as  a  clerk  in  a  dry- 
goods  and  grocery  store,  where  he  continued  three 
years.  He  had  saved  his  earnings,  and,  being  desir- 
ous of  embarking  independently  in  business,  he 
purchased  a  half  interest  in  a  canal  boat,  which  he 
sold  after  one  season.  He  returned  to  the  mercan- 
tile establishment  where  last  employed  and  resumed 
the  ocupation  of  a  clerk. 

His  next  business  venture  was  in  an  enterprise  in 
company  with  William  Frank  in  raising  broom-corn 
and  manufacturing  brooms,  carrying  on  their  opera- 
tions on  the  "  Flats  "  in  the  town  of  Mohawk,  adja- 
cent to  the  river  of  the  same  name. 

Mr.  Ellwood  made  his  home  with  the  household  of 
his  associate  in  business,  and  the  family  circle  was 
increased  by  the  addition  of  a  young  lady,  a  cousin 
of  Mrs.  Frank — Miss  Sarah  Dygert  by  name.  The 
young  people  were  mutually  attracted  from  the  first. 
Their  first  meeting  occurred  between  30  and  40 
years  ago,  and  their  first  favorable  opinions  strength- 
ened into  appreciative  friendship  and  soon  into  sub- 
stantial affection  which  resulted  in  their  marriage  in 
March,  1850.  No  finer  touch  of  manliness  appears 
on  these  pages  than  the  tribute  paid  by  Mr.  Ellwood 
more  than  35  years  afterward  to  the  strength  of  the 
sentiment  which  held  him  in  indissoluble  bonds. 
"  I  thought  her  the  handsomest  and  most  lady-like 
girl  I'  had  ever  seen,  and  I  still  think  so."  The 
marriage  took  place  at  Fort  Plain,  N.  Y.,  and  to  the 
wedded  pair  one  child  was  born — Alice — who  was 
married  in  the  spring  of  1871  to  D.  D.  Brown,  of 
Sycamore. 

Chauncey  Ellwood,  the  oldest  brother  of  Hiram 
Ellwood,  was  a  widower,  and  in  1852  the  latter  and 
his  wife  entered  the  employ  of  the  former — the  wife 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


J 


as  general  housekeeper,  the  husband  as  assistant  in  a 
grocery  and  provision  store  at  a  point  on  the  Erie 
Canal  in  Frankfort,  Herkimer  County.  There  was 
no  business  save  during  the  season  of  navigation, 
and  the  intervening  seasons  were  spent  in  methods 
that  combined  muoh  amusement  and  little  exertion, 
as  there  was  literally  nothing  to  do.  The  relation 
between  the  brothers  was  in  existence  two  years.  At 
the  end  of  that  time  the  elder  was  appointed  to  the 
position  of  Superintendent  of  a  section  of  the  canal, 
and  the  traffic  of  the  store  passed  into  the  hands  of 
Messrs.  J.  E.  and  Hiram  Ellwood.  They  conducted 
their  affairs  jointly  one  year,  when  the  former  sold 
his  interest  to  the  latter  and  it  continued  under  his 
management  two  years. 

In  the  spring  of  1856  Hiram  Ellwood  sold  out 
and  came  West.  On  the  ninth  day  of  August  in 
that  year,  the  mercantile  firm  of  Ellwood  &  De- 
long  opened  business  at  De  Kalb,  then  a  village 
with  little  promise  of  the  prosperity  and  development 
of  to-day,  and  they  continued  the  sale  of  drugs  and 
groceries  until  1866,  when  the  junior  member  of  the 
firm  withdrew  and  Mr.  Ellwood  conducted  the  busi- 
ness until  1877  in  his  own  name.  He  then  sold 
out  to  J.  H.  Lewis,  who  still  continues  its  successful 
prosecution.  Meanwhile  the  business  of  I.  L.  Ell- 
wood &  Co.  had  assumed  mammoth  proportions 
and  Mr.  Ellwood  went  to  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  in  the 
interests  of  that  firm  and  operated  as  Western 
agent,  shipping  barbed  wire  West  and  South  from 
Kansas  City.  He  returned  to  De  Kalb  at  the  expi- 
ration of  three  years.  In  August,  1881,  the  Superior 
Barbed-Wire  Company  of  De  Kalb  went  into  opera- 
tion. The  charter  members  included  I.  L.  Ellwood, 
J.  F.  Glidden,  J.  D.  Lott,  Reuben  Ellwood  and 
Hiram  Ellwood,  and  the  latter  was  elected  Treas- 
urer, Secretary  and  General  Manager,  and  still  holds 
the  same  position. 

Mr.  Ellwood,  in  addition  to  his  business  relations 
with  De  Kalb  city  and  county,  has  discharged  the 
duties  and  responsibilities  of  several  official  jaosi- 
tions.  In  1857  and  1858  he  was  elected  Supervisor 
of  the  township  of  De  Kalb  and  has  served  three 
terms  as  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the 
village  before  its  corporation  as  a  city.  He  has 
served  a  term  as  School  Director,  officiating  as  Clerk 
of  the  Board.  He  acted  two  years  as  Deputy  Post- 
master under  I.  V.  Randall,  and  on  the  resignation 
of  his  chief,  two  years  after,  he  was  appointed  Post- 


master and  served  four  years.  During  the  years 
1859,  '60,  '61,  '62,  he  officiated  as  Treasurer  of  De 
Kalb  County  and  executed  all  the  trusts  which  fell 
to  him  in  his  duties  in  a  characteristic  way,  one  of 
which  was  the  signing  of  the  soldiers'  orders.  With 
A.  K.  Stiles,  County  Clerk,  he  was  appointed  by  the 
Board  of  County  Supervisors  to  act  as  County 
Agent  in  the  sale  of  the  county  bonds,  which  labor 
was  accomplished  and  resulted  in  the  payment  of  the 
claims  of  the  soldiers  of  the  io5th  Regiment  111.  Vol. 
Inf.,  the  soldiers  receiving  one-half  cash  and  one- 
half  the  amount  due  them  in  county  orders. 

Mr.  Ellwood  located  at  De  Kalb  nearly  30  years 
ago,  when  it  was  a  village.  He  has  watched  its  de- 
velopment and  the  increase  of  its  business  resources 
with  much  gratification.  At  the  date  he  made  the 
acquaintance  of  the  place  its  population  was  about 
500,  and  it  is  now  six  times  as  great,  and  is  second 
in  business  to  no  town  of  its  capacity  between  Chi- 
cago and  the  Mississippi.  The  interest  of  Mr.  Ell- 
wood in  his  adopted  home  and  his  identification  with 
its  general  welfare  will  expire  only  with  his  life.  One 
notable  event,  which  has  heretofore  failed  to  receive 
deserved  notice  in  the  sketches,  of  the  Ellwood 
brothers,  and  which  should  find  place,  is  the  last  act 
of  filial  affection  performed  by  them  in  connection 
with  the  death  and  burial  of  their  venerable  mother. 
It  was  her  dying  request  that  "  her  boys  "  should  act 
as  her  pall-bearers,  which  they  did,  the  six  bearing 
her  remains  to  their  last  resting  place  in  Elmwood 
Cemetery. 


sahel  Firkins,  deceased,  was  an  early 
pioneer  of  Paw  Paw  Township.  He  was 
born  near  Oswego,  N.  Y.,  in  1819,  and  was 
the  son  of  George  and  Lydia  (Chappel)  Fir- 
kins, of  English  descent.  He  emigrated  to 
inois  in  1838  and  made  his  home  in  Hender- 
son, Knox  County,  where  he  was  married,  Jan.  10, 
1841,  to  Miss  Harriet  Miller,  daughter  of  Tames  and 
Hannah  (Preston)  Miller.  Mrs.  Firkins  was  born  in 
Monroe  Co.,  Mich.,  Jan.  25, 182 3,  and  came  to  Illinois 
in  1838.  Seven  children  were  born  to  them,  three  boys 
and  four  girls:  Mariette,  born  Dec.  25,  1841,  wife  of 
George  D.  Heldebrant,  of  Kansas ;  William,  born  Jan. 
7,  1844,  married  Laura  Haskell  and  lives  in  P 


-,.  - 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


>' 


Paw;  John,  born  Jan.  26,  1846,  died  in  infancy; 
Harriet  A.,  born  May  19,  1837,  wife  of  William  Rust, 
of  East  Paw  Paw;  Emma  F.,  born  July  22,  1849, 
was  killed  by  the  cars  while  in  a  carriage  crossing 
the  track  near  Maiden,  111.,  Feb.  5, 1874;  Josephine, 
born  Sept.  21,  185 1,  wife  of  Seneca  Duncan,  of  Kan- 
sas; George  A.,  born  Jan.  16,  1854,  single,  at  home. 

Mr.  Firkins  made  his  home  in  Knox  County  till 
1842,  when  he  removed  to  Warren  Co.,  111.;  spent 
three  years  in  that  county,  and  in  March,  -1845,  re- 
moved to  Paw  Paw  Township,  De  Kalb  County,  and 
entered  land  on  section  7.  He  had  204  acres.  He 
made  his  home  in  this  township,  and  was  engaged  in 
farming  till  his  death,  which  occurred  June  17,  1856. 

He  was  a  Methodist  from  early  life,  and  a  Class- 
leader  many  years.  In  politics  he  was  an  avowed 
Abolitionist. 


^dmond  Towne,  the  first  white  settler  of 
Shabbona  Township,  and  now  deceased, 
was  a  native  of  Waterbury,  Vt.,  became  a 
brick-maker  by  trade,  moved  to  Ohio,  where  he 
resided  several  years,  and  returned  to  his  native 
State.     He  married  Mrs.  Sally  Smith,  widow  of 
James  Smith  and  daughter  of  David  Straw.    He  then 
returned  to  Marion  Co.,  Ohio,  where  he  engaged  in 
brick-making  until  1834,  when  he  came  to  this  State 
and  settled  in  what  was  afterward  surveyed  as  Shab- 
bona Township,  De  Kalb  County.     He  subsequently 
•removed  to  Marble  Rock,  Iowa,  selling  out  here  to 
Frank  Frost.     He  died  in  the  fall  of  1881.     Before 
his  removal  to  Iowa  his  wife  died,  in  Shabbona,  and 
jx    none   of  their  family  are  now  left  in  this  county. 
^  y   Their  children  were  Mary  J.,  Electa,  Cynthia,  Sarah, 
I    Ralph,  Chester,  Russell  and  Daniel. 


•  illiam  Cone,  resident  on  section  4,  Squaw 
Grove  Township,  has  been  a  citizen  there 
since  he  arrived  at  the  estate  of  manhood. 
His    parents,   Archibald    and   Rosetta  (Cun- 
ningham) Cone,  were  natives  of  Scotland  and 
came  to  the  United   States  in   1815.     They 
fixed  their  first  residence  in  the  State  of  New  York, 
whence  they  removed  in  1843  to  Squaw  Grove  Town- 
ship, De  Kalb  County.     The  mother  died  there  May 


9,  1873,  and  tlle  father  Aug.  6,  1877.  Their  family 
of  1 1  children  were  born  in  the  following  order : 
Jane,  Jeannette,  Mary,  William,  Isabella,  Margaret, 
John  (ist),  Elizabeth,  John  (2d),  Archibald  and 
Rosetta. 

Mr.  Cone  was  born  Sept.  13,  1822,  near  Albany, 
N.  Y.  He  passed  his  early  years  on  a  farm  and  at 
school.  On  coming  to  De  Kalb  County  at  the  age 
of  21  years,  he  became  a  farmer.  In  1848  he  entered 
the  Army  of  the  United  States,  enlisting  in  the  First 
Mo.  Vol.  Inf.,  which  was  engaged  in  the  Mexican 
War  about  ten  months.  On  receiving  his  discharge, 
he  returned  to  the  township  of  Squaw  Grove.  In 
1862  he  went  to  California,  reaching  there  by  the 
overland  route  across  the  plains,  and  spent  three 
years  in  mining  and  farming  in  the  Golden  State. 
He  is  the  owner  of  323  acres  of  fine  fanning  land,  on 
which  he  has  erected  excellent  farm  buildings.  He 
is  a  Democrat  in  political  opinions. 

Jan.  19,  1856,  Mr.  Cone  was  married,  in  Oneida 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  to  Margaret  McFar.land,  and  they  have 
had  five  children, — Isabella,  Jeannette,  John,  Jane 
and  Margaret.  The  latter  died  Dec.  18,  1882,  when 
17  years  of  age.  Mrs.  Cone  died  May  3,  1881.  Is- 
abella is  the  wife  of  Henry  Schmidt,  of  Squaw  Grove. 
Jeannette  married  Elihu  Ramer,  of  Pierce  Township. 
Jane  is  Mrs.  Louis  Hohn,  and  resides  in  Nebraska. 
The  only  son,  John,  resides  on  the  homestead. 


eorge  F.  Park,  a  retired  farmer  residing  in 
the  village  of  Shabbona,  has  a  farm  of  138 
acres  on  section  27,  Shabbona  Township. 
He  is  a  native  of  this  township,  his  birth  dat- 
ing June  17,  1849,  and  his  parents  being  Ira 
and  Matilda  (McNeal)  Park.  He  passed  his 
boyhood  upon  his  father's  farm,  and  when  15  years  of 
age  he  removed  with  his  parents  to  Leland,  La  Salle 
County,  where  he  lived  six  years.  The  family  then 
removed  to  a  farm  near  Leland  for  two  years,  and 
finally  returned  to  the  old  homestead  in  Shabbona 
Township.  Mr.  Park  removed  to  his  present  resi- 
dence in  Shabbona  village  in  December,  1883. 

Mr.  Park  was  married  in  Somonauk,  Oct.  25,  1870, 
to  Miss  Joanna,  daughter  of  Charles  D.  and  Matilda 
D.  (Suidam)  Skinner.  She  was  born  at  Leland,  111., 
Jan.  31,  1853.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Park  have  three  chil- 


dren, — two  sons  and  a  daughter:  Charles  F.,  born 
July  23,  1871 ;  Ira  E.,  Oct.  14,  187^7  ;  and  Etta  M., 
Dec.  14,  1880. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Park  is  a  Republican, 
and  both  himself  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Con- 
gregational Church  of  Shabbona. 


"ohnson  Low,  farmer,  sections  19  and  20, 
Clinton  Township,  is  a  son  of  Charles  and 
Lanor  (Richardson)  Low,  natives  of  Can- 
ada. They  were  married  in  that  country  and 
came  to  this  country  in  1856,  settling  in  Clin- 
ton Township,  where  the  father  died  Nov.  5, 
1863.  He  was  of  Scotch  extraction,  and  held  an 
officer's  position  in  the  British  Army.  His  wife  still 
survives,  and  is  still  a  resident  of  Clinton  Township. 
They  were  the  parents  often  children,  namely:  Wil- 
liam R.,  John  S.,  Tameran,  Mary  J.,  Charles,  Caro- 
line, James,  Johnson,  George  and  Wolford.  Of  the 
ten  children,  John  S.,  Mary  J.,  Caroline,  James  and 
George  are  deceased.  James  was  a  soldier  in  the 
late  Civil  War,  doing  duty  in  the  io5th  111.  Vol.  Inf., 
and  died  at  Gallatin,  Sumner  Co.,  Tenn.,  in  1863. 

Johnson  Low,  the  subject  of  this  biographical 
notice,  was  born  in  Canada,  May  16,  1842.  He  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  common  schools  of  Can- 
ada and  Illinois,  coming  to  this  State  when  14  years 
of  age  with  his  parents.  He  lived  with  them  in 
Clinton  Township,  assisting  on  the  farm  until  his 
father's  death,  when  he  purchased  the  homestead  of 
120  acres  and  on  which  he  is  at  present  residing. 

Mr.  Low  enlisted  in  the  Second  Illinois  Light  Ar- 
tillery, Sept.  16,  i86r,  and  was  in  his  country's  ser- 
vice for  18^  months.  He  was  in  the  battle  of  Fort 
Donelson,  Tenn.,  Feb.  16,  1862,  in  which  the  Union 
forces,  commanded  by  Gen.  Grant  and  Com.  Foote, 
had  446  killed,  1,735  wounded  and  150  taken  pris- 
oners, but  captured  six  forts,  65  guns,  and  17,500 
small  arms.  He  was  also  in  other  battles  and  skir- 
mishes of  less  import,  and  was  honorably  discharged 
at  Memphis,  Tenn.  On  receiving  his  discharge  he 
immediately  returned  home. 

Mr.  Low  was  married  Dec.  25,  1866,  in  McDon- 
ough  Co.,  111.,  to  Miss  Kate,  daughter  of  Joseph  and 
Delia  (Overton)  Long,  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  who 
settled  in  McDonough  County  at  an  early  day. 


They  had  ten  children,  namely:  Albert,  Clarkson, 
John  G.,  Mary  E.,  Kate,  Joanna,  Susan,  Bessie,  Lilly 
and  Brainard. 

Mrs.  Low  was  born  in  Hancock  Co. ,111.,  Aug.  25, 
1851,  and  of  the  issue  of  her  marriage  to  Mr.  Low 
there  are  seven  children,  all  living,  namely :  Caddie 
V.,  born  Jan.  23,  1868;  William  R.,  born  Aug.  20, 
1870;  Sue  F.,  born  Oct.  29,  1873;  Johnson,  born 
Sept.  30, 1875  ;  James  R.,  bom  Sept.  5,  1878;  Katie, 
born  Feb.  4,  1883;  and  Charles  H.,  born  Dec.  9, 
1884. 

Politically,  Mr.  Low  affiliates  with  the  Republican 
party.  Three  of  his  brothers,  William  R.,  James  and 
Wolford,  were  soldiers  in  the  late  Civil  War. 


tarles  V.  Weddell,  farmer,  residence  sec- 
tion 20,  Paw  _Paw  Township,  has  160 
acres  of  land.  He  was  born  in  the  town- 
ship of  Paw  Paw,  Aug  8,  1853,  and  is  the  son 
of  William  B.  and  Agnes  G.  (Vail)  Weddell. 
He  received  an  academic  education  at  the 
Teachers'  Institute  and  Classical  Seminary  of  East 
Paw  Paw,  and  at  the  Presbyterian  academy  of  Na- 
perville,  111.  He  was  brought  up  to  agricultural 
pursuits,  and  was  married  in  Paw  Paw  Township, 
March  29,  1877,  to  Miss  Mary  Nisbet,  daughter  of 
Mathew  and  Agnes  (Harper)  Nisbet.  Mrs.  Weddell 
was  born  in  Paw  Paw  Township,  De  Kalb  Co.,  111., 
Nov.  28,  1855.  They  have  two  children,  namely : 
Nellie  V.,  born  Jan.  9,  1878;  and  Christina  L.,  born 
June  29,  1879. 

Mr.  Weddell  has  served  four  years  as  School 
Trustee  and  is  now  holding  that  office.  Politically, 
he  is  a  Republican. 


tes  W.  McAllister,  farmer,  section  36, 
jf  Clinton  Township,  is  a  son  of  James  and 
Jennie  (Dobbins)  McAllister,  natives  of 
Scotland  and  Ireland  respectively.  They  were 
married  and  emigrated  to  the  United  States 
about  the  year  1822,  and  settled  in  Washing- 
ton Co.,  N.  Y.  From  there  they  moved  to  Ohio, 
and  thence,  in  1849,  came  to  this  county  and  settled 
in  Clinton  Township,  where  they  died.  They  were 


the  parents  of  12  children,  namely :  Margaret, 
Mary,  Eliza,  Martha,  William,  James  W.,  Sarah, 
Ellen,  Esther,  Anna,  Bell  and  Samuel.  Samuel  and 
William  are  deceased. 

James  W.  McAllister,  the  subject  of  this  biograph- 
ical notice,  was  born  in  Washington  Co.,  N.  Y.,  July 
i,  1834,  went  with  his  parents  to  Ohio,  and  when  15 
years  of  age  accompanied  them  to  this  county.  He 
lived  at  home,  assisting  on  the  farm  and  attending 
the  common  schools,  in  Ohio  and  this  county,  until 
he  was  25  years  of  age.  On  arriving  at  the  age 
<?%  stated,  Mr.  McAllister  purchased  80  acres  of  land 
on  section  36,  Clinton  Township,  where  he  at  present 
resides.  His  present  landed  possessions  consist  of 
1 60  acres,  all  of  which  is  in  a  good  tillable  condition. 

Mr.  McAllister  was  married  Dec.  18,  1864,  to  Miss 
Mary  A.  Graham,  in  Victor  Township,  this  county. 
She  is  a  daughter  of  Robert  and  Sarah  (Williamson) 
Graham,  and  a  sister  of  Mrs.  James  McCleery,  whose 
biography  appears  in  this  ALBUM.  She  was  born  in 
Franklin  Co.,  Ohio,  Dec.  5,  1841,  and  is  the  mother 
of  seven  children  by  Mr.  McAllister,  namely  :  Ward, 
born  Dec.  4,  1866  ;  Hellen,  Nov.  9,  1868  ;  Robert  J., 
Nov.  4,  1871;  Margaret,  Dec.  25,  1873;  Russell, 
June  n,  1876;  Mary  B.,  Dec.  15,  1878;  and  Sarah 
J.,  Dec.  24,  1 88 1. 

Mr.  McAllister  affiliates  with  the  Republican 
party.  Religiously,  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of 
the  United  Presbyterian  Church. 


innaeus   C.    Burke,   farmer,    owning   315 
acres  located  on  section  20  and  21,  Shab- 
bona Township,  and  residing  thereon,  was 
born  in  Bridgewater,  Windsor  Co.,  Vt,  Sept.  5, 
1814.    His  parents,  Erastus  and  Lydia  (Ward) 
Burke,  moved  to  Plymouth,  Windsor  Co.,  Vt, 
when  their  son  was  an  infant,  and  to  Orwell,  Rut- 
land (now  Addison)  County,  that  State,  when  he  was 
two  years  of  age.     Nine  years  later  they  removed  to 
Benson,  same  county.     His  father,   Erastus  Burke, 
was  born  Sept.  8,  1783,  in  Westhampton,  Mass.    He 
was  a  practicing  physician  for  several  years.     He 
died  Nov.  23,  18158,  at  the  house  of  his  son.     Lydia 
(Ward)  Burke,  his  mother,  was  born  July  7,  1787,  and 
died  in  Vermont,  Oct.  16,  1849. 

Linnaeus  received  his  education  in  the  schools  at 

(sy^^g^bo  ^f^r,^        ^ ! 


Benson  and  assisted  his  father  on  the  farm,  and  early 
in  life  engaged  in  teaching.  He  taught  during  win- 
ters, and  occupied  his  time  summers  by  labor  on  the 
farm.  In  all,  he  taught  about  20  terms  of  school. 

Mr.  Burke  was  married  in  Rutland  Co.,  Vt,  Oct. 
29,  1839,  to  Miss  Abigail,  daughter  of  Rufus  Long. 
She  was  born  at  Rutland,  Vt,  March  21,  1814.  Two 
children  were  born  of  their  union,  namely :  Sylvanus 
O.  (ist),  Aug.  10,  1840,  died  Oct.  16,  1843,  and  Syl- 
vanus O.  (2d),  born  Oct.  19,  1843,  and  died  May  31, 
1844.  Mrs.  Burke  died  Aug.  27,  1844,  and  Sept.  6, 
1848,  Mr.  Burke  was  married  a  second  time;  Miss 
Mary  E.,  daughter  of  Horace  and  Aurelia  (Bush) 
Higgins,  was  the  lady  whom  he  selected.  She  was 
born  in  Orwell,  Addison  Co.,  Vt,  Nov.  2,  1828,  and 
became  the  mother  of  four  children,  the  issue  of  their 
union,  namely:  Horace  H.,  born  Dec.  18,  1849,  died 
Feb.  28,  1861 ;  Mary  E.,  born  Dec.  12,  1853,  and  is 
the  wife  of  James  W.  Shanks,  a  resident  at  Simpson, 
Kan.;  Elizabeth  A.  was  born  April  4,  1856,  and  is 
the  wife  of  Samuel  T.  Thompson,  residing  in  Shab- 
bona Township;  Linnaeus  C.,  Jr.,  was  born  Dec. 
26,  1857,  married  Maria  E.  Plant,  and  resides  in 
Shabbona  Township.  Mrs.  Burke  died  Jan.  30,  1861. 

Mr.  Burke  contracted  a  third  matrimonial  alliance 
July  20,  1862,  at  Shabbona,  with  Mrs.  Martha  Sher- 
wood. She  was  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Reese  and 
widow  of  Salmon  Sherwood,  and  was  born  in  Hamp- 
shire Co.,  Va.,  March  24,  1816,  and  departed  this 
life  Feb.  24,  1882. 

Mr.  Burke  came  to  this  county  from  Vermont  in 
1852,  and  located  on  his  present  farm  on  section  21, 
Shabbona  Township.  He  had  traded  a  stony  farm 
in  the  Green  Mountain  State,  for  the  one  he  now 
owns  (at  that  time  consisting  of  160  acres)  and  moved 
on  it  when  he  first  came  here.  He  has  continued  to 
reside  on  the  place  ever  since,  and  by  subsequent 
purchase  has  increased  his  acreage  to  the  amount 
stated. 

Politically,  Mr.  Burke  is  a  Democrat.  He  has 
served  four  years  as  Town  Clerk,  and  the  same  num- 
ber of  years  as  Town  Treasurer.  He  joined  the  Con- 
gregational Church  while  a  resident  of  Benson,  Vt, 
and  is  at  present  a  member  of  the  same  Church  at 
Shabbona.  He  has  always  been  a  worker  in  the 
Church. 

As  one  of  the  leading  and  representative  agricul- 
turists of  De  Kalb  County,  and  a  gentleman  worthy 

© ^^^ "««&*<& 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


to  be  classed  with  the  best  citizens  of  the  county  and 
State,  we  place  a  portrait  of  Mr.  Burke  in  this  vol- 
ume. It  was  engraved  from  a  photograph  taken  in 


J 


eorge  G.  Congdon,  farmer,  section  15, 
Clinton  Township,  is  a  son  of  James  H. 
and  Lydia  E.  (Brock)  Congdon,  natives  of 
Rhode  Island  and  Vermont.  They  were  mar- 
ried and  settled  in  Rutland  Co.,  Vt.,  where 
they  died,  the  father  Nov.  22,  1854  and  the 
mother  March  10,  1837.  They  were  the  parents  of 
ii  children,  named  as  follows:  Lansford  W.,  James, 
John,  Charles,  OrvTlle,  Harvey,  Lydia  E.,  George  G., 
William  M.,  Hannah  S.  and  Phillip  P. 

George  G.  Congdon  was  born  in  Wallingford,  Rut- 
land Co.,  Vt.,  Feb.  29,  1828.  He  attended  the  com- 
mon schools  of  his  native  county,  matriculated  at  the 
academy  at  Ludlow,  Windsor  County,  known  as 
"Black  River  Academy,"  in  which  institution  he  re- 
mained four  terms  and  then  attended  the  Leland 
Seminary  at  East  Townsend  one  term. 

After  leaving  the  latter  school  Mr.  Congdon  en- 
gaged in  teaching,  which  profession  he  followed  dur- 
ing winter  months  for  10  years,  meeting  with  success. 
His  summers  he  devoted  to  farming. 

In  1854  Mr.  Congdon  came  to  Kane  Co.,  this 
State,  where  he  resided,  variously  engaged,  for  two 
years  and  then,  in  1856,  came  to  this  county.  He 
purchased  160  acres  of  land  in  Clinton  Township,  on 
which  he  located  and  where  he  has  since  resided, 
with  the  exception  of  the  time  he  served  in  the  late 
civil  war.  He  enlisted  in  the  summer  of  1862  in  the 
io5th  111.  Vol.  Inf.,  and  received  his  discharge  at 
Gallatin,  Sumner  Co.,  Tenn. 

Mr.  Congdon  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Augusta  A.  York,  at  Wallingford,  Rutland  Co.,  Vt., 
Feb.  14,  1867.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Levi  and  Laura 
(Allen)  York,  natives  of  Vermont.  Her  mother  died 
in  Vermont,  Feb.  9,  1875.  Her  father,  after  the 
death  of  his  wife,  came  to  this  county,  and  is  at  pres- 
ent living  with  his  daughter.  The  parents  had  a 
family  of  seven  children,  four  of  whom  are  living, 
namely,  Lura  A.,  Rufus  A.  Augusta  A.  and  Ella  E. 

Mrs.  Congdon  was  born  in  Wallingford,  Rutland 
Co.,  Vt.,  March  27,  1843.  She  remained  an  inmate 


of  her  father's  family,  assisting  the  mother  in  the 
household  duties,  and  for  four  years  previous  to  her 
marriage  she  was  engaged  in  teaching.  She  is  the 
mother,  by  Mr.  Congdon,  of  five  children,  one  of 
whom,  Lillian,  died  in  infancy.  The  surviving  are 
George  E.,  born  Feb.  25,  1869;  William  A.,  Nov.  24, 
1870;  John  S.,  Feb.  12,  1873;  Carrie  P.,  April  14, 
1876. 

Politically  Mr.  Congdon  is  a  supporter  of  and  be- 
liever in  the  principles  and  doctrines  advocated  by 
the  Republican  party.  He  has  held  the  offices  of 
School  Trustee,  Township  Collector  and  Constable 
for  about  four  years,  Township  Clerk  a  number  of 
years  and  at  present  is  a  Justice  of  the  Peace. 

Mrs.  Congdon  is  a.  member  of  and  believer  in  the 
faith  of  the  Baptist  Church. 


enjamin  Lobdell,  merchant  and  Post- 
master at  East  Paw  Paw,  was  born  in 
Putnam  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Oct.  3,  1844,  and  is 
the  son  of  Harry  and  Mary  (Davenport)  Lob- 
dell.  He  moved  to  Lee  Co.,  111.,  with  his 
'  parents  in  1856;  learned  the  carpenter's 
trade,  at  which  he  was  engaged  several  years.  In 
December,  1883,  he.  engaged  in  merchandising  at 
East  Paw  Paw,  and  Jan.  14,  1884,  was  appointed 
Postmaster  of  East  Paw  Paw. 

In  politics  Mr.  Lobdell  is  a  Democrat. 


chard  P.  Rowley,  retired  farmer,  Water- 
man, is  from  the  Empire  State.  His  par- 
ents, Asahel  and  Betsey  (Roberts)  Rowley, 
natives  also  of  that  State,  came  to  Kane 
County,  this  State,  in  1856,  and  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  their  lives  there.  He  died  Nov. 
17,  1864,  and  she  in  February,  1863.  They  had 
eight  children, — Amanda,  Phebe,  Richard  P.,  Enoch, 
William,  Albert,  Elizabeth  and  Mary. 

Mr.  Rowley  was  born  in  Rensselaer  Co.,  N.  Y., 
Feb.  26,  1824.  From  the  age  of  15  to  20  years  he 
worked  by  the  month  in  farming  pursuits.  He  then 
learned  the  carpenter's  trade  and  followed  that  until 
1853,  when  he  came  to  Kane  Co.,  111.,  and  followed 
agriculture  on  a  rented  farm  for  17  years.  In  1872 
4_Q ^$&Z ^^£@ 

^  — «/^v^SJO'Vx--> 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


he  came  to  this  county  and  settled  upon  104  acres  in 
Clinton  Township,  which  he  had  bought  three  years 
previously.  He  resided  on  this  place  until  1883, 
when  he  sold  it  and  moved  to  the  village  of  Water- 
man, where  he  now  resides,  and  is  one  of  the  Village 
Trustees.  In  his  views  of  national  interest  he  is  a 
Republican,  and  locally  he  has  held  the  office  of 
Overseer  of  Highways  in  the  township. 

He  was  married  in  Rensselaer  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  10, 
1846,  to  Hannah  M.  Cole,  also  a  native  of  that 
county.  She  became  the  mother  of  five  children, — 
Mary  L.,  Phebe  A.,  Elliot  D.,  William  H.,  and 
Charles,  who  died  in  infancy.  Mrs.  R.  died  May  24, 
1855,  in  Kane  County,  and  Mr.  R.  again  married,  in 
Rensselaer  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Feb.  2,  1857,  Mrs.  Mary  A., 
nee  Finckle,  widow  of  Jacob  Pitcher,  who  died  in  the 
last  named  county,  Oct.  28,  1855.  By  her  first  mar- 
riage she  had  one  child,  Sarah  E.,  who  is  the  wife  of 
Thomas  Cummings  and  resides  in  Iowa.  Mrs.  Row- 
ley was  born  in  Rensselaer  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Aug.  10,  1825. 
By  the  present  marriage  there  is  one  child,  Erwin  N. 
Mrs.  R.'s  parents,  Nicholas  and  Harriet  (Silvernale) 
Finckle,  were  natives  of  Dutchess  Co.,  N.  Y. 


ran  Evans,  farmer,  section  2,  Squaw 
Grove  Township,  was  born  May  31, 1823, in 
Wales.  His  father  and  mother,  John  and 
Anna  (Thomas)  Evans,  were  natives  of  the 
South  of  Wales,  and  of  their  family  of  ten  chil- 
dren the  son  who  is  the  subject  of  this  notice 
was  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth.  He  was  engaged  in 
the  pursuit  of  agriculture  in  his  native  country  until 
1851,  and  in  the  fall  of  that  year  he  came  to  the 
United  States.  After  landing  he  proceeded  to  Chi- 
cago and  remained  there  until  Feburary,  1852,  when 
he  came  to  Kane  County  and  conducted  a  rented 
farm  at  Big  Rock  for  three  years.  In  1855  he 
bought  the  farm  he  has  since  owned  in  Squaw  Grove 
Township,  purchasing  160  acres  originally,  which  he 
has  since  doubled  in  extent.  His  farm  includes  260 
acres  of  land  under  tillage,  and  he  has  built  hand- 
some and  valuable  buildings. 

He  was  married  in  Chicago,  Feb.  16,  1852,  to  Ann 
Davis,  and  they  have  had  five  children :  David,  Ann, 
John  E.,  Dean  and  Willie  E.  The  latter  died  when 
jearly  three  years  old.  Mrs.  Evans  was  born  Feb. 


6,  1823,  in  Wales.  Her  father  and  mother,  Benjamin 
and  Catherine  Davis,  were  natives  of  Wales,  and  the 
former  died  in  his  native  country.  The  latter  came 
subsequently  to  America,  and  died  at  Big  Rock,  in 
September,  1872.  Mrs.  Evans  had  one  brother, 
Benjamin. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Evans  are  members  of  the  Congre- 
gational Church.  Politically  Mr.  E.  is  identified 
with  the  Republican  party. 


I*  eter  V.  Quilhot,  farmer,  section  13,  Shab- 
bona  Township,  has  a  well  improved  farm 
of  170  acres.  As  a  settler  at  that  place  he 
s  a  pioneer.  He  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Victory,  Cayuga  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Jan.  21, 1822.  His 
irents  were  Henry  and  Hannah  (Van  Allen) 
Quilhot.  He  lost  his  father  in  early  youth,  and  cir- 
cumstances rendered  it  necessary  for  him  to  aid  his 
mother  in  the  care  of  the  family  ;  so  that  his  educa- 
tional advantages  were  limited  to  a  few  weeks  at 
school  in  the  winter.  After  he  became  of  legal  age 
he  succeeded  in  securing  one  term  at  the  Red  Creek 
Academy. 

He  learned  the  painter's  trade,  and  in  June,  1845, 
came  to  this  county  and  purchased  a  tract  of  120 
acres  in  Shabbona  Township,  and  made  his  home 
with  his  brother-in-law,  Peter  Miller.  Not  finding 
the  West  a  profitable  field  in  which  to  work  at  his 
trade,  he  returned  in  1847  to  New  York.  In  the  fall 
of  the  following  year  he  came  again  to  Shabbona,  im- 
proved his  land  and  engaged  in  farming.  Aug.  8t 
1850,  he  was  married  in  Somonauk,  this  county,  to 
Miss  Frances  Bacon,  daughter  of  Lyman  and  Sarah 
(Rood)  Bacon,  which  family  were  among  early  pion- 
eers of  this  county,  having  emigrated  from  Syracuse, 
N.  Y.,  to  De  Kalb  County  in  the  fall  of  1846.  Mrs.  Q. 
was  born  at  Salina,  Onondaga  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Aug.  28, 
1827.  She  has  had  seven  children,  all  of  whom  are 
living  except  one.  The  eldest,  John  J.,  was  born 
Sept.  i,  185  i ;  married  Fannie  Burchard  and  lives  at 
the  old  homestead.  His  wife  was  adopted  in  child- 
hood by  her  step-father,  S.  M.  Corey,  and  she  was 
married  under  the  name  of  Corey.  Henry  B.,  born 
March  20,  1853,  married  Alice  Prescott,  and  lives  in 
Morris  Co.,  Kan.  Helen  E.,  born  Jan.  i,  1856,  is 
the  wife  of  Richard  K.  Anderson,  of  Atchison,  Kan. 
Josephine,  born  Nov.  30,  1859,  is  the  wife  of  John  A, 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


Ox    Sweet,  of  Waterman,  111.     Franklin,  living  at  home, 


was    born  July  5,    1862.     Lila  S.  was  born  Jan.  5, 
§  JC_    1865,  and  one  child,  a  son,  died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Quilhot  has  been  prominently  identified  with 
public  affairs  in  his  town  and  county.  He  has  served 
seven  years  as  Supervisor  of  Shabbona,  and  repre- 
sented his  township  as  many  terms  in  the  County 
Board,  besides  having  held  various  minor  offices. 
During  the  late  war  he  was  active  in  aiding  and  en- 
couraging enlistments,  and  contributed  liberally  to 
the  volunteer  bounty  fund.  In  his  views  of  national 
policy  he  is  a  Republican,  and  has  voted  with  that 
party  every  since  its  organization.  He  has  been  con- 
I  nected  with  the  Masonic  Order  for  many  years,  be- 
ng  now  a  member  of  Shabbona  Lodge,  No.  374. 


obert  Humphrey,  retired  farmer,  residing 
at  Waterman,  Clinton  Township,  is  a  son 
of  John  and  Ann  (Price)  Humphrey.  His 
parents  were  natives  of  Wales  and  emigrated 
to  this  country  about  1831,  his  father  dying 
soon  thereafter.  They  were  father  and  mother 
*  to  five  children,  namely,  John,  Thomas,  Mary,  Rob- 
•*  ert  and  Edward. 

/I*  Robert  Humphrey,  subject  of  this  biographical 
J  notice,  is  a  native  of  Wales,  in  which  country  he  was 
born  Nov.  22,  1827.  He  was  about  four  years  of  age 
when  his  parents  emigrated  to  America,  and  passed 
his  early  life  on  a  farm  in  Oneida  Co.,  N.  Y.  He 
alternated  working  on  the  farm  and  attending  the 
common  schools  until  he  attained  the  age  of  25  years. 
9  At  that  age  he  engaged  in  the  hotel  business,  at 
^  North  Western,  Oneida  Co.,  N.  Y.,  in  which  he  re- 
mained for  six  months,  then  sold  and  engaged  in  the 
lumber  business.  He  remained  in  the  latter  busi- 
ness for  about  three  years,  when  he  sold  out  and 
came  to  this  county. 

On  arriving  in  this  county,  in  the  fall  of  1853,  Mr. 
Humphrey  located  on  a  farm  on  section  4,  Clinton 
(q\  Township,  which  he  purchased.     He  continued   to 
reside  on  the  farm  until  1872.     During  his  residence 
there  he  was  for  a  year  engaged  in  the  coal  and  lum- 
ber business,  and  had  charge  of  the  station  at  Water- 
^  man  for   about  20   months.     He  has   subsequently 
been  engaged  in  the  lumber  and  coal  business  at 
Waterman,  which  he  disposed  of  in  1875.     He  then 


moved  to  Chicago,  and  was  engaged  in  the  grain  and 
commission  business  two  years  and  a  half.  He  then 
returned  to  Waterman  and  built  his  present  fine  resi- 
dence. Since  he  returned  to  Waterman,  he  has  not 
been  actively  engrged  in  any  business. 

Mr.  Humphrey  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Louisa  Barnes,  in  Lee,  Oneida  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  22, 
1851.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Amos  Barnes,  a  native 
of  York  State.  She  was  born  in  Martinsburg,  Lewis 
Co.,N.  Y.,  in  1827. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Humphrey  are  the  parents  of  one 
child,  Emma  L.  She  was  born  March  12,  1857,  and 
is  the  wife  of  J.  J.  A.  Zeller,  resident  of  Rochelle,  111. 
Mr.  Humphrey  affiliates  with  the  Republican  party. 
He  has  been  honored  with  all  the  offices  in  the  gift 
of  the  people  of  his  township  except  Assessor;  was 
Supervisor  three  years,  Collector  about  three  years, 
and  at  present  holds  the  offices  of  Road  Commis- 
sioner, Street  Commissioner  and  Notary  Public.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Order. 

Mrs.  Humphrey  has  been  a  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  for  a  number  of  years,  and  is 
still  a  believer  in  the  faith  of  that  denomination. 


ipt.  Thomas  B.  Lucas,  dealer  in  agricul- 
tural implements  and  live  stock,  residing 
at  Shabbona  village,  was  born  in  Boone  Co., 
Ind.,  July  2,  1843,  and  is  a  son  of  Henry  and 
Jane  (Montgomery)  Lucas.  He  lived  with 
his  parents,  assisting  his  father  in  the  support 
of  the  family  and  attending  the  common  schools,  until 
he  was  18  years  of  age.  At  this  period  in  his  life's 
history,  the  rebel  shot  on  Sumter  awoke  a  patriot's 
desire  on  his  part  to  join  the  North  in  defense  of  the 
Union.  He  enlisted  May  10,  1861,  in  Co.  E,  55th 
Ind.  Inf.,  and  served  as  a  private  until  September, 
1862.  He  was  then  transferred  to  the  n6th  Ind. 
Inf.,  and  Sept.  8,  1862,  commissioned  Second  Lieu- 
tenant of  Co.  G,  and  Dec.  i,  1863,  was  commissioned 
First  Lieutenant.  In  May,  1864,  he  was  transferred 
to  the  1 35th  Ind.  Inf.,  and  on  the  roth  of  that  month 
received  his  commission  as  Captain,  in  which  ca- 
pacity he  served  until  the  expiration  of  his  term  of 
enlistment,  Nov.  28,  1864.  Captain  Lucas  served  in 
the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  under  Gen.  Thomas, 
and  was  in  all  the  engagements  in  which  his  com- 
rades participated,  and  escaped  without  any'  serious 


1} 


THFUBW 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


& 

i 
\ 
\ 


I 

1 


wound.  Considering  the  age  at  which  he  entered  the 
army,  and  his  steady  promotion  from  private  to  Lieu- 
tenant and  from  Lieutenant  to  Captain,  his  record  is 
most  certainly  an  honorable  one. 

After  his  discharge  from  the  army,  Capt.  Lucas 
came  to  this  county,  in  December,  1864,  and  located 
in  Shabbona  Township,  where  he  engaged  in  farming 
until  1870.  During  that  year  he  moved  to  Shabbona 
village,  and  was  engaged  with  William  Jackson  in 
general  merchandise  until  1873.  He  then  engaged 
in  the  business  in  which  he  is  at  present  employed 
and  has  continued  in  the  same  ever  since,  except  a 
portion  of  the  year  1878,  which  he  spent  in  Colorado 
to  recover  his  health. 

Capt.  Lucas  was  married  Sept.  4,  1865,  at  Shab- 
bona Grove,  to  Miss  Melissa  E.,  daughter  of  Lemuel 
White.  She  died  May  3,  1877,  and  Capt.  Lucas  was 
again  married  Sept.  4,  1879,  at  Shabbona  village,  to 
Miss  Jennie,  daughter  of  Dominicus  and  Catharine 
(Rennick)  Mitchell.  She  was  born  in  Comanche, 
Iowa,  June  14,  1856. 

Politically,  Capt.  Lucas  is  a  Republican.  He  has 
been  Collector  of  his  township  on  two  occasions. 
Socially,  he  is  a  member  of  T.  S.  Terry  Post,  No. 
463,  G.  A.  R. 


eneral  Daniel  Dustin,  Clerk  of  the  Circuit 
Court  and  Recorder  ex  officio  of  De  Kalb 
County,  resident  at  Sycamore,  was  born 
Oct.  5,  1820,  in  Topsham,  Orange  Co.,  Vt. 
John  K.  Dustin,  his  father,  was  a  farmer,  born 
Jan.  24,  1784,  in  Atkinson,  New  Hampshire, 
near  the  border  line  between  that  State  and  Massa- 
chusetts. He  died  in  Topsham,  Vt.,  in  August, 
1858.  His  wife,  Sally  (Thompson)  Dustin,  was  born 
in  Newbury,  Vt.,  Jan.  15,  1788,  her  death  transpiring 
in  Topsham,  Vt,  Dec.  14,  1829.  The  immediate 
ancestors  of  John  K.  Dustin  were  Nathaniel  Dustin 
and  Judith  (Knight)  Dustin.  The  former  was  born 
Sept.  8,  1756,  and  died  March  3,  1815.  The  latter 
was  born  May  2,  1756,  and  departed  this  life  June 
3,  1842. 

The  Dustin  family  is  of  Scotch  and  English  de- 
scent, and  the  first  authentic  record  of  them  in  this 
country  was  of  Thomas  and  Hannah  Dustin,  of  Ha- 
verhill,  Massachusetts,  in  1677,  which  was  at  the 


time  of  their  marriage.  "  Hannah  Dustin,"  says  the 
historical  record,  "became  the  mother  of  13  children. 
She  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  Indians  in  the  attack 
on  Haverhill  March  15,  1698,  her  nurse  and  infant 
one  year  old  being  also  taken,  but  the  child  was  soon 
afterward  killed.  She  was  placed  in  an  Indian  fam- 
ily of  12  persons  on  an  island  (Dustin's  Island),  in 
the  Merrimack  River,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Conto- 
cook,  in  New  Hampshire,  and  with  the  aid  of  the 
nurse  and  a  white  captive  boy  she  killed  all  the  In- 
dians in  their  sleep  except  a  squaw  and  a  boy  who 
escaped.  She  returned  to  Haverhill  with  their 
scalps." 

General  Dustin  is  the  seventh  of  a  family  of  13 
children,  and  remained  with  his  parents  on  the  farm 
until  attaining  his  majority.  He  received  a  good 
common-school  and  academical  education,  and  after 
studying  medicine  at  Topsham  and  Corinth,  at- 
tended three  full  courses  of  medical  lectures  at 
Dartmouth  College,  at  Hanover,  N.  H.,  graduating 
therefrom  in  1846.  His  labor  upon  the  farm  had 
been  interspersed  with  the  duties  of  a  teacher  in  the 
district  school.  Thrown  mainly  upon  his  own  re- 
sources, he  continued  teaching  at  intervals  while  a 
medical  student  at  Dartmouth.  After  being  gradu- 
ated he  first  established  himself  in  the  practice  of 
medicine  at  East  Corinth,  his  native  county,  remain- 
ing there  for  a  period  of  three  years.  In  March, 
1850,  like  many  other  adventurous  and  ambitious 
young  men,  he  was  pursuaded  by  the  glowing  reports 
of  gold  discoveries  in  California  to  try  his  fortunes 
in  the  new  Eldorado,  whither  he  went  and  engaged 
in  mining  operations  until  1853,  when,  in  connection 
with  mercantile  pursuits  in  which  he  had  become  en- 
gaged, he  resumed  the  practice  of  his  profession.  The 
political  abilities  which  have  always  distinguished 
the  General  soon  attracted  favorable  attention,  and 
in  1855-6  he  was  chosen  to  represent  Nevada  Coun- 
ty in  the  Legislature  of  that  State. 

In  1858  he  was  induced  by  the  representations  of 
friends  to  come  to  Sycamore,  where  he  became  asso- 
ciated with  J.  E.  Ellwood  in  the  sale  of  drugs  and 
medicines.  He  continued  in  business  until  the 
breaking  out  of  the  Rebellion,  when  in  response  to 
the  call  of  the  Government  for  troops  he  disposed  of 
his  interest  to  Mr.  Ellwood  and  assisted  in  raising  the 
8th  Regt.  111.  Cav.  The  regiment  was  organized  at 
St.  Charles,  111.,  September,  1861,  was  assigned  to 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  General  Dustin  went 


r 


\\ 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


J 


to  the  front  in  command  of  Co.  L.  In  January, 
1862,  he  was  made  a  Major  of  the  8th  Cav.  In 
March,  r862,  his  regiment  joined  in  the  general  ad- 
vance on  Manassas,  in  General  Summer's  Division. 
In  the  early  part  of  the  spring  of  that  year,  at  four 
different  times  it  drove  the  enemy  across  the  Rap- 
pahannock.  His  regiment  did  important  service  at 
Gaines'  Hill  and  Malvern  Hill,  and  was  on  picket 
duty  while  the  army  laid  at  Harrison's  Landing;  it 
led  the  advance  on  the  second  occupation  of  Mal- 
vern Hill,  and  with  Benson's  Battery,  United  States 
Artillery,  bore  the  brunt  of  the  fight,  and  brought  up 
the  rear  of  our  retreating  forces  at  Barrett's  Ford 
and  Chickahominy.  At  the  opening  of  the  "  Seven 
Days'  Fight  "  General  Dustin  was  in  command  of  a 
squadron  !of  the  8th  on  the  extreme  right  of  our 
lines,  and  where  the  rebel  troops  first  encountered 
the  Union  army ;  and  the  first  volley  of  musketry  on 
the  first  day  of  that  memorable  succession  of  en- 
gagements was  fired  at  Major  Dustin,  his  orderly 
and  a  captain  of  his  command,  by  the  advance  guard 
of  the  enemy  at  close  range,  the  captain  being  shot 
down  by  the  Major's  side. 

In  July,  1862,  under  the  call  for  more  men,  the 
rosth  Regt.  of  III.  Inf.  was  raised.  It  was  mustered 
into  the  service  Sept.  2,  1862,  at  Dixon,  111.,  and  the 
General  became  its  commanding  officer.  The  regi- 
ment joined  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  with  which 
it  remained  through  the  war.  In  the  spring  of  1864 
the  regiment  was  brigaded  with  the  io2d  and  i2glh 
Illinois,  the  7oth  Indiana  and  the  79th  Ohio,  the 
same  being  in  the  ist  brigade,  3d  division  of  the  2oth 
Army  Corps.  After  the  Atlanta  campaign  Col.  Dustin 
was  placed  in  command  of  the  2d  brigade  of  the 
same  division  and  corps  and  remained  in  command 
of  that  brigade  during  the  war.  He  accompanied 
Gen.  Sherman  in  his  grand  march  to  the  sea.  After 
the  ba~ttle  of  Averysboro,  N.  C.,  he  was  brevetted 
Brigadier  General,  a  promotion  which  his  coolness, 
dash  and  bravery  in  that  engagement  had  well 
merited.  It  may  be  said  here  that  he  has  a  spotless 
military  record,  and  was  one  of  the  most  gallant 
officers  sent  from  De  Kalb  County.  Upon  being 
mustered  out  of  the  service  June  7,  1865,  at  Wash- 
ington, where  he  took  a  proud  part  in  the  Grand  Re- 
view of  the  armies,  Gen.  Dustin  returned  home,  and 
in  the  fall  of  that  year  was  elected  to  the  office  of 
County  Clerk,  without  opposition,  which  position  he 
held  for  four  years.  He  was  subsequently  elected 


County  Treasurer  for  one  term,  and  in  the  fall  of 
1880  was  elected  Circuit  Clerk  and  Recorder.  He 
was  re-elected  in  1884,  and  with  the  expiration  of  his 
present  term  will  have  completed  sixteen  years  of 
official  service  in  the  Court-House  at  Sycamore.  It 
is  needless  to  say  that  he  has  performed  the  several 
important  trusts  reposed  to  his  keeping  by  the  people 
of  the  county  with  signal  fidelity  and  ability.  As  a 
Republican  none  have  been  more  active  and  influen- 
tial in  local  politics.  The  General  has  twice  been 
the  choice  of  Republicans  in  De  Kalb  County  for 
Congress,  and  in  both  instances  has  he  withdrawn  in 
favor  of  personal  friends,  preferring  in  his  modesty 
and  humility  to  remain  in  comparative  obscurity, 
although  second  to  none  in  influence  and  fitted  in 
every  sense  to  confer  honor  upon  any  position  to 
which  he  might  be  called.  He  has  been  a  stanch 
Republican  from  the  first,  and  in  every  political  cam- 
paign sincejiis  return  from  military  to  civil  life  he 
has  done  yeoman  service  for  his  party.  Intellectually 
gifted,  he  is  fluent  of  speech  and  possesses  that  rare 
grace  and  power  of  oratory  which  is  at  once  most 
pleasing  and  effective  on  the  stump.  He  is  a  man 
of  warm  and  generous  impulses  and  never  fails  in 
his  appeals  to  the  patriotic  feelings  of  those  whom  he 
addresses.  In  this  respect  he  is  exceptional.  His 
fine  presence  and  courtly  manners,  added  to  his  un- 
swerving integrity  and  his  utter  unselfishness,  have 
won  for  him  a  host  of  friends  and  enthusiastic  ad- 
mirers. De  Kalb  County  is  proud  of  him,  and  loves 
him  for  the  gallant  soldier  that  he  was,  for  the  faith- 
ful and  able  part  he  has  borne  in  the  administration 
of  its  civil  affairs  and  for  his  manly  and  devoted 
spirit  in  all  things  pertaining  to  their  interests.  As  a 
neighbor  he  is  conspicuous  for  his  kindly  ways  and 
his  ready  response  to  every  appeal  in  behalf  of 
charity  and  benevolence.  He  is  one  of  those  worthy 
sons  of  New  England  who  have  left  the  impress  of 
their  character  and  good  deeds  upon  the  institutions 
and  people  of  the  West. 

He  has  been  twice  married.  His  first  wife  being 
Isabel,  daughter  of  Colonel  Gouldsbun  Taplin,  of 
Corinth,  Vt.  Their  marriage  took  place  at  Topsham 
Vt.,  in  1846,  and  of  their  union  three  children  were 
born.  Emma  A.  married  William  B.  Myers,  a  woolen 
manufacturerof  Carthage,  Mo.  Electa  J.  is  the  wife 
of  Walter  Waterman,  a  merchant  at  Sycamore.  Wil- 
liam G.  is  connected  with  a  prominent  journal  pub- 
lished at  Rockford,  111.  The  mother  died  at  East 
I  s-^  ^nij.ggtyir'  jj&ygKX^X/g) 


Corinth,  Vt.,  which  was  also  the  place  of  her  nativity. 
The  second  marriage  of  General  Dustin,  to  Elmira  Et 
Pauly,  occurred  Oct.  r5,  1854,  and  they  have  one 
daughter,  Zada  Belle.  Mrs.  Dustin  was  born  in  War- 
ren Co.,  Ohio. 

In  1859  the  General  became  especially  interested 
in  the  Masonic  Order  and  is  now  a  Mason  of  the 
3ad  degree.  He  is  a  member  of  Sycamore  Lodge, 
No.  134;  Sycamore  Chapter,  No.  49;  Sycamore 
Council,  No.  36,  and  Sycamore  Commandery,  No.  15. 
In  1872  the  Knights  Templar  of  Illinois  elected 
=  him  to  the  highest  office  within  their  gift,  that  of 
i$  Right  Eminent  Commander  of  the  Grand  Com- 
\  mandery  of  the  State. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dustin,  together  with  their  daugh- 
ters, are  members  of  the  First  Congregational  Church 
of  Sycamore,  in  which  society  the  General  has  held 
important  offices,  being  at  present  Clerk  of  the 
Church. 

The  portrait  of  General  Dustin  on  a  preceding 
page  is  presented  by  the  publishers  with  a  satisfac- 
tion which  will  meet  with  a  corresponding  degree 
of  appreciation  wherever  the  subject  is  known. 


eorge  C.  Cooper,  deceased,  for  many  years 
a  resident  of  Paw  Paw  Township,  was  born 
in  the  town  of  Salem,  Washington  Co.,  N. 
Y.,  Oct.  2,  1808,  and  is  the  son  of  William  and 
Sarah  (Crage)  Cooper.  His  parents  were  born 
in  Washington  Co.,N.  Y.,  of  Irish  descent.  He 
moved  to  Cayuga  County,  with  his  parents,  in  1810, 
became  a  farmer  and  was  married  in  Sterling,  N.  Y., 
Sept.  26,  1831,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Moore,  daughter  of 
James  and  Letitia  Moore.  Mrs.  Cooper  was  born  in 
Cambridge,  Washington  Co.,  N.  Y.,  of  English  and 
Irish  descent,  April  20,  1810.  They  had  two  chil- 
dren, both  born  in  Sterling,  Cayuga  Co.,  N.  Y.,  a  son 
and  a  daughter :  James  C.,  born  Feb.  2,  1833,  married 
Margaret  Newton,  Feb.  21,  1856,  and  died  Oct.  22, 
1869;  Mary  C.,  born  May  30,  1835,  wife  of  Joseph 
L.  Holmes,  married  Feb.  28,  1858,  and  resides  in 
Leland,  111. 

Mr.  Cooper  emigrated  with  his  family  to  Illinois,  in 
1848,  and  arrived  in  Paw  Paw  Township,  De  Kalb 
County,  July  24.  He  purchased  320  acres  of  Gov- 
ernment land,  and  subsequently  bought  an  8o-acre 


i 


tract  at  private  sale,  making  400  in  all.  He  was  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  stock-growing  to  the  time  of  his 
death,  which  occurred  July  20,  1862.  In  politics  he 
was  an  earnest  Republican,  with  Abolition  sym- 
pathies. He  always  took  a  warm  interest  in  political 
affairs,  and  was  a  zealous  advocate  of  temperance 
principles.  He  was  a  man  who  aimed  to  advance 
the  best  interests  of  society,  and  was  highly  esteemed 
by  his  fellow  citizens.  His  wife  survives  him,  and 
still  resides  at  the  old  homestead,  on  section  23, 
where  she  is  held  in  high  esteem  by  neighbors  and 
friends. 


ames  McCleery,  Supervisor  of  Clinton 
Township,  residing  and  farming  on  section 
34,  is  a  son  of  James  and  Jane  (Thompson) 
McCleery,  natives  of  New  York  and  Scotland 
respectively.  They  were  married  and  settled 
in  Canada,  and  eight  years  later  moved  to 
Wayne  Co.,  Ohio.  From  Ohio  they  came  to  this 
county  in  1851,  and  settled  in  Somonauk  Township, 
and  afterward  removed  to  Victor  Township,  where, 
May  29,  1859,  his  mother  died.  His  father  then 
removed  to  Washington  Co.,  Iowa,  where  he  is  at 
present  residing,  at  the  advanced  age  of  81  years. 
Nine  children  constituted  the  issue  of  their  marriage. 
Six  survive,  namely,  John,  James,  Mary  A.,  Margaret, 
Elizabeth,  and  William  D.  The  deceased  are  Hugh, 
Robert  and  Jane  C. 

Jaines  McCleery,  Jr.,  was  born  in  Canada,  near 
Gault,  Waterloo  County,  June  18,  1835.  He  was 
seven  years  of  age  when  his  parents  moved  to  Ohio, 
and  remained  on  his  father's  farm,  assisting  in  its 
cultivation  and  attending  the  common  schools  until 
he  attained  the  age  of  22  years.  Arriving  at  that  age, 
he  set  out  to  fight  life's  battles  alone.  He  at  first 
engaged  in  farming,  which  vocation  he  followed  in 
Ohio  until  1851,  when  he  came  to  this  county. 

In  1855  Mr.  McCleery  came  into  possession  of  120 
acres  of  land  situated  in  Victor  Township.  He  at 
once  settled  on  his  land  and  lived  thereon  for  two 
years,  when  he  traded  it  for  187  acres  in  Clinton 
Township.  He  moved  on  the  latter  farm  in  1861, 
and  is  still  a  resident  thereon.  He  is  at  present  the 
owner  of  292  acres  of  land,  all  situated  in  De  Kalb 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


> 


9 


County,  and  of  the  entire  amount  220  acres  are  under 
a  good  state  of  cultivation. 

Mr.  McCleery  was  united  in  marriage  to  Margaret 
Graham,  in  Victor  Township,  Feb.  i,  1858.  She  is  a 
daughter  of  Robert  and  Sarah  (Williamson)  Graham, 
natives  of  Washington  Co.,  N.  Y.  They  came  to  this 
county  in  1850  and  lived  for  one  year  in  Somonauk 
Township,  then  removed  to  Victor  Township,  where 
they  at  present  reside.  They  are  the  parents  of  six 
children,  five  of  whom  survive,  namely,  Margaret, 
^ary  A.,  Andrew,  Russell  and  James.  One  died  in 
nfancy. 

Margaret  McCleery,  wife  of  the  subject  of  this 
biographical  notice,  was  born  in  Washington  Co.,  N. 
Y.,  June  15,  1837.  She  remained  an  inmate  of  her 
father's  family,  assisting  in  the  household  duties  and 
attending  the  common  schools  until  her  marriage. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCleery  are  the  parentsof  ten  chil- 
dren. The  living  are  Sarah  J.,  Mary,  Fanny  E., 
Adeline  I.,  William  R.,  Raymond  and  Jeannett.  The 
deceased  are  John,  Andrew  and  Margaret. 

Mr.  McCleery  was  appointed  Supervisor  of  Clinton 
Township  in  the  spring  of  1883,  and  in  the  spring  of 
1884  was  elected  to  the  office,  and  now  holds  the 
same.  He  has  also  held  other  minor  offices  in  his 
township.  Politically,  he  is  a  Republican.  Relig- 
iously, Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCleery  are  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church. 


i  homas  Wright,  farmer  and  stockman,  resi- 
dent on  section  34,  De  Kalb  Township,  is 
one  of  the  leading  agriculturists  of  his 
county.  On  attaining  his  majority  he  settled 
on  the  farm  on  which  he  has  since  resided  and 
carried  on  his  successful  operations.  His 
estate  includes  226  acres  of  land,  all  under  a  high 
order  of  cultivation  and  devoted  largely  to  the  rearing 
of  stock  of  excellent  grades,  comprising  44  head  of 
cattle,  1 20  swine  and  eight  horses.  He  is  a  Repub- 
lican in  political  connection. 

Mr.  Wright  was  born  March  n,  1833,  in  Oneida 
Co.,  N.  Y.  He  acquired  a  fair  degree  of  education 
in  the  common  schools,  and  after  the  death  of  his 
father,  which  occurred  when  he  was  three  years  of 
age,  was  brought  up  by  his  mother,  who  supported 
her  family  of  four  sons  and  two  daughters  and  reared 


them  to  a  period  when  they  could  make  their  own 
way  in  the  world.  From  the  age  of  12  years  until  is 
manhood,  he  was  a  farm  laborer.  He  was  seven 
years  of  age  when  the  family  came  to  De  Kalb 
County.  Before  coming  of  age,  in  company  with  his 
brother  Jabez,  he  bought  160  acres  of  land,  of  which 
he  afterwards  became  by  purchase  sole  proprietor 
and  which  is  now  included  in  his  homestead. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Wright  to  Amanda  Richard- 
son took  place  Dec.  21,  1854,  in  De  Kalb  Township. 
Her  parents,  Abiel  and  Sophia  Richardson,  were 
natives  of  Vermont,  and  removed  from  that  State  to 
Illinois  in  1837,  becoming  pioneer  settlers  of  De  Kalb 
County.  The  former  died  April  14,  1869;  the  de- 
cease of  the  latter  occurred  March  12,  1871.  Mrs. 
Wright  was  born  Aug.  18,  1836,  in  Addison  Co.,  Vt. 
Frank  E.,  only  child  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wright,  was 
born  March  19,  1857. 


ivi  Hurst,  a  retired  farmer,  residing  in  the 
village  of  Shabbona,  was  born  at  Eaton, 
Nottinghamshire,  England,  Nov.  23,  1823, 
and  is  the  son  of  James  and  Mary  (Bowskill) 
Hurst.  In  youth  he  was  employed  in  farming 
and  other  service,  and,  May  15,  1849,  he  was 
married,  at  Troxford,  England,  to  Miss  Sarah  Burdin, 
daughter  of  John  and  Ann  Burdin,  who  was  born  in 
Bothamsall,  England,  Feb.  7,  1828. 

Mr.  Hurst  and  family  emigrated  to  America  in 
1851,  and  after  spending  two  years  in  Seneca  Co., 
N.  Y.,  removed,  in  1853,  to  Batavia,  Kane  Co.,  111., 
where  they  resided  one  year.  Then  they  were  resi- 
dents of  Victor,  De  Kalb  County,  three  years ;  then 
again  in  Seneca,  N.  Y.,  three  years;  next,  in  1859, 
they  returned  to  Victor;  and  finally  in  1864,  Mr. 
Hurst  purchased  a  farm  of  160  acres  in  the  town- 
ship of  Shabbona,  being  the  southeast  quarter  of  sec- 
tion i.  He  carried  on  his  farm  successfully  till  1881, 
when  he  sold,  and  Feb.  20,  1882,  removed  to  the  vil- 
lage of  Shabbona,  where  he  has  a  pleasant  and  com- 
modious residence. 

The  living  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hurst  are 
seven  in  number,  besides  two  deceased,  and  all  born 
in  America  except  the  oldest,  as  follows:  John,  born 
April  14,  1850,  married  Eva  Wigton  and  lives 
Hamilton  Co.,  Iowa;  Mary  A.,  born  June  20,  1852, 


£ 
5 


died  July  i,  1852;  George,  born  Aug.  10,  1853,  mar- 
ried Franc  Bronson  and  lives  in  Hamilton  Co.. 
Iowa;  James  H.,  born  Sept.  12,  1855,  married  Sarah 
Wescott  and  resides  also  in  Hamilton  Co.,  Iowa; 
Sarah  E.,  born  May  29,  1858,  is  the  wife  of  William 
Launsbury  and  lives  in  Hamilton  Co.,  Neb. ;  Eliza 
J.,  born  Nov.  i  r,  1860,  is  the  wifeof  Charles  R.  Dodd 
and  is  a  resident  of  Humboldt,  Iowa;  Ann  M.  was 
born  Feb.  4,  1863;  Lillie  M.,  July  22,  1865;  and 
Joseph,  born  Oct.  23,  1868,  died  June  2,  1873. 


ames  McFarland,  deceased,  was  a  re- 
spected pioneer  of  Paw  Paw  Township  of 
1845.  He  was  born  in  the  town  of  Salem, 
Washington  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  24,  1797,  and  was 
the  son  of  John  and  Janet  McFarland.  His 
parents  were  of  Scotish  birth,  and  had  emigrated 
to  the  State  of  New  York  in  an  early  day.  He 
moved  with  his  parents  to  Cayuga  County  in  boy- 
hood, where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  and  lum- 
bering. 

He  came  to  Illinois  in  1845  and  settled  on  section 
23,  Paw  Paw  Township,  De  Kalb  County.  He  pur- 
chased his  land  of  the  Government  (160  acres),  and 
made  this  his  home  continuously  till  the  time  of 
his  death,  which  occurred  Dec.  27,  1876.  He  was 
married  in  Cayuga  Co.,  N.  Y.,  March  6,  1832,  to  Miss 
Mary  Harper,  daughter  of  James  and  Elizabeth 
(Black)  Harper.  Mrs.  McFarland  was  born  in 
County  Tyrone,  Ireland,  April  10,  1809.  She  emi- 
grated with  her  parents  to  America  during  the  War 
of  1812.  The  family  settled  in  Washington  Co.,  N. 
Y.,  and  subsequently  removed  to  Cayuga  County, 
same  State,  where  she  was  married.  Three  children 
were  born  of  this  union,  one  boy  and  two  girls : 
Elizabeth,  born  Feb.  10,  1833,  became  the  wife  of 
Charles  S.  Hubbell,  and  died  Feb.  24,  1875,  leaving 
three  children,  all  girls;  the  next  younger  than 
Elizabeth  was  Janet,  who  was  born  Nov.  14,  1835, 
and  died  June  24,  1848;  Thomas,  born  in  1837,  died 
in  infancy. 

Mr.  McFarland  was  an  earnest  member  of  the 
United  Presbyterian  Church  from  boyhood.  He 
took  an  active  part  in  building  the  church  at  Ross 
Grove,  and  was  one  of  the  most  liberal  in  its  support. 

He  was  a  man  of  the  strictest  integrity,  and  com- 


manded the  confidence  and  esteem  of  all  who  knew 
him.  His  wife,  a  lady  justly  held  in  high  esteem, 
survives  him  and  still  occupies  the  old  homestead. 
She  is  a  consistent  Christian  and  has  a  membership 
in  the  United  Presbyterian  Church  of  Freeland,  De  vj 
Kalb  County. 


ewis  H.  Crego,  farmer,  residing  on  section 
36,  De  Kalb  Township,  was  born  in  Che- 
nango  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Jan.  i,  1841.  He  Is  the 
son  of  Daniel  Crego,  a  native  of  New  York,  and 
was  born  in  Herkimer  County,  that  State,  April 
30,  i8ot.  He  followed  the  business  of  a 
farmer  in  that  county  until  his  .removal  to  this  State 
in  1852,  when  he  settled  in  Kane  County.  In  1857, 
he  came  to  De  Kalb  County,  which  is  now  their  place 
of  residence.  His  father  was  born  in  Dutchess  Co., 
N.  Y.,  in  1750,  of  Holland  parentage.  His  wife, 
Polly  (Stanehan)  Crego,  was  born  in  Chatham,  N.  Y., 
and  they  moved  to  Chenango  Co.,  N.  Y.,  where  she 
died,  in  1829,  aged  69  years;  and  his  death  occurred 
in  1836.  They  were  the  parents  of  nine  children, — 
two  daughters  and  seven  sons.  Daniel  Crego,  their 
eighth  son,  was  married  to  Ann  Kelley,  who  is  the 
daughter  of  Michael  and  Elizabeth  (Stall)  Kelley, 
natives  of  New  York,  both  of  whom  died  the  same 
year,  the  father  in  February  and  the  mother  in  July, 
1837.  There  were  seven  children  in  the  family  of 
Daniel  and  Ann  Crego,  namely,  Sarah,  George  M., 
Polly  J.,  Owen  C.,  Lewis  H.,  Nancy  E.  and  Ellen. 

Mr.  Crego,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  is  a  promi- 
nent agriculturist  of  De  Kalb  County,  of  which  he 
has  been  a  continuous  resident  since  1857.  He  has 
a  valuable  farm,  which  comprises  480  acres  of  land, 
devoted  to  the  raising  of  stock  and  general  farming  of 
an  advanced  character.  Mr.  Crego 's  political  views 
are  in  harmony  with  those  of  the  Democratic  party. 
The  marriage  of  Mr.  Crego  to  Millie  Souders  took 
place  in  Kane  Co.,  111.,  March  i,  1873,  and  they  be- 
came the  parents  of  four  children  :  John  S.  and  Dan 
S.,  twins,  were  born  June  28,  1875  ;  Floyd  O.,  Aug. 
14,  1876;  Mabel  M.,  July  14,  1879.  Mrs.  Crego 
died  Oct.  28,  1879,  in  the  township  of  De  Kalb.  She 
was  born  in  Kane  County,  Nov.  27,  1842,  and  was 
the  daughter  of  John  and  Polly  Souders,  natives  of 
&*ag*e@) 


r 


DE  KALB    COUNTY. 


3 


Ohio,  who  were  the  first  settlers  on  Blackberry  Creek 
in  Kane  County. 

As  one  of  the  prominent  and  representative  agri- 
culturists of  De  Kalb  County,  we  take  pleasure  in 
presenting  Mr.  Crego's  portrait  in  this  work  among 
other  leading  and  representative  men;  and  as  a  fit 
and  worthy  companion  picture  of  Mr.  Crego,  we  place 
by  it  that  of  his  estimable  wife.  The  photographs 
from  which  the  engravings  were  made  were  taken  in 
1878. 


iathaniel  Smith,  deceased,  formerly  of 
Sandwich,  came  in  1858  to  that  place  from 
Little  Rock,  111.,  where  he  had  located  in 
1849.  He  was  born  in  Providence,  Sara- 
toga Co.,  N.  Y.,  Dec.  2,  1822. 
After  completing  a  course  in  the  State  Normal 
School  of  New  York,  he  was  appointed  Public  School 
Inspector  in  his  native  State.  Mr.  Smith  was  a  man 
of  artistic  tastes  and  was  one  of  the  best  photogra- 
phers in  the  west.  He  was  the  instructor  of  C.  D. 
Mosher,  of  Chicago,  who  has  a  national  reputation. 
Nathaniel  Smith  died  at  his  home  in  Sandwich,  Jan. 
24,  1878. 


^rastus  Dean,  proprietor  of  a   drug   store 
and  meat-market  at  Waterman,  is  from  the 
Empire  State.     His    parents,  Smith    and 
Delilah   (Wright)   Dean,    also   natives  of  that 
State,  came  to  Kane  Co.,  111.,  in   1846,  where 
|      where  they  resided  the  remainder  of  their  lives. 
Tlieir  seven  children  were   Erastus,   Althea,   John, 
Robert,  Lewis,  Miriam  and  Nathaniel. 

The  gentleman  whose  name  heads  this  sketch  was 
born  in  Putn  am  Co.,  N.  Y.,July  18,  1831,  came  to  this 
State  with  his  father  in  1846,  lived  at  home  till  1855, 
and  came  and  purchased  a  farm  of  146  acres  "in 
Afton  Township,  this  county,  where  he  lived  about 
14  years,  and  then  rented  his  farm  and  removed  to 
Shabbona,  where  he  engaged  in  the  meat  business 
about  five  years ;  he  then  removed  to  Waterman, 
wher,e  he  has  since  been  employed  in  the  same  voca- 
tion, adding  to  his  business  a  stock  of  drugs  in  1884. 
In  his  political  views  Mr.  Dean  is  a  Democrat. 

£%&*& 


He  has  been  one  of  the  Trustees  of  the  village  of 
Waterman  for  four  years,  School  Trustee,  etc. 

He  was  married  in  Afton  Township,  this  county, 
Oct.  12,  1859,  to  Miss  Charlotte  L.,  daughter  of 
Orson  and  Betsey  (Brainard)  Pearl,  natives  of  New  ^ 
York  State,  who  came  to  this  county  in  1854,  settling 
in  Afton  Township,  where  Mrs.  Pearl  died.  Mr.  P. 
afterward  married  and  moved  to  Waterman,  where 
he  at  present  resides,  at  the  advanced  age  of  81 
years.  His  children  are  Julius,  Mary  A.,  Charlotte 
L.,  Sarah,  Ellen  and  Charles.  Mrs.  Dean  was  born 
in  the  State  of  New  York,  July  TO,  1841.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  D.  have  12  children,  namely:  Alice,  Smith  A., 
Charles  O.,  Amzy,  William  E.,  Bertie  P.,  Cornelius, 
Jennie,  Lulu,  John  W.,  Fred  and  one  who  died  when 
an  infant. 


zra  M.  Ames,  farmer,  section  33,  Clinton 
Township  is  a  son  of  Elijah  and  Cynthia 
Ames,   natives   of  Vermont,   and    is   the 
youngest  of  15   children  who   constituted  the 
issue  of  their  marriage. 

He  was  born  in  Potsdam,  St  Lawrence  Co., 
N.  Y.,  June  5,  r822.  He  was  a  resident  of  "York 
State  "  for  25  years,  until  1847,  when  he  came  to  Du 
Page  County,  this  State.  He  lived  in  the  latter  coun- 
ty three  years,  until  June  1850,  when  he  came  to  this 
county  and  purchased  80  acres  of  land  in  Clinton 
Township,  on  which  he  located  and  where  he  is  at 
present  residing.  He  is  the  owner  of  204  acres  of 
land,  180  of  which  are  in  a  good  tillable  condition. 

Mr.  Ames  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Orpha 
M.  Ames,  Jan.  9,  1846,  in  St.  Lawrence  Co.,  N.  Y. 
She  is  a  daughter  of  Elijah  and  Mable  (Pierce)  Ames, 
natives  of  Vermont  and  Massachusetts  respectively, 
and  are  the  parents  of  1 2  children. 

Orpha  M.  Ames  was  born  in  Canton,  St.  Lawrence 
Co,N.  Y.,  April  27,  1822.  She  is  the  mother  ot 
eight  children  by  Mr.  Ames,  namely:  Marion  E., 
born  April  9,  r847  ;  Almeda,  born  March  6,  1850; 
George  W.,  born  April  15,  1852;  Ota  E.,  born  Nov. 
23,  1856;  Charlie  I.,  born  March  30,  1859:  Ethan 
E.,  born  Dec.  21,  1860;  Myron  P.,  born  May  29, 
1863,  and  Cora  M.,  born  Dec.  5,  1865.  Marion  E. 
died  April  19,  1868.  Almeda  is  the  wife  of  James 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


Merritt,  and   resides  in  Waterman.     Ota  E.  married 
Miss  Ella  Hill  and  resides  in  Sycamore. 

Politically,  Mr.  Ames  is  a  Republican..  He  has 
held  the  office  of  School  Director,  Overseer  of  the 
Poor  and  Overseer  of  Highways. 


fames  Harper,  farmer,  residence  East  Paw 
Paw,  on  section  18,  has  628^  acres  of 
land,  158  acres  of  which  lies  in  Lee 
f  County,  the  balance  being  in  De  Kalb  County  ; 
was  born  in  Paw  Paw  Township,  De  Kalb  Co., 
111.,  Dec.  2,  1854,  and  is  the  son  of  William 
and  Sarah  (Kirk)  Harper.  He  received  a  common- 
school  education  and  was  reared  on  his  father's 
farm.  He  has  always  made  this  township  his  home. 
He  was  married  at  East  Paw  Paw,  April  10,  1878, 
to  Bertha  Patrick,  daughter  of  William  and  Mary 
(Congrave)  Patrick.  Mrs.  Harper  was  born  in  Du 
Page  Co.,  111.,  April  7,  1858.  They  have  three  chil- 
dren, all  boys:  Floyd  E.,  born  March  9,  1879; 
Frank  W.,  born  Nov.  23,  1881 ;  and  Jesse  C.,  born 
Dec.  10,  1883. 

Mr.  Harper  made  his  home  on  section  14  of  this 
township  immediately  after  his  marriage,  where  he 
still  has  a  farm,  and  continued  to  reside  there  till 
1883,  when  he  removed  to  East  Paw  Paw,  his  pres- 
ent home.  Politically,  he  is  a  Republican. 


illiam  Howison,  farmer,  section  33,  Clin- 
ton  Township,  is  a  son   of  George   and 
Margaret    (Brown)    Howison,   natives    of 
Scotland,  who  emigrated  to  America  in  1834 
and  settled  in  New  York  in  1844  and  came  to 
Somonauk  Township,  this  county,  where  they 
passed  the  remainder  of  their  lives. 

They  were  the  parents  of  James,  William,  Eliza, 
Alexander  and  Robert. 

Mr.  Howison,  of  this  sketch,  was  born  also  in 
Scotland,  Oct.  18,  1821,  and  in  1843  he  emigrated 
to  this  country,  coming  direct  to  De  Kalb  County. 
He  first  resided  about  four  years  in  Somonauk 
Township,  and  then,  in  1847,  he  moved  to  Clinton 
Township,  where  he  purchased  a  quarter  of  section 
33,  settled  upon  it  and  has  since  resided  there.  He 

^€^ — ^ 


is  now  the  owner  of  500  acres  of  land  in  Clinton 
Township,  most  of  which  is  in  a  state  of  good  cul- 
tivation or  pasture.  He  keeps  about  250  head  of 
hogs,  60  of  cattle  and  14  horses. 

In  his  political  principles  he  is  identified  with  the 
Republicans.  He  has  been  entrusted  with  the 
offices  of  Highway  Commissioner,  School  Director, 
etc.  He  and  Mrs.  H.  are  both  members  of  the 
United  Presbyterian  Church. 

He  was  married  in  Clinton  Township,  Oct.  18, 
1855,  to  Catherine  Walls,  who  was  born  in  Washing- 
ton Co.,  N.  Y.,  Dec.  25,  1824,  and  they  are  the  par- 
ents of  James  A.,  William  J.,  Robert  W.,  George  W., 
Albert  and  Mary  M.  The  first-born,  James  A., 
died  March  15,  1882. 


ranklin  O.  Stevens,  farmer,  owning    120 
acres  on  section  30,  Shabbona  Township, 
was   born  in  West  Haven,  Rutland  Co., 
Vt.,  Sept.   14,  1832.     His  parents,  Amma  and 
Polly  (Talmadge)  Stevens,  moved  from  Ver- 
mont tj  Parma,  Monroe  Co.,  N.  Y ,  in  which 
vicinity  his  father  soon  after  engaged  in  farming. 

Franklin  O.  was  raised  on  his  father's  farm,  alter- 
nating his  labors  thereon  by  attendance  at  the  com- 
mon schools.  In  1840  he  came,  with  his  parents, 
from  New  York  and  located  in  Cook  County,  this 
State.  They  resided  in  the  latter  county  for  about 
three  years,  then  moved  to  Du  Page  County,  and  in 
1848  came  to  this  county  and  located  on  a  farm. 

Mr.  Stevens  was  married  Feb.  15,  1855,  to  Loticia 
M.  Erwin,  who  died  Dec.  8,  same  year,  leaving  a  son, 
Terry  G.  He  was  bom  Nov.  14,  1855,  married  Cora 
Allen  and  resides  in  Montana.  Mr.  Stevens  was  a 
second  time  married  Sept.  T3,  1857,  at  Shabbona,  to 
Miss  Ann,  daughter  of  Lyman  and  Hannah  (Gates) 
Norton.  She  was  born  in  Parkham,  Geauga  Co., 
Ohio,  July  22,  1835,  and  came  to  this  State  with  her 
parents  in  1845.  The  issue  of  their  union  was  two 
children  :  Murray  L.,  born  Oct.  6,  1868,  married  E. 
Hattie  Ray  and  resides  on  a  farm  in  Shabbona 
Township;  Curtis  E.  was  born  Feb.  13,  1874,  and 
is  living  with  her  parents. 

Soon  after  the  breaking  out  of  the  late  Civil  War, 
Nov.  2,  1861,  Mr.  Stevens  enlisted  in  Co.  C,  soth 
111.  Vol.  Inf.,  was  a  Sergeant  and  served  in  the 
Army  of  the  Tennessee.  He  received  an  honorable 
•<*  ^  -^reup*-  *^^^@, 


\l 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


i 


discharge  June  17,  1862,  on  account  of  physical  dis- 
ability. 

Mr.  Stevens  settled  on  his  present  farm  and  has 
constantly  resided  thereon  except  two  years  he  spent 
in  Oregon  and  the  time  he  was  in  the  army.  In 
May,  1871,  he,  with  his  family,  went  to  Oregon  via 
the  Union  Pacific  Railroad.  He  traveled  by  stage 
about  300  miles  and  located  in  Jacksonville,  Jackson 
County.  He  spent  two  years  there,  and  then  re- 
turned to  his  farm,  which  he  had  rented  during  his 
absence,  arriving  in  the  fall  of  1872. 

Politically,  Mr.  Stevens  has  been  identified  with 
the  Republican  party  ever  since  its  organization. 


eorge  Harrington,  farmer,  section  13, 
Squaw  Grove  Township,  was  born  Sept.  26, 
1835,  in  New  Berlin,  Chenango  Co.,  N.  Y., 
and  is  the  son  of  Rufus  and  Eliza  (Welch) 
Harrington.  (See  sketch  of  Rufus  Harrington). 
He  obtained  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  State  and  of  Illinois,  having 
been  about  13  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  De 
Kalb  County.  His  first  act  of  unusual  importance 
was  his  enrollment  in  the  Union  army.  He  en- 
listed Aug.  15,  1862.  in  the  rosth  111.  Vol.  Inf.,  as  a 
private  in  Co.  H.  He  served  until  the  close  of  the 
war,  and  obtaining  his  discharge  returned  to  Squaw 
Grove.  He  is  the  owner  of  120  acres  of  land, 
which  is  under  advanced  cultivation  and  forms  a 
valuable  property.  He  is  a  Republican  and  is  a 
member  of  Aurora  Post,  No.  20,  G.  A.  R.  He  has 
held  several  local  offices,  of  different  degrees  of  re- 
sponsibility. 

Nov.  25,  1858,  he  was  married  at  Sandwich,  to 
Elvira  A.  Ward.  She  was  born  Dec.  24,  1835,  in 
Ohio,  and  they  have  three  children, — Jessie  A., 
Ruth  E.  and  Stella  M.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harrington 
are  members  of  the  Baptist  Church. 


^artman  Schule,  farmer  on  section  21,  Pierce 
Township,   was    born    April   24,   1803,   in 
Hesse  Darmstadt,   Germany.     He  grew  to 
manhood  in  his  native  State,  and  was  married 
May  20,  1830,  to  Elizabeth  Roth.     In  1847  the 
family,  including  the  parents  and  five  children, 
set  out  for  America,  landing  at  the  port  of  New  York. 


Mr.  Schule  found  employment  there  and  saved  suf- 
ficient of  his  earnings  to  come  to  Illinois  after  a  year 
and  a  half,  and  in  the  fall  of  1849  settled  in  Du 
Page  County,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farm  labor 
until  1853,  when  he  settled  in  Pierce  Township,  to 
which  place  he  had  come  a  year  before  and  purchased 
240  acres  of  wild  land  situated  on  section  21,  at  the 
rate  of  $3  per  acre.  They  first  built  a  shanty  with  a 
shed-roof,  which  served  a  few  months  for  a  shelter 
and  was  then  replaced  with  a  more  commodicus 
frame  house.  Their  children  are  named  Catherine, 
John,  Henry,  Elizabeth  and  George.  The  latter  is 
the  only  one  living  in  the  township  of  Pierce.  He 
was  born  in  Hesse  Darmstadt,  Germany,  and  was 
married  Dec.  2,  1862,  to  Mary  A.  Shoop,  a  native  of 
Crawford  Co.,  Ohio,  and  daughter  of  Solomon  and 
Catherine  (Eberly)  Shoop.  They  have  five  children,— 
Adelia  Jane,  William  Henry,  Emma  Ellen,  Nelson 
George  (Postmaster  at  Pierceville)  and  John  Harvey. 
On  coming  West  from  New  York,  they  came  by 
the  Hudson  River  and  Erie  Canal  to  Buffalo,  and 
thence  to  Chicago  by  steamer.  From  the  last  place 
they  came  to  Du  Page  County  on  foot.  The  family 
homestead  is  in  fine  and  valuable  condition,  with 
good  farm  buildings,  orchard  and  shade  trees. 


el  M.  Swift,  retired  farmer,  residing  at 
Waterman  and  owning  land  on  section  n, 
Clinton  Township,  is  a  son  of  Samuel  and 
Betsey  M.  (Woodworth)  Swift,  natives  of  New 
York.  They  moved  to  Calhoun  Co.,  Mich., 
where  they  located  and  resided  until  their 
death.  Seven  children  were  the  issue  of  their  union, 
namely :  Samuel  M.,  Elizabeth  M.,  Nathaniel, 
Charles,  David,  Harriet,  Woodworth  and  Kent. 

Samuel  M.  Swift,  the  subject  of  this  biographical 
notice,  was  born  in  Columbia  Co.,  N.  Y.,  March  27, 
1820.  He  lived  at  home,  aiding  in  the  support  of 
the  family,  working  on  the  farnj  and  attending  the 
common  schools  until  manhood.  On  attaining  that 
age,  he  set  forth  to  meet  life's  obstacles  with  a  deter- 
mination to  accumulate  a  competency.  He  came  to 
Kendall  County,  this  State,  where  he  remained  until 
the  spring  of  1854,  and  then  came  to  this  county. 
On  his  arrival,  he  purchased  160  acres  of  land  on 
section  n,  Clinton  Township,  on  which  he  at  once 
located  and  resided  until  the  spring  of  1885,  when 
A  ^ 


lie  moved  to  Waterman.  All  of  his  land  is  in  good 
tillable,  condition.  Politically,  Mr.  Swift  is  identified 
with  the  Republican  party,  and  has  held  the  offices 
of  School  Director  and  Highway  Commissioner. 
.  Mr.  Swift  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Harriet 
M.  Shonts,  April  7,  1846,  in  Little  Rock  Township, 
Kendall  Co.,  111.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Andrew  M. 
and  Mariam  (Buck)  Shonts,  natives  of  New  York 
and  Connecticut  respectively,  and  of  German  and 
American  extraction.  They  moved  about  the  year 
1840  to  Kendall  Co.,  this  State,  where  they  died. 
Their  family  comprised  12  children,  namely  :  Eber,, 
Anthony,  David,  Eliza,  Angeline,  John,  Mariam 
Harriet  M.,  Mary,  Andrew,  Edwin  and  Jeremiah. 

Harriet  M.  Swift  was  born  in  Saratoga  Co.,  N.  Y., 
Nov.  1 6,  1819.  She  was  an  inmate  of  her  father's 
family  until  the  date  of  her  marriage.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Swift  are  the  parents  of  seven  children,  namely: 
Drew  C.,:  Emma  M,  Eber  M.,  R.  K.,  Earnest,  Ells- 
worth and  Elizabeth.  Emma  M.  and  Elizabeth  are 
deceased. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Swift  are  members  of  the  Baptist 
Church. 


tenry  Corson,  farmer,  section  28,  Genoa 
Township,  whose  portrait  is  given  on  the 
opposite  page,  was  born  July  8,  1825,  in 
Lycoming  Co.,  Pa.  His  parents,  John  and 
Elizabeth  (Buck)  Corson,  were  born  in  the  Key- 
stone State.  The  former  was  born  Feb.  5,  1788, 
and  died  in  Pennsylvania  April  16,  1842.  The 
mother  came  to  De  Kalb  County  after  becoming  a 
widow.  She  was  born  Oct.  15,  1795,  and  died  in 
January,  1882,  in  McHenry  County.  They  were  the 
parents  of  1 1  children, — Hannah,  Catherine,  Peter, 
Sarah,  Susan,  Henry,  Lovinia,  Daniel  B.,  Alfred, 
Harriet  and  Lucretia. 

Mr.  Corson  was  a  farmer  in  his  native  county  un- 
til the  spring  of  1864,  when  he  removed  with  his 
family,  consisting  of  his  wife  and  four  children,  to 
De  Kalb  County.  He  bought  140  acres  of  land  in 
Genoa  Township,  on  section  3,  immediately  after  his 
removal  hither,  on  which  he  prosecuted  his  agricul- 
tural work  until  1877,  about  which  time  he  rented 
the  place  to  a  tenant  and  bought  40  acres  on  section 
28 — since  constituting  his  homestead.  In  the  spring 
of  1878  he  went  with  his  family  to  Colorado  and 


New  Mexico,  and  spent  about  nine  months,  return- 
ing to  his  home  in  Genoa  Township.  In  political 
principle  and  preference  he  is  identified  with  the 
Democrats. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Corson  to  Eliza  A.  F.  Hew- 
lett took  place  Oct.  31,  1850,  in  Lycoming  Co.,  Pa. 
Mrs.  Corson  is  one  of  12  children, — Edward,  Caro- 
line, Charlotte,  Sophia,  Drusilla,  Eliza  A.  F.,  Thomas, 
Angeline,  Charles,  Catherine,  William  E.  and  Henry 
C.  Mrs.  Corson  was  born  Feb.  5,  1831,  in  Lyco- 
ming County,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Charles  and 
Martha  (Croft)  Hewlett,  the  former  a  native  of  Eng- 
land, the  latter  of  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Corson  have  had  four  children  born  to  them, — Hor- 
ton  H.,  Angeline,  Mary  D.  and  Carrie  E.  The 
youngest  child  died  when  16  months  old. 


ohn  Ray,  farmer,  residing  at  Shabbona,  was 
born  in  Nassau,  Germany,  Jan.  10,  1820, 
and  is  a  son  of  John  J.  and  Catharine  Ray, 
natives  of  that  country.  He  received  a  good 
common-school  education  in  his  native  coun- 
try, and  prior  to  majority  had  mastered  the 
stone-mason's  trade.  In  1849  he  emigrated  to  the 
United  States,  arriving  in  New  York  city  July  15  of 
that  year.  He  proceeded  from  that  place  to  Monroe 
County,  that  State,  where  he  resided  for  about  four 
years  and  then  came  to  this  State,  locating  at  Piano, 
Kendall  County.  He  followed  the  vocation  of  a 
farmer  in  that  county  for  five  years,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Victor  Township,  this  county,  and  contin- 
ued in  the  same  occupation  until  1864.  During  the 
latter  year  he  moved  to  Shabbona  Township  and  on 
Feb.  9,  of  that  year,  purchased  160  acres  of  land  lo- 
cated on  section  15,  that  township. 

On  the  construction  of  the  railroad  through  Shab- 
bona Township,  Mr.  Ray  gave  the  right  of  way 
through  his  farm,  and  also  donated  an  undivided  half 
interest  in  17  acres  to  secure  the  establishment  of  a 
station  at  Shabbona.  He  aided  by  his  liberality  and 
public-spiritedness  very  materially  in  establishing  the 
village  of  Shabbona. 

Mr.  Ray  was  married  in  his  native  country  Jan.  10, 
1843,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Enders.  She  is  a  daughter 
of  George  and  Mary  Enders,  and  was  born  in  Nassau, 
Germany.  They  have  been  blessed  with  nine  chil- 
A_Q 5%»JK__ 


vx 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


dren,  three  of  whom  were  born  in  Germany,  namely  : 
William  H.,  the  present  editor  and  publisher  of  the 
Shabbona  Express ;  John  Ferdinand  died  in  this 
country,  aged  12  years  and  8  months;  Lissette  H.  is 
the  wife  of  George  Hochstrasser  and  resides  at  Wil- 
low Creek,  Lee  Co.,  111.  The  remaining  six  children 
were  born  in  this  -country.  "They  are :  John  P., 
married  Lotta  Heun ;  Benjamin  F.  married  Laura 
Linthicum ;  George  A.  married  Miss  Sarah  J. 
Houghtby ;  John  A.  died  in  infancy ;  Emma  A.  is 
unmarried  and  lives  at  home ;  Esther  H.  is  the  wife 
of  M.  L.  Stevens  and  resides  in  Shabbona. 

Mr.  Ray  and  his  sons  are  Republicans.  He  and 
his  wife  are  members  of  the  Baptist  Church  of  Shab- 
bona. 


ichael  Zeigler,  a  farmer  on    section   22, 
Pierce  Township,  was  born  Sept.  20, 1820, 
in  Wurtemburg,  Germany.      His   father, 
Michael  Zeigler,  was  a  native  of  Baden  and 
married  Elizabeth  Steinle,  who   was   born   in 
Wurtemburg.     He  was  a  land-holder  five  miles 
from  the  chief  city  of  his  province,  and  his  residence 
£,  was  in  the  village  of  Pfahlbash. 

Mr.  Zeigler  was  sent  to  school  eight  years  and 
obtained  a  good  education.  In  1847,  accompanied 
by  his  brother,  he  set  out  in  a  sail  vessel  for  America, 
and  in  28  days  landed  at  New  York.  He  proceeded 
from  that  city  to  Pennsylvania  and  spent  a  few 
months  as  a  clerk.  He  came  next  to  Chicago,  where 
.  he  prospected  for  a  couple  of  weeks,  and  went  thence 
to  Michigan.  He  spent  a  few  months  as  a  saw-mill 
assistant,  but  he  contracted  the  ague  and  returned  to 


Chicago,  where  he  remained  until  he  recovered  his 


'health.  He  next  made  his  way  to  Du  Page  County, 
and  during  the  summer  following  worked  on  a  farm 
in  Kane  County.  In  1850  he  contracted  the  Califor- 
nia gold  "  fever,"  and  in  company  with  five  men  and 
six  teams  set  out  for  an  overland  journey  to  the  land 
of  promise,  carrying  with  them  their  supplies.  The 
journey  consumed  four  months.  Mr.  Zeigler  passed 

••$(•  three  years  in  the  mines  at  different  localities  and 
with  varying  success.  In  1853  he  returned,  making 

0  ^  the  route  across  the  Isthmus  and  by  steamer,  thence 
to  New  York,  coming  from  there  to  De  Kalb  County. 
He  bought  160  acres  of  land  on  section  22,  Pierce 

•MUL/BQjV'  /~\     f 


Township,  which  included  20  acres  of  broken  prairie 
and  a  log  house.  At  date  of  writing,  32  years  after 
making  his  purchase,  Mr.  Zeigler  has  his  farm  all 
improved  and  excellent  farm  buildings.  His  marriage 
to  Laura  Ramer  took  place  in  1853.  Their  children 
are — Ferdinand,  Edward,  Reuben  and  Melinda. 


Imon  W.  Lake,  farmer  and  stock-grower, 
section  25,  Paw  Paw  Township ;  .  post- 
office,  Leland.  He  was  born  in  Sterling, 
Cayuga  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Oct.  13,  1829,  and  is  the 
son  of  John  and  Catharine  (Van  Tassel)  Lake, 
of  English  descent  on  the  father's  side,  and  of 
German  on  the  mother's.  When  10  years  of  age  he 
emigrated  to  Hancock  Co.,  111.,  arriving  May  31, 
1840.  In  the  spring  of  1845,  he  came  to  Paw  Paw 
Township,  De  Kalb  County,  and  purchased  a  part  of 
his  present  farm,  of  the  Government,  in  1849.  He 
worked  out  at  $i  i  a  month  to  earn  money  to  pay  for 
it,  and  subsequently  purchased  another  tract  of  80 
acres,  making  160  in  all.  He  was  married  in  Paw 
Paw  Township,  Jan.  5,  1860,  to  Mary  E.  Dennis, 
daughter  of  John  and  Margaret  (McFarland)  Dennis. 
Mrs.  Lake  was  born  in  the  township  of  Argyle, 
Washington  Co.,  N.  Y.,  April  16,  1842.  They  have 
one  child,  a  son,  Myron  E.,  born  Jan.  15,  1863. 

In  politics  Mr.   Lake  is  a   Republican   and   has 
voted  that  ticket  since  the  organization  of  the  party. 


le  Jorgensen  Prestegard,  of  the  firm  of 
Christopher  &  Jorgens,  dealers  in  grain, 
lumber,  coal  and  live  stock,  in  the  village 
of  Lee,  was  born  in  Norway,  April  23,  1841, 
the  son  of  Jorgen  and  Gruenelda  Prestegard. 
He  emigrated  from  his  native  land  to  America 
in  1864,  coming  directly  to  Illinois  and  settling  in 
the  township  of  Alto,  Lee  County,  where  he  engaged 
in  farming.  He  purchased  320  acres  of  land,  situ- 
ated on  sections  35  and  36,  which  he  still  owns  and 
on  which  he  still  resides. 

In  1871  he  formed  the  existing  partnership  with 
C.  Christopher,  in  the  business  above  mentioned. 
He  moved  to  the  village  of  Lee  in  September,  1874, 


0 

1 

s 


where  he  resided  till  the  spring  of  1885,  and  he  then 
removed  to  the  farm  in  Alto,  still  continuing  his 
business  at  Lee.  As  a  business  man  he  has  a  repu- 
tation for  enterprise  and  fair  dealing  of  which  any 
man  might  be  proud. 

Since  declaring  his  intention  to  become  a  citizen, 
he  has  always  voted  with  the  Republican  party. 

He  was  married  in  Alto  Township  Dec.  24,  1868, 
to  Gorend  Pedersen,  daughter  of  Lars  and  Segeri 
Pedersen.  She  was  born  in  Norway.  They  have 
had  a  family  of  eight  children,  namely:  Gruelda, 
Lars,  Gorgen,  Sarah  (ist)  deceased,  Sarah  (2d), 
Peder  O.,  deceased,  and  Olaf  G. 


^dward  Molitor,  M.  D.,  practicing  physican 
and  surgeon  at  Somonauk,  is  the  son  of 
Dr.  Nicholas  and  Rosa  (Salmon)  Molitor 
and  was  born  in  Somonauk,  Dec.  31,  1862. 
His  father  was  a  native  of  Bavaria  and  was 
graduated  at  Rush  Medical  College  in  Chicago. 
He  came  to  Somonauk  in  1860.  He  was  for  23 
years  a  practicing  physician  and  surgeon  at  Somo- 
nauk. He  died  March  12,  1883,  at  Somonauk,  aged 
58  years. 

He  educated  his  son  in  his  profession,  and  the 
latter  was  graduated  Feb.  20,  1883,  at  Rush  Med- 
ical College,  and  on  his  father's  decease  a  month 
later  succeeded  to  his  office  and  practice,  and  is 
doing  an  extensive  and  prosperous  business.  Dr. 
Molitor  was  a  student  at  Notre  Dame,  Ind.,  two 
terms,  1879-80,  previous  to  his  matriculation  at 
Rush  College,  and  received  a  medical  certificate 
from  that  University,  dated  June  23,  1880. 


ussell  B,.  Brown,  deceased,  formerly  a  far- 
mer on  section  36,  Clinton  Township,  was 
born  in  the  State  of  New  York,  in  Septem- 
ber,   1816.      In   the    family  of  his    parents, 
James   and  Fanny  (Scott)  Brown,  were  five 
children,— Russell     R.,    Morris    P.,   Adelia, 
Abi  and  Emma. 

Mr.  Brown  came  to  De  Kalb  County  with  his 
parents  in  1846  and  entered  a  quarter-section  of  land 
in  Clinton  Township,  where  he  followed  agriculture 


until  his  death,  which  was  a  most  distressing  circum- 
stance. He  was  driving  a  team  of  spirited  horses 
near  his  home,  when  they  became  frightened  and  ran, 
throwing  him  out  and  breaking  his  back.  He  died 
ten  days  afterwards,  from  the  result,  July  3,  1864. 

Mr.  Brown  was  married  Dec.  19,  1850,  to  Miss 
Nancy  Warner,  daughter  of  Ralph  and  Clara  Warner. 
She  came  to  Henry  Co.,  111.,  with  her  parents  in  1845 
and  to  De  Kalb  in  1850.  In  her  father's  family 
were  ji  children,  namely :  Wilson,  Amos,  Hester, 
Rhoda,  Nancy,  Calvin,  John,  Marrilla,  Orman,  David 
and  Mary  A.  The  deceased  are  Rhoda,  Marrilla 
and  Mary  A.  Mrs.  Brown  was  born  in  Elizabeth- 
town,  Canada,  March  10,  1826.  She  is  the  mother 
of  five  children,  namely:  Fred  A.,  born  Sept.  16, 
1851;  Ralph  R.,  born  Oct.  7,  1853,  married  Anna 
M.  Beveridge  Feb.  18,  1880,  and  resides  in  Clinton 
Township;  Grace  was  born  March  27,  1855,  and 
married  A.  G.  Case,  July  14,  1878  ;  he  is  a  hardware 
merchant  at  Aurora;  Sarah,  was  born  July  13,  1860, 
and  died  Nov.  4,  1862  ;  Grant,  born  March  14,  1864. 


I 


mma  Stevens,  deceased,  formerly  a  citizen 
of  Shabbona,  was  born  in  Connecticut, 
Sept.  21,  1788,  and  was  a  son  of  Daniel 
Stevens.  He  was  seven  years  of  age  when 
his  parents  moved  with  him  to  Vermont.  In 
1836  he  moved  to  Parma,  Monroe  Co.,  N.  Y., 
and  in  1840  to  Cook  Co.,  111.,  where  he  resided  three 
years ;  next,  in  Du  Page  Co.,  111.,  for  a  time,  and 
finally,  in  1848,  he  settled  in  Shabbona,  where  he 
lived  until  his  death,  which  occurred  Feb.  9,  1870. 

He  was  married  Nov.  24,  1814,  in  West  Haven, 
Vt.,  to  Miss  Polly,  daughter  of  Wm.  Talmadge,  and 
a  native  of  the  Green  Mountain  State.  They  had  a 
family  of  five  children,  namely  :  Edwin  F.,  born 
May  3,  1821,  was  drowned  in  Lake  Michigan 
Oct.  23,  1841  ;  Demmon  D.,  born  June  2,  1823, 
married  Charlotte  E.  Smith  and  lives  in  the  town- 
ship of  Shabbona;  William  H.  O.,  born  Jan.  30, 
1827,  married  Elnora  Waters  and  resides  in  Shab- 
bona; Enoch  W.,  born  Nov.  15,  1830,  married  first 
Elizabeth  Park  and  afterward  Hannah  Kittle,  and  is 
now  living  in  Shabbona  Township  ;  and  Franklin 
O.,  born  Sept.  14,  1832,  was  also  twice  married,  first 


f, 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


'  to  Loticia  M.  Erwin  and  subsequently  to  Ann  Nor- 
'A  ton.     He  also  is  a  resident  of  Shabbona. 

In  his  life-time,  Mr.  Stevens  was  a  Jackson  Dem- 
ocrat, and  since  the  organization  of  the  Republican 
.-£,   party  he  was  a  member  of  that  body.     Mrs.  S.,  his 
widow,  who  was  born  June  17,  r793,  departed  this 
life  July  4,  1873. 


'ohn  H.  Larson,  farmer,  section  3,  Paw  Paw 
Township,  has  216  acres  in  this  township 
and  83  acres  in  Shabbona  township.  He 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Adams,  La  Salle  Co., 
111.,  Feb.  14,  1847,  and  is  the  son  of  Lars  and 
Caroline  (Holverson)  Larson.  His  parents 
were  born  in  Norway  and  came  to  America  in  child- 
hood. 

John  H.  was  brought  up  on  a  farm,  and  was  mar- 
ried in  Dodge  Co.,  Minn.,  Jan.  8, 1868,  to  Miss  Sarah 
Stevenson,  daughter  of  Sjure  and  Annie  (Seeverts) 
Stevenson.  Mrs.  Larson  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Rutland,  La  Salle  Co.,  111.,  July  18,  1847.  They 
have  had  seven  children, — five  boys  and  .two  girls: 
Edward  L.,  born  Oct.  7,  1868;  Frank  S.,  Jujy  16, 
1870;  Albert  O.,  Oct.  3,  1872;  Nellie  A.,  May  10, 
r876;  Emma  C.,  Sept.  9,  r878;  John  C.,  Nov.  13, 
1 88 1  ;  and  one  child  died  in  infancy  unnamed. 

Mr.  Larson  was  engaged  in  farming  in  La  Salle 
County  till  the  fall  of  1875,  when  he  purchased  his 
present  farm  upon  which  he  moved  in  January,  1876, 
and  has  made  his  home  here  continuously  since. 
Mr.  Larson  is  one  of  the  most  successful  farmers  arid 
stock-growers  in  Paw  Paw  Township.  Politically  he 
is  a  Republican. 


plbert  Hinds,  farmer  and  tile  manufacturer, 
section  29,  Clinton  Township,  is  a  native  of 
the  Empire  State.     His  parents,  Thomas  and 
Phebe  (Bent)  Hinds,  were  natives  of  Massa- 
chusetts, married  in  Vermont  and  settled   in 
New  York  State,  where  they  finally  died.  They  had  a 
family  of  13  children. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  the  ninth  in  the  above 
2!   family,  was  born  in  Champion,  Jefferson  Co.,  N.  Y., 


March  29,  1818.  He  lived  in  his  native  State  until 
his  emigration  westward,  with  the  exception  of  about 
three  years,  which  he  spent  in  Canada.  In  1849  he 
settled  in  Clinton  Township,  this  county,  purchasing 
a  farm  of  65  acres,  which  he  afterwards  sold.  He 
then  bought  300  acres  on  sections  29  and  30,  most  of 
which  is  tillable,  where  he  now  resides. 

In  public  affairs  Mr.  Hinds  holds  the  principles  of 
the  Republican  party,  has  been  School  Director  about 
30  years,  and  held  other  positions  of  public  trust. 

He  was  married  in  Canada  August  20,  1843,  to 
Fanny  Richardson,  a  daughter  of  William  and  Jane 
(Schermerhorn)  Richardson,  who  was  born  in  Cana- 
da, March  T4,  1824.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  have  become 
the  parents  of  six  children,  four  of  whom  survive, 
namely:  Albert,  Jr.,  William  R.,  Carlos  W.,  and  Or- 
vis.  The  deceased  are  Emily  and  Gilbert  L. 


euben  Allen,  deceased,  formerly  a  farmer  of 
Shabbona  Township,  was  one  of  the  early 
pioneers  of  that  section  of  the  county.  He 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Ira,  Rutland  Co.,  Vt., 
July  30,  1787,  and  was  married  Feb.  1 1,  r8r3,  to 
Miss  Nancy  Andrews,  who  was  born  in  the  town 
of  Canaan,  Litchfield  Co.,  Conn.,  Dec.  25,  1792.  He 
removed  in  early  manhood,  with  his  family,  to  St. 
Lawrence  Co.,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was  one  of  the  first 
pioneers,  and  where  he  engaged  in  farming  a  number 
of  years.  He  next  removed  to  Jefferson  County  in 
the  same  State,  where  he  carried  on  the  dairy  busi- 
ness. In  his  younger  days  he  had  been  brought  up 
to  both  farming  and  dairying. 

In  the  spring  of  1845  he  emigrated  to  the  West, 
settling  at  Shabbona,  this  county,  where  he  entered 
land  at  Government  price,  on  section  24  of  town  38, 
range  3  east,  and  on  section  19,  town  38,  range  4 
east, — 320  acres  in  all.  Here  he  continued  his  agri- 
cultural pursuits  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
Sept.  20, 1850.  He  was  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  sev- 
eral years,  and  also  held  other  offices.  In  politics  he 
was  a  Free-Soil  Democrat.  He  was  an  honorable, 
upright  man,  who  commanded  the  respect  and  esteem 
of  his  neighbors  and  fellow  citizens. 

By  his  death,  Mr.  Allen  left  a  widow,  four  sons  and 
two  daughters.  The  children  were  Benjamin  F.; 
Harvey  E.;  Almira  M.,  wife  of  Earl  B.  Hines,  of 

^— ^«^ -u@§*@>. 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


Jefferson  Co.,  N.  Y.;  Hiram  P.;  Laura  E.,  wife  of 
William  Bowers,  of  Clinton,  111.;  and  Martin  V.,  of 
Shabbona.  Mrs.  Allen,  an  estimable  lady,  survived 
her  husband  about  16  years,  dying  in  1866,  at  the  old 
omestead. 


appan  R.  Elliott,  farmer,  residing  on  sec. 
4  (and  owning  the  west  half  of  lots  i  and 
2  of  the  northeast  quarter),  Afton  Town- 
ship, is  a  son  of  Ephraim  and  Mary  (Robie) 
Elliott,  natives  of  Chester,  Rockingham  Co., 
N.  H.  His  father  was  a  young  man  at  the 
date  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  and,  sympathizing 
with  the  "  sons  of  freedom  "  in  their  battle  for  liberty 
and  country,  enlisted  as  a  privateer  on  board  an 
American  vessel.  He  was  captured  and  sent  to  the 
"  Old  Mill "  prison,  Ireland,  and  was  kept  there  until 
the  end  of  the  war.  The  prison  was  said  to  be 
haunted,  and  the  fact  was  so  thoroughly  impressed 
on  the  minds  of  the  prisoners  that  it  added  twofold 
to  the  misery  of  their  confinement.  He  had  the 
small-pox,  as  the  result  of  vaccination.  Mr.  Elliott 
also  had  an  uncle  who  was  a  Lieutenant  in  the  Rev- 
olutionary Army.  He  participated  in  the  battle  of 
Bennington,  and  during  that  memorable  engagement 
received  a  gunshot  wound,  the  ball  entering  one  side 
and  was  extracted  at  the  other;  but  he  recovered 
from  its  effect.  At  the  close  of  the  war  the  father  of 
Mr.  Elliott  was  exchanged  and  returned  to  New 
Hampshire,  where  he  engaged  in  farming,  and  where 
he  resided  until  his  death.  He  was  appointed  En- 
sign of  the  Militia  in  1793,  and  Lieutenant  in  1795, 
by  Gov.  Bartlett,  and  in  1800  he  was  appointed  Cap- 
tain of  a  company  by  Gov.  J.  T.  Gilman ;  he  was 
also  a  member  of  the  New  Hampshire  Legislature. 

From  the  foregoing  history,  we  see  that  Mr.  Elliott 
of  this  sketch  comes  from  the  old  "  Revolutionary 
stock,"  of  which  an  American  of  this  generation  may 
justly  feel  proud.  He  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Thornton,  Grafton  Co.,  N.  H.,  Nov.  18,  1809.  He 
was  an  inmate  of  the  family  household  and  assisted 
on  the  farm  until  he  attained  the  age  of  manhood. 
In  addition  to  the  education  he  received  at  the  com- 


mon schools  he  was,  through  the  generosity  of  an 
uncle,  an  attendant  at  an  academy  for  a  year. 

He  came  to  Kane  County,  this  State,  in  1839,  and 
remained  at  the  residence  of  a  married  sister  for 
about  six  months,  and  then  returned  to  New  Hamp- 
shire. Previous  to  coming  his  patents  died,  and  Mr. 
Elliott  sold  the  old  homestead.  On  returning  to  his 
native  State,  he  purchased  a  farm  in  Merrimac 
County,  four  miles  from  Manchester  in  the  same 
State,  on  which  he  lived  and  which  he  cultivated 
for  several  years  and  then  sold.  In  the  spring  of 
1855  he  again  came  to  this  State,  accompanied  by 
his  wife  and  son,  and  on  June  27  of  that  year  pur- 
chased the  farm  on  which  he  at  present  resides.  It 
was  a  wild  piece  of  land,  in  the  natural  condition, 
and  Mr.  Elliott,  having  faith  in  the  future  develop- 
ment of  the  country,  and  a  desire  to  establish  a 
home,  entered  at  once  upon  the  laborious  task  of  its 
improvement.  He  has  planted  about  six  acres  of 
timber. 

When  he  first  came  to  the  State  he  made  the  trip 
overland  with  a  horse  and  buggy,  with  others  who 
were  seeking  a  home  in  the  West. 
•  Mr.  Elliott  has  been  twice  married.  His  first 
matrimonial  alliance  was  with  Miss  Elmira,  daughter 
of  Nathan  and  Mary  (Basford)  Carr,  and  occurred 
Dec.  14,  1837.  She  accompanied  him  to  this  county 
on  his  second  trip,  and  lived  on  the  farm  until  her 
death,  Oct.  6,  1855.  She  was  the  mother  of  one 
child  by  Mr.  Elliott,  Wm.  Francis,  born  Nov.  17, 
1840,  and  at  present  living  on  the  old  homestead. 

He  was  married  a  second  time  at  Dixville,  Oneida 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  Jan.  28,  1858,  to  Mrs.  Hannah  J.  Kelley, 
widow  of  William  C.  Kelley,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
33  years,  in  Westchester  Co.,  N.  Y.  He  was  the 
father  of  one  child,  T.  Augustus  Kelley,  born  in 
Westchester  County,  March  i,  1849.  He  is  now  liv- 
ing inCalhoun  Co.,  lowra,  near  Lake  City,  at  which 
place  Mr.  Elliott  has  a  farm  of  160  acres  adjoining 
that  on  which  the  son  resides.  The  maiden  name 
of  Mrs.  Elliott  was  Hannah  J.  Parker. 

Mr.  Elliott  has  been  Highway  Commissioner  and 
School  Director,  the  latter  of  which  offices  he  held 
for  nine  years.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican. 

The  portrait  of  Mr.  Elliott  appears  in  this  work, 
and,  in  company  with  this  brief  sketch,  will  stand 
for  ages  to  come,  as  portraying  and  representing  a 
man  respected  and  esteemed  by  the  community  in 
which  he  lived. 


V 


\\ 


I! 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


.rederick  Clapsaddle,  farmer,  section  24, 
Paw  Paw  Township,  postoffice,  Leland, 
La  Salle  County,  has  175^  acres,  a  por- 
tion of  which  lies  in  Victor  Townsjiip,  and  two 
and  one-half  acres  in  Ross  Grove.  He  was 
born  in  Frankfort,  Herkimer  Co.,  N.  Y.,  April 
827,  a  son  of  George  A.  and  Nancy  (Bellinger) 
Clapsaddle,  was  brought  up  a  farmer,  came  to  Paw 
Paw  in  the  spring  of  1851,  settled  on  his  present 
farm,  and  has  made  this  his  home  continually  since. 
Was  married  in  Frankfort,  Will  Co.,  111.,  Nov.  to, 
1853,  to  Marenda  Hare,  a  daughter  of  Nicholas  and 
Mary  (Rice)  Hare.  She  was  born  in  Houghton,  Can- 
ada, Nov.  6,  1836,  and  came  to  Ohio  with  her  par- 
ents in  1849.  Their  children  were:  Dan,  born 
March  29,  1855  ;  Myron  H.,  Oct.  30,  1859,  lives  in 
Iowa;  Omer,  born  Dec.  3,  1861  ;  Harry  B.,  June  26, 
1869;  Hattie  M.,  Sept.  23, 1871  ;  Andrew  F.,  March 
12,1874;  Neva  M  ,  June  28,  1879.  Dan  married 
Mrs.  Ida  Everson  and  lives  in  East  Paw  Paw,  Lee 
County ;  Omer  married  Mary  C.  Cox  and  lives  in 
Paw  Paw  Township. 

In  politics  Mr.  C.  is  Democratic. 

' 


Tohn  B.  Fulle,  farmer,  section   16,  Clinton 
|{j-  Township,  is  a  son  of  Peter  and   Mary  A. 
(Enderle)  Fulle,  who  were. natives  of  Ger- 
£"  many  and  spent  their  entire  lives  in  their  na- 
tive land.     They  had  16  children,  all  of  whom 
are   deceased,   excepting  the   subject  of  this 
sketch,  the  youngest  of  the  family. 

Mr.  Fulle  was  born  in  Germany,  Aug.  26, 1836,  and 
when  1 8  years  of  age  he  emigrated  to  the  "land  of  the 
free."  After  a  year's  residence  in  New  York  city  he 
was  employed  about  six  months  in  New  Jersey  on  a 
farm,  then  about  four  months  on  Long  Island,  next 
about  ten  months  in  a  machine-shop  at  Buffalo,  N. 
Y.,  one  year  in  Chicago  at  various  occupations,  a  few 
months  in  a  woolen  mill  at  Aurora,  111.,  and  finally, 
in  the  summer  of  1856,  he  came  to  De  Kalb  County 
and  purchased  80  acres -of  section  16,  Clinton  Town- 
ship, where  he  resided  until  about  1871.  He  then 
built  the  "  Clinton  House,"  a  hotel,  which  he  con- 
ducted about  five  years,  when  he  rented  and  after- 


ward  sold  the  property,  returning  to  his  farm,  where 
he  has  since  lived,  in  the  successful  prosecution  of 
agriculture.  In  political  matters  he  generally  votes 
the  Republican  ticket. 

He  was  married  in  Kane  Co.,  111.,  April  14,  1862, 
to  Margaret  Jones,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Mary 
Jones,  and  they  have  had  three  children — Ida  M., 
Mary  E.  and  Henry  F.  They  also  have  an  adopted 
daughter,  named  Mabel  E.  Cutler.  Mrs.  Fulle  was 
born  in  Wales,  May  27,  1840.  Her  brothers  and 
sister  are  William,  Walter,  Henry  and  Anna. 


euben  Challand,  retired  farmer,  residing  at 
Shabbona,  was  born  in  East  Bridgeford, 
Nottinghamshire,  England,  Feb.  7,  1821, 
nd  is  a  son  of  Charles  and  Ann  (Freeman) 
Challand,  natives  of  that  country.  Reuben 
Challand  received  a  good  common-school  ed- 
ucation in  his  native  country.  Early  in  life  he  en- 
gaged to  learn  the  blacksmith's  tr.ade,  which  he 
mastered  and  followed  in  his  native  country  until 
1851.  During  that  year  he  emigrated  to  the  United 
States,  arriving  at  New  York  city  May  30.  He  spent 
three  months  in  Genesee  County,  that  State,  then 
came  to  Aurora,  this  State,  remained  nine  months 
and  then  removed  to  Shabbona  Grove,  this  county. 
On  arriving  at  the  latter  place,  he  opened  a  shop 
and  worked  at  his  trade  for  three  years.  He  had 
meanwhile  purchased  a  farm  on  section  8,  Shabbona 
Township,  on  which,  after  disposing  of  his  shop  at 
Shabbona  Grove,  he  moved  his  family.  He  subse- 
quently increased  his  original  purchase  to  253^ 
acres,  and  continued  to  reside  on  the  farm  until  1875. 
He  then  retired  from  farming  and  removed  to  Aurora, 
and  the  following  year  (1876)  sold  his  farm.  He 
lived  at  Aurora  two  years,' until  1877,  and  then 
moved  to  Shabbona,  where  he  has  resided  since,  and 
where  he  has  a  fine  residence  and  six  lots. 

Mr.  Challand  was  married  May  15.  1843,  to  Miss 
Rebecca  Brownlow.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Thomas 
Brownlow,  and  was  born  in  England,  March  8,  1820. 
They  had  seven  children,  four  born  in  England, 
namely:  Charles,  Feb.  n,  1844;  Elizabeth,  Aug. 
n,  1845;  George,  Oct.  12,  1846;  and  Reuben, 
March  5,  1849.  Sarah  N.,  born  May  2,  1854  ;  Es- 
ther R.,  Oct.  14,  1856;  and  Emily  M.,  June 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


1859,  are  natives  of  this  country.  Charles  is  a  phy- 
sician at  Charlotte,  Iowa,  and  married  Annie  Mark- 
ham.  Elizabeth  is  the  wife  of  Charles  Hallam,  of 
Shabbona.  George  married  Alice  Greenfield  and 
resides  in  Iowa.  Reuben  married  Mary  Cults  and 
lives  on  the  old  homestead  in  Shabbona  Township. 
Sarah  N.  is  the  wife  of  Weekman  Stimpson,  of  Shab- 
bona. Esther  is  the  wife  of  George  Cults,  resident 
in  La  Salle  Co.,  111.  Emily  M.  is  the  wife  of  Wm. 
Van  Velzor,  resident  of  Shabbona. 

Mrs.  Challand  died  March  24,  1873,  and  Mr. 
Challand  was  again  married  Dec.  30,  1874,  at 
Naperville,  111.,  to  Mrs.  Ann  Ashland,  widow  of  John 
Ashland  and  daughter  of  William  and  Nancy  (Hurt) 
Wells.  She  was  born  in  Northscar,  Lincolnshire, 
Eng.,  Oct.  1 6,  1818,  and  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1850.  By  her  first  marriage  she  had  four  chil- 
dren, one  son  and  three  daughters,  namely :  Jennie, 
born  June  r,  1848;  Helen,  Nov.  24,  1850;  Annie, 
Nov.  4,  1853;  and  William  W.  A.,  Jan.  i,  1856. 
Jennie  was  the  wife  of  William  North  and  died  June 
8,  1876,  in  Du  Page  County.  Helen  is  the  wife  of 
Wallie  Jones,  a  resident  of  Du  Page  County,  and 
they  have  one  son,  Frank  J.  Annie  was  the  wife  of 
Hiram  Davis  and  died  Sept.  22,  1881,  leaving  one 
child,  Gracie.  William  W.  A.  is  single  and  resides 
on  a  farm  in  Du  Page  County. 

Mr.  Challand  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  and  one  of  the  respected  and  esteemed 
citizens  of  Shabbona. 


D.  Weddell,  a  pioneer  farmer  of 
Paw  Paw  Township,  section  21,  has  517 
acres  of  land.  He  was  born  in  West- 
moreland, Pa.,  March  8,  1824,  and  is  the 
son  of  Jesse  and  Nancy  Weddell.  He  re- 
moved to  Indiana  in  childhood  with  his  parents. 
He  was  brought  up  on  a  farm  and  subsequently 
learned  the  carpenter's  trade.  In  1849  he  went  to 
Iowa,  where  he  bought  land,  but  did  not  become  a 
resident.  He  came  to  Paw  Paw  the  same  year  and 
purchased  his  land  on  section  21,  where  he  engaged 
in  farming  and  stock-growing  on  a  large  scale,  till  the 
spring  of  1883,  when  he  retired  from  active  farming. 
He  was  married  in  Indiana  to  Agnes  G.  Vail, 
daughter  of  Charles  C.  and  Ann  (Jeffries)  Vail.  Mrs. 


Weddell  was  born  in  Fayette  Co.,  Pa.,  April  9,  1829. 
They  had  three  children — one  son  and  two  daugh- 
ters :  Nancy  A.,  born  March  22,  185 1,  wife  of  E.  B. 
Powers,  of  Paw  Paw  Township;  Charles  V.,  born 
Aug.  9,  1853,  married  Mary  Nisbet  and  lives  in  Paw 
Paw  Township ;  the  youngest,  Elma  A.,  was  born 
Nov.  6,  1866,  and  is  unmarried.  Mrs.  Weddell  died 
Dec.  16,  1881,  and  Mr.  Weddell  was  married  again 
in  June,  1883,  to  Mrs.  Priscilla  M.  Upton,  sister  of 
his  former  wife. 

Mr.  Weddell  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
Church.     In  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 


-artin  L.  Posson,  Treasurer  of  Pierce 
Township,  was  born  July  8j  1833,  in  the 
town  of  Knox,  Albany  Co.,  N.  Y.  His 
parents,  John  and  Betsey  (Partridge)  Pqs- 
son,  were  both  natives  of  the  State  of  New 
York,  and  reared  their  son  to  a  knowledge  of 
agricultural  pursuits,  meanwhile  giving  him  a  fair 
education  in  the  common  schools. 

When  he  was  21  years  of  age  he  went  to  Tama 
Co.,  Iowa,  for  the  purpose  of  buying  land,  and  after 
accomplishing  his  purpose  he  went  back  to  the  State 
of  New  York.  He  was  married  Feb.  5,  1857,  to 
Sophia  E.  West.  She  was  born  May  28,  1837,  in 
the  town  of  Berne,  Albany  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  is  the 
daughter  of  Benjamin  C.  and  Eunice  (June)  West. 
A  few  weeks  after  their  marriage,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pos- 
son went  to  Iowa  City  by  rail  and  then  by  stage  to 
Tama  County.  But  they  made  only  a  short  stay 
there,  returning  to  Joliet,  111.  There  Mr.  Posson  was 
employed  as  an  assistant  in  the  construction  of  the 
State  prison.  He  acted  in  the  capacity  of  teamster 
and  drew  some  of  the  first  stone  used  in  the  build- 
ing. In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  negotiated  for 
the  management  of  a  farm  adjoining  Joliet  and  con- 
ducted its  affairs  one  year,  after  which  ~he  spent  an- 
other year  on  a  rented  farm  and  in  the  spring  of 
1860  came  to  De  Kalb  County  and  exchanged  his 
land  in  Tama  County,  Iowa,  for  80  acres  of  land  on 
section  35,  on  which  he  commenced  the  work  of 
improvement.  He  plowed  the  land,  set  out  an  or- 
chard, dug  a  well  and  after  adding  to  the  buildings 
sold  the  place,  and  bought  160  acres  of  land  on  sec- 
tion 34.  This  was  in  a  backward  state,  and  he  has 


®>*$iXi« 

612 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


placed  it  under  advanced  improvements  and  has  it 
well  stocked.  He  is  showing  some  valuable  grades 
of  cattle.  Mr.  Posson  has  been  a  member  of  the 
School  Board  some  time  and  has  officiated  as  Treas- 
urer of  the  township  1 1  years. 

Mrs.  Posson  died  July  14,  1869,  leaving  four  chil- 
dren— Wallace  S.,  Myron  J.,  Leah  M.  and  Martin 
Luther,  jr.  Mr.  Posson  formed  a  second  matrimonial 
alliance  Dec.  6,  1870,  with  Phebe,  daughter  of  Cyrus 
B.  and  Fanny  (Larkin)  Hopkins.  Her  parents  were 
pioneer  settlers  in  Cortland  Township,  where  she 
was  born  Aug.  14,  1848.  She  is  the  mother  of  two 
children — John  H.  and  Chester  G. 


^.enry  Grim,  farmer,  section  27, Pierce  Town- 
ship, was  born  July  24,  1831,  in  what  was 
designated  the  Armstrong  Valley,  in  Dau- 
phin Co.,  Pa.,  and  is  the  son  of  John  and  Cath- 
erine Grim.  His  father  and  mother  were  both 
born,  in  Pennsylvania'  and  settled  in  Dauphin 
County  soon  after  marriage.  His  father  bought 
timbered  land  and  cleared  a  large  farm,  assisted  in 
the  labor  of  improvement  by  his  children.  He  is 
still  its  occupant  and  is  90  years  of  age.  He  was  a 
soldier  in  the  second  war  with  Great  Britain. 

The  first  20  years  of  life  Mr.  Grim  passed  on  the 
paternal  homestead,  and  after  arriving  at  a  suitable 
age  joined  in  the  work  of  making  a  homestead  in  the 
Pennsylvania  forest.  He  became  the  maker  of  his 
own  fortunes  when  he  reached  the  year  preceding  his 
majority,  and  left  home  to  try  a  different  portion  of 
the  world.  He  first  came  to  Kane  County  and 
spent  a  season  in  farming.  In  the  fall  he  went  to 
Kaneville  and  worked  a  year  with  a  carpenter,  with 
the  intention  of  learning  the  business,  but  his  employer 
failed  and  he  was  forced  to  seek  another  situa- 
tion. He  returned  to  his  native  State  at  the  expira- 
tion of  two  years,  and  on  the  second  day  of  Febru- 
ary, 1853,  he  was  married  to  Abby  Laudermilch. 
She  was  born  in  Jackson  Township,  Dauphin  Co., 
Pa.,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Adam  and  Mary  (Kreiner) 
Laudermilch,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania. In  March  following  their  marriage  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Grim  came  to  Illinois  and  settled  in  the  town- 
ship of  Mayfield.  The  husband  rented  a  farm, 
which  he  managed  three  years.  He  saved  his  earn- 
igs,  and  in  1856  bought  80  acres  of  land  on  section 


27,  Pierce  Township,  at  the  rate  of  $24  per  acre. 
The  land  had  been  improved  to  some  extent,  a  frame 
house  had  been  built  and  a  grove  set  out.  He 
brought  all  his  energies  to  bear  on  the  final  payment, 
and  in  a  few  years  he  had  cleared  himself  from  debt 
and  had  become  the  owner  of  1,400  acres  of  valuable 
land,  all  in  the  highest  state  of  cultivation.  In  1882 
he  commenced  buying  farms  in  Cerro  Gordo  Co., 
Iowa,  and  has  now  1,200  acres  there  and  other  tracts 
in  adjoining  counties. 

Following  is  the  record  of  the  children  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Grim  :  Charles  M.  was  born  April  29,  1856,  in 
Mayfield  Township,  and  married  Alida  Shoop, 
daughter  of  Solomon  and  Catherine  Shoop,  who  was 
born  in  Pierce  Township.  They  live  in  Cerro  Gordo 
Co.,  Iowa.  George  W.  was  born  Sept.  25,  1858,  and 
married  Henrietta  Callanan,  a  native  of  Cerro  Gordo 
Co.,  Iowa,  where  they  reside.  Aaron  was  born  Aug. 
27,  1863,  and  married  Isola  Bartmess,  born  in  Kane 
Co.,  111.  They  live  on  the  Grim  homestead  in  Pierce 
Township.  Alice  M.  was  born  Aug.  26,  1867  ; 
Elmer  S.,  Nov,  24,  1872;  Eugene,  Jan.  19,  1875. 
All  the  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Grim,  except  the 
oldest  son,  were  born  in  the  township  of  Pierce. 

Mr.  Grim  is  one  of  the  most  prominent  and  suc- 
cessful farmers  in  De  Kalb  County.  He  began  his 
agricultural  operations  by  raising  stock  and  grain. 
In  1860  he  harvested  3,200  bushels  of  small  grain, 
among  which  was  barley,  which  he  sold  at  $2.18 
per  bushel.  He  sold  his  entire  grain  crop  in  De 
Kalb  County.  The  family  attend  the  assemblies  of 
the  Evangelical  Association,  of  which  Mrs.  Grim  is  a 
member.  Mr.  Grim  is  a  Republican  in  political  sen- 
timent. 


pencer  Griflfeth,  farmer,  section  8,  Paw 
Paw  Township;  postoffice,  East  Paw  Paw ; 
he  was  born  in  Herkimer  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Jan. 
21,  1847,  and  is  the  son  of  Wright  and  Susan 
(Smith)  Griffeth.  His  parents  were  of  Amer- 
ican birth  and  of  Welsh  descent.  He  came 
to  Illinois  with  his  parents  in  1854,  and  settled  in 
the  township  of  Paw  Paw.  He  was  educated  at 
Clark's  Seminary,  of  Aurora,  111.,  and  at  Humboldt 
College  in  Iowa.  Mr.  Griffeth  has  made  farming 
his  business,  and  resides  on  the  old  homestead.  He 

A    ^~\ ^lUt>s)i^. **&^S 


owns  300  acres  of  land.  He  was  married  in  Paw 
Paw  Township,  Jan.  15,  1879,  to  Miss  Mary  Adams, 
daughter  of  James  L.  and  Martha  J.  (Barnes)  Adams. 
Mrs.  Griffeth  was  born  in  East  Paw  Paw,  111.,  Feb. 
10,  1854.  They  have  two  children,  a  girl  and  a  boy ; 
Edith,  born  Sept.  22,  1881,  and  Howard,  June  28, 
1884. 

Mr.  Griffeth  is  the  present  Township  Treasurer, 
and  is  also  the  secretary,  solicitor  and  surveyor  of  the 
Paw  Paw  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Company.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Congregational  Church,  and  politi- 
cally a  Republican. 


dwin  R.  Zellar,  farmer,  section  6,  De ;Kalb 
Township,  was  born  Sept,  i  14,  1836,  in 
Herkimer  Co.,  N.  Y!  His  father  and; 
mother,  Jacob  and  Fanny  Zeilar,  .were  natives- 
of  the  State  of  New  York,  and  settled  in  1864; 
in  the  township  of  De  Kalb.  The  mother  died- 
Nov.  21, 1883.  The-  father  still  survives; '  Their  fam-1 
ily  comprised  five  children,  as  follows:  Edwin  R.,; 
William  W.,  George  W.,Charles;and  Ruth.  -  ,:  • 

Mr.  Zellar  came  to  Illinois  in  1857',  and' located  in' 
Piano,  Kendall  County.  To  birfi,  as  to  million^,  the1 
call  of  his  country  came : with  unmistakable  importy 
and  he  responded  as  did  the  millions,1  placing  his1 
young  life  and  the  strength  and  energies' of  his  open-' 
ing  manhood  at  her  service.  •  He  enlisted  in  1861,' 
in  the  36th  111.  Vol.  Inf.,  and  during  the  time  he  was 
in  the  army  saw  much  arduous  service.  He  was 
under  fire  at  Pea  Ridge,  Perrysvilte,  Stone  River, 
Mission  Ridge  and  Lookout  Mountain.  At  Mission 
Ridge  he  received  a  shot  in  the  elbow  of  his  right 
arm,  necessitating  amputation  just  above  the  joint. 
He  was  wounded  Nov.  25,  1863,  and  was  confined 
to  the  hospital  six  months.  On  recovery  he  was  dis- 
charged, and  on  leaving  the  army  went  to  Jefferson 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  where  he  remained  six  months,  coming 
thence  to  De  Kalb.  He  is  now  a  successful  and 
substantial  farmer,  owning  176  acres  of  land,  con- 
stituting a  valuable  estate,  all  the  acreage  being  cul- 
tivated and  improved.  Mr.  Zellar  is  a  Republican 
in  political  faith  and  connection. 

He  was  married  in  De  Kalb,  March  26,  1868,  to 
Mercy  A.  (Ferguson)  Chappell,  and  they  are  the 


parents  of  one  child — Marvin,  born  Sept.  22,  1880. 
Mrs.  Zellar  was  born  May  18,  1838,  in  Jefferson  Co., 
N.  Y.,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Luther  and  Alvira 
(Gardner)  Ferguson.  Her  father  was  born  in  Can- 
ada and  died  March  15,  1852,  in  St.  Lawrence  Co., 
N.  Y.  The  mother  came  with  her  two  children, 
Samuel  and  Mercy  A.,  to  Illinois,  in  September, 
1860,  and  settled  in  Malta  Township,  where  she 
died  Nov.  21,  1871.  The  first  marriage  of  the  daugh- 
ter occurred  in  De  Kalb,  June  27,  1862,  when  she 
became  th'e  'wife  of  Charles  Chappell.  He  was  a  na- 
tive of  the  State  of  New  York  and  settled  in  Malta 
Township,  where  he  deserted  her,  leaving  one  child, 
Olive  A.,  who  was  born  May  18,  1863. 

^Mr.  Zellar  is  a  member  of  Edward  Bridge  Post, 
No.  21,  G.  A.  R. 

:  As-one  pf  the  leading  and  representative  agricul- 
turists of  De  Kalb  County,  we  place  Mr.  Zellar's 
portrait  in  this  work.  It  is  engraved  from  a  photo- 
graph taken  in  March,  1885. 


enry  Ramer,  deceased,  formerly  a  farmer, 
resident  of  Pierce  Township,  was  a  pioneer 
.  settler  .of  De  Kalb  County.  He  was  bom 
in  Dauphin  Co.,  Pa.,  Aug.  8,  1804,  and  was 
there  brought  up  and  instructed  in  agricultural 
pursuits.  His  marriage  to  Susannah  Troup  oc- 
curred April  i,  1826.  She  was  born  Nov.  2,  1808, 
in  Dauphin  County.  In  1833  they  emigrated  to  Ohio, 
moving  there  in  what  was  then  known  as  an  emigrant 
wagon,  but  is  called  in  Illinois  a  "  prairie  schooner." 
Mr.  Ramer  purchased  a  tract  of  timber  land  in 
Richland  County,  made  a  clearing,  built  a  log  house 
and  lived  on  the  place  until  1846,  clearing  and  im- 
proving 65  acres.  In  that  year  he  bought  another 
place  near  by  which  he  sold  a  year  later  and  came 
to  Illinois.  The  journey  thither  was  accomplished 
by  the  aid  of  three  horses,  a  pair  of  oxen  and  two 
wagons,  and  they  brought  with  them  their  household 
goods  and  provisions.  They  were  17  days  on  the 
road.  They  rented  a  farm  in  Du  Page  County,  where 
they  operated  until  1849,  when  they  settled  in  town- 
ship No.  39,  range  5  east,  which  afterwards  became 
Pierce  Township.  Mr.  Ramer  purchased  160  acres 
of  land  in  its  original  condition  on  section  27.  He 
built  a  frame  house  upon  it,  for  which  he  drew  the, 

^tf*^ ee.&@\2)£<9) 

•vf^y  ~°^S337^\i^, 


I 

VX 

1 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


lumber  from  Du  Page  County.  On  this  he  lived 
until  his  death.  His  first  wife  died  Jan.  9,  1877. 
He  married  Catherine  Smith,  who  lived  but  five 
months  after  marriage.  Mr.  Ramer  died  in  April, 
1881.  He  was  the  father  of  10  children  by  his  first 
wife, — Maria,  Catherine,  Peter,  Levi,  Lavina,  John, 
Henry,  Philip,  Anthony  and  George. 

Peter,  oldest  son  and  third  child,  was  born  Aug.  4; 
r83o,  in  Dauphin  Co.,  Pa.,  and  was  but  three  years 
of  age  when  his  parents  went  to  Ohio.  He  came 
with  them  in  their  journey  to  Illinois  and  helped  to 
drive  their  one  cow.  He  was  married  July  2,  1853, 
to  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  David  and  Wilhelmina 
(Hoover)  Gerlach.  Her  parents  were  natives  of 
Germany.  In  1850  Peter  Ramer  had  bought  80 
acres  of  land  on  section  29,  and  built  a  frame  house, 
with  a  car-shaped  roof.  The  year  subsequent  to  his 
marriage  he,  with  his  wife,  lived  on  the  farm  of 
Moses  Hill,  after  which  he  took  possession  of  his 
own  property.  In  1862  he  erected  a  commodious 
frame  house,  drawing  the  required  material  from 
Chicago  with  horse  teams.  In  1872  he  built  a  fine 
frame  barn,  36  x  46  feet  in  dimensions,  and  has  since 
erected  another  adjoining,  38x50  feet  in  size.  His 
farm  contains  320  acres  and  is  supplied  with  modern 
farm  machinery  and  well  stocked.  The  family  in- 
cludes five  children, — Mina  S.,  Elihu  B.,  Frankie  C., 
Grant  A.  and  Ella  E. 


.dward  B.  Powers,  farmer,  section  33,  Paw 
Paw  Township,  postoffice  Earl,  La  Salle 
Co.,  111.,  was  horn  in  La  Salle  Co.,  111., 
Sept.  1 6,  1841,  and  is  the  son  of  Norman  H. 
and  Catharine  (Hart)  Powers.  He  came  to 
Paw  Paw  Township,  De  Kalb  County,  with  his 
parents,  in  June,  1849,  and  spent  his  boyhood  on  his 
father's  farm.  He  enlisted  in  the  late  war  Aug.  13, 
1862,  as  a  private  of  Co.  I.  4th  111.  Cav.  He  was 
captured  by  the  enemy  during  a  skirmish  at  Chest- 
nut Bluffs,  Tenn.,  in  November,  1862,  but  was 
paroled  the  same  day.  He  was  soon  afterward  ex- 
changed and  resumed  his  connection  with  his  com- 
pany, and  served  till  the  last  of  June,  1865,  or  till 
the  close  of  the  war. 

He  was  married  in   Paw  Paw  Township   Dec.    i, 
1867,  to  Miss  Nancy  A.  Weddell,  daughter  of  Will- 


iam B.  and  Agnes  (Vail)  Weddell.  Mrs.  Powers 
was  born  in  Paw  Paw  Township,  March  22,  1851. 
They  have  two  children  (daughters)  :  Katie  C.,  born 
in  Paw  Paw  Township,  Sept  29,  1868;  and  Agnes 
G.,  Jan.  2,  1873. 

Mr.  Powers  is  the  present  Assessor  of  Paw  Paw 
Township.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Powers  are  members  of  the  Congregational 
Church  of  Ross  Grove. 


enry  Till,  deceased,  was  formerly  a  farmer 
on  section  5,  Malta  Township.     He  was 

tborn  in  Suffolkshire,  England,  about  1824, 
and  was  the  son  of  Christopher  and  Mary 
(Hutton)  Till,  also  of  English  birth  and  parent- 
age. The  mother  died  when  her  son  was  in 
childhood.  The  latter  was  reared  by  his  father,  who 
gave  him  a  fair  common-school  education,  and  when 
he  grew  to  manhood  he  followed  the  customs  of  the 
class  to  which  he  belonged,  and  became  a  laborer 
on  the  farms  of  his  native  shire.  He  was  thus  en- 
gaged until  his  marriage  Aug.  27,  1848,  in  Dorset- 
shire, England,  to  Sarah  Coombs,  and  afterwards 
continued  in  the  same  line  of  employmenfin  his  na- 
tive country  eight  years.  In  1856  they  came  to 
America,  and  with  little  delay  at  the  port  of  landing 
came  to  De  Kalb  County.  They  located  in  the 
township  of  the  same  name,  where  Mr.  Till  engaged 
in  farming  on  shares.  In  1868  he  purchased  80 
acres  of  land,  where  he  pursued  the  vocation  of 
farming,  with  success,  until  his  death,  and  doubled 
his  landed  estate,  owning  160  acres,  all  of  which  was 
well  improved  and  stocked.  He  died  Jan.  17,  1881, 
aged  about  57  years.  He  was  a  Republican  in 
political  opinions,  and  was  much  respected  for  his 
excellent  traits  of  character.  Since  his  death  the 
management  of  the  farm  has  been  conducted  by 
Mrs.  Till. 

She  was  born  June  10,  1819,  in  Burton  Bradstock, 
County  of  Dorsetshire,  England,  and  is  the  daughter 
of  Giles  and  Mary  (Wills)  Coombs.  Her  parents 
were  of  English  origin -and  lineage  and  belonged  to 
the  yeomanry  of  their  native  land,  tracing  their  name 
and  line  of  descent  back  to  ancestry  of  the  earlier 
days  of  England.  The  father  of  Mrs.  Till  died  in 
1831,  the  mother  in  July,  1848.  Mrs.  Till  passed 
^  '^tgjx&jar'  MJLygvV^/gf) 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


her  life  previous  to  her  marriage  near  the  place  of 
her  birth,  and  attended  the  public  schools.  She  has 
one  child, — Sarah  J., — born  Aug.  20,  1858.  She  was 
married  Oct.  29,  1881,  to  Herman  Sandgren,  a  native 
of  Sweden.  He  came  thence  when  2 1  years  of  age, 
and  has  since  resided  in  Illinois.  To  him  and  his 
wife  one  child,  Agnes  J.,  has  been  born.  The  family 
of  Mr.  Sandgren  reside  on  the  estate  of  Mr.  Till. 


i  illiam  Gibbons  is  a  representative  farmer 
of  Victor  Township,  where  he  owns  a  val- 
uable estate  on  section  10.  Henry  Gib- 
bons, his  father,  was  a  native  of  England 
and  emigrated  thence  to  Potsdam,  N.  Y., 
where  he  married  Betsey  Ames.  He  was  a 
farmer  and  trafficked  in  real  estate,  buying  timber 
land,  and  after  improving  it  selling  it  again,  in  which 
manner  he  operated  21  years.  In  1864  he  sold  his 
interests  in  the  State  of  New  York  and  removed  to 
Waupaca,  Wis.,  where  he  bought  140  acres  of  land 
and  was  occupied  10  years  in  farming.  In  1874  he 
sold  tiis  farm  preparatory  to  retiring  to  private  life  in 
the  village  of  Waupaca,  where  he  died  in  1880.  The 
mother  is  still  living. 

Mr.  Gibbons  was  born  Dec.  22,  1827,  in  Potsdam, 
St.  Lawrence  Co.,  N.  Y.  He  received  a  common- 
school  education,  and  on  attaining  his  majority  came 
to  Illinois,  where  he  spent  three  years  in  farm  labor, 
obtaining  $10  a  month  as  a  remuneration  for  his 
services.  In  1851  he  went  to  Minnesota  and  passed 
a  winter  in  the  lumber  woods,  after  which  he  came 
to  the  township  of  Clinton,  in  De  Kalb  County,  and 
became  by  purchase  the  owner  of  1 20  acres  of  land. 

Jan.  5,  1857,  he  was  married  to  Emily  Warren,  by 
whom  he  had  three  children, — Warren  H.,  Oscar  S. 
and  Rachel  O.  The  oldest  son  is  married  and  lives 
at  Stratton  Station,  Hitchcock  Co.,  Neb.  The  mother 
was  born  in  the  State  of  New  York,  and  died  in  De 
Kalb  County  March  13,  1863.  In  1864  Mr.  Gib- 
bons married  Araminta  Willey,  a  native  of  Illinois, 
and  they  have  had  seven  children :  George  W. 
died  when  he  was  five  years  old ;  Dora,  at  the  age 
of  seven  months;  Ernest  O.,  Alice  B.,  Mary  E., 
Clara  R.  and  Ray  E.  are  still  living. 

After  a  residence  of  one  year  in  Clinton  Township, 
Mr.  Gibbons  sold  his  farm  and  passed  five  years 

£%&*& 


subsequently  in  the  township  of  Victor,  on  a  rented 
farm.  He  then  purchased  his  present  homestead  of 
1 60  acres,  and  has  since  made  an  addition  of  160 
acres  more.  He  at  first  built  a  small  house,  1 6  by 
24  feet  in  extent,  and  later  erected  .a  valuable  resi- 
dence and  a  fine  barn. 

Mr.  Gibbons  is  a  farmer  of  the  pattern  that  has 
made  the  State  of  Illinois  what  it  is, — peerless  among 
the  Western  States  earliest  settled.  Besides  the  im- 
provements named,  he  has  planted  a  fine  grove  on 
his  farm,  has  about  300  hickory  trees,  natural  growth, 
and  800  black-walnut  trees  which  were  planted.  He 
has  made  a  specialty  of  Durham  cattle  for  the  past 
12  years,  and  his  herd  has  always  included  registered 
stock  of  acknowledged  standard. 

Mr.  Gibbons  is  a  Republican  of  a  decided  type. 


i 


illiam  H.  Ray,  editor  and  publisher  of  the 
Shabbona  Express  and  President  of  the 
Village  Board,  residing  at  Shabbona,  was 
born  in  Nassau,  Germany,  Nov.  13,  1843. 
He  is  a  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Enders) 

f'  Ray,  natives  of  Germany,  and  who  emigrated 
to  this  country  in  the  spring  of  1849.  His  parents 
located  near  Rochester,  Monroe  Co.,  N.  Y.,  where 
they  remained  until  1851  and  then  removed  to  Little 
Rock,  Kendall  County,  this  State.  Two  years  later 
they  came  to  Somonauk,  this  county,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1864  moved  to  Shabbona. 

William  H.  Ray,  subject  of  this  notice,  grew  to 
manhood  under  the  parental  roof-tree.  He  received 
his  education  in  the  common  schools  and  at  Clark's 
Seminary,  Aurora,  spending  two  years  in  the  last 
named  institution.  After  leaving  the  seminary,  he 
engaged  in  farming,  and  alternated  his  labors  on  the 
farm  by  teaching  during  winter  seasons. 

In  1871,  when  the  Chicago  &  Iowa  Railroad  was 
completed  through  Shabbona  Township,  he  was  ap- 
pointed station  agent  at  a  station  called  CorntOn. 
He  was  also  American  Express  agent  at  the  same 
place.  He  held  the  former  position  one  year  and  the 
latter  some  14  years,  being  Express  agent  at  Shab- 
bona at  the  present  time. 

In  1876  he  purchased  a  half  interest  in  the  Shab- 
bona Express  and  in  May,  1878,  bought  his  partner's 
interest,  since  which  time  he  has  conducted  the  pub- 


DE  KALB 


COUNTY. 


I 


lication  of  the  paper  alone.  The  Express  is  a  five- 
column  quarto  with  patent  inside.  It  is  Republican 
in  politics  and  is  issued  weekly.  The  paper's  popu- 
larity is  due  to  the  energy  of  its  editor,  who  fears  not 
to  give  to  the  reading  public  facts  as  they  transpire 
and  condemn  vice  wherever  it  is  found.  Fair  dealing 
with  all  and  an  earnest  and  persistent  effort  to  sus- 
tain the  principles  which  it  believes  to  be  right,  is 
constantly  increasing  the  subscription  of  the  paper, 
and  its  future  will  place  it  the  peer  of  any  in  the 
county. 

Mr.  Ray  has  held  various  local  offices  in  the  town- 
ship. He  is  present  Town  Clerk  and  has  held  the 
office  for  12  years  in  succession.  He  •  also  served 
as  School  Director  of  District  No.  3  for  1 1  years. 
He  has  been  a  Trustee  of  the  village  for  four  years, 
and  is  at  present  serving  his  second  term  as  Presi- 
dent of  the  Village  Board. 

He  was  married  at  Aurora,  Dec.  22,  1870,  to  Miss 
Emmagene,  daughter  of  Hon.  Hiram  Loucks,  of 
Sandwich.  She  was  born  in  Oneida  Co.,  N.  Y.,Feb. 
27,  1850.  Her  mother's  maiden  name  was  Vosburg. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ray  have  one  child,  Lizzie  A.,  born 
Nov.  13,  1871,  at  Shabbona. 


|  athew  Parks,  a  retired  farmer,  resident 
at  Leland,  La  Salle  County,  a  settler  on 
section  28,  Victor  Township,  in  1856, 
was  born  Feb.  25,  1827,  in  Ireland.  His 
parents,  Edward  and  Sarah  (Davidson)  Parks, 
came  thence  with  their  family  in  1832  to  Mont- 
real, reaching  that  city  at  a  time  when  the  cholera 
was  raging.  After  a  residence  of  a  year  in  the 
Dominion  they  went  to  the  State  of  New  York. 

Mr.  Parks  came  to  the  State  of  Illinois  in  the  fall 
of  1856  and  purchased  53  acres  of  land  in  the  town- 
ship of  Victor.  To  this  he  has  added  by  subsequent 
purchase  until  he  is  the  owner  of  a  quarter-section. 
On  this  he  pursued  mixed  husbandry,  with  satisfac- 
tory results,  until  1882.  In  that  year  he  purchased 
his  residence  at  Leland  and  relinquished  the  man- 
agement of  his  farm,  of  which  he  still  retains  the 
ownership.  He  is  a  Republican  and  is  justly  con- 
sidered a  substantial  and  reliable  citizen.  He  held 
the  office  of  Road  Commissioner  10  years. 

(g>Vg@{&» "^ffin^         O   " 


Mrs.   Eliza   Parks  was  born  Sept.  3,  1826. 

the  daughter  of  John  Parks,  of  Niagara  Co.,  N.  Y. 
Of  the  four  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Parks, 
three  are  living, — Nettie  M.,  Lizzie  B.  and  Emma  G. 


"oseph  B.  Lyons,  farmer  and  stock-grower, 
section  14,  Paw  Paw  Township,  has  206 
acres  of  land.  He  was  born  in  county 
Tyrone,  Ireland,  Nov.  12,  1834,  and  is  the  son 
of  Joseph  and  (Mary)  Lyons.  He  emigrated 
to  America  in  r856,  and  came  directly  to  Illi- 
nois and  made  his  home  in  Paw  Paw  Township. 
He  bought  a  farm  in  r864,  on  section  23,  and  occu- 
pied it  in  May,  1866. 

He  remained  there  until  1884,  when  he  purchased 
his  present  farm  on  section  14,  and  took  possession 
Sept.  9  of  that  year. 

He  was  married  in  Sterling,  Cayuga. Co.,  N.  Y., 
March  2, 1866,  to  Elizabeth  McFadden,  daughter.of 
Benjamin  and  Eleanor  (Harper)  McFadden.  Mrs. 
Lyons  was  born  in  Sterling,  Cayuga  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Aug. 
17, 1841.  They  had  one  child,  Benjamin,  born  June 
1 8,  1869,  and  died  aged  three  months.  Mrs.  Lyons 
is  a  member  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church.  In 
politics,  Mr.  Lyons  is  a  Democrat.  Mr.  Lyons  takes 
a  warm  interest  in  local  history,  and  has  by  intelli- 
gent research  arrived  at  a  better  knowledge  of  the 
history  of  his  township  than  many  earlier  settlers. 
The  publisher  takes  pleasure  in  acknowledging  the 
receipt  of  valuable  information  from  him. 


J 


r^ 


illiam  Lang,  farmer,  section  28,  Malta 
Township,  was  born  Nov.  27,  1849,  in 
^p  Devonshire,  England.  William  Lang,  sen- 
P  ior,  his  father,  was  a  native  of  the  same 
county  and  married  Mary  A.  Boiles.  Both 
are  now  living  in  the  place  of  their  nativity. 
Mr.  Lang  is  next  the  youngest  in  birth  of  six  children, 
and  he  remained  with  his  parents  until  he  was  20 
years  old,  receiving  as  good  an  education  as  could  be 
obtained  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  land. 
In  1870  he  accompanied  neighbors  and  relatives  to 
America,  and  the  entire  party  came  to  the  county  of 
De  Kalb,  where  he  operated  for  a  time  as  a  farm  la- 


THE  UBHARV 
jfTKE 
OF  U.LMKMS 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


I 


borer,  to  which  calling  he  had  been  bred  in  England. 
•  He  pursued  that  means  of  obtaining  a  livelihood 
until  his  marriage,  previous  to  which  he  purchased 
1 60  acres  of  land,  where  he  established  his  home- 
stead, and  the  place  is  now  in  valuable  and  credita- 
ble condition  and  finely  located.  His  marriage  to 
Mary  C.  Lang  occurred  July  28,  1882,  at  Sycamore. 
She  was  born  Oct.  3,  [859,  in  the  north  of  Devon- 
shire, England,  where  her  parents,  Thomas  and  Ann 
(Huxtable)  Lang,  now  reside.  She  was  reared  at 
home  and  educated  at  Oxford,  England,  becoming, 
after  finishing  her  studies,  a  teacher  in  the  public 
schools  of  her  native  land,  and  was  occupied  in  that 
calling  eight  years.  She  taught  in  both  the  primary 
and  grammar-school  grades.  In  July,  1882,  she  set 
out  alone  for  America  in  order  to  fulfill  a  pre-arranged 
project  and  respond  to  an  obligation  she  had  entered 
into  to  become  the  wife  of  William  Lang.  She 
joined  him  in  Malta  Township,  and  a  week  later  the 
pair  were  united  in  matrimony,  at  Sycamore,  in  the 
Episcopal  Church,  in  whose  cherishing  arms  she  had 
been  reared.  The  farm  house  in  Malta  had  been 
made  ready  for  the  advent  of  a  mistress,  and  the 
wedded  pair  at  once  took  possession  of  their  home. 
One  child — Albert  C. — has  been  born  to  them,  who 
died  when  six  months  old.  Mr.  Lang  is  a  substan- 
tial and  enthusiastic  Republican,  and  is  at  present  a 
School  Director. 


ichard  L.  Divine  (deceased),  a  former  resi- 
dent of  Sycamore,  where  he  was  a  promi- 
nent attorney  for  more  than  20  years,  was 
born  Sept.  .27,  1832,  in  Fallsburg,  Sullivan 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  was  the  son  of  James  and 
Mehitable  (Hall)  Divine.  His  grandfather, 
Joseph  Divine,  who  is  his  earliest  ancestor  now  trace- 
able, removed  with  his  family  from  Plattekill,  Ulster 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  in  1794,  to  Sullivan  County  and  located 
in  the  western  part  of  the  township  of  Fallsburg,  the 
place  where  he  settled  soon  afterward  taking  the 
name  of  Divine's  Corners.  At  the  time  of  his  re- 
moval there  he  was  the  first  white  settler,  his  nearest 
neighbor  being  four  miles  distant.  His  demise  oc- 
curred in  1802.  James  Divine,  born  June  14,  1781, 
in  Fallsburg,  was  his  youngest  son  and  was  a  man 
of  conspicuous  ability  and  became  prominent.  He 


was  for  many  years  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  and  was 
the  occupant  of  other  positions  of  trust  and  responsi- 
bility. He  spent  his  entire  life  on  the  homestead  at 
Divine's  Corners  and  died  there  Feb.  i,  1846.  The 
descendants  of  Joseph  Divine  still  resident  in  Falls- 
burg sustain  the  honorable  prestige  of  the  family 
name  and  are  recorded  as  prominent  and  valuable 
citizens  of  Sullivan  County.  The  wife  of  James 
Divine,  known  in  the  records  of  Sullivan  County  as 
"  Hetty  "  Divine,  was  a  member  of  the  denomination 
of  Friends  or  Quakers,  and  was  a  "preacher."  She 
was  a  woman  of  decided  character  and  opinions,  and 
so  uncompromising  a  foe  to  slavery  that  she  sacri- 
ficed her  peace  principles  in  her  opposition  to  the 
"divine  institution."  The  quality  of  esteem  in  which 
she  was  held  and  that  of  the  influence  she  exerted  is 
manifest  from  the  fact  that  a  spirited  controversy 
with  a  male  member  of  the  society  in  which  she  was 
the  aggressor,  is  preserved  in  the  history  of  Sullivan 
County.  She  was  born  Jan.  15,  1789,  was  married 
July  1 6,  1803,  when  she  was  14  years  and  six 
months  old,  and  died  in  the  town  of  Fallsburg, 
March  14,  1866.  She  was  the  daughter  of  John 
Hall,  one  of  the  first  white  settlers  in  the  town  of 
Neversink,  in  Sullivan  County.  Her  mother's  maiden 
name  was  Stone,  and  of  her  marriage  to  John  Hall 
five  children  were  born,  of  whom  "  Hettie  "  was  the 
second  in  order  of  birth. 

One  of  the  most  suggestive  thoughts  arising  from 
examination  of  the  personal  records  of  the  closing 
years  of  the  i8th  century  and  the  opening  period  of 
the  century  following,  concerns  the  women  of  those 
days;  and  if  it  were  possible  to  trace  their  influence 
in  forming  the  characters  of  their  sons,  there  is  no 
question  but  the  development  would  present  a  most 
interesting  study. 

The  ancestral  stock  of  Mr.  Divine  in  the  paternal 
line  of  descent  were  Huguenots,  and  he  was  the 
youngest  child  in  order  of  birth  of  10  children — seven 
sons  and  three  daughters — born  to  his  parents.  He 
was  a  boy  of  studious,  reflective  character,  and  he 
acquired  a  comprehensive  knowledge  of  all  the 
branches  taught  in  common  schools.  He  afterwards 
attended  a  select  school  taught  by  Henry  R.  Low  at 
Fallsburg,  and  spent  eight  years  in  teaching  in  the 
county  where  he  was  born  and  in  the  counties  ad- 
joining, and  also  studied  law  with  George  W.  Lord, 
an  attorney  of  prominence  at  Monticello,  Sullivan 
Co.,  N.  Y.  His  interest  in  educational  matters  was 


< 


I: 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


recognized  in  his  native  county  by  his  election  in 
1857  to  the  position  of  School  Commissioner.  In 
the  fall  of  that  year  he  came  to  Michigan  and  en- 
gaged in  teaching  at  Allegan. 

In  the  spring  of  1858  he  settled  at  Sycamore  and 
completed  his  preparation  for  a  professional  life  in 
the  office  of  Hon.  E.  L.  Mayo.  In  the  winter  of  the 
same  year  he  taught  a  term  of  school  at  Cortland, 
and  in  March,  1860,  was  admitted  to  practice.  He 
entered  into  a  business  association  with  Judge  Mayo 
and  rapidly  rose  to  pre-eminence  as  a  counselor  and 
advocate.  He  held  his  position  unassailed  and  was 
recognized  as  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  Bar  of  De 
Kalb  County  for  many  years,  and  justly  ranked  and 
estimated  in  all  the  Courts  in  which  he  practiced, 
which  included  the  local  tribunals,  the  Supreme  and 
Apellate  Courts  of  Illinois  and  of  other  States,  and 
the  United  States  Courts.  His  knowledge  of  law 
was  commensurate  with  his  abilities,  his  memory, 
his  industry,  his  powers  as  a  logician,  his  skill  in 
legal  adaptation  and  his  intrepidity  in  the  interests 
of  his  clients.  Under  the  pressure  of  his  indomitable 
energy  and  ambition  .to  crowd  the  greatest  possible 
amount  of  labor  into  his  life,  he  met  his  Waterloo, 
dying  a  few  days  before  reaching  his  soth  birthday, 
at  the  period  when  his  splendid  powers  should  have 
been  at  the  zenith. 

In  social  life  Mr.  Divine  was  on  occasion  the  rarest 
of  companions ;  and  in  conversation  the  powers  of 
mind  he  displayed  differed  essentially  from  those  he 
exercised  in  his  professional  relations.  The  field  of 
imagination  was,  so  to  speak,  his  ground  of  recrea 
tion,  and  he  reveled  in  the  beauties  of  practical  and 
classical  literature,  his  obedient  memory  storing  the 
pictures  of  imagery  painted  in  glowing  words,  which 
he  was  in  the  habit  of  reproducing  under  the  influ- 
ence of  the  social  hours  in  which  he  endeared  him- 
self to  his  friends  and  built  an  enduring  monument 
to  his  life  and  genius. 

Mr.  Divine  was  a  Republican  in  his  political  con- 
nections. In  1872  he  was  elected  Presidential  Elec- 
tor, and  in  1875  was  made  Mayor  of  Sycamore.  In 
1867  he  embarked  in  a  private  banking  enterprise  in 
company  with  Moses  Dean  and  Daniel  Pierce,  which 
relation  was  in  existence  until  1871.  In  the  latter 
year  he  withdrew  and  erected  a  building  for  banking 
purposes,  and,  associated  with  C.  O.  Boynton,  con- 
ducted business  in  that  avenue  under  the  firm  style 
of  Divine  &  Boynton.  Their  relations  continued 


until  the  withdrawal  of  Mr.  Boynton,  when  the  firm 
became  Divine  &  Co.,  and  the  business  was  prose- 
cuted until  the  failing  health  of  Mr.  Divine  compelled 
his  surrender  of  active  business  life. 

He  died  Aug.  22,  1882,  of  typhoid  fever.  His 
marriage  to  Susan  S.  Smith  occurred  Aug.  u,  1862, 
at  Sycamore.  Mrs.  Divine  was  born  in  St.  Johns- 
bury,  Vt.,  and  is  the  daughter  of  James  M.  and 
Martha  (Lowell)  Smith.  The  children  born  of  her 
marriage  are  all  living.  They  are  named  Henry, 
Mary  Beatrice,  Richard  L.,  Gertrude  A.,  James  Jo- 
seph and  Charles  A. 

The  portrait  of  Mr.  Divine  on  a  preceding  page  is 
given  by  the  publishers  with  unusual  pleasure,  con- 
fident of  its  value  to  his  numerous  friends,  who 
cherish  a  warm  remembrancevof  his  genius  and  abil- 


eorge  Ashelford,  farmer,  section  25,  South 
Grove  Township,  De  Kalb  County,  was 
born  April  12,  1834,  in  Somersetshire, 
Eng.,  and  is  the  son  of  George  and  Sarah 
(Blackmore)  Ashelford.  The  father  removed 
with  a  part  of  his  family  to  America  in  1858, 
but  soon  after  returned  to  his  native  land,  and 
died  in  his  native  shire  in  1876,  aged  about  74 
years.  The  mother  is  80  years  of  age  and  still  re- 
sides in  the  shire  where  she  was  born. 

Mr.  Ashelford  is  the  third  of  six  children  born  to 
his  parents,  five  of  whom  are  living.  Two  are  in 
America  and  are  residents  of  this  township  and 
county.  He  came  with  his  father  and  one  sister  to 
the  United  States  in  1858,  and  settled  at  once  in 
Illinois.  After  his  father's  return  to  England,  Mr. 
Ashelford  began  to  work  as  a  farm  laborer,  working 
on  shares.  He  operated  in  that  method  until  he 
had  accumulated  sufficient  money  to  buy  80  acres  of 
land,  situated  on  section  36,  in  the  township  where 
he  is  now  a  resident.  He  is  now  the  owner  of  320 
acres  of  valuable  and  well  improved  land,  in  loca-  • 
tion  and  merit  second  to  none  in  the  county.  His 
herds  of  stock  are  of  excellent  grade,  and  all  the 
belongings  of  the  place  afford  a  fine  testimonial  to 
the  character  and  quality  of  the  energy  and  effort 
expended  upon  them. 

Mr.  Ashelford  was  married  Feb.  T7,  1863,  at  Syca- 

^e s^rajiE: , 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


more,  in  the  Episcopal  Church,  to  Faith  Gathercoal. 
She  was  born  March  3,  1844,  in  Cambridgeshire, 
Eng.,  of  English  parentage.  Her  parents  came  to 
the  United  States  when  the  daughter  was  a  child  of 
nine  years,  and  are  now  residents  of  Malta  Township. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ashelford  have  eight  children,  all  of 
whom  are  living  but  one.  They  are  named  George 
E.,  Ida  M.  (Mrs.  Lock,  of  Malta  Township),  Will- 
iam H.,  Albert,  Joseph,  Frank  and  Grace  M.  The 
family  are  attendants  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  to  which  the  mother  belongs. 

Mr.  Ashelford  is  a  Republican  in  political  persua- 
sion, and  has  held  various  local  official  positions. 


I 


tries  Atherton,  farmer,  residing  on  sec- 
tion 31,  Shabbona  Township,  postoffice 
Paw  Paw,  Lee  County,  was  born  in  Luzerne 
Co.,  Pa.,  Nov.  20,  1832,  and  is  a  son  of 
Joseph  and  Phebe  (Vosburg)  Atherton. 
He  was  brought  up  and  resided  in  Pennsylvania 
until  23  years  of  age  ('855),  receiving  the  advan- 
tages afforded  by  the  common  schools  of  that  State. 
During  the  year  named  he  came  to  this  county  and 
settled  in  Shabbona  Township,  where,  in  company 
with  a  brother,  B.  F.  Atherton,  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  in  which  vocation  he  has  continued  to  the 
present  time. 

Politically,  Mr.  Atherton  is  a  Republican.  He  is 
a  single  man,  and  for  a  period  of  30  years  has  fol- 
lowed the  occupation  in  which  he  is  at  present  en- 
gaged. 


lames  Baxter,  farmer,  section  17,  Malta 
[£•  Township,  was  born  about  1819,  in  Devon- 
shire, England.  John  and  Elizabeth  (Rich- 
ards) Baxter,  his  parents,  lived  all  their  lives 
in  their  native  country,  the  former  dying  when 
the  son  was  13  years  of  age,  about  1832.  The 
latter  was  a  little  past  his  majority  when  his  mother 
died. 

Mr.  Baxter  was  married  while  yet  an  inhabitant  of 
his  native  country,  to  Mary  A.  Daracot,  the  daughter 
_pf  an  English  farmer.  Eight  years  later  Mr.  and 

.,*         >U?«!ij^ /-N    A. 


Mrs.  Baxter  came  to  America  and  sought  a  home  in 
the  township  of  Malta.  At  that  date  (1856)  the  sec- 
tion was  in  a  comparatively  unsettled  state,  and  for  a 
time  Mr.  Baxter  worked  as  a  common  laborer.  He 
was  industrious  and  frugal,  and  was  soon  in  circum- 
stances to  become  a.  land-holder,  a  privilege  he  could 
never  enjoy  on  the  "  tight  little  island."  He  entered 
a  claim  of  320  acres  of  land  and  put  in  a  crop  of 
wheat  in  1857.  This  was  entirely  destroyed  by 
thunder-storms  in  that  year;  but  instead  of  becoming 
disheartened  he  began  anew,  and  has  since  accom- 
plished signal  success.  He  is  now  the  proprietor  of 
540  acres  of  land,  all  within  the  limits  of  the  same 
section  and  well  improved. 

The  wife  and  mother  died  about  1874,^  Chicago. 
She  was  53  years  of  age.  Charles,  the  first-born 
child,  is  deceased;  Eskat  married  Hattie  Griswold 
and  is  a  farmer  on  section  20,  Malta  Township; 
William  is  a  citizen  of  the  far  West ;  Mary  E.  mar- 
ried William  Letheby,  a  farmer  in  Malta  Township ; 
John  is  a  deaf-mute ;  Emma  is  the  wife  of  Lant  Gris- 
wold, and  they  live  on  the  homestead ;  Mary  A.  mar- 
ried John  Letheby,  who  is  engaged  in  farming  in 
Malta.  Mr.  Baxter  is  an  inflexible  Republican.  His 
name  was  originally  Baxtaer,  but  has  become  Ameri- 
canized by  custom. 


illiam  W.  McDonald,  farmer,  section  10, 
Kingston  Towship,  is   the    son   of  Daniel 
and  Catherine  (Penny)  McDonald.      His 
father  was  a   native  of  Scotland,  and   his 
mother  was  bom  in  Maine.     The  former  died 
n  1843,  in  Ohio,  aged  73  years;  the  latter  died 
in  1882,  aged  84  years. 

Mr.  McDonald  was  born  March  17,  1820,  in  Wash- 
ington Co.,  Ohio,  and  lived  there  until  the  fall  of 
1852,  the  date  of  his  removal  and  location  in  Kings- 
ton Township,  his  home  since  that  period,  and  where 
he  owns  138  acres  of  partly  improved  land.  His 
first  marriage,  to  Susan  Heckman,  took  place  in  Ohio. 
She  died  in  April,  1855,  after  becoming  the  mother 
of  four  children, — John,  who  married  Lettie  Johnson 
in  Wisconsin,  and  now  resides  in  Kansas ;  George, 
Daniel  and  Wallace.  The  latter  married  Ann  Per- 
cell,  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  resides  in  De  Kalb. 
George,  the  second  son,  was  first  married  to  Carrie 

'm.giSXiiy'  avgyXv/Vcy, 
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v> 


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4 1 


Stowe,  a  native  of  Kane  Co.,  111.  They  were  the 
parents  of  two  children,  Edna  G.  and  Eddie.  After 
the  death  of  their  mother,  which  occurred  March  30, 
1881,  they  were  brought  to  the  home  of  their  grand- 
parents to  live.  Edna  died  of  scarlet  fever  April  27, 
1884;  and  Eddie  died  three  days  later,  from  scarlet 
fever  also.  Mrs.  McDonald,  wife  of  William  W., 
subject  of  this  sketch,  died  in  April,  1855.  Mr.  Mc- 
Donald was  again  married  in  October,  1856,  to  Sarah 
E.,  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Joanna  (Blacklidge) 
Stephens,  and  they  have  three  children,  Susie  A., 
H.  Edwin  and  Lizzie  M.  Mrs.  McDonald  was  born 
April  8,  1831,  in  Morgan  Co.,  Ohio;  her  mother  was 
born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1807,  and  her  father  in  Ohio 
and  died  in  the  same  State  when  the  daughter  was 
two  years  old. 

.  Politically  Mr.  McDonald  is  a  Republican  and  has 
officiated  as  School  Director,  and  in  other  minoroffices. 


^ohn  P.  'Newhall,  farmer,  living  in  retire- 
ment at  Malta,  was  born  Feb.  20,  1817,  at 
Athol,  Mass.  His  father,  William  Newhall, 
is  a  descendant  from  the  family  of  that  name 
who  came  to  America  with  Governor  Winthrop 
in  1630,  and  settled  in  Lynn,  Mass.  The 
mother,  Clarissa  (Phillips)  Newhall,  was  a  descend- 
ant of  a  family  conspicuous  in  the  early  history  of 
the  Colonies,  and  who  were  afterwards  distinguished 
for  wealth  and  position.  William  Newhall  was  a 
farmer  in  early  life,  and  afterwards  devoted  his  atten- 
tion to  mechanics.  He  died  June  6,  1858,  in  New 
Hampshire,  aged  75  years.  His  mother  died  in  the 
same  State,  when  she  was  83  years  of  age. 

Mr.  Newhall  was  the  youngest  but  one  of  a  family 
of  six  children.  His  brother,  Cyrus  Newhall,  is  a 
noted  mechanic  and  inventor,  and  has  acquired  a 
wide  reputation  as  a  manufacturer  of  lawn  and 
meadow  mowers,  and  John  P.  became  at  20  years  of 
age  an  employee  in  his  shops,  where  he  remained 
until  1856. 

Nov.  7,  1841,  he  was  united  in  marriage  in  Chester- 
field, Cheshire  Co.,  N.  H.,  to  Emmeline  L.,  daughter 
of  Richard  and  Emmeline  (Lewis)  Hopkins.  Her 
father  and  mother  passed  their  entire  lives  in  their 
native  county  and  State,  and  died  in  the  same  county 
in  New  Hampshire,  respectively  in  April,  1864,  and 

(§&egM£& ^ygy'         Q/- 

v^/ysv^vy**  ^^,y 


\  March,  1877,  aged  7r  and  81  years.  Mrs.  Newhall 
I  was  born  July  25,  1819,  in  Colerain,  Mass.  She  is 
the  second  of  four  children,  and  was  reared  under 
the  care  of  her  parents.  She  is  the  mother  of  one 
child,  J.  Frank,  who  is  a  resident  on  the  homestead 
estate  in  Afton  Township. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Newhall  came  to  Illinois  in  1856, 
and  after  a  short  residence  in  the  township  of  De 
Kalb  they  located  on  section  6,  Afton  Township, 
where  Mr.  Newhall  purchased  50  acres  of  farming 
land.  In  1877  they  retired  from  active  life  to  the 
village  of  Malta,  where  they  are  residing  in  quiet 
comfort  after  busy  and  honorable  lives  of  useful 
effort. 


oscph  B.  Stephens,  State's  Attorney,  resi- 
dent at  Sycamore,  is  a  native  of  De  Kalb 
County,  and  was  born  Aug;  25,  r849,  in 
Genoa.  His  father,  Samuel  Stephens,  was 
born  in  Pennsylvania  and  removed  early  from 
the  Key- Stone  State  to  Indiana,  where  he  resi- 
ded a  number  of  years.  In  the  fall  of  1836,  while 
yet  unmarried,  he  came  to  the  township  of  Genoa 
and  pre-empted  a  large  tract  of  land.  He  is  a  resi- 
dent of  Genoa,  and  nearly  one-half  of  the  village  is 
built  on  his  original  homestead.  About  30  acres 
was  first  platted  and  portions  of  the  town  are  known 
as  "Stephens'  First  and  Second  Additions."  The 
senior  Stephens  married  Rebecca  Patterson  for  his 
first  wife,  and  she  died  before  her  son  was  two  years 
old.  The  father  was  afterward  married  to  Philena 
Crocker. 

Mr.  Stephens  is  the  only  child  of  the  first  mar- 
riage, and  was  brought  up  on  his  father's  farm.  At 
14,  he  was  placed  at  the  seminary  at  Woodstock, 
where  he  was  a  pupil  a  year,  and  was  sent  thence 
to  the  Warren  Institute.  He  studied  there  two  years 
and  went  next  to  De  Kalb,  where  he  remained  about 
the  same  time.  After  leaving  school  he  worked  on 
the  farm  summers  and  taught  school  winters  until 
1877.  In  April  of  that  year  he  entered  the  law 
office  of  Kellum  &  Carnes,  of  Sycamore,  and  studied 
law  under  the  supervision  of  the  former  two  years. 
April  19,  1879,  he  was  admitted  to  the  Bar,  and  in 
October  of  the  same  year  he  opened  a  law  office  at 
De  Kalb  and  conducted  a  legal  business  there  until 
February,  1881,  when  he  came  to  Sycamore. 


f// 


J 


He  was  elected  State's  Attorney  for  De  Kalb 
County  in  the  fall  of  1880,  and  was  re-elected 
in  November,  1884.  While  a  resident  of  Genoa  he 
served  four  years  as  Township  Clerk,  and  discharged 
the  duties  of  other  minor  local  official  positions.  He 
is  at  present  (1885)  an  Alderman  at  Sycamore. 

Mr.  Stephens  was  married  in  Sycamore,  Jan.  4, 
1881,  to  Martha  M.,  daughter  of  Coles  and  Jane  L. 
Cook.  She  was  born  in  Monkton,  Vt.,  April  26, 
1860.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stephens  have  one  child,  Her- 
bert C.,  born  Sept.  14,  1883,  at  Sycamore. 


w 


I 


-  iram  Kirkpatrick,  farmer,  section  27,  Clin- 
ton Township,  is  a  son  of  Jesse  and  Ruth 
(Smiley)  Kirkpatrick.  (See  sketch  of  Jesse 
Kirkpatrick.)  Hiram  was  born  in  Perry  Co., 
Pa.,  July  23,  1827.  He  received  a  common- 
|  school  education  and  lived  on  the  parental 
homestead  until  1845.  He  then  apprenticed  himself 
to  learn  the  blacksmith  trade  and  worked  three 
years  in  Cumberland  Co.,  Pa.,  under  his  indentures. 
After  mastering  his  trade,  he  worked  for  his  old  em- 
ployer two  years,  and  then  entered  into  partnership 
with  him.  The  partnership  existed  for  one  year, 
when  it  was  dissolved  by  mutual  consent, 

In  the  spring  of  1852  Mr.  K.  moved  to  Dayton, 
Ohio,  and  was  there  employed  in  a  machine  shop  for 
about  one  and  a  half  years.  In  the  summer  of  1853 
he  removed  to  Hagerstown,  Ind.,  and  for  a  year  was 
foreman  in  a  car  shop,  and  also  worked  at  his  trade 
one  year. 

In  1856  Mr.  K.  came  to  this  county  with  his  wife 
and  child,  and  purchased  85  acres  of  land  on  sec- 
tions 22  and  27,  Clinton  Township,  on  which  he  set- 
tled and  continuously  resided  until  the  present  time. 
He  is  at  present  the  owner  of  400  acres  of  land,  all 
situated  in  Clinton  Township,  350  of  which  is  in  a 
good  tillable  condition.  After  coming  to  this  county 
he  followed  his-trade  at  his  home  until  1862. 

Mr.  Kirkpatrick  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary 
M.  Thomas,  in  Carlisle,  Cumberland  Co.,  Pa.,  Nov. 
1 6,  1854.  She  was  a  daughter  of  William  and 
Susanna  (A  ply)  Thomas,  natives  of  Vermont  and 
Pennsylvania.  They  were  married  and  resided  in 
that  State  until  the  date  of  her  father's  death,  March 
9,1839.  After  her  father's  death  her  mother  came 


to  this  county  and  made  her  residence  with  her 
daughter,  Mrs.  K.,  until  her  death,  June  8,  1874. 
They  were  the  parents  of  four  children,  namely : 
Samuel,  Caroline,  William  B.  and  Mary  M. 

Mary  M.,  wife  of  Mr.  K.,  was  born  in  Gettysburg, 
Pa.,  March  9,  1831,  and  is  the  mother  of  five  chil- 
dren by  Mr.  K.  The  livingare :  Arestes  J.,  Ira  T., 
Niles  H.  and  Minnie  M.  One  child  died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Kirkpatrick  has  held  the  office  of  Highway 
Commissioner  for  several  years,  that  of  School  Di- 
rector and  other  offices  of  minor  import.  In  poli- 
tics he  is  a  Republican.  He  and  his  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Mrs.  K.  united 
with  the  Methodist  Church  in  York  Co.,  Pa.,  when 
she  was  15  years  of  age,  and  has  been  a  communi- 
cant .of  that  Church  and  the  Presbyterian  ever  since. 

Mr.  Kirkpatrick  has  been  a  resident  of  this  county 
for  nearly  30  years,  and  during  that  period  has  won 
the  esteem  and  respect  of  a  large  circle  of  friends  ex- 
tending throughout  the  county.  As  a  worthy  gentle- 
man and  representative  citizen  of  De  Kalb  County, 
we  insert  his  portrait  in  this  volume. 


ames  Hunt,  retired  farmer  at  Malta,  is  a 
native  of  county  Waterford,  Ireland,  where 
he  was  born  April  15,  1825.  His  parents 
were  natives  of  Ireland,  and  spent  their  lives 
on  the  soil  where  they  were  born.  They  died 
about  the  year  1864. 
Mr.  Hunt  was  reared  a  farmer,  like  his  father  be- 
fore him,  and  obtained  such  education  as  the  com- 
mon schools  of  his  native  land  afforded.  When  he 
reached  man's  estate  he  came  to  America.  He  was 
the  youngest  of  four  children — two  boys  and  two 
girls — and  is  the  only  one  of  his  family  who  left  their 
native  land.  On  his  arrival  in  the  United  States  he 
went  to  Charlemont,  Mass.,  and  was  occupied  there 
as  a  common  laborer  on  various  farms.  He  was 
married  in  that  vicinity,  to  Mary  Phipps.  She  was 
born  Aug.  23, 1832,  where  she  was  afterward  married, 
and  where  she  spent  her  youth  and  girlhood.  After 
the  event  of  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hunt  con- 
tinued to  reside  for  a.  time  there  on  a  farm,  coming 
West  to  locate  about  1854.  They  made  their  first 
settlement  in  Sugar  Grove  Township,  Kane  Co.,  111., 
but  decided  on  another  transfer  three  years  later,  and 


DE  KALB    COUNTY. 


came  to  De  Kalb  County  to  make  a  permanent  resi- 
dence. Mr.  Hunt  purchased  160  acres  of  land  on 
section  34,  Malta  Township,  on  which  he  located  and 
entered  at  once  upon  its  improvement.  It  is  now  in 
an  advanced  agricultural  condition,  and  its  value  is 
materially  increased  by  the  addition  of  excellent  farm 
buildings.  In  1881  Mr.  Hunt  leased  the  place  and 
settled  in  Malta,  where  he  purchased  a  house  and 
lot. 

Mrs.  Hunt  died  in  January,  1881.     She  was  a  per- 

.  son  of  fine  mind,  and  exercised  a  wide  influence  in 
her  social  circle  previous  to  the  loss  of  her  reason, 
some  time  before  her  decease.  Every  possible 

\  means  was  used  for  her  restoration,  but  to  no  avail, 
and  her  life  terminated  at  Elgin,  where  she  was  taken 
for  treatment.  No  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hunt.  They  adopted  a  daughter,  Ida  M.,  who 
was  born  May  23,  1862.  Mr.  Hunt  is  an  adherent 
of  the  Democratic'  element  in  politics. 


orman  H.  Powers,  deceased,  was  born  in 
Vergennes,  Vt,  Aug.  20,  18:9.  He  ac- 
companied his  parents  in  childhood  to 
Canada,  and  resided  there  from  1832  to  1839. 
In  August  of  the  latter  year  he  moved  to  this 
State  and  located  in  La  Salle  County,  where  he 
was  engaged  in  farming  until  1849.  At  that  date 
he  came  to  this  county  and  located  on  section  33, 
Paw  Paw  Township.  In  1852  he  crossed  the  plains 
to  California,  and  spent  about  a  year  and  a  half  in 
the  gold  regions.  Although  he  took  a  mining  claim 
which  subsequently  proved  to  be  very  rich,  he 
did  not  work  it,  as  he  preferred  the  slower  and 
safer  course,  and  engaged  in  getting  out  cord-wood 
and  ship  timber.  This  work  proved  profitable,  and 
he  returned  to  the  "States  "  well  satisfied  with  his 
venture. 

He  carried  on  his  farm  till  the  breaking  out  of  the 
late  war,  when  he  enlisted  as  a  private  of  Co.  I, 
Fourth  111.  Cav.,in  August,  1861.  He  was  promoted 
as  Sergeant,  and  was  seriously  wounded  by  a  burst- 
ing shell  at  the  battle  of  Pittsburg  Landing,  April  6, 
1862.  The  serious  nature  of  his  wound  disabled  him 
for  further  duty,  and  he  was  given  an  honorable  dis- 
charge in  the  following  August.  Within  three  days 
after  his  return  to  his  home,  his  son  Edward  B,  en- 


listed  in  the  same  company  and  regiment  to  which 
his  father  had  belonged,  and  served  till  the  close  of 
the  war. 

Mr.  Powers  removed  to  Earl  in  1875,  and  six  years 
later  he  removed  to  Scranton,  Greene  Co.,  Iowa,  in 
the  spring  of  1882,  where  he  died  suddenly  while 
talking  to  his  horse  in  the  barn,  June  7,  r882.'  His 
wife  survives  him  and  continues  to  reside  at  Scran- 
ton.  Mr.  Powers  was  married  to  Catharine  Hart, 
daughter  of  James  and  Elizabeth  Hart.  Mrs.  Powers 
was  born  in  England,  Oct.  n,  1816.  They  had  a 
a  family  of  five  children,  two  boys  and  three  girls : 
Edward  B.,  born  Sept.  16,  1841,  married  Nancy  A. 
Weddell,  and  lives  on  the  old  homestead  in  Paw 
Paw  Township;  Christianna,  born  Feb.  22,  1846,  is 
the  wife  of  Hon.  H.  M.  Boardman,  of  Paw  Paw 
Township;  Susan  A.,  born  July  29,  1847,  is  the  wife 
of  James  E.  Moss,  of  Greene  Co.,  Iowa;  Elizabeth, 
born  April  3,  1849,  died  April  13,  1861;  Horace  E., 
born  Sept.  21,  1850,  married  Nettie  B.  Porter,  and 
lives  at  Blair,  Neb. 

Mr.  Powers  returned  from  Canada  to  Illinois,  and 
was  engaged  in  farming  in  La  Salle  County  till  1849, 
when  he  moved  to  Paw  Paw  Township,  De  Kalb 
County,  and  settled  on  section  33.  He  served  in 
various  official  capacities  in  Paw  Paw  Township, 
having  been  Township  Supervisor.  Assessor  and 
Justice  of  the  Peace  several  years  each.  He  was  a 
consistent  Christian  from  early  life,  and  was  an  influ- 
ential member  of  the  Congregational  Church.  In 
early  life  he  was  a  Whig  in  politics,  but  on  the  organ- 
ization of  the  Republican  party  he  espoused  that 
cause,  and  always  afterward  voted  that  ticket. 


.ewell  F.  Butler,  farmer  and  breeder  of 
stock,  residing  at  Malta,  was  born  Aug.  5, 
1845,  in  Du  Page  Co.,  111.  Joseph  Butler, 
his  father,  was  born  and  reared  in  the  State 
of  New  York  and  there  followed  the  vocation 
farmer.  He  married  Abigail  West  and  soon  f^) 
after  removed  to  Illinois,  settling  in  Du  Page  County 
at  a  period  when  the  State  was  in  its  pioneer  condi- 
tion, and  where  he  was  among  the  first  to  locate  in 
the  township  of  Bloomingdale.  He  is  the  owner  of 
320  acres  of  land  where  he  first  settled,  and  is  one  of 
the  foremost  citizens  of  the  county.  The  mother  died 


.    .-.• 


3 


3 ! 


KALB   COUNTY. 


there  May  5,  1834,  aged  62  years  and  eight  months. 
The  father  is  68  years  old. 

Mr.  Butler  continued  to  reside  in  his  native  county 
until  he  was  28  years  of  age.  In  1873  he  went  to 
Buchanan  Co.,  Iowa,  where  he  was  married  March 
n,  1874,  to  Sarah,  daughter  of  Andrew  and  Abigail 
(Peck)  Payne.  She  was  born  March  15,  1849,  in 
Delaware  Co.,  N.  Y.,  which  was  also  the  native  place 
of  her  parents.  The  family  went  to  Iowa  when  the 
daughter  was  seven  years  of  age,  and  she  was  the 
youngest  of  ten  children.  Her  father  died  -a  short 
time  before  her  marriage.  Her  mother  is  75  years  of 
age,  and  is  still  a  resident  of  the  homestead  in  Bu- 
chanan County. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Butler  came  to  Malta  immediately 
after  their  marriage  and  located  in  section  24,  where 
they  owned  135  acres,  on  which  they  carried  on 
agricultural  operations  until  May,  1882.  In  that 
month  the  farm  was  leased  and  the  family  removed 
to  the  village  of  Malta.  Mr.  Butler  purchased  two 
acres  of  land  within  the  village  corporation,  includ- 
ing an  improved  lot  and  available  buildings.  He  is 
also  the  owner  of  40  acres  of  land  on  section  23,  one- 
half  of  which  is  within  the  incorporated  limits  of 
Malta.  Mr.  Butler  is  a  Republican  of  decided 
stamp. 

The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Butler  are :  Helen 
M.,  born  Feb.  27,  1871 ;  Adelia,  Sept.  4,  1880,  and 
Elijah,  Jan.  15,  1884. 


LOlomon  V.  Butterfleld,  farmer,  section  20, 
Paw  Paw  Township,  has  240  acres  of  land. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  oldest 
living  representative  of  the  pioneers  of  1835  of 
this  township.  He  was  born  in  Cayuga  Co., 
N.  Y.,  Aug.  26,  1826,  and  is  the  son  of  Edward 
and  Polly  (Harris)  Butterfield.  He  went  to  Michigan 
in  1830  with  his  parents,  and  came  to  Paw  Paw 
Township,  De  Kalb  Co.,  111., in  July,  1835.  He  was 
brought  up  on  a  farm,  and  has  made  this  township 
.his  home  for  50  years.  He  was  married  in  Paw  Paw 
Township,  Dec.  20,  1847,  to  Miss  Polly  Burch,  daugh- 
ter of  Zebulon  Burch.  Mrs.  Butterfield  was  born 
in  Washington  Co.,  N.  Y.,  about  1826.  They  had 
two  children,  Mary  Belle,  born  April  5,  1852,  wife  of 
John  Spier,  of  Earlville,  111.  The  youngest  died  in 


infancy.  Mrs.  Butterfield  died  in  1855.  Mr.  Butter- 
field  was  married  again  May  8,  1856,  at  Earlville, 
111.,  to  Miss  Helen  M.,  daughter  of  Levi  S.  and 
Loretta  (Brewer)  Wales.  Mrs.  Butterfield  was  born 
in  Schoharie  Co.,  N.  Y.,  June  21,  1834,  and  came 
West  in  1855.  They  have  had  three  children: 
Charles  E.,  born  March  31,  1858,  died  May  n,  1858; 
Sidney  E.,  born  Oct.  30,  1859,  married  Ida  Braith- 
waite,  and  lives  at  the  old  homestead  ;  John  H.,  born 
July  25,  1865,  died  in  infancy.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  But- 
terfield are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  In  politics  Mr.  B.  is  a  Democrat. 


"ainos  Lock,  farmer,  section  33,  Malta  Town- 
ship, was  born  May  28,  1831,  in  Somerset- 
shire, England.  His  father,  James  Lock, 
^P*  senior,  was  a  farmer  in  England  and  died 
there  when  his  son  was  but  four  years  of  age. 
The  latter  was  for  some  years  under  the  care 
of  his  mother,  Mary  (Norman)  Lock,  supporting  him. 
self  after  arriving  at  a  suitable  age.  She  died  in 
1859.  In  1857,  in  company  with  Robert  Willis,  who 
now  lives  in  the  township  of  South  Grove,  they  left 
England  for  America,  and  pressed  forward  in  their 
journey  until  they  reached  South  Grove  Township. 

Mr.  Lock  passed  two  years  in  farm  labor,  and  in 
1859  purchased  80  acres  of  land  in  Mayfield  Town- 
ship. On  this  he  operated  three  years,  then  selling 
out  and  removing  to  South  Grove  Township,  where 
he  bought  160  acres  of  land.  He  was  there  resident 
until  February,  1869,  when  he  came  to  Malta.  He 
purchased  248  acres  of  land  where  he  has  since  pur- 
sued his  agricultural  operations,  improved  the  place 
and  erected  good  farm  buildings.  He  has  yet  140 
acres,  all  under  cultivation.  He  is  a  practical  and 
prosperous  stockman  and  farmer.  He  is  a  Republi- 
in  political  principles,  and  has  held  most  of  the  town- 
ship offices. 

His  marriage  to  Nancy  Safford  took  place  Sept.  15, 
1859.  She  was  born  in  Pittsburg,  Mass.,  Dec.  4, 
1842,  and  her  parents,  Oliver  and  Nancy  (Andrews) 
Safford,  were  of  New  England  origin  and  ancestry. 
Her  father  was  a  carpenter,  and  both  her  parents 
died  in  South  Grove  Township,  whither  they  had  re- 
moved in  the  pioneer  days  of  that  township.  Mrs.  Lock 
-auaS^Sto 


630 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


was  four  years  of  age  when  they  became  residents 
of  South  Grove.  She  has  been  the  mother  of  13 
children,  two  of  whom  are  deceased.  They  were 
born  in  the  following  order  :  Thomas,  James,  Clara, 
(5;  Oliver,  Nancy,  William,  Mary,  Charles,  Alice,  John 
and  Robert.  Frank  and  George  died  in  infancy. 
The  parents  were  reared  under  the  regulations  of  the 
Church  of  England. 


'aeob  Morsch,  farmer,  section  29,  Squaw 
Grove  Township,  was  born  Oct.  29,  1833, 
in  Germany.  He  has  been  a  resident  of 
the  State  of  Illinois  since  he  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1847,  when  he  was  but  14 
years  old.  He  lived  in  La  Salle  County  until 
1869,  when  he  bought  440  acres  of  land  in  Squaw 
Grove  Township,  of  which  he  took  immediate  pos- 
session and  commenced  the  work  of  improving  a 
farm.  He  has  prospered  by  his  industry  and  good 
judgment,  and  is  now  the  owner  of  600  acres  of  land 
in  Squaw  Grove  Township. 

He  is  a  Republican  in  political  affinity,  and  has 
been  School  Director  and  Highway  Commissioner. 

Mr.  Morsch  was  married  Nov.  25,  1860,  in  Ottawa, 
111.,  to  Elizabeth  Smith,  a  lady  who,  like  himself,  is  a 
native  of  Germany,  and  they  have  had  1 2  children, 
five  of  whom  are  still  living,  namely  :  Henry,  J. 
William,  John,  Emma  and  Lizzie.  The  deceased 
are  H.  Hammond,  Julia.  Anna,  and  four  who  died 
unnamed  in  extreme  infancy. 


liel  D.  Hunt,  farmer,  section  34,  and 
Supervisor  of  De  Kalb  Township  (1885), 
was  born  Sept.  19,  1835,  in  Wyoming  Co., 
N.  Y.,  and  is  the  son  of  Isaac  and  Martha 
(Ludington)  Hunt.  His  parents  were  na- 
tives of  Herkimer  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  became 
residents  of  De  Kalb  Township  in  1857,  where  his 
father  died  within  a  year.  The  mother  died  April 
12,  1865. 

Mr.  Hunt  accompanied  his  parents  to  De  Kalb 
County,  and  he  has  continued  to  reside  therein  with- 
out intermission  since.  He  is  the  owner  of  160  acres 
of  land  in  a  creditable  state  of  cultivation,  and 


slocked  with  125  swine,  26  head  of  cattle  and  eight 
horses.  He  is  a  Republican  in  political  sentiment 
and  has  been  an  occupant  of  responsible  local  posi- 
tions of  trust  for  many  years.  He  officiated  16  years 
as  School  Trustee,  and  was  elected  Supervisor  of  his 
township  in  the  spring  of  1884.  Mr.  Hunt  is  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  belongs  to 
Lodge  No.  144,  De  Kalb  Chapter,  No.  52,  and  Syca- 
more Commandery,  K.  T.,  No.  15. 

His  marriage  to  Evaline  L.  Preston  occurred  Oct. 
28,  1856,  in  Wyoming  Co.,  N.  Y.  She  was  born  in 
that  county  Nov.  12,  1837.  Earl  H.,  only  child  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hunt,  was  bom  July  24,  1857,  and 
was  married  Feb.  9,  1885,  to  Lena  Mixer,  at  Leslie, 
Mich.  She  was  born  at  Machias,  Cattaraugus  Co., 
N.  Y.,  March  17,  1863. 


acob  Deily,  farmer,  section  5,  Malta  Town- 
ship, has  lived  in  De  Kalb  County  since 
about  the  year  1850,  when  he  came  with 
his  widowed  mother  to  Pierce  Township.  He 
was  born  Nov.  22,  1845,  in  what  is  now  Niles, 
Cook  Co.,  111.  John  Deily,  his  father,  was  born 
in  Germany  and  married  Elizabeth  B.  Lipp  after  he 
came  to  America.  The  mother  was  a  German  by 
birth  and  came  to  Ohio  with  her  patents  from  the 
"fatherland"  when  n  years  of  age.  They  settled  in 
Columbiana  County,  where  they  were  married,  and 
came  thence  to  Chicago,  where  the  father  died,  in 
1849,  of  cholera,  which  was  then  epidemic  in  that 
city.  He  was  33  years  of  age.  The  children  born  of  this 
marriage  included  two  daughters  and  two  sons,  Mr. 
Deily  being  the  third  child  ;  and  he  was  four  years  of 
age  when  his  father  died.  His  mother  married  Jacob 
F.  Plapp,  a  farmer  of  Pierce  Township,  and  is  yet 
living.  Mr.  Deily  entered  the  army  of  the  United 
States  to  fight  for  the  Union,  enlisting  before  he  was 
of  age,  March  4,  1864,  as  a  recruit  of  Company  K, 
I5th  111.  Vol.  Infantry.  He  was  in  constant  warfare  . 
to  the  collapse  of  the  rebellion,  his  regiment  being 
assigned  to  the  command  of  Sherman  and  accom- 
panying him  to  the  sea,  marching  with  his  legions  of 
war  through  the  Carolinas  and  to  Alexandria.  Mr. 
Deily  was  honorably  discharged  Sept.  16,  1865,  at 

^ — ^»^ .$e&e<&^ 


S 

I 
1 


Iff  UNARY 

Of  THE 
UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLMKRS 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


Fort  Leavenworth,  Kan.  He  was  mustered  out  of 
service  at  Springfield,  111.,  and  on  returning  to  Pierce 
Township  he  began  to  work  at  the  trade  of  a  mason, 
and  pursued  that  business  at  odd  intervals  for  sev- 
eral years.  After  that  he  operated  somewhat  as  a 
farmer,  and  in  January,  1869,  located  on  his  farm  in 
Malta  Township.  He  had  made  his  claim  three 
years  previous,  which  included  80  acres  on  section  5 
and  now  contains  40  acres  additional.  The  place  is 
all  under  excellent  improvements,  well  cultivated, 
stocked  with  good  grades  of  cattle  and  supplied  with 
a  creditable  class  of  farm  buildings.  In  his  political 
convictions  Mr.  Deily  is  an  inflexible  and  uncompro- 
mising Republican. 

His  wife,  to  whom  he  was  married  June  16,  1867, 
was  formerly  Miss  Caroline  Buerer.  She  was  the 
daugher  of  Gotlieb  and  Henrietta  (Garlach)  Buerer, 
who  were  born  respectively  in  Baden  and  Wurtem- 
burg.  After  coming  to  America  they  located  at 
Geneva,  111.,  where  Mrs.  Deily  was  born  March  6, 
1849.  Her  parents  removed  when  she  was  six  weeks 
old  to  Pierce  Township,  De  Kalb  County,  where  she 
grew  to  womanhood  on  her  father's  farm  and  was 
taught  in  the  common  school.  She  has  been  the 
mother  of  six  children,  one  of  whom  (John)  is  de- 
ceased. Those  yet  surviving  (1885)  are  named  Sarah 
M.,  David  H.,  Mary  E.,  Carrie  A.  and  Frank  E. 


saac  Leonard  Ellwood,  of  De  Kalb,  is  one 
of  the  most  prominent  business  men  in  the 
entire  West,  and  his  name  is    a   synonym 
for   one   of  the  most   important   industries  in 
the  country.     He   was  born  at  Salt  Springville, 
Montgomery  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Aug.  3,  1833. 
Mr.    E.    is    the    seventh    son   of    Abraham    and 
Sarah  (Delong)  Ellwood  (see  biography  of  C.   Ell- 
wood  for  sketch  of  parents),  and  received    from  his 
parents   a  common-school    education  of  the   limited 
character  of  the  times.     Upon  quitting  his  studies 
he  commenced  life  for  himself  by  driving  a  team  on 
the   Erie  Canal  at  jjjtto  per  month.     Afterwards  he 
became  a  clerk  in  a    store  where   he  was  occupied 
until  he   reached    the  age  of  18  years.     In  1851  he 
went  to  California,  where  he  remained  between  three 
and  four  years.     He  passed  the  first  year  in  mining, 
after  which  he  became  a  clerk  in  a  store  in  Sacra- 


mento.  He  had  simple,  unostentatious  tastes  and 
habits,  and  he  saved  his  accumulations  and  returned 
East  in  1855  with  the  means  to  start  a  hardware  en- 
terprise of  moderate  dimensions,  in  the  village  of 
De  Kalb.  He  gave  his  attention  to  his  business, 
managed  its  relations  to  accommodate  his  patrons, 
and  while  he  won  general  esteem  he  gradually 
placed  his  affairs  on  a  substantial  basis  of  prosperity, 
which  he  continued  for  about  20  years.  During  this 
time  that  he  was  engaged  in  the  hardware  business, 
he  was  extensively  employed  as  auctioneer,  locally 
at  first ;  but  after  a  few  years  his  success  as  a  sales- 
man became  so  great  that  his  services  were  fre- 
quently in  demand  in  distant  portions  of  the  State, 
and  for  the  time  he  was  inteTested  in  this  line  nq 
one  ever  achieved  greater  success  than  he.  He 
had  long  considered  the  necessity  which  depressed 
the  hopes  of  Western  farmers, — that  of  the  want  of 
suitable  fencing  material;  and  it  is  impossible  to  con- 
sider the  subject  without  a  feeling  of  wonder  that  40 
years  of  active  agricultural  exertions,  with  always  the 
same  need  impending,  elapsed  before  the  simple  de- 
vice that  solved  the  difficulty  entered  the  mind  of 
man. 

In  the  year  1874  Mr.  Ellwood  invented  and 
obtained  one  of  the  earliest  patents  on.  barbed  fenc- 
ing, since  which  time  he  has  been  engaged  in  the 
manufacture,  improvement  and  building  up  of  the 
barbed-wire  industry.  Through  his  influence  and  by 
his  foresight  all  of  the  underlying  and  first  patents 
on  barbed  wire  and  machinery  for  making  the  same 
were  combined  together,  enabling  him  with  the  as- 
sistance of  others  to  build  up  one  of  the  largest  and 
most  successful  business  enterprises  in  the  his- 
tory of  this  country.  For  a  time  he  was  associated 
in  the  manufacture  of  barbed  wire  with  Mr.  J.  F. 
Glidden,  and  later  with  the  Washburn  &  Moen 
Manufacturing  Company,  of  Worcester,  Mass.,  but 
at  present  he  is  exclusive  owner  and  proprietor  of 
the  large  manufacturing  establishment  at  De  Kalb 
doing  business  under  the  firm  name  of  I.  L.  Ellwood 
&  Co.  The  capacity  of  these  works  at  this  time 
is  nearly  12  car-loads  of  finished  fencing  each  ten 
hours.  While  there  have  been  a  great  many  differ- 
ent persons  engaged  in  the  barbed-wire  business,  and 
manufactories  are  scattered  all  through  the  western 
country,  Mr.  Ellwood  has  been  a  recognized  leader 
in  the  conduct  of  the  business,  and  there  is  no  ques- 
tion with  those  who  are  acquainted  with  its  details,  ( 

;>fl^ ^^ ^^^^ 


J 


I 


but  that  it  is  almost  exclusively  through  his  efforts 
that  the  great  success  of  the  business  has  been 
achieved. 

It  is  but  justice  to  Mr.  Ellwood  to  say  that  no  man 
ever  pushed  a  meritorious  enterprise  to  great  success 
with  fewer  motives  of  selfishness  than  he.  Genera- 
tions to  come  must  know  that  no  more  unpretentious 
man  ever  lived  than  he;  and  in  all  the  prosperity 
that  has  fallen  to  his  lot,  his  chief  delight  and 
satisfaction  is  in  having  been  the  instrument  •  of 
good  to  his  fellow-men.  A  warm  welcome  will  be 
accorded  to  the  portrait  of  him  which  appears  on  a 
preceding  page,  and  it  is  presented  with  a  double 
satisfaction,  for  reasons  which  have  direct  reference 
to  the  fraternal  relations  of  Mr.  Ellwood,  five  of 
whose  brothers  resident  in  the  county  are  similarly 
presented,  and  to  his  business  relations,  which  ren- 
der him  in  a  certain  sense  the  property  of  his  country 
and  generation. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  with  limited  education, 
inheriting  little  save  integrity  and  ambition  to  achieve 
something  in  the  world's  work,  conscientious,  hum- 
ble, he  met  and  recognized  a  great  opportunity ;  and 
it  is  eminently  true  of  him  that  the  prosperity  which 
has  resulted  is  looked  upon  as  having  fallen  into  de- 
serving hands,  and  therefore  awakens  no  jealousy. 
Reading  and  observation,  coupled  with  reflection  and 
judgment,  have  furnished  and  disciplined  a  mind  of 
uncommonly  fine  faculties,  and  he  is  in  no  rate  the 
inferior  of  men  who  have  spent  their  lives  among 
books  and  in  scholarly  associations.  He  is  self-reli- 
ant, self-poised,  self-respecting,  and  is  esteemed  ac- 
cordingly. An  undeviating  Republican  in  political 
sentiment,  he  has  never  sought  or  held  a  local  office, 
save  being  elected  for  one  or  two  terms  to  the  City 
Council  of  De  Kalb.  No  deserving  man  or  woman 
has  ever  applied  to  Mr.  Ellwood  without  receiving 
liberal  aid,  and  his  greatest  pleasure  is  in  doing  sub- 
stantial acts  of  kindness  for  the  poor  in  their  vicinity. 

He  was  married  to  Harriet  A.  Miller,  only  daugh- 
ter of  William  A.  Miller,  at  her  father's  residence  in 
the  village,  now  city,  of  De  Kalb,  Jan.  27,'  1859. 
Seven  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ell- 
wood,— three  daughters  and  four  sons, — of  whom 
three  daughters  and  two  sons  are  still  living. 

His  eldest  son,  William  L.,  has  been  engaged  for 

several    years    in   the   importing   and   breeding   of 

rench  draft  horses,  making  annual  trips  to  France 

S«^ 9; 


and  attending  to  the  purchase  of  his  stock  in  person  ; 
and  during  this  year  (1885)  he  expects  to  import 
from  75  to  100  head.  He  also  has  entire  charge  of 
his  father's  stock  farms  in  the  vicinity  of  De  Kalb, 
containing  some  3,400  acres,  all  under  a  high  state 
of  cultivation,and  with  all  modern  improvements  for 
stock-raising. 


homas  J.  Tindall,  stock-raiser  and  farmer, 
residing  on  section  15,  Malta  Township, 
was  born  in  Tecumseh,  Lenawee  Co.,  Mich., 
June  29,  1840.  When  Thomas  was  one  year 
old  his  parents  moved  to  Buffalo  Grove,  Ogle 
C6unty,  this  State,  and  one  year  later  came  to 
this  county  and  located  on  a  farm  in  South  Grove 
Township.  Here,  Thomas  assisted  his  father  on  the 
farm  and  attended  the  common  schools  until  he  at- 
tained the  age  of  17  years.  At  this  age  he  entered 
the  college  at  Wheaton,  the  county  seat  of  Du  Page 
County,  this  State,  and  pursued  his  studies  in  that 
institute  for  four  years.  From  Wheaton  College  he 
went  to  college  at  Beloit,  Wis.,  and  there  completed 
his  course  of  study.  Soon  after  leaving  college,  in 
October,  1864,  Mr.  Tindall  enlisted  in  Co.  K,  4zd 
111.  Vol.  Inf.,  Capt.  J.  N.  McClellan,  to  serve  in  the 
late  Civil  War.  His  company  was,  in  the  Army  of  the 
Cumberland,  and  was  in  the  Division  commanded  by 
Gen.  Thomas.  Mr.  Tindall  participated  in  all  the 
battles  in  which  his  regiment  was  engaged,  promin- 
ent among  which  were  Spring  Hill,  Franklin  and 
Nashville,  Tenn.;  and  after  faithfully  serving  his 
country  for  14  months  he  received  an  honorable  dis- 
charge at  Lavaca,  Texas,  in  December,  1865,  and  re- 
turned to  the  home  of  his  father  in  South  Grove 
Township,  this  county. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Tindall  was  of  New  England 
parentage,  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  resided  in 
New  Jersey  until  1841,  when  he  came  to  this  county, 
as  stated.  He  died  at  his  home  in  South  Grove 
Township,  July  8,  1880.  Mr.  Tindall's  mother, 
Mary  (Berber)  Tindall,  was  born  in  "  York  State;  " 
is  of  Yankee  extraction  and  is  living  at  present  with 
her  daughter,  Mrs.  J.  B.  Millner,  of  Lawrence,  Kan. 
Mr.  Tindall  was  united  in  marriage  Feb.  27,  1868, 
to  Miss  Mary  E.,  daughter  of  William  T.  and  Louisa 
(Riddle)  Kirk.  See  sketch  of  William  T.  Kirk.  Mrs 


I 
Z 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


Tindall  was  the  oldest  of  family  of  nine  children,  all 
of  whom  are  yet  living,  and  was  born  in  Franklin 
Township,  this  county,  March  24,  1843.  Her  years, 
prior  to  maturity,  were  spent  at  home  assisting  the 
mother,  attending  the  common  schools  and  the  col- 
leges  at  Rockford  and  Wheaton.  She  acquired  a 
good  education  and  at  the  age  of  20  years  engaged  in 
teaching,  which  profession  she  followed  with  success 
until  her  marriage. 

Two  children  are  the  issue  of  their  union,  namely : 
Edith,  born  Aug.  15,  1869,  and  Willie,  born  Feb.  18, 
1873.  After  marriage  the  husband  and  wife  located 
on  the  farm  on  which  they  are  at  present  living,  and 
which  was  owned  by  Mr.  Tindall  prior  to  that  event, 
The  farm  comprises  320  acres  of  good  tillable  land, 
and  the  entire  tract  is  well  improved.  He  has  a 
good  residence  and  substantial  farm  buildings  on  the 
place,  and  to  the  passer  by  everything  indicates  en- 
ergy and  progress. 

Politically,  Mr.  Tindall  is  a  Republican,  and  has 
.    held  a  number  of  the  minor  offices  of  his  township. 
He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Congregational 
Church. 


ames  Henderson,  farmer  on  section  26, 
Victor  Township,  is  also  engaged  in  the 
dairy  business.  He  was  born  Aug.  12, 
1834,  in  Perry  Co.,  Pa.  His  parents  were 
Hodgen  and  Nancy  (White)  Henderson.  His 
father  was  born  in  Ireland  and  came  to  Amer- 
ica with  his  parents  when  he  was  1 3  years  old,  grew 
to  manhood  and  married  a  Pennsylvania  lady. 

Mr.  Henderson  received  only  the  limited  educa- 
tion of  the  common  schools,  and  remained  at  home 
until  the  years  of  his  minority  were  passed.  After 
arriving  at  the  period  of  man's  estate  he  worked  out 
two  years,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time  he  married 
Eliza  Hippie,  and  they  had  eight  children,  seven  of 
whom  are  still  living, — Sarah  L.,  Ida  N.,  John  A., 
Matilda  C.,  James  F.,  Alvin  C.  and  Martha  A.  John 
married  Mary  J.  Cooper,  of  La  Salle  Co.,  111.,  Dec. 
10,  1884.  He  is  a  farmer  on  section  27,  Victor 
Township.  Sarah  married  G.  N.  Price,  Nov.  16, 
1880.  They  went  to  Nebraska,  where  Mr.  Price 
died,  Dec.  22,  1884. 

The  first  purchase  of  land  made    by  Mr.  Hender- 


son was  the  80  acres  on  which  he  has  since  resided, 
now  increased  by  an  additional  80.  His  land  was 
all  in  its  primeval  condition,  and  there  were  but  few 
settlers  in  his  vicinity.  He  has  made  important  im- 
provements and  built  a  fine  residence,  barn  and 
other  farm  structures. 


Ibert  Ashcraft,  fanner,  section  25,  Malta 
Tp.,  was  born  Dec.  19,  1820,  in  Machias, 
Cattaraugus  Co.,  N.  Y.  His  father,  Elijah  T. 
Ashcraft,  was  a  native  of  Brooklyn,  Conn., 
and  was  the  son  of  Nathan  Ashcraft,  a  man  of 
pure  Yankee  extraction.  Betsey  Curtis  Ash- 
craft, wife  of  the  latter,  was  of  the  same  origin  and 
ancestry,  and  died  at  the  advanced  age  of  91  years. 
Betsey  Ashcraft,  the  mother  of  Albert  and  wife  of 
Elijah  T.,  came  of  a  long  line  of  New  England  an- 
cestors. Her  husband  died  when  he  was  82  years 
old.  They  had  12  children,  and  10  reached  ma- 
ture years. 

Mr.  Ashcraft  was  the  seventh  child,  and  he  passed 
the  years  of  his  minority  in  the  manner  usual  to  far- 
mers' sons,  alternating  farm  labor  with  attendance 
at  the  common  schools.  On  becoming  of  age  he 
took  the  molding  of  his  own  career  under  his  own 
management,  operating  for  a  few  months  as  a  gen- 
eral laborer. 

He  was  married  on  the  first  day  of  the  week, 
month  and  year  of  1843,  to  Helen  M.,  daughter  of 
David  and  Polly  (Dow)  Russell.  The  parents  were 
natives  of  Vermont  and  the  mother  belonged  to  the 
same  race  with  the  eccentric  preacher,  Lorenzo  Dow. 
Her  father  was  a  farmer  and  mechanic,  and  after  re- 
siding at  various  places  in  the  East,  the  family  came 
to  De  Kalb  County.  The  mother  died  in  the  town- 
ship of  Cortland,  in  1852.  The  father  died  at 
Chase,  Lake  Co.,  Mich.,  at  the  home  of  his  son,  and 
was  80  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his  decease.  Mrs. 
Ashcraft  is  the  fourth  of  13  children,  and  was  reared 
and  educated  principally  in  the  State  of  New  York. 
Of  her  marriage  13  children  have  been  born,  of 
whom  five  are  deceased.  Solon  married  Elizabeth 
Smith,  is  a  resident  at  De  Kalb  village,  and  is  a  me- 
chanic. Alva  married  Antoinette  Ellithorpe,  a  far- 
mer in  Marshall  Co.,  Kan.  Burton  married  Mary 
Melvin  and  resides  in  Osage  Co.,  Kan. ;  Luella  mar- 


^ 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


\\ 


Y 

i 


ried  Richard  S.  Hooper  and  they  live  at  Ness  City, 
Ness  Co.,  Kan.,  where  the  latter  is  holding  the  office 
of  County  Register.  Laona  is  at  Jacksonville,  111., 
and  is  the  wife  of  Peter  S.  Newell.  She  was  married 
Feb.  5,  1885.  Charles,  Edna  and  Marion  H.  are 
unmarried  and  inmates  of  the  parental  home. 
Hiram  C.,  Wallace  W,  Amanda,  Malvina  and  Al- 
bert, Jr.,  are  deceased. 

After  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ashcraft  lived 
in  the  State  of  New  York  until  1848,  the  year  of 
their  removal  to  Sycamore,  De  Kalb  County,  where 
they  lived  one  year.  Removing  thence  to  Cortland 
Township,  they  spent  two  years  there,  and  in  1852 
secured  a  claim  of  160  acres  of  land  by  pre-emption 
in  Malta  Township,  where  the  permanent  home  was 
established.  The  whole  property  was  unbroken  prairie 
and  times  were  hard  ;  circumstances  existed  which 
tried  the  stuff  of  which  a  man  was  made;  but  the 
tide  was  stemmed  by  persistent  energy  and  well  di- 
rected effort.  The  place  was  remote  from  other 
settlers,  and  deer  were  so  unaccustomed  to  humanity 
that  they  roamed  in  close  proximity  without  manifest 
fear.  Mr.  Ashcraft  owns  80  acres,  all  in  the  most 
advanced  cultivation.  He  assimilates  with  the  Re- 
publican party  element  in  politics,  and  was  one  of 
the  first  Justices  of  the  Peace  after  the  township 
was  organized.  He  has  also  officiated  as  Township 
Treasurer  of  Schools.  Mr.  Ashcraft  is  one  of  the 
oldest  resident  settlers  of  the  township,  having  lived 
here  33  years. 


Iford  Arnold,  farmer  and  stockman,  resi- 
dent on  section  27,  Victor  Township,  was 
born  Dec.  10,  1826,  and  is  the  son  of  John 
nd  Alice  (Alford)  Arnold,  who  were  natives  of 
Lincolnshire,  England.  The  family  came  to 
America  in  1851,  and  located  during  the  first 
ten  months  in  Tompkins  Co.,  N.  Y.  Their  next  re- 
moval was  to  Batavia,  on  the  Fox  River,  in  Illinois, 
where  they  worked  a  farm  on  shares  two  years,  remov- 
ing thence  to  Victor  Township.  There  they  operated 
a  farm  on  section  28  for  a  year,  when  a  farm  was 
purchased  on  section  26,  where  the  parents  died, 
respectively  in  1862  and  in  1869. 

Alford  remained  at  home  until  he  was  1 1  years  of 
ge,  and  received  a  common  school-education.     Af- 


ter that  age  he  became  a  farm  laborer  and  spent  four 
years  in  that  occupation,  when  he  obtained  a  situa- 
tion as  a  shepherd  and  herder,  in  which  two-fold  ca- 
pacity he  was  occupied  until  he  was  23  years  of  age. 
He  came  to  the  United  States  in  1850,  landing  at 
the  port  of  New  York,  whence  he  went  to  Trumans- 
burg,  Tompkins  County.  After  spending  17  months 
there  on  a  farm  he  pushed  on  West  and  worked  a 
year  on  a  farm  near  Batavia,  Kane  Co.,  111.,  and  was 
occupied  during  a  second  year  in  a  machine-shop. 

He  was  married  Feb.  25,  1854,  to  Lucy  Hales. 
She  was  born  in  England  and  came  two  years  before 
her  marriage  to  America.  Of  the  12  children  of 
whom  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Arnold  became  the  parents, 
eight  are  still  living, — Mary  A.,  John  H.,  Alfred  A., 
Benjamin  F.,  Edgar,  Alice  C.,  Emma  E.  and  Lucy  S. 
The  three  oldest  children  are  married. 

After  his  marriage,  Mr.  Arnold  worked  a  farm  two 
years  on  shares,  and  subsequently  came  to  Victor 
Township,  \vhere  he  purchased  80  acres  of  land  on 
section  27,  which  has  since  been  his  homestead.  To 
this  he  has  added  80  acres  by  subsequent  purchase, 
two  tracts  adjoining  each  other.  Mr.  Arnold  is  a 
successful  and  prosperous  farmer.  He  is  a  Repub- 
lican, and  his  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
Church. 

riel  S.  Morey,  farmer,  section  20,  Malta 
Township,  was  born  May  24,  1840,  in  the 
township  of  South  Columbia,  Herkimer 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  whence  he  came  with  his  parents 
to  De  Kalb  County  in  1853.  He  was  then 
about  13  years  of  age,  and  he  continued  a 
member  of  the  home  circle  and  acted  as  his  father's 
assistant  until  the  date  of  his  marriage.  That  event 
took  place  May  24,  1864,  when  Miss  Elizabeth  Van 
Vlack  became  his  wife.  Her  parents,  John  and 
Anna  M.  (Oliver)  Van  Vlack,  were  born  in  the  State 
of  New  York,  and  were  of  German  ancestry.  They 
were  descendants  of  families  who  were  among  the 
earliest  settlers  of  the  Empire  State.  Mrs.  Morey 
was  born  Aug.  4, 1842,  in  East  Glenville,  Schenectady 
Co.,  N.  Y.  Her  father  died  when  she  was  about 
nine  years  of  age,  and  six  years  later  (1857),  she  ac- 
companied her  mother  to  De  Kalb  County,  locating 
at  Shabbona  village.  She  is  the  youngest  of  three 
children  and  received  a  good  education.  The  death 


COUNTY. 


of  her  father  occurred  March  9,  1851,  when  he  was 
40  years  of  age.  Her  mother  died  at  Shabbona 
Grove,  Feb.  6,  1863,  at  the  age  of  51  years.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Morey  have  become  the  parents  of  five 
children,  born  as  follows:  Floyd,  Aug.  31,  1865; 
Nettie,  Oct.  31,  1869;  Jessie,  Sept.  18,  1875  ;  Myra, 
Oct.  24,  1878  ;  Lilla,  twin  sister  of  Myra,  died  when 
nine  months  old. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Morey  established  their  independent 
home  life  immediately  after  marriage  and  settled  on 
a  farm  in  Shabbona  Township.  On  this  place  Mr. 
Morey  conducted  agricultural  operations  16  years, 
when  the  family  removed  to  Malta  Township,  where 
the  father,  in  company  with  his  brother,  Wm.  H.,  lo- 
cated on  264  acres  of  land  on  section  20.  They  have 
continued  their  joint  labors,  and  have  operated  ex- 
tensively in  agriculture  and  as  stock-growers,  ranking 
among  the  best  and  most  progressive  farmers  of  the 
township.  They  are  Republicans  in  political  faith 
and  connections. 

Smith  Morey,  the  father  of  Mj.  Morey  of  this 
sketch,  was  born  Sept.  9,  1812,  in  Onondaga  Co., 
N.  Y.  Jesse  Morey,  father  of  the  former,  was  of 
French  lineage  and  married  Faith  Wilcox.  She  was 
born,  in  Connecticut,  and  was  of  purely  Yankee  ori- 
gin. Smith  Morey  married  Jeannette  Smith  Jan.  i, 
1839.  She  was  born  in  Suffield,  Conn.,  and  died  at 
the  home  of  her  son  Dec.  17,  1877,  aged  64  years. 
Her  three  sons,  Hiram  D.,  of  Shabbona,  Ariel  and  Wi 
H.  survive  her.  The  family  were  among  the  first  set- 
tlers'in  Shabbona  Township  in  1853.  He  labored 
there  as  a  farmer  until  1869,  when  another  transfer 
was  made  of  the  joint  family  interests  of  the  father, 
eldest  and  youngest  sons,  to  Malta  Township,  where 
they  located  on  264  acres  of  land  and  have  since 
managed  their  farming  interests  together. 


ipt.  Martin   V.  Allen,  druggist,  residing 
at  Shabbona,  was  born  in  St.  Lawrence 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  Nov.  6,  1832,  and  is  a  son  of 
Reuben    and    Nancy    (Andrews)    Allen.     In 
1845  his  father's  family  left  Sackett's  Harbor, 
Jefferson  Co.,  N.  Y.,  in  a  sail  vessel,  cruised 
around   the   lakes,  debarked  at  Chicago  and  came 
thence  by  \team  to  this  county,  arriving  at  Shabbona 
Grove  June  2,  1845.     His  father  was  consequently 
(gyV^N/g-.,  ^^JUS^i^  s-*,    !^S-: 


one  of  the  pioneers  of  this  county,  and  soon  after  he 
arrived  here  entered  320  acres  of  Government  land 
on  sections  19,  Clinton  Township,  and  24,  Shabbona 
Township,  and  entered  vigorously  on  the  laborious 
task  of  cultivating  and  improving  it. 

Capt.  Allen  was  brought  up  on  his  father's  farm. 
He  assisted  in  the  farm  labors  and  attended  the 
common  schools,  and  developed  into  manhood  while 
under  the  parental  roof-tree.  Aug.  12,  1862,  he  en- 
tered the  military  service  of  the  United  States  in 
the  late  Civil  War  with  the  commission  of  First  Lieu- 
tenant of  Co.  E,  togth  111.  Inf.,  and  was  promoted 
as  Captain  March  9,  1863.  He  was  wounded  at 
Atlanta,  Aug.  16,  1864,  receiving  a  gunshot  wound 
in  the  right  arm  near  the  shoulder,  which  resulted  in 
resection  and  causing  the  loss  of  about  three  inches 
of  the  bone.  He  was  then,  Jan.  22, 1865,  discharged 
for  physical  disability. 

Capt.  Allen  suffered  a  far  more  serious  misfortune 
as  a  result  of  being  wounded  than  the  loss  of  a 
portion  of  his-  arm.  His  wife,  on  hearing  of  the 
casualty,  proceeded  to.  his  side  to  nurse  him.  She 
found  him  at  Chattanooga,  Tenn.,  in  an  atmosphere 
infected  with  pestilence,- and  fell  a  victim  to  typhoid 
fever.  She  lived  to  reach  home,  in  a  delirious  con- 
dition, and  died  in  a  few  days.  Their  second  child, 
a.  daughter,  contracted  the  disease,  and  in  a  short 
time  followed  her  mother  to  the  land  of  everlasting 
peace. 

Captain  Allen  was  married  at  Little  Rock,  111., 
Oct.  7,  1856,  to  Miss  Jane  A.  Hunter.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  William  and  Janet  Hunter,  and  was  a 
native  of  Scotland.  Three  children  were  born  to 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Allen  :  Cora  A.,  Lida  E.  and  Jennie 
M.  The  eldest,  Cora  A.,  is  the  wife  of  George  C.  • 
Sanborn,  a  commission  merchant  at  Chicago.  The 
youngest  daughter  was  adopted  by  H.  E.  Allen,  of 
De  Kalb,  a  brother  of  Capt.  Allen.  She  grew  to 
womanhood  in  his  household,  and  is  the  wife  of 
William  Ellwood,  of  that  place. 

Mrs.  Allen  died  Sept.  20,  1864,  and  Capt.  Allen 
was  again  married  Nov.  6,  1867,  at  Shabbona,  to 
Miss  Lizzie,  daughter  of  Giles  M.  and  Eve  (Clapsad- 
dle)  Alexander.  She  was  born  in  Herkimer  Co., 
N.  Y.,  and  is  the  mother  of  one  child,  a  son,  Bertie, 
aged  14  years. 

Soon  after  his  return  from  the  army  Capt.  Allen 
was  elected  Superintendent  of  Schools  of  De  Kail 

«Av©^/(?) 

•,  •     •  '\     - 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


f  County,  which  position  he  held  for  a  term  of  four 
years,  from  1865  to  1869.  In  1873  he  engaged  in 
the  drug  business  at  Shabbona,  and  has  since  con- 
tinued in  the  same.  He  carries  a  slock  averaging 
,"5.  $2,000  and  including  everything  pertaining  to  that 
business.  In  March,  1877,  he  was  burned  out,  sus- 
taining a  loss  of  about  $1,500,  with  no  insurance.  He 
is  a  prominent  Freemason,  and  was  the  first  Master 
of  Shabbona  Lodge,  No.  374,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  is 
holding  that  position  at  the  present  time  (1885). 

/  He  is  also  a  member  of  De  Kalb  Chapter,  No.  52, 
R.  A.  M.,  and  of  Aurora  Commandery,  No.  22,  K. 
T.  He  is  likewise  Sen.  V.  C.  of  T.  S.  Terry  Post, 
G.  A.  R.,  of  Shabbona. 

Politically,  Capt.  Allen  is  a  Republican.  Relig- 
iously, he  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational  Church. 
He  is  one  of  Shabbona's  most  liberal-minded  and 
enterprising  citizens,  and  is  held  in  high  esteem. 
Of  no  other  citizen  in  the  county  could  a  portrait  be 
more  appropriately  given  in  this  work,  and  accord- 
ingly  a  fine  lithographic  likeness  of  Capt.  Allen  is 
given  on  a  page  just  preceding. 


.ohn  Mutton,  farmer,  section  20,  Malta,  was 
born  about  the  year  1824  in  the  county  of 
Cornwall,  in  the  south  of  England.  Richard 
Mutton,  his  father,  was  also  of  English  birth, 
and  his  wife,  Elizabeth  Mutton,  was  a  native 
of  the  same  country,  where  they  were  married 
and  passed  all  the  years  of  their  lives. 

Mr.  Mutton  has  been  an  independent  self-sustainer 
since  he  was  15  years  of  age,  at  which  time  he  began 
to  operate  as  a  laborer  on  a  farm.  He  was  married 
Aug.  15,  1847,  in  the  county  where  he  was  born,  to 
Elizabeth  Bray.  She  was  born  in  the  same  county, 
May  25,  1820.  Her  mother,  Elizabeth  (Herd)  Bray, 
died  when  she  was  nine  years  of  age,  after  which  she 
had  to  earn  her  own  living,  Richard,  her  father, 
being  left  with  a  large  family  and  unable  to  support 
them  all  from  his  meager  savings.  To  her  and  her 
husband  have  been  born  the  following  children  :  John, 
Elizabeth  J.,  Mary  A.,  Rebecca,  Emma,  William  and 
Silena. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mutton  set  out  for  America  after 
their  marriage  and  located  at  first  in  Ontario,  Can. 
They  were  residents  in  Northumberland  County  18 

(£\V£Xg)'£Sea  >m.gaXfy  /">    \. 


years,  engaged  in  farming.  In  1865  they  removed  to 
Creston,  Ogle  Co.,  111.,  where  they  maintained  a  resi- 
dence three  years,  coming  in  the  spring  of  1868  to 
Malta  Township,  where  Mr.  Mutton  became  by  pur- 
chase the  proprietor  of  105  acres  of  land.  The  place 
gives  every  evidence  of  skillful  and  judicious  farming 
and  the  farm  buildings  are  of  excellent  character. 
Politically,  Mr.  Mutton  is  a  Republican.  He  has 
been  for  years  active  in  the  local  offices  of  his  town- 
ship. 


enry  Challand,  farmer,  section  6,  Clinton 
Township,  is  a  son  of  Charles  and  Ann 
(Freeman)  Challand,  both  natives  of  Eng- 
land, and  residents  in  that  country  until  their 
death.  They  were  the  parents  of  a  family  of 
1 1  children,  namely  :  Ann,  Eliza,  Charles,  Wil- 
liam, Mary  E.,  Reuben,  Henry,  Sarah,  Maria,  George 
and  Joseph. 

Henry  Challand,  the  subject  of  this  biographical 
notice,  was  born  in  England,  Feb.  3,  1822.  His  edu- 
cation was  received  in  the  common  schools  of  that 
country,  and  was  limited  on  account  of  the  financial 
condition  of  his  parents.  At  the  age  of  12  years  he 
set  forth  to  carve  a  name  and  accumulate  a  compe- 
tency for  himself,  first  working  on  a  farm,  and  then 
as  a  drayman.  In  1847  he  emigrated  to  Canada, 
where  he  lived  seven  years,  and  in  the  spring  of  1854 
came  to  De  Kalb  County  and  settled  in  Shabbona 
Township,  where  he  purchased  89  acres  of  land. 
The  land  was  situated  partly  in  De  Kalb  and  partly 
in  Lee  County,  and  after  holding  it  for  a  year  as 
owner  he  sold  it.  He  "worked  out"  during  that 
year,  and  purchased  80  acres  in  Afton  Township,  on 
which  he  located  and  lived  for  seven  years,  and  then 
sold. 

In  1861,  Mr.  Challand  purchased  190  acres  in 
Clinton  Township.  He  moved  on  this  land  and  cul- 
tivated it  until  1874,  and  then  moved  to  the  village 
of  Waterman,  still  retaining  possession  of  his  land. 
He  lived  in  the  latter  place  some  seven  years  and 
then  moved  back  upon  his  farm.  Residing  there  a 
year,  he  again  returned  to  Waterman,  and  two  years 
later  moved  upon  the  farm  again.  He  has  resided 
in  Waterman  and  on  his  farm  since  1861.  He  is  the 
owner  of  365  acres  of  land  in  Clinton  and  Shabbon: 
Townships,  most  of  which  is  in  a  good  state  of  culti- 

l ^^^ *t*§^(<® 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


vation.  That  he  is  a  man  of  great  energy  and  per- 
severance, his  accomplishment  of  a  purpose  formed 
when  12  years  old,  namely,  to  procure  a  competency, 
is  certain  and  positive  proof.  He  has  certainly  ac- 
complished that'  purpose,  and  to  his  own  indomitable 
energy  and  pluck  he  may  attribute  its  success. 

Mr.  Challand  was  first  married  in  England,  to 
Miss  Elizabeth  Green,  a  native  of  that  country.  She 
emigrated  with  him  to  Canada,  and  there  died,  of 
"emigrant  fever."  She  bore  him  two  children, 
namely,  Fredrick  and  Elizabeth.  The  second  mar- 
riage of  Mr.  Challand  occurred  Oct.  31,  1849,  and 
the  lady  of  his  choice  was  Miss  Julia  Bilney,  of  En- 
glish parentage,  and  born  in  Canada.  She  was  the 
mother  of  10  children  by  Mr.  .Challand,  namely: 
Elizabeth  A.,  Freeman,  Mary,  Jemima,  Julia,  Sarah, 
Margaret  A.,  Walter,  Esther  R.,  Rosa  and  Eliza. 
Mrs.  Challand  died  in  Clinton  Township,  in  July, 
1872. 

Mr.  Challand  was  a  third  time  married,  at  Sand- 
wich, this  county,  Jan.  12,  1873,  to  Mrs.  Emily  Fas- 
sett,  widow  of  Henry  R.  Fassett.  He  was  born 
Nov.  7, 1836,  and  died  May  4,  1871.  Mrs.  C.  is  the 
daughter  of  Elijah  and  Mary  A.  (Bilney)  Hardiman. 
She  was  born  in  Canada,  Sept.  19,  1842.  By  her 
first  marriage  she  had  two  children:  John  H.  and 
Antoinette,  the  latter  of  whom  is  deceased.  The 
issue  of  her  second  marriage  is  three  children : 
Frank  W.,  Gracie  A.  and  Charles  H.,  all  living. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Challand  are  both  members  of  the 
Wesleyan  Methodist  Church.  Politically,  Mr.  Chal- 
land is  a  Democrat.  He  has  held  the  office  of  Over- 
seer of  Highways  and  School  Director. 


i,  deceased,  was   born   in 
Carolton-on-Trent,  Nottinghamshire,  Eng- 
land, in  November,  1811,  and  was  a  son  of 
John   and   Susan   Stimpson,    natives   of  that 
country. 

Mr.  Stimpson  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native 
country  and  engaged  in  the  vocation  of  a  maltster, 
which  occupation  he  followed  for  many  years.  He 
was  married  at  Norwell,  Eng.,  Nov.  to,  1835,  to  Miss 
Sarah  Weightman,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Mary 
(Selby)  Weightman,  natives  of  that  country.  Her 
father  was  born  in  North  Muskham,  and  her  mother 


.>/--•-;*" 

s_      /VV       '., 


_^--_ 


in  Balderton,  Eng.  She  was  born  at  North  Musk- 
ham,  Eng.,  April  26,  1817.  They  emigrated  to  the 
United  States  in  1850,  arriving  at  New  York  city  in 
October  of  that  year,  after  a  tedious  voyage  of  six 
weeks.  From  the  latter  place  they  went  to  Albany, 
N.  Y.,  where  they  remained  for  about  six  months,  and 
then  removed  to  Genesee,  Livingston  County,  that 
State,  where  they  remained  until  1853.  During  the 
latter  year  they  came  to  this  State  and  located  at 
Aurora,  where  they  remained  for  about  two  years,  a 
greater  portion  of  which  time  Mr.  Stimpson  was  an 
invalid.  From  Aurora  they  moved  upon  a  farm  in 
that  vicinity,  and  Mr.  Stimpson  was  engaged  in  that 
vocation  for  about  five  years.  At  the  expiration  of 
that  time,  in  1862,  he  moved  his  family  to  Minne- 
sota, but  the  Indian  massacres  at  New  Ulm  and  other 
places  which  were  prevailing  at  that  time  in  the 
vicinity  in  which  he  settled,  and  various  unpleasant 
features  of  the  country,  induced  him,  after  a  sojourn 
of  about  two  years,  to  return  to  this  State.  He  re- 
turned to  Aurora,  and  from  thence,  in  1864,  came  to 
Shabbona  Township,  this  county.  (He  located  in  what 
is  called  the  "  English  Settlement,"  in  the  western 
part  of  the  township,  and  purchased  a  fine  farm  of 
1 60  acres.  He  continued  to  cultivate  this  farm, 
meeting  with  success  in  his  endeavors,  until  the  date 
of  his  death,  Nov.  17,  1872.  Politically,  he  was  a 
Republican,  and  socially  was  a  member  of  the  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stimpson  were  the  parents  of  14 
children,  eight  of  whom  were  born  in  England,  name- 
ly :  Edward,  who  married  Mary  Cox,  "  an  English 
girl,"  and  is  at  present  living  on  Grand  Prairie,  Iro- 
quois  County,  this  State.  Thomas,  who  was  a  soldier 
in  the  late  Civil  War,  enlisting  in  the  72d  111.  Inf., 
was  wounded  at  Vicksburg  May  22,  1864,  and  died 
at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  six  days  later,  from  the  effects  of 
his  wound.  Rebecca,  who  is  the  wife  of  Theodore 
Porter  and  lives  in  Chicago.  George  married  an  En- 
glish lady  and  lives  at  Elgin.  William  was  a  black- 
smith in  Shabbona  Township,  and  was  killed  in  his 
shop  in  July,  1870,  by  a  man  named  Grover.  Jane 
died  in  childhood.  T.  Weightman  married  Sarah  A. 
Challand  and  resides  in  Shabbona.  John  died  at 
home  when  30  years  of  age. 

Of  the  six  children  born  in  this  country,  Mary  J. 
and  Sarah  A.  died  in  infancy ;  Elizabeth  is  the  wife 
of  John  Houghtby,  a  resident  of  Shabbona  Township. 
Henry  B.  married  Hannah  Nau,  and  lives  in  Shab- 
<£^ :3%»£ 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


bona ;  Linnetta  is  the  wife  of  Emory  A.  Post,  also  a 
resident  of  Shabbona  Township ;  Frederick  is  living 
at  home. 

Mrs.  Stimpson  survives  her  husband  and  resides 
in  Shabbona.  The  old  farm  of  160  acres  is  hers 
during  life.  She  has  been  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  for  upwards  of  42  years.  Looking 
back  upon  the  history  of  her  past  life,  she  reads  of 
trials  and  pleasures,  of  sorrows  and  happiness ;  and  as 
her  days  are  drawing  to  a  close  she  has  the  consola- 
tion of  having  spent  a  Christian  life,  a  life  of  useful- 
ness. She  is  living  in  comfort  at  Shabbona,  where 
she  expects  to  pass  her  remaining  years,  and  where 
her  body  may  be  placed  by  the  side  of  her  companion. 


Alexander  Southern,  farmer,  section  32, 
Malta  Township,  was  born  in  Ashford, 
Kent  Co.,  England,  Feb.  28,  1836.  He  is  a 
prominent  agriculturist  of  De  Kalb  County 
and  affords-  a  good  example  of  what  a  man, 
born  under  another  flag,  may  accomplish  when 
transferred  to  a  land  whose  standard  floats  over  no 
classes  of  born  distinction  and  inherited  privileges. 
Alexander  Southern,  Sr.,  came  of  a  good  family 
which  originated  and  had  been  perpetuated  in  Kent 
County,  and  belonged  to  the  agricultural  class.  His 
wife  was  Mary  Thompson  before  marriage.  The  par- 
ents died  when  the  son  was  in  childhood,  the  death  of 
the  mother  occurring  soon  after  that  of  the  father  in 
1846.  Alexander,  Jr.,  was  left  homeless  and  depend- 
ent on  his  own  resources.  He  was  not  of  a  race  that 
was  easily  disheartened  or  overwhelmed  by  circum- 
stances, and  as  early  as  practicable  he  devoted  his 
time  and  abilities  to  an  acquisition  of  a  knowledge  of 
the  trade  of  a  stone  and  brick  mason.  He  was  thus 
employed  three  years.  In  r8s6  he  took  a  final  leave 
of  his  native  soil  and  kindred,  and  came  alone  to  the 
United  States.  He  landed  at  the  port  of  New  York 
and  pressed  on  thence  to  Milwaukee.  He  passed 
three  years  in  that  city  at  work  as  a  mason,  and  in 
18159  went  to  Chicago.  He  obtained  employment  at 
his  accustomed  business,  and  three  years  later  went 
to  Belvidere,  Boone  Co.,  111.  The  character  of  his 
work  and  his  industry  served  to  win  for  him  a  good 
reputation  as  a  craftsman,  and  he  had  no  difficulty 
in  finding  work  in  his  various  wanderings.  Not  long 


after  coming  to  Illinois,  he  came  to  Malta  Township. 
He  was  employed  sometime  after  as  a  mason,  and 
was  sent  to  various  places,  among  others  to  Terre 
Haute,  Ind.,  where  he  was  the  principal  workman  in 
the  construction  of  the  Normal  buildings. 

He  was  married  in  March,  i86r,'at  De  Kalb,  to 
Mary  J.,  daughter  of  John  and  Jane  (Hancock)  Rowe. 
She  was  born  in  Brownton,  Devonshire,  England, 
April  19,  1834.  Her  parents  were  natives  of  the 
same  town  and  shire,  and  her  father  made  a  prelimi- 
nary visit  to  the  United  States,  which  resulted  in  his 
returning  to  England  to  bring  his  family,  the  follow- 
ing year.  They  remained  a  short  time  near  Buffalo, 
N.  Y.,  and  in  the  spring  of  1851  came  to  the  town- 
ship of  Malta.  They  are  now  quite  aged  and  reside 
with  a  daughter  at  Creston,  Ogle  Co.,  111.  The  chil- 
dren of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Southern  are  all  living:  Lillie 
J.  married  John  Norton  and  resides  in  Chicago. 
They  have  two  children  :  Reuben  A.  was  born  Oct. 
1 6,  1866.  The  youngest  is  William  J.  After  the 
marriage  of  the  parents  they  took  the  farm  of  the 
Misses  Todd,  which  they  conducted  on  shares  four 
years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  they  located  on  320 
acres  of  land,  which  the  father  had  purchased  in 
1868,  and  which  has  since  been  the  homestead.  It 
is  all  in  a  finely  cultivated  condition.  In  the  spring 
of  1884,  the  wife  and  mother  was  seized  with  a  ner- 
vous disease,  from  which  she  died  three  months  later. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  Congregational  Church,  as 
is  her  bereaved  husband.  The  latter  is  a  Republi- 
can, and  has  held  various  township  offices.  He  is  a 
man  of  reliable  integrity  and  much  respected  as  a 
man  and  a  citizen. 


ev.  Benoni  Harris,  deceased,  the  pioneer 
minister  of  Paw  Paw  Township,  and  one  of 
the  very  earliest  settlers  of  the  township,  was 
born  in  Cayuga  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  was  the  son 
of  John  Harris.     He  united  with  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal   Church  in   early   life,   was  or- 
dained a  minister  and  labored   many  years  in  the 
discharge  of  his  duties.     He  was  married  in-  New 
York,  to  Thankful  Miles,  who  was  born   in  Cayuga 
Co.,  N.  Y.     They  had  a  family  of  12  children,  six 
boys  and  six  girls. 

In  1831  he  removed  to  Michigan,  and  in  July,  1835, 
came  to  De  Kalb  Co.,  111.,  and  settled  in  what  is  now 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


645 


i 


Paw  Paw  Township.  He  was  the  first  Methodist 
circuit  preacher  in  this  region,  and  also  labored  as  a 
mission  preacher.  He  was  a  Mason  of  high  standing 
and  a  good  citizen.  His  wife  was  the  first  white 
person  to  die  in  the  new  settlement  in  Paw  Paw 
Township.  Her  death  occurred  in  1836.  Mr.  Har- 
ris died  in  1845. 

His  sons,  Benjamin  and  Joseph,  were  among  the 
very  first  settlers-  of  this  township.  The  Rev. 
Benoni  Harris,  Jr.,  came  several  years  later.  Ben- 
jamin Harris  came  to  Paw  Paw  in  the  summer  of 
1835  and  settled  in  the  western  part  of  the  township. 
He  was  married  and  removed  to  Black  Hawk  Co., 
Iowa,  in  1854.  He  enlisted  in  the  late  war  and  died 
at  his  home  in  Iowa,  from  disease  contracted  in  the 
army.  Joseph  Harris  came  to  Paw  Paw  with  his 
father  and  brother.  In  1853  he  removed  to  Iowa 
and  later  to  Kansas,  where  he  now  resides.  Rev. 
Benoni,  Jr.,  moved  to  Iowa  in  1853,  and  died  in  that 
State. 


arles  D.  Patch,  of  the  grocery  and  pro- 
vision house  of  Rowe,  Norris  &  Patch,  at 
Sycamore,  was  born  Dec.  25,  1855,  in  North- 
umberland Co.,  Pa.  He  is  the  son  of  Sala- 
thiel  C.  and  Margaret  A.  (Watson)  Patch. 
The  former  was  born  Aug.  17,  1812,  in  New- 
ark, N.  J.  The  latter  is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  was  born  March  7,  1831.  Both  are  still  living 
at  Sycamore. 

Mr.  Patch  is  an  only  child.  He  passed  the  years 
of  his  minority  on  the  homestead  farm,  7  miles  east 
of  Sycamore.  Before  he  was  21  years  old  he  taught 
school  during  two  winters  in  this  State,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1877  came  to  Sycamore,  and  entered  the 
store  of  which  he  is  now  one  of  the  proprietors,  and 
acted  two  years  in  the  capacity  of  clerk. 

In  September,  1879,  he  entered  the  Law  Depart- 
ment of  the  University  of  Michigan,  at  Ann  Arbor, 
where  he  studied  one  term.  Returning  to  Sycamore, 
he  assumed  editorial  charge  of  the  Daily  Free  Press 
during  the  Presidental  campaign  of  1880,  continu- 
ing in  that  avenue  of  business  until  November.  In 
April,  1881,  he  again  entered  the  provision  house  of 
which  he  is  a  member,  as  a  salesman,  and  operated 


in  that  capacity  until  April,  1883,  when  he  bought  a 
third  interest  in  the  stock. 

Mr.  Patch  was  married  June  i,  i88t,  in  McGregor, 
Iowa,  to  Rosa  B.,  daughter  of  Seymour  and  Laurinda 
Chilson.  She  was  born  east  of  Cortland,  in  De  Kalb 
County,  Feb.  28,  1861,  and  died  Dec.  23,  1881,  six 
months  after  marriage. 

Mr.  Patch  has  been  for  some  time  the  regular  cor- 
respondent of  the  Chicago  Inter-Ocean,  and  has  a 
decided  taste  and  ability  for  newspaper  work. 


acob  Spansail,  a  farmer  situated  on  section 
24,  Genoa  Township,  was  born  Dec.  16, 
1833,  in  Germany.  His  parents,  Jacob 
ind  Elizabeth  D.  Spansail,  were  natives  of 
Germany  and  in  1850  emigrated  to  America, 
locating  in  Ohio.  They  had  a  family  of  seven 
children,  —  Jacob,  Sebastian,  Rosa,  George,  Dora, 
Catherine  and  Fred.  The  father  died  in  Michigan 
while  en  route  to  Illinois  to  visit  his  son  :  the  mother 
survives. 

Mr.  Spansail  was  about  17  years  of  age  when  he 
accompanied  his  parents  to  America,  and  he  lived  in 
the  Buckeye  State  three  years,  coming  thence  to 
Kane  Co.,  111.  Two  years  later,  in  1855,  he  removed 
to  De  Kalb  County  and  became  the  owner  by  pur- 
chase of  40  acres  in  the  township  of  Genoa,  and  has 
since  maintained  his  residence  thereon.  His  home 
estate  now  includes  320  acres  and  nearly  the  entire 
acreage  is  under  improvement.  His  herd  of  cattle 
includes  50  head  on  an  average  and  he  fattens  about 
65  hogs  yearly. 

Mr.  Spansail  was  married  March  29,  1857,  to 
Elizabeth  Vote,  and  they  have  seven  children,  —  Mary 
E.,  George  H.,  John  M.,  Rosa  (died  when  three 
months  old),  Dora  J.,  Katie  M.  and  Frederick  W. 
Mrs.  Spansail  was  born  March  30,  1837,  in  Craw- 
ford Co.,  Ohio,  and  is  one  of  10  children  born  to  her 
parents,  —  Elizabeth,  Mary  A.,  John  M.,  Anna  W., 
Susan',  William  H.,  Jacob  G.,  Margaret,  Charles  F. 
and  Franklin  P.  The  parents,  John  and  Anna  M. 
(Karn)  Vote,  are  natives  of  Pennsylvania  and  Ger- 
many. 

Mr.  Spansail  is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  has 
been  a  prominent  man  in  the  local  offices  in  his 
township,  having  held  the  position  of  Road  Com- 


^ 


r 


f 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


a 


ussioner  15  years  and  also  that  of  School  Director. 
He  is  a  man  of  acknowledged  business  abilities  and 
acted  as  salesman  for  the  patrons  of  the  New  Lebanon 
cheese  factory  for  three  years.  In  1882  he  was  ap- 
pointed Postmaster  of  New  Lebanon. 

The  portrait  of  Mr.  Spansail  accompanying  this 
sketch  is  a  representation  of  a  worthy  citizen  of  De 
Kalb  County. 


li  W.  Lloyd,  farmer,  section  21,  Malta 
Township,  was  born  Dec.  14,  1836,  in 
Hartford,  Mass.  .His  parents,  Artimus  W. 
md  Parthenia  (Haskell)  Lloyd,  changed  their 
residence  from  Hartford  to  Old  Stockbridge  in 
the  same  State  when  the  son  was  in  youth,  and 
went  thence  soon  after  to  Washington  in  the  Bay 
State.  Mr.  Lloyd  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools,  and  at  the  age  of  20  years  found  himself  at 
liberty  to  enter  upon  his  unaided  struggle  with  for- 
tune. He  set  out  westward  and  finally  reached 
Rockford.  He  had  friends  in  that  city,  and  he  ob- 
tained employment  in  that  locality,  where  he  re- 
mained two  years.  Meanwhile,  his  father  had  re- 
moved to  De  Kalb  County,  then  comparatively  new, 
and  here  Mr.  Lloyd  rejoined  the  family  in  South 
Grove  Township.  He  remained  at  home  but  a  short 
time,  as  he  believed  that  the  promises  of  the  farther 
West  foreshadowed  opportunity  for  a  venturesome 
and  energetic  man  to  get  on  in  the  world,  and  he  ac- 
cordingly pressed  on  to  the  gold  regions  of  California. 
He  operated  in  mining  two  years,  and  then  went  to 
San  Francisco,  where  he  engaged  in  the  livery  busi- 
ness. Two  years  later,  in  1863,  he  returned  to  De 
Kalb  County  and  located  on  160  acres  of  land, 
which  he  purchased  and  where  he  has  since  operated 
as  a  farmer.  He  has  120  acres  of  his  original  pur- 
chase, and  has  added  to  his  estate  until  he  is  now 
the  proprietor  of  200  acres,  in  the  best  possible  agri- 
cultural condition.  Mr.  Lloyd  was  one  of  the  first 
to  consider  the  feasibility  of  a  permanent  settlement 
in  Malta  Township,  and  he  has  been  active  in  gener- 
al affairs  since  he  has  been  one  of  its  citizens.  In 
addition  to  general  farming  he  is  largely  interested 
in  stock,  and  has  home  herds  of  cattle  and  hogs  of  ex- 
cellent grades.  Mr.  Lloyd  is  an  ardent  Republican, 

ZX^ £ 


and  has  officiated  in  the  local  offices  of  his  township. 
He  was  united  in  marriage  March  5,  1865/111 
Malta  Township,  to  Kate  Spickerman.  She  was  born 
in  Columbia  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  is  the  daughter  of  John 
and  Mary  E.  (Rowley)  Spickemian.  While  she  was 
yet  in  her  childhood  the  family  removed  to  Spencer, 
N.  Y.  Her  mother  died  when  she  was  eight  years 
of  age,  and  she  was  then  placed  in  the  care  of  her 
grandparents  in  Nassau,  Rensselaer  Co.,  N.  Y., 
where  she  obtained  some  degree  of  common- school 
education.  Her  grandparents  removed,  while  she  was 
still  a  very  young  girl,  to  Oak  Park,  Cook  Co.,  111., 
where  she  had  the  advantages  of  excellent  school 
privileges  for  two  years.  When  she  was  14  years  old 
another  transfer  of  residence,  to  the  village  of  Malta, 
was  made,  and  she  was  sent  next  to  school  at  Rock- 
ford.  On  completing  her  studies  she  engaged  in 
teaching  in  Milan  Township,  De  Kalb  County,  when 
1 6  years  of  age.  Of  her  marriage  to  Mr.  Lloyd,  five 
children  have  been  born.  Frank  B.  is  a  student  at 
the  Commercial  College  at  Rockford,  111. ;  Walter  E., 
Artimus  A.,  Kittle  E.  and  Olive  O.  are  busy  in  ac- 
quiring their  education.  One  of  their  sons — Arti- 
mus A. — is  a  boy  of  remarkable  physical  proportions, 
developed  in  stature  and  weighing  130  pounds, 
though  only  nine  years  of  age.  The  family  attend 
the  Congregational  Church,  to  which  the  mother  be- 
longs. 


lilliam  H.  Keene  is  a   farmer  in    Victor 
Township,  and  is  pursuing  his  agricultural 
operations  on  sections  4  and  9.     He  was 
born  March  4,  1820,  at  Esperance,  Schoharie 
Co.,  N.  Y.      His   parents,  Bartholomew  and 
Fanny  (Van    Schoonhoven)   Keene,  were  also 
born  in  the  State  of  New  York. 

Mr.  Keene  passed  the  years  of  his  minority  in  the 
manner  common  to  farmers'  sons,  obtaining  an  educa- 
tion and  a  knowledge  of  farm  labor.  After  reaching 
the  period  of  his  legal  freedom,  he  worked  three  'Y 
years  on  a  farm.  In  1844  he  accompanied  his 
parents  and  grandmother  to  Illinois.  They  first 
settled  at  Aurora  and  spent  five  years  in  farming, 
four  miles  north  of  that  city.  The  cash  capital  of 
Mr.  Keene  on  his  arrival  at  his  point  of  destination 
was  $15.  In  1849  he  purchased  46  acres  of  land  on 


) 


J 


section  4,  of  which  he  took  possession  and  bent  his  en- 
ergies to  such  good  purposes  that  he  was  enabled  in 
1850  to  purchase  160  acres  additional.  He  contin- 
ued to  prosper,  and  in  1856  bought  another  40  acres. 
He  increased  his  possessions  in  1881  by  the  pur- 
chase of  40  acres  more,  making  an  aggregate  of  286 
acres,  lying  in  an  unbroken  body.  In  addition  to  his 
several  investments  named,  he  has  purchased  and 
given  1 60  acres  to  his  oldest  son.  He  is  a  typical 
farmer,  and  has  engaged  continuously  in  the  pursuit 
of  mixed  husbandry.  He  has  trafficked  in  short- 
horn cattle  for  the  past  20  years.  In  1850  he  began 
to  raise  black-walnut  trees,  which  are  now  in  fine 
bearing  order. 

Mr.  Keene  is  a  Republican  and  greatly  interested 
in  the  political  affairs  of  his  town,  county  and  State, 
and  also  in  national  matters.  He  is  one  of  the  most 
prominent  citizens  of  Victor  Township,  and  has  been 
active  in  local  official  positions. 

He  was  married,  Oct.  17,  1848,  to  Emily  Pulver,  a 
native  of  New  York,  and  to  them  have  been  born 
eight  children, — six  of  whom  are  still  living  :  Julia  E., 
Martha  A.,  George  M.,  Nancy  M.,  Lewis  A.  and 
Laura  B.  Julia  is  the  wife  of  S.  L.  Brewer,  of  Frank- 
lin Co.,  Kan.  George  married  Malinda  Merritt,  and 
lives  in  Victor.  Nancy  M.  married  Jonathan  E. 
Davis,  and  resides  in  Victor  Township. 


ndrew  J.  Johnson,  farmer,  section  35,  Mal- 
ta Township,  was  born  March  15,  1842,  in 
the  province  of  Smolen,  Sweden.  His 
mother  died  when  he  was  in  childhood,  and 
not  long  after  that  event  the  father  came  with 
two  wns  to  America,  leaving  behind  a  son  and 
two  daughters.  They  located  at  De  Kalb,  and  Mr. 
Johnson  entered  the  employment  of  a  Mr.  Stephens, 
with  whom  he  remained  nearly  two  years,  after  which 
he  went  to  Franklin  Township  in  the  employment  of 
Thomas  Nelson,  a  farmer  for  whom  he  commenced 
to  labor  in  ,June,  1855,  remaining  until  October, 
1863.  In  the  spring  of  1867  he  purchased  80  acres 
of  land  on  section  35,  Malta  Township.  At  the  time 
of  the  purchase,  the  place  was  in  its  original  natural 
condition,  and  Mr.  Johnson  at  once  interested  him- 
self in  its  improvement.  He  purchased  80  acres  ad- 
ditional and  has  now  the  entire  amount  under  im- 
provement. He  is  a  skillful  and  industrious  farmer, 


and  besides  fully  improving  his  property  has  erected 
excellent  farm  buildings  and  good  fences.  His  farm 
is  stocked  with  good  varieties  of  cattle  and  swine. 
Mr.  Johnson  is  a  Republican  in  political  principle 
and  is  a  Trustee  in  the  Lutheran  Church,  to  which  Ig) 
he  and  his  wife  belong. 

He  was  married  May  24,  1873,  to  Louise  Samuel- 
son,  who  was  born  April,  15,  1851,  in  Sweden,  and 
came  to  America  in  1870.  She  died  at  her  home  in 
Malta,  Feb.  16,  1881,  leaving  four  daughters:  Minnie 
V.,  Mary  and  Martha  (twins  who  bear  to  each  other 
so  close  a  resemblance  that  theia  mother  frequently  |j|x 
made  a  mistake  in  their  identity),  and  Martin  M., 
Andrew  J.,  Jennie  M.  and  an  infant  child  are  de- 
ceased. The  latter,  after  it  was  born,  died  with  its 
mother. 

Mr.  Johnson  was  again  married  in  De  Kalb,  Dec. 
13,  1883,  to  Matilda  Peterson,  born  in  Sweden,  March 
18,  1860.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Jonas  and  Christina 
(Holkenson)  Peterson,  and  came  to  the  United  States 
in  August,  1882.  Gusta  E.  is  the  name  of  her  only 
child. 


homas  Nicholson,  farmer,  section  15,  Paw 
Paw  Township;  postoffice,  East  Paw  Paw, 
De  Kalb  Co.,  has  240  acres.  He  was  born 
in  Phillipsto<vn,  Putnam  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Feb.  14, 
1807,  and  is  the  son  of  Joshua  and  Rebecca 
I  (Kenyan)  Nicholson.  He  removed  to  Dutch- 
ess  Co.,.  N.  Y.,  with  his  parents  when  14  years  of  age, 
and  five  years  later  to  Tompkins  Co.,  N.  Y.,  where 
he  was  married,  June  i,  1833,  to  Eunice,  daughter 
of  Abram  Clark.  Mrs.  Nicholson  was  born  in  Con-  fi  !> 
necticut  Aug.  20,  1812.  They  had  13  children,  the 
seven  older  ones  born  in  New  York  and  six  born  in 
Illinois.  There  were  ten  boys  and  three  girls,  as 
follows:  Joshua,  born  March  8,  1834,  and  died  aged 
46  years,  still  unmarried.  David  H.,  born  Oct.  18, 
1835,  married  Mary  J.  Jones  and  lives  in  Paw  Paw 
Township;  John  W.,  born  May  n,  1836,  married 
Carrie  Emmons,  and  lives  in  Chicago ;  Charles  W., 
born  Oct.  18,  1837,  married  Mary  J.  Roff,  and  lives 
at  Aurora;  Clark,  born  June  10,  1839,  died  in  child- 
hood; Lydia  A.,  born  Dec.  6,  1841,  wife  of  Cyrus 
Fristoe,  lives  at  Hot  Springs,  Ark. ;  Susan  R.,  born 
May  26,  1843,  is  the  wife  of  Dexter  V.  Pratt,  and 
lives  in  Paw  Paw  Township ;  William  L.,  born  J 


%*4>imm< 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


20,  1845,  married  Rachel  Dunton,  and  lives  in  West 
Paw  Paw;  Catharine  J.,born  Sept.  21,  1847,  is  the 
wife  of  J.  P.  Hampton,  and  lives  in  Greene  Co.,  Iowa ; 
Edward  J.,born  Jan.  15,  1849, married  Maria  Greves, 
and  lives  at  Sandwich,  111. ;  George  M.,born  Feb.  16, 
185!,  married  Laura  Braithwaite,  and  lives  in  Cal- 
houn  Co.,  Iowa;  Thomas  C.,  born  April  22,  1853,  is 
deceased  ;  Fremont,  born  June  22, 185 6, lives  in  Paw 
Paw  Township.  Mrs.  Nicholson  died  Nov.  28,  1879. 
Mr.. Nicholson  came  to  Paw  Paw  Township,  De 
Kalb  Co,  111.,  in  1846,  bought  his  land  of  the 
Government,  on  section  15,  where  he  has  made  his 
home  ever  since. 


ev.  Levi  H.  Davis,  farmer,  section  30,  town- 
ship of  Paw  Paw,  postoffice,  Earlville,   La 
Salle  County,  has  108  acres  of  land.     He 
is  born  in  the  town  of  Providence,  Saratoga 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  Aug.   2,   1837,  and  is   the  son  of 
Richard   C.   and  Susan  E.  (Pawling)  Davis. 
He  removed  in  the  spring  of   1846  with   his    par- 
ents to  Oswego,  111.,  and  in   December  of  that  year 
came  to  Paw  Paw  Township,  De  Kalb  Co.,  111.,  and 
located  on  the  same  section  on  which  he  now  resides. 
He  was  brought  up  a  farmer,  and  was  married  at 
Buchanan,    Mich.,   Oct.   7,   1869,  to    Mrs.  Mary  J. 
Davis,  widow  of  his  brother,  Alexander  P.  Davis,  who. 
was  drowned  in  the  Illinois  River,  July  24, 1864,  and 
daughter  of  Thomas  B.   and   Eliza  (Hoag)  Sawyer. 
Mrs.  Davis  was  born  in  Schenectady  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Sept. 
20,  1834,  and -came  to   Illinois  in   April,  1857.     She 
had  one  son  by  her  fopner  marriage,  Charles  A.,  born 
Feb.  8,  1858.     He  married  Sene  Hanson  and  resides 
in  Paw  Paw  Township.     One  child  was  born  of  the 
present  marriage,  namely,  Wyman  P.,  Jan.  16,  1871. 
Mr.  Davis  united  with  the  Baptist  Church  at  the 
age  of  10  years.     In  1861  he  began  laboring  for  the 
conversion  of  souls.     He  soon   after  joined  the  Sec- 
ond-Advent Christian  Church  and  became  a  preacher 
of  that  faith  in  1863,  since  which  time  he  has  labored 
continuously  in  that  cause.     Mrs.  Davis  united  with 
the  Baptist  Church  in  early  life,  and  since   1868  has 
been  connected  with  the  Second-Advent  Christian 
Church.     Mr.   Davis  has  served  his  School  District 
(No.  i)  nine  years  as  Director.     In  politics  he  is  an 
arnest  Republican,  with  prohibition  sympathies. 


In  connection  with  the  family  history  of  Mr.  Davis 
and  the  following  named  cousins,  now  resident  of  De 
Kalb  County, — Mrs.  Cyrenius  Bailey,  Mrs.  Mary  J. 
Y.  Fonda,  Mrs.  Jane  E.  Sturgeon,  Mr.  Pawling  A. 
Morey  and  Mr.  A.  Pawling  Your»g — the  following 
references  to  their  relation  to  well  known  historical 
characters  of  Revolutionary  times  forms  an  appro- 
priate and  interesting  feature: 

Their  great-grandfather,  Alexander  Wilson,  was  a 
cousin  of  Alexander  Hamilton.  The  Wilsons  were 
connected  by  marriage  through  Col.  Pawling  (an 
officer  in  Washington's  army),  with  Governor  James 
Clinton,  of  New  York.  This  Alexander  Wilson,  of 
New  York  city,  was  of  Scotch  descent,  and  married 
Jane  Armour,  of  Scotland.  Their  daughter,  Jane, 
married  Levi  Pawling,  whose  brother,  Col.  Albert 
Pawling,  was  an  officer  in  Washington's  army,  subse- 
quently the  first  Mayor  of  Troy.  The  children  of  Levi 
and  Jane  Pawling  were  the  parents  of  the  persons  first 
named  in  this  sketch.  Their  eldest  daughter,  Helen 
Pawling,  married  Winthrop  Young,  of  New  York,  and 
was  the  mother  of  Mrs.  Mary  J.  Y.  Fonda  and  of 
Mr.  A  Pawling  Young.  Amanda  Pawling  married 
Jesse  Morey,  and  was  the  mother  of  Mrs.  Cyrenius 
Bailey  and  Pawling  A.  Morey.  Susan  E.  married 
Richard  C.  Davis  and  was  the  mother  of  Alexander 
P.  Davis,  who  was  drowned  in  the  Illinois  River, 
July  24,  1864,  and  of  William  J.  Davis,  of  Missouri, 
Albert  P.,  of  Livingston,  M.  T.,  and  his  twin  brother, 
the  Rev.  Levi  H.  Davis,  of  Paw  Paw  Township,  and 
of  Jane  E.,  wife  of  John  D.  Sturgeon,  also  of  Paw 
Paw. 

An  interesting  anecdote  of  their  great-grandmother, 
Mrs.  Jane  Wilson,  is  traditionary  in  the  family,  and 
deserves  preservation  in  connection  with  the  fore- 
going. Mrs.  Wilson,  who  was  a  devoted  patriot,  hav- 
ing lost  her  husband  in  New  York  city,  removed  to 
Salem,  Washington  County,  where  she  married  one 
Moffat,  of  Tory  sympathies.  They  carried  on  a  store 
and  farm,  and  among  their  employees  had  several 
Tories.  One  day  Mrs.  Moffat  discovered  that  she 
had  been  robbed  of  some  valuables,  including  a  gold 
watch.  The  absence  of  some  of  her  Tory  workmen 
led  her  to  believe  them  to  be  the  thieves  and  to  sup- 
pose that  they  had  sought  safety  in  Burgoyne's  camp 
at  Saratoga.  Mounting  her  horse,  she  rode  to  the 
British  camp  and  demanded  an  audience  of  Gen. 
Burgoyne,  which  was  granted,  when  she  demanded 
a  search  for  her  properly,  which  was  at  first  refused, 

O         >"iigV< *i#e&&& 

*<Xy  ^^g7^3S>\\c4- 


THFLIWWRY 
OF  THE 

mnvERsiry  OF  LINOS 


THfUHAirr 


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d> 

r 

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whereupon  she  threatened  to  report  the  General. 
Burgoyne  coolly  asked  to  whom  she  would  report 
him.  Her  answer  was,  "  To  the  Congress  of  the 
United  Colonies."  The  General,  much  amused 
at  this  storming  of  his  camp  by  a  patriot  in  petti- 
coats, he  ordered  a  search.  The  stolen  articles  were 
found  and  restored  to  her  with  the  exception  of  the 
watch,  which  an  officer  pocketed,  with  the  remark 
that  he  would  keep  it  for  Mr.  Moffat. 

At  another  time  her  husband,  under  pretense  of 
danger  to  her  safety  in  her  home,  packed  their  goods, 
mounted  heron  a  horse  with  her  baby  in  her  arms  and 
started  for  Albany.  On  the  way  she  surmised,  from 
a  mysterious  conversation  between  her  husband  and 
some  well-known  Tories,  that  she  was  being  taken  to 
the  camp  of  the  British  army.  Watching  her  oppor- 
tunity, she  ordered  her  attendants  back,  while  she  led 
them  and  returned  to  her  home. 

The  tradition  of  these  incidents  go  to  prove  the 
courage  and  patriotism  of  this  lady  ancestor,  and  is 
very  properly  remembered  with  pride  by  her  descend- 
ants. 


1,  farmer,  section  29,  Victor  Town- 
ship, was  born  Jan  5,  1831,  in  Lincolnshire, 
England,  of  which  country  his  parents, 
William  and  Sarah  (Watson)  Bend,  were  also 
natives.  He  received  the  education  common 
to  his  class,  and  was  reared  at  home  through 
the  years  of  his  minority.  On  leaving  home  he  came 
to  seek  a  wider  field  of  operation  than  that  afforded 
by  the  conditions  which  surrounded  him  in  his  native 
country.  He  made  his  way  to  Scottsville,  Monroe 
Co,  N.  Y.,  where  he,  worked  by  the  month  as  a  farm 
laborer  a  year  and  a  half.  He  proceeded  next  to 
Ohio,  where  he  remained  six  weeks  only,  the  situa- 
tion not  suiting  his  taste.  He  came  to  Illinois  and 
passed  three  years  in  farm  labor  at  various  places, 
after  which  he  located  in  De  Kalb  County,  taking 
land  in  Victor  Township  to  work  on  shares.  After 
operating  in  this  manner  eight  years,  in  1866,  he 
bought  1 60  acres  of  land,  where  he  established  his 
homestead,  and  which  he  still  retains  in  his  posses- 
sion. He  also  owns  97  acres  on  section  30.  He  has 
erected  substantial  and  valuable  buildings  on  his 
farm,  and  has  a  fine  stock  and  grain  barn  constructed 
*^*~ — 5%»£ «• 


at  an  expense  of  $3,000.  He  is  interested  in  raising, 
and  in  the  sale  of,  fine  graded  stock.  In  political 
views  and  actions,  Mr.  Bend  has  until  the  election  of' 
1884  affiliated  with  the  Republican  party;  in  that 
year  he  cast  his  vote  for  the  Democratic  ticket.  He  \J 
has  officiated  as  School  Director. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  Sept.  i,  1852,  to  Jane 
Sturges,  and  they  have  had  12  children,  three  of 
whom  are  deceased  :  Mary  A.,  Lewis  W.,  John  T., 
Emma  L.,  Esther  E.,  Rosella,  Joseph  J.,  Metta  J. 
and  Lucy  E.  are  still  living.  ) 

The  portraits   of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bend  appear  on  jj  |b 
other  pages  of  this  work. 


nton  Stollberg,  farmer,  section  25,  Malta 
Township,  was  born  Aug.  24,  1834,  in 
Prussia,  Germany.  He  attended  the  schools 
of  .his  native  country  as  the  law  required  ;  and, 
as  the  same  regulation  provided,  on  finishing  the 
prescribed  studies  he  learned  the  trade  of  wea- 
ver, commencing  his  apprenticeship  when  14  years 
of  age.  When  he  was  20  years  old  he  took  leave  of 
all  his  kindred  in  Germany  and  came  alone  to  Amer- 
ica, to  seek  a  livelihood  under  more  favorable  circum- 
stances than  his  native  land  afforded.  His  parents 
were  quite  aged  and  have  since  died.  He  first  set- 
Jled  in  Ontario,  Canada,  where  he  was  engaged  as  a 
general  laborer  on  farms  in  various  places  for  a  per- 
iod of  six  years. 

He   was    married  in    Petersburg,  Canada,  Jan.  4, 
1857,  to  Bertha  Sass.     She  was  born   Dec.   13,1840, 
in   Mecklenburg,  Germany,  of  German  parents.  Her    ) 
mother  died  when  she  was  14  years  of  age,  and  dur- 
ing the  year  following  she  came  alone  to  America,    j 
whither  her  father   had  preceded  her  a  short  time. 
She  failed  to  find  him  as  she  expected,  and  she  went 
to  Waterloo  Co.,  Ont.,  and  lived  there   with   an   ac- 
quaintance.     She  afterward  ascertained  that  her  fa- 
ther became  a  soldier  in  the  Union  army,  and  that 
he  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Gettysburg.     He  en-   ^ 
listed  in  Chicago  in  an  Illinois  regiment. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stollberg  have  three  children.  Mary 
married  Lewis  Johnson,  a  Norwegian,  and  they  live 
on  a  farm  in  Malta  Township.  Louise  is  the  wife  of 
August  Bahr,  a.  mechanic  in  the  barb-wire  shops  at 
De  Kalb.  Bertha  married  Charles  Johnson,  and 
they  reside  in  De  Kalb.  After  marriage  the  parents 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


located  in  Petersburg,  Ont.,  which  was  their  residence 
seven  years,  and  they  came  thence  to  Detroit,  Mich. 
Three  years  later  they  removed  to  Sonionauk.  After 
their  removal  to  De  Kalb  County,  Mr.  Stollberg 
worked  as  a  farm  laborer  at  various  places  until  1875, 
when  he  bought  80  acres  o'  improved  land  in  Malta 
Township,  in  which  he  has  since  prosecuted  his  ag- 
ricultural labors  with  satisfactory  results.  He  is  a 
Republican,  and  he  belongs  to  the  Baptist  Church, 
as  does  also  his  wife. 


'.on.  George  Stewart  Robinson  is  a  resi- 
dent of  Sycamore.  He  was  born  June  24, 
1824,  in  Derby,  Orleans  Co.,  Vt.,  and  is  the 
son  of  George  and  Harriet  (Stewart)  Robinson. 
His  father  was  a  native  of  Connecticut,  the  son 
of  Eber  Robinson,  a  Captain  in  the  War  of  the 
Revolution.  His  mother  was  a  native  of  Vermont, 
the  daughter  of  Rufus  Stewart,  a  Major  in  the  War 
of  1 8 12.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  on-  a 
farm  in  his  native  town  and  acquired  such  education 
as  was  attainable  in  the  public  schools  and  semi- 
naries of  the  place  at  that  period.  He  is  the  only 
survivor  of  a  family  of  three  children.  His  younger 
brother,  Charles,  died  in  Cuthbert,  Ga.,  April  9, 
1860,  and  his  brother  Lucius  died  at  Newport,  Vt., 
Jan.  8,  1882. 

When  19  years  of  age  he  entered  the  law  office  of 
Hon.  S.  B.  Colby,  at  Derby,  and  began  his  profes- 
sional studies.  After  reading  under  Mr.  Colby's 
instruction  for  two  years  he  finished  his  legal  course 
with  Hon.  Lucius  B.  Peck,  of  Montpelier,  and  was 
admitted  to  practice  in  the  Courts  of  his  native  State, 
November,  1846.  On  account  of  close  application  to 
his  studies,  his  health  failed,  and,  with  the  hope  of 
its  restoration,  in  1847,  he  went  South,  where  he  was 
occupied  in  teaching.  In  1853  he  returned  to  Derby, 
and  on  the  i3th  day  of  October,  1853,  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Olive  A.  Colby,  the  daughter  of  Ne- 
hemiah  M.  and  Melinda  (Larabee)  Colby,  born  Dec. 
20,  1831.  Her  parents  were  natives  of  New  Hamp- 
shire. 

Shortly  after  their  marriage,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robin- 
son removed  to  Cuthbert,  Ga.,  where  they  resided 
until  1866,  Mr.  Robinson  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
his  profession.  On  leaving  Georgia  they  came  direct 


to  Sycamore,  where  Mr.  Robinson  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  Charles  Kellum,  at  present  Judge  of  the 
Circuit  Court,  which  partnership  was  continued  four 
years.  He  then  continued  alone  until  his  election 
as  County  Judge,  in  1877,  which  position  he  con- 
tinued to  hold  until  1882,  when  he  resigned  to  attend 
to  private  business  in  Vermont.  When  Sycamore 
was  organized  as  a  city,  he  was  elected  one  of  its 
Aldermen,  and  held  the  position  two  terms.  He  was 
also  City  Attorney  and  drafted  the  ordinances  under 
which  the  city  was  governed  for  years,  many  of  which 
are  still  in  force.  For  several  years  prior  to  his  elec- 
tion as  Judge  of  the  County  Court,  he  held  the  posi- 
tion of  Master  in  Chancery,  which  position  he 
resigned  soon  after  his  election.  In  1869  he  was 
appointed  on  the  Board  of  State  Commissioners  of 
Public  Charities  for  the  State  of  Illinois,  by  Gov. 
John  M.  Palmer,  was  re-appointed  by  Gov.  John  L. 
Beveridge  in  1874,  and  again  by  Gov.  Shelby  M. 
Cullom  in  1879.  He  continued  upon,  and  was  an 
active  member  of,  the  Board  until  March,  1884,  when 
he  resigned,  being  unable  to  attend  to  the  duties  of 
the  position  by  reason  of  absence  from  the  State  on 
business  demanding  his  entire  time.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Board  for  nearly  15  years,  and  was  it's 
President  for  nine  years,  devoting  from  two  to  three 
months  of  his  time  each  year  to  its  work  without 
compensation. 

Judge  Robinson  is  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary 
ability,  possessing  a  good  legal  mind  and  endowed 
with  good  common  sense.  He  was  always  consid- 
ered an  able  lawyer  and  a  safe  counselor.  Devoting 
himself  to  general  practice  and  not  to  any  special 
line  of  his  profession,  he  has  discharged  his  duties 
as  an  attorney  in  a  faithful  manner  to  his  clients 
and  has  retained  the  respect  of  the  Court.  As 
Judge  of  the  County  and  Probate  Courts,  no  man  has 
ever  filled  the  position  in  a  more  satisfactory  manner, 
being  popular  alike  with  the  Bar  and  the  people. 
As  a  member  of  the  State  Board  of  Public  Charities, 
he  has  made  a  State  reputation.  Notwithstanding 
he  received  no  compensation,  he  devoted  his  time 
just  as  faithfully  and  as  energetically  as  though  re- 
ceiving annually  a  handsome  salary.  That  his  ser- 
vices were  appreciated,  his  re-appointment  and  long 
continued  labors  will  attest.  His  service  upon  that 
Board  shows  that  he  had  a  heart  to  feel  for  the 
fortunate  and  realizes  the  responsibility  of  the  State 
and  people  to  care  for  them.  As  a  citizen,  the  Judge 


HV 


£>£  KALB   COUNTY. 


S  ! 


enjoys  the  respect  of  all.  Ever  ready  to  lend  a  help- 
ing hand  to  every  public  enterprise,  he  takes  hold 
with  a  will,  and  what  he  does  he  does  with  all  his 
might.  Few  men  enjoy  the  confidence  of  the  people 
in  a  greater  degree. 

Of  three  children  born  to  Judge  and  Mrs.  Robin- 
son, only  one  survives.  Hattie  Melinda  was  born 
Dec.  22,  1856,  at  Cuthbert,  Ga.  She  was  married  in 
June,  1881,  to  C.  L.  Buchan,  of  Chicago,  and  died 
Nov.  3,  1884,  at  Sycamore,  leaving  a  babe  two  weeks 
old.  Lucius  Prentiss  was  born  July  22,  1858,  and 
died  in  infancy.  Nellie  Colby  was  born  Feb.  9, 
1862. 


obert  F.  Hampton,  farmer,  section  7,  Paw 
Paw  Township,  has  160  acres  of  land ; 
postoffice  East  Paw  Paw,  is  the  son  of  Rob- 
ert and  Lydia  (Zemmer)  Hampton,  and  was 
born  in  Paw  Paw  Township,  Feb.  3,  1852.  He 
received  an  academic  education  and  taught 
school  several  winters,  while  he  was  farming  summers. 
He  was  married  in  Chicago,  March  9,  1879,  to 
Miss  Elizabeth  C.,  daughter  of  Casper  and  Magda- 
lena  Dienst.  Mrs.  Hampton  was  born  in  La  Salle 
Co.,  111.,  Nov.  12,  1858. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hampton  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  East  Paw  Paw,  and 
Mr.  H.  is  Republican  in  political  views. 


illiam  Hecox,  farmer,  section  22,  Malta 
Township,  was  born  Aug.  26, 1825,  in  Bur- 
lington, Otsego  Co.,  N.  Y.  Alexander 
Hecox,  his  father,  was  a  native  of  Montgom- 
ery Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  a  son  of  Samuel  Hecox, 
M.  D.,  of  Connecticut,  of  well-known  and  trace- 
able ancestry,  his  progenitors  having  came  to  America 
during  the  Colonial  period  to  escape  persecution  in 
England,  and  they  reached  distinction  through  su- 
periorly of  birth  and  culture.  Dr.  Hecox  attained 
celebrity  in  medicine  and  politics,  ranking  in  both 
without  peer  in  his  native  Stale.  He  died  al  96  years 
of  age.  His  second  wife,  Betsey  Flint,  belonged  to 
the  class  known  as  Mohawk  Dutch,  and  who  were 
located  adjacent  to  Cherry  Valley  at  the  period  when 

^^ Q-A 


that  section  of  the  State  of  New  York  was  made  his- 
toric by  the  ravages  of  the  Indians ;  and  her  immedi- 
ate relatives  were  among  the  refugees  of  that  terrible 
epoch,  occupying  places  of  cruel  exposure  in  the  dead 
of  winter  to  secure  themselves  from  the  tomahawk 
and  the  more  dreadful  fate  of  capture.  Dr.  Hecox' 
family  included  eight  children,  of  whom  Alexander 
was  the  second.  The  latter  was  born,  lived  and  died 
on  the  same  place,  his  demise  occurring  about  1838. 
His  wife,  Emma  Hammond,  was  a  native  of  Brattle- 
boro,  Vt.,  and  came  of  illustrious  stock.  Her  father, 
Thomas  Hammond,  was  a  soldier  of  1812  and  par- 
ticipated in  the  battle  of  Queenstown,  where  he  was 
captured.  He  was  carried  to  England,  where  he 
was  held  a  prisoner  of  war  1 8  months.  He  was  a 
shoemaker,  and  died  at  an  advanced  age,  as  did  his 
wife,  in  Montgomery  Co.,  N.  Y. 

William  Hecox  is  the  eldest  of  six  children,  all  of 
whom  are  yet  living  and  are  prominent  for  health, 
activity  and  intelligence.  His  father  died  when  he 
was  13  years  old,  and  the  widowed  mother  devoted 
herself  to  the  care  and  education  of  her  children, 
everyone  of  whom  is  a  living  example  of  inherited 
merit  and  a  testimony  to  the  value  of  a  sacrificing, 
judicious  mother.  The  youngest  child  is  a  daughter, 
who  is  an  inmate  of  her  brother's  home  in  New  York. 
Another  brother  is  resident  there  and  two  others  live 
in  Southern  Nebraska. 

Mr.  Hecox  contributed  his  assistance  to  the  main- 
tenance of  the  family  until  he  was  21  years  old, 
passing  his  time  as  a  day  laborer  on  neighboring 
farms.  He  also  secured  a  fair  degree  of  education, 
and  by  frugality  was  enabled  to  save  a  share  of  what 
he  earned  during  the  latter  years  of  his  minority. 

He  was  first  married  Oct.  19,  1851,  in  Hartwick, 
Otsego  Co.,  N.  Y.,  to  Julia  A.,  daughter  of  Austin 
and  Anna  (King)  Fuller.  Her  parents  are  natives  of 
Otsego  County,  and  are  still  living  in  Chenango  Co., 
N.  Y.,  although  very  aged.  The  daughter  was  born 
Nov.  5,  1826,  in  Hartwick,  Otsego  County.  She  was 
well  and  carefully  educated  and  was  for  some  years 
a  teacher.  She  died  (childless)  in  Malta;  in  1876. 
Mr.  Hecox  was  again  married  May  9,  1881,  in  Ran- 
dallville,  N.  Y.,  to  Mary,  daughter  of  John  and  So- 
phronia  (Hartshorn)  White.  Her  parents  are  of 
genuine  Yankee  stock,  born  respectively  in  Connect- 
icut and  Massachusetts.  The  families  of  both 
settled  early  in  the  State  of  New  York,  where  they 
were  married.  Mr.  White,  who  was  a  cloth-dresser  by 


f  vocation,  died  when  his  daughter  was  four  years  of 
age,  and  the  latter  was  brought  up  by  her  mother, 
who  died  in  1865. 

Mr.  Hecox  came  to  Illinois  in  1859,  and  he  at  once 
(-j).  located  on  160  acres  in  Malta  Township.  After  his 
second  marriage  he  sold  his  farm  with  the  intention 
of  establishing  a  permanent  home  in  Nebraska;  but 
after  a  trial,  the  associations  of  De  Kalb  proved  too 
strong  for  him  to  resist,  and  he  returned  after  a  few 
months.  He  again  became  a  land-holder  in  Malta 
/  by  the  purchase  of  80  acres  of  land,  which  has  proved 
a  most  desirable  home,  being  well  improved  and  cul- 
tivated and  supplied  with  presentable  and  valuable 
farm  buildings.  Mr.  Hecox  is  an  adherent  to  the 
tenets  and  principles  of  the  Republican  party.  His 
wife  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church. 


ev.  William  Nicholson,  minister,  residing 
at  Shabbona,  was  in  active  service  as  a 
Pastor  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
from  1834  to  1871,  when,  on  account  of  being 
thrown  from  his  horse,  he  was  'compelled  to  re- 
tire from  active  life.  He  was  born  in  Newark, 
Nottinghamshire,  Eng.,  July  13,  1806,  and  is  a  son 
of  John  and  Charlotte  (Rud)  Nicholson.  He  was 
reared  and  educated  in  his  native  town  and  spent  a 
portion  of  his  early  years  in  the  lumber  business.  In 
1829  he  was  converted  to  the  faith  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  and  spent  five  years  as  tract  dis- 
tributor, benevolent  visitor  and  teacher,  and  in  1834 
began  preaching  as  a  local  preacher. 

He  emigrated  to  the  United  States  in  1842  and  lo- 
cated in  the  Western  Reserve  in  Ohio,  where  he  be- 
gan preaching,  at  Nelson  and  Hiram  Centers.  In 
1849  he  removed  to  a  point  20  miles  from  Coldwater, 
in  Branch  Co.,  Mich.  He  preached  in  that  county 
and  in  Indiana  for  six  years,  and  then  in  1854  came 
to  this  State  and  located  at  Aurora,  where  he  as- 
sisted in  charge  of  the  Church  located  there.  In 

1855  he  went  to  Clinton  Township,  this  county.     In 

1856  he  preached  in  Shabbona  Grove,  then  a  part  of 
the  Paw  Paw  Circuit.      During   that   year  he  pur- 
chased 80  acres  of  land  in  Shabbona  Township,  but 
continued   to  reside  at  Paw  Paw,  Lee  County,   until 

859,  when  he  removed  to  his  farm.     He  has  subse- 


quently  added  to  his  original  purchase  until  he  be- 
came the  owner  of  200  acres.  He  was  instrumental 
in  the  building  of  school-houses  and  establishing  re- 
ligious meetings. 

In  the  spring  of  1876  Rev.  Nicholson  moved  to 
the  village  of  Shabbona,  where  he  has  since  lived. 
He  has  filled  the  pulpit  of  both  churches  at  that 
place  at  different  times.  Since  the  summer  of  1882 
he  has  retired  from  active  work  in  the  ministry  on 
account  of  failing  health  and  injuries  received  as 
stated. 

He  was  married  Nov.  27,  1828,  to  Miss  Maria, 
daughter  of  Henry  and  Mary  (Gilbert)  Radford.  She 
was  born  in  Nottinghamshire,  England.  They  are 
the  parents  of  nine  children,  seven  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing, viz.:  Hannah,  widow  of  James  McCray,  resides 
in  'Earl,  111.;  Sarah  is  the  wife  of  Ira  Lyons,  a  resi- 
dent of  Oregon ;  Elizabeth  died  at  the  age  of  19  years ; 
Josiah  H.  married  Loie  Nicholson  and  resides  in 
Iowa;  Mary  is  the  wife  of  Dewitt  Van  Vliet  and  re- 
sides at  Elk  Grove,  Mo.;  Martha  is  the  wife  of  John 
Mullins,  and  lives  at  Shabbona;  John  J.  enlisted  in 
Co.  E,  losth  111.  Inf.,  in  the  late  Civil  War,  and  died 
with  fever  at  Chicago  before  leaving  for  .the  field  of 
action;  Charles  W.  married  Miss  Marion  Houghtby 
and  lives  on  the  old  homestead;  Lucy  M.  is  the 
wife  of  Dewitt  Van  Velzor,  a  resident  of  Shabbona. 

Politically,  Mr.  Nicholson  has  been  identified  with 
the  Republican  party  since  the  days  of  Fremont.  He 
has  met  with  several  severe  accidents  during  his  life. 
The  last  one  of  consequence  occurred  when  he  was 
65  years  of  age.  He  was  thrown  from  his  horse  on 
the  frozen  ground  and  badly  crippled.  He  is  also 
the  victim  of  acute  rheumatism,  from  which  he  suffers 
greatly.  With  all  his  afflictions,  he  maintains  a  pa- 
tient  faith  that  all  is  for  the  best,  and  still  endeavors 
to  impress  the  divine  precepts  of  his  religion  upon 
all  those  who  come  within  his  influence. 


VX 


ifc 


eorge    W.    Smiley,    hardware    merchant 
and  dealer  in   agricultural  implements  at 
Malta,  is  also  an  extensive  farmer,  stock 
and  grain  dealer,  owning  two   fine  farms  situ- 
ated  on  either  side  of  the  village.     He  is  a 
native  of  Sullivan  Co.,  N.  Y.,  whence  he  came 
th  his  parents  to  Illinois,  locating  in  Kane  County. 


TKUMAIIY 
OF  THE 

U.LHKIS 


DE  KALE   COUNTY. 


;  • 


> 


& 


He  lost  his  mother  by  death  when  nine  years  old, 
and  from  that  period  he  continued  under  the  charge 
of  his  father  in  the  States  of  New  York  and  Pennsyl- 
vania. He  was  in  the  latter  State  about  four  years. 
After  he  was  13  years  of  age  he  maintained  himself. 
He  reached  his  majority  in  Kane  County,  but  before 
he  was  22  years  of  age  he  had  traveled  in  26  differ- 
ent States.  He  had  spent  a  summer  in  Canada  and 
visited  Central  America,  Cuba  and  Mexico.  While 
in  Central  America  he  was  arrested  on  some  triv- 
ial] pretext  and  held  a  prisoner  for  some  time  by  the 
suspicious  authorities.  In  California  he  was  inter- 
ested in  gold-mining,  which  proved  a  fortunate  in- 
vestment. Returning  thence  via  New  Orleans  to 
Illinois,  he  settled  on  a  farm  of  160  acres,  which  he 
had  previously  purchased  in  Kane  County,  where  he 
pursued  agriculture  several  years.  In  1863  he  came 
to  the  township  of  Malta  and  purchased  80  acres  of 
farming  land  in  Milan  Township.  Later  on  he 
bought  another  tract  of  similar  extent,  and  soon  after 
located  in  the  village,  where  he  has  since  conducted 
his  business,  at  first  engaging  in  the  sale  of  coal,  lum- 
ber and  farming  implements,  in  partnership  with 
Charles  W.  Haish.  They  operated  jointly  five  years. 
Since  1870,  Mr.  Smiley  has  transacted  a  heavy  busi- 
ness in  the  lines  of  traffic  indicated.  As  an  agricul- 
turist he  ranks  with  two  others  as  the  best  in  De 
Kalb  County,  and  has  at  one  time  been  the  leading 
dealer  in  farming  apparatus  in  the  county,  supplying 
fully  a  third  of  tjjie  demand.  For  the  last  15  years  he 
has  shipped  to  market  annually  an  average  of  100 
car-loads  of  stock.  He  is  the  proprietor  of  260  acres 
of  land,  all  in  advanced  cultivation.  His  property 
in  the  village  includes  a  stock  and  feed  yard,  a 
double  store  and  grain  warehouse,  and  the  building 
and  lot  where  he  resides.  His  business  transactions 
aggregate  yearly  $150,000. 

Mr.  Smiley  is  a  Democrat  in  political  persuasion. 
He  is  present  President  of  Malta  Corporate  Board, 
and  has  held  all  the  local  offices  of  the  township  and 
village. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  to  Arzoda  Smith,  Jan. 
6,1857,  at  Geneva,  111.  Her  parents,  James  and 
Arzoda  Smith,  were  early  settlers  in  Kane  County, 
whither  they  came  from  Erie  Co.,  Pa.,  in  1835.  Her 
mother  and  father  have  been  dead  some  years.  Mrs. 
Smiley  was  born  Jan.  21,  1835,  m  Erie  Co.,  Pa., 
and  was  eight  months  old  when  brought  by  her 
parents  to  Illinois.  After  obtaining  her  .education 


she  managed  the  domestic  part  of  her  father's  affairs 
until  her  marriage.  Following  is  the  record  of  five 
children,  of  whom  she  has  been  the  mother:  Burr  B., 
born  April  30,  1859,  was  married  Oct.  21,  1880,  in 
Malta,  to  Emily  J.  Peters,  and  they  Rave  one  child 
— Eva,  born  July  3,  1882;  B.  B.  Smiley  is  connected 
with  his  father  in  business ;  Thyrza  was  born  June 
13,  1864;  May  and  Myrtie,  twins,  were  born  June 
27,  1868;  Budd  D.,  born,  Feb.  3,  i86i,was  accident- 
ally killed  May  26,  1878,  by  a  freight  train  on  the 
railroad  at  Creston,  Ogle  Co.,  111. 


tavid  West,  a  pioneer  farmer  of  De  Kalb 
County,  who  resides  on  section  34,  Syca- 
more Township,  was  born  July  16,  1806, 
in  Waterville,  Oneida  Co.,  N.  Y.,  to  which 
place  his  parents  had  removed  from  Massachu- 
setts in  the  same  year.  Asa  West,  his  father, 
was  born  in  1769,  in  Williamstown,  Berkshire  Co., 
Mass.,,  and  married  Sarah  Parker,  who  was  born 
April  25,  1773,  in  Deerfield,  Franklin  Co.,  Mass. 
In  1808  the  fa.nily  migrated  to  Madison  Co.,  N.  Y., 
where  they  were  pioneers.  The  father  bought  a  tract 
of  timber  land,  where  he  built  a  log  house,  which  was 
occupied  by  the  family  for  a  number  of  years.  The 
senior  West  was  a  clothier  by  trade  and  a  man  of 
natural  mechanical  abilities,  later  in  life  becoming  a 
cooper  and  following  that  business  during  the  winter 
seasons  after  his  removal  to  the  State  of  New  York. 
While  the  second  struggle  of  the  Colonies  with  Great 
Britain  was  in  progress,  he  made  wooden  canteens 
for  the  soldiers.  In  1815  his  health  failed,  and  after 
an  illness  of  six  years'  duration,  he  died,  in  January, 
1821.  The  mother,  with  her  children,  resided  some 
years  after  that  event  in  Madison  County,  and  re- 
moved thence  in  1826  to  Erie  County,  where  she 
died,  Dec.  2,  1828,  aged  48  years. 

Mr.  West  is  the  sole  survivor  of  nine  children,  five 
of  whom  preceded  him  in  order  of  birth.  After  the 
death  of  his  father,  he  was  a  member  of  the  family 
of  his  brother-in-law,  Daniel  Hurd,  of  Georgetown, 
Madison  Co.,  N.  Y.,  until  he  was  20  years  of  age, 
when  he  went  to  Evans,  Erie  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  oper- 
ated as  a  contractor  in  the  forests,  clearing  land  and 
lumbering.  On  the  2gth  of  April,  1829,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Sarah  Chapin,  in  Georgetown.  She  was  the 


KALB   COUNTY. 


uighter  of  Elias  and  Dimis  (Chapman)  Chapin, 
who  removed  from  Stafford,  Conn.,  to  Madison  County. 
The  former  was  born  Feb.  15,  1751,  was  a  soldier  of 
the  Revolution  and  was  with  Washington  at  the 
evacuation  of  the  city  of  New  York  by  the  British. 
He  died  in  Evans,  Erie  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Feb.  4,  1839. 
The  latter  was  born. Oct.  15,  1774,  and  died  in  New 
.Woodstock,  Madison  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Oct.  12,  1860. 

After  his  marriage,  Mr.  West  purchased  a  tract  of 
land  included  in  the  "  Holland  Purchase,"  in  Evans> 
built  a  house  and  barn  and  cleared  45  acres.  He 
was  a  resident  there  until  1843,  and  in  addition  to 
his  own  clearing  and  farming  operations  he  put  in 
tillable  condition  about  350  acres  of  land.  In  the 
fall  of  1843  he  sold  his  farm,  and  with  his  family,  in- 
cluding his  wife  and  five  children,  he  started  for 
Illinois,  making  the  journey  with  a  pair  of  horses  and 
a  wagon,  and  bringing  with  them  a  portion  of  their 
household  goods.  After  23  days  of  travel,  exclusive 
of  Sundays,  they  arrived  in  Sycamore  and  passed  the 
ensuing  winter  with  Aaron  C.  West,  a  brother,  then 
resident  on  section  34.  Mr.  West  bought  a  tract  of 
land  adjoining  on  section  34,  and  in  the  winter  of 
1844-5  ne  built  a  small  frame  house  for  the  accom- 
modation of  his  family.  During  the  same  winter  he  en- 
tered his  claim.  His  first  crop  was  raised  on  rented 
land  in  1844,  the  same  year  in  which  he  broke  20 
acres  on  his  own  property.  In  1845  he  raised  a  crop 
of  grain  on  his  own  place.  At  that  time  Chicago  was 
the  nearest  market,  and  also  the  nearest  point  to  ob- 
tain necessary  supplies.  The  nearest  mill  was  at 
St.  Charles  in  Kane  County.  The  farm  of  Mr.  West 
presents  a  wide  contrast  from  its  primitive  condition. 
It  comprises  107  acres  under  tillage,  with  an  excel- 
lent class  of  farm  buildings.  The  place  is  supplied 
with  an  apple  orchard  planted  by  the  proprietor, 
some  of  the  trees  having  been  brought  by  him  from 
the  State  of  New  York.  The  yard  fronting  the  house 
is  made  pleasant  and  attractive  by  shade  trees  and 
ornamental  shrubbery. 

The  first  wife  of  Mr.  West  was  born  Jan.  8,  r8o4, 
in  Stafford,  Conn.,  and  of  their  union  eight  children 
were  born,  six  of  whom  survive  :  Elias  C.  was  born 
Nov.  25,  1839,  in  Evans,  Erie  Co.  N.  Y.,  and  has 
been  a  resident  of  Sycamore  since  he  was  four  years 
of  age.  He  entered  the  army  of  the  United  States  | 
during  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  enlisting  Sept.  2, 

32,  in  Co.  A,  105111  111.  Inf.  The  command  was 
attached  to  the  20th  Army  Corps,  and  he  experienced  i 


the  vicissitudes  of  the  Atlanta  campaign  and  march 
through  Georgia  and  the  Carolinas,  participating  in 
the  Grand  Review  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  at  the  close 
of  the  war.  He  was  slightly  wounded  at  Kenesaw 
Mountain  and  at  Atlanta. 

He  was  married  June  17,  1872,  to  Ella  A.  Reese, 
and  they  have  had  three  children, — May  B.,  Roy  C. 
and  Gertie  May.  The  oldest  child  died  when  about 
nine  years  of  age.  Mrs.  West  was  born  in  Wisconsin, 
and  is  the  daughter  of  Adam  and  Mary  (Bass) 
Reese.  He  is  associated  with  his  father  in  dairying 
and  raising  fine  stock,  their  joint  ownership  of  land 
including  205  acres,  all  under  improvement.  The 
unmarried  children  of  Mr.  West  are  Alice  C.,  Orrin, 
Asa  P.,  Sarah  L.  and  Miranda  M.  The  mother  died 
Jan.  23,  1849.  Mr.  West  was  a  second  time  mar- 
ried, May  28,  1849,  to  Mrs.  Lucinda  (Rose)  Wells, 
widow  of  Israel  Wells,  who  died  in  March,  1845, 
leaving  two  children, — George  M.  and  Ruth.  The 
latter  died  when  26  years  old.  The  former  is  a  con- 
ductor on  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad.  The 
mother  was  born  in  August,  1804,  in  Sherburn, 
Chenango  Co.,  N.  Y.  Her  parents,  Joseph  and 
Ruth  (Whitney)  Rose,  were  natives  of  Windhall,  Vt., 
whence  they  removed  to  Sherburn.  The  former  was 
born  Dec.  25,  ^60,  the  latter  July  28,  1772.  Mrs. 
West  died  April  10,  1884. 

On  a  preceding  page  in  proximity  a  lithographic 
likeness  of  the  above  sketched  venerable  pioneer  is 
given,  which  will  doubtless  be  appreciated  with  a 
high  degree  of  pleasure  by  the  public  in  this  part  of 
the  State. 

Most  of  the  life  of  Mr.  West  has  been  of  a  pioneer 
character.  Georgetown,  in  1826,  the  date  of  his  re- 
moval thence,  was  still  in  the  heart  of  a  wilderness, 
and  the  same  state  of  affairs  existed  in  Erie  County 
(Buffalo  being  comparatively  a  village),  whence  he 
came  to  De  Kalb  County,  only  to  repeat  his  experi- 
ence in  an  undeveloped  section  of  country.  He  has 
been  active  in  the  duties  of  his  citizenship  at  Syca- 
more, and  as  Commissioner  assisted  in  the  construc- 
tion of  the  highways.  He  has  been  a  factor  in  the 
organization  of  the  school  districts,  and  served  his 
township  several  years  as  Assessor.  When  he  was 
25  years  of  age  he  connected  himself  with  the  Con- 
gregational Church,  in  the  town  of  Collins,  Erie  Co., 
N.  Y.,  of  which  he  remained  a  member  until  1879, 
when  he  severed  his  relations  therewith  from  con- 
scientious scruples,  believing  that  the  Bible,  by  pre- 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


! 


cept,  discountenances  secret  organizations,  Masonry 
in  particular.  In  the  days  when  Sycamore  was  in  its 
incipiency  his  house  was  the  home  of  the  clergy  who 
came  hither  in  the  practice  of  their  calling,  and  it 
was  also  a  depot  on  the  "  Underground  Railroad," 
Mr.  West  often  being  called  on  to  aid  the  refugees 
from  the  South  and  help  them  on  their  way  to  a  land 
of  freedom.  He  has  been  a  practical  temperance 
man  and  a  zealous  advocate  in  the  cause  for  many 
years,  and  has  never  used  tobacco  in  any  form.  He 
raised  a  barn  in  Erie  Co.,  N.  Y.,  which  was  erected 
without  the  aid  of  whisky,  about  1835.  Mr.  West  is 
a  man  of  firm  convictions  and  fearless  in  the  practi- 
cal application  of  his  opinions.  He  voted  for  James 
G.  Birney  for  President  at  a  time  when  the  anti- 
slavery  candidate  of  the  district  for  Representative 
received  but  40  votes. 

Asa  P.  West,  second  son  of  David  West,  was  born 
May  16,  1837,  in  Evans,  Erie  Co.,  N.  Y.  He  was 
educated  with  care,  and  fitted  for  entering  upon  a 
professional  career.  He  entered  the  United  States 
military  service  as  a  soldier  for  the  Union,  and  was 
mustered  in  May  24,  1861,  with  his  regiment,  I3th 
111.  Vol.  Inf.  At  the  battle  of  Chickasaw  Bayou  he 
was  shot  through  the  right  lung,  the  ball  shattering  a 
rib  and  passing  through  the  shoulder  blade.  He 
worked  his  finger  into  the  wound  to  control  the 
bleeding,  and  made  his  way  unassisted  to  the  rear 
of  the  line  of  battle.  He  was  taken  in  charge  by  Dr. 
Henry  T.  Salter,  Assistant  Surgeon  of  his  regiment, 
who  put  his  own  fingers  in  the  wound  and  controlled 
the  flow  of  blood  until  coagulation  stopped  the  artery. 
Late  in  the  afternoon  he  was  carried  on  a  stretcher 
to  a  hospital  boat,  where  he  was  placed  face  down- 
ward on  a  straw  mattress  in  the  cabin  and  left  to  die, 
the  surgeon  in  charge  pronouncing  his  fate  certain. 
After  several  days  the  surgeon  remarked,  "  This  fel- 
low won't  die ;  we  may  as  well  do  what  we  can  for 
him."  His  wound  was  officially  described  as  follows: 
"  He  is  shot  through  the  right  lung,  the  ball  striking 
the  fourth  rib,  cutting  it  off,  severing  the  branch 
artery  and  passing  out  through  the  inner  curve  of  the 
scapula."  His  father  had  given  him  a  white  silk 
handkerchief  for  use  in  case  he  was  wounded,  and 
the  surgeon  inserted  this  in  the  wound  by  means  of 
a  probe  and  drew  it  out  at  the  back.  This  was  done 
several  times,  and  repeated  several  successive  days. 
The  wounded  were  sent  North,  the  installment  to 


66 1 


which  Mr.  West  belonged  reaching  St.  Louis  Jan.  19, 
1863.  The  weather  was  very  cold,  and  when  he  was 
carried  into  the  hospital  his  feet  and  legs  were  found 
to  be  frozen  nearly  to  his  knees.  There  was  talk  of 
his  losing  them,  but  he  was  in  charge  of  an  experi- 
enced French  nurse,  who  had  been  in  the  Crimea, 
and  whose  care  saved  his  limbs  and  his  life.  After  he 
recovered,  he  assisted  about  the  hospital  until  he  was 
taken  with  the  small-pox.  He  lived  through  the 
attack,  and  was  discharged  from  the  hospital  June  6, 
1863.  He  returned  Jo  Sycamore  and  entered  upon 
the  study  of  law.  His  wound  had  not  healed,  and 
he  was  obliged  to  undergo  an  operation  to  remove 
the  diseased  portions  of  the  shoulder  blade. 

In  the  winter  of  1864-5  ne  was  agam  m  the  em- 
ployment of  the  Government,  and  had  charge  of  a 
portion  of  a  construction  corps  with  the  army  of  Gen- 
eral Sherman.  He  acted  as  engineer  on  the  locomo- 
tive that  took  General  Grant  to  Smithfield  after  the 
surrender  of  General  Johnston,  and  went  from  there 
to  Baltimore  through  the  Dismal  Swamp  Canal,  and 
thence  to  Washington,  reaching  there  the  day  before 
the  Grand  Review.  Mr.  West  is  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  law  at  Geneva,  Kane  Co.,  111.  Nov.  7, 
1882,  he  fell  from  a  tree  and  crushed  the  loth  and 
nth  vertebrae  of  the  back-bone,  throwing  the  spine 
six  inches  out  of  place,  tearing  the  two  lower  perma- 
nent ribs  from  the  breast-bone  and  driving  them 
through  the  flesh.  The  bones  of  the  heel  of  the 
right  foot  were  also  crushed.  Surgical  skill  saved 
his  life  again.  The  case  of  Mr.  West  forms  one  of 
the  most  remarkable  instances  of  the  surgical  his- 
tory of  the  war. 

He  was  married  June  22,  1867,10  Maria,  daughter 
of  John  and  Grace  Wilson.  She  was  born  in  Hali- 
fax, Yorkshire,  England.  Her  father  was  for  17  years 
the  publisher  of  the  Kane  County  Advertiser. 


.enry  Lanan,  a  farmer  on  section  4,  May-  ., 
field  Township,  is  a  son  of  John  and  Mar- 
garet Lanan,  natives  of  Belgium,  who 
emigrated  to  America  and  settled  first  in  Al- 
bany, N.  Y.,  and  came  to  Illinois  in  1837, 
locating  in  De  Kalb  County ;  they  died  in  the 
township  of  Mayfield,  in  1862,  the  father  March  16, 
and  the  mother  June  16. 


Mr.  Henry  Lanan  was  also  born  in  Belgium 
March  25,  1821,  c:me  to  this  county  with  his  parents 
and  has  since  lived  in  Mayfield  Township.  He 
owns  280  acres  of  good  farming  land.  Politically  he 
is  a  Democrat,  and  in  religion  he  is  a  Catholic,  as  is 
also  his  wife.  He  was  married  in  Chicago,  111., 
March  24,  1854,  to  Anna  M.  Gregory,  daughter  of 
Anton  and  Christine  Gregory,  natives  of  Germany. 
She  was  born  April  26,  1825,  also  in  Germany.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Lanan  have  five  children,  namely  :  Martha, 
born  Jan.  28,  1856;  Caroline,  April  9,  1857,  became 
the  wife  of  George  Tower,  April  n,  1876;  Joseph, 
born  Feb.  3,  1860,  married  July  4,  1881,  to  Hattie 
Tower;  Henry  was  born  May  n,  1868. 


illiam  H.  Corey,  farmer, .  section  35, 
Malta  Township,  was  born  in  Hancock, 
Berkshire  Co.,  Mass.,  March  13,  1834, 
^  Hamilton  Corey,  his  father,  was  of  New  Eng- 
land birth  and  Scotch  descent,  and  a  farmer 
by  occupation  and  inheritance.  He  married 
Lydia  Streeter,  and  a  few  years  before  their  death 
they  settled  in  Columbia  Co.,  N.  Y.  The  former  died 
Aug.  19,  1854  ;  the  latter,  April  18,  of  the  same  year. 
He  was  born  April  24,  1807,  and  she  was  born  Oct. 
22,  1806. 

Mr.  Corey  is  the  youngest  of  their  four  children, 
all  of  whom  are  living,  as  follows  :  Lydia  I.  is  the  old- 
est child;  Julius  lives  at  Rockford,  111.;  Olive  R. 
married  J.  E.  Mecum,  and  resides  at  Dalton,  Mass. 
Mr.  Corey  lived  with  his  parents  until  he  was  18 
years  of  age,  attending  school,  and  two  years  later 
his  father  died.  After  that  event  he  engaged  for  a 
short  time  as  a  clerk  in  Columbia  County,  coming 
when  he  was  2 1  years  of  age  to  Rockford,  111.,  where 
his  brother  had  located  some  years  before.  He  pur- 
chased an  interest  in  a  carpenter's  shop  and  set  him- 
self about  learning  the  use  of  tools.  After  pursuing 
the  business  a  few  years  he  came  to  South  Grove 
Township  and  purchased  80  acres  of  land.  It  was 
chiefly  in  its  original  unbroken  condition,  and  he 
operated  on  the  place  four  years,  making  necessary 
improvements,  and  converting  it  into  a  good  farm. 
In  1867  he  sold  the  place  and  purchased  the  farm 
hich  he  has  since  operated  in  Malta  Township, 
with  satisfactory  results.  He  owns  160  acres,  and  is 


considered  a  skillful  and  practical  farmer.  He  makes 
a  specialty  of  Durham  cattle  and  Poland-China  swine 
Mr.  Corey. is  a  Republican. 

He  was  first  united  in  marriage,  Sept.  9,  1862,  at 
Rockford,  to  Jennie  O.  Dwight.  She  was  born  near 
Springfield,  Mass.,  and  came  West  after  reaching 
womanhood.  Her  death  transpired  April  9,  1871, 
after  she  became  the  mother  'of  four  children : 
Lura,  the  oldest,  wq,s  born  July  21,  1864,  and  mar- 
ried George  Kempson,  a  farmer  in  Malta  Township. 
Mary  D.  was  born  Oct.  24,  1865;  Ellie  died  when 
five  months  old.  Henry  D.  was  born  Nov.  12,  1871, 
and  died  Feb.  12,  1882.  Mr.  Corey  was  again  mar- 
ried March  to,  1876,  in  De  Kalb,  to  Irene  A., daugh- 
ter of  Solomon  and  Nancy  (Goodell)  Hollister.  The 
former  was  born  in  New  York,  the  latter  in  Connecti- 
cut. They  were  among  the  early  settlers  in  the 
township  and  county  of  De  Kalb,  and  the  father  is 
now  deceased.  His  widow  resides  with  a  son  in  Da- 
kota. Mrs.  Corey  was  born  Feb.  7,  1849,  in  De 
Kalb,  and  was  less  than  two  years  old  when  she  lost 
her  father.  She  lived  after  that  with  her  mother,  at- 
tending school  at  De  Kalb  until  she  was  19  years  of 
age,  when  she  commenced  teaching,  in  which  she 
was  engaged  until  her  marriage.  Two  children  are 
now  included  in  the  home  circle:  Jennie,  born  March 
2r,  1877,  and  Dan  E.,  Nov.  20,  1883.  Mrs.  Corey 
belongs  to  the  Baptist  Church. 


enry  L.  Band,  resident  on  section  31,  South 
Grove  Township,  has  lived  in  De  Kalb 
County  from  his  boyhood.  He  was  born 
Jan.  7,  1832,  in  Genesee  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  is  the 
son  of  Aaron  and  Permelia  (Ains worth)  Rand, 
who  were  natives  respectively  of  Massachusetts 
and  New  York.  The  former  was  a  farmer  during 
his  active  business  life,  and  came  to  Illinois  in  1839, 
settling  in  St.  Clair  County,  where  the  mother  died 
in  1840.  The  father  is  now  95  years  of  age,  and  re- 
sides alternately  in  the  counties  of  Green  and 
Jasper,  Iowa,  with  a  son  and  daughter.  He  was  a 
soldi8r  of  the  War  of  1812  and  is  the  recipient  of  a 
pension. 

Mr.  Rand  was  a  member  of  his  father's  household 
until  he  was  26  years  of  age.  He  acquired  a  thor- 
ough knowledge  of  the  vocation  of  his  father,  and 
also  secured  a  good  district-school  education.  In 


m 
inn 

WWEBnY  Of  lUMOIS 


-•J^v 


I 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


1858  he  made  a  purchase  of  80  acres  of  land  with  a 
view  to  settling  in  independent  life.  The  land  was 
in  its  original  prairie  condition,  and  he  entered  ener- 
getically into  the  work  of  improvement  and  cultiva- 
tion. On  this  he  resided  until  1879,  when  he  sold 
and  bought  a  similar  acreage  on  the  same  section, 
where  he  established  a  permanent  home. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Rand  to  Laura  A.  Pritchard 
took  place  Nov.  20,  1857,  in  Franklin  Township. 
Mrs.  Rand  was  born  July  9,  1833,  in  Plattsburg, 
State  of  New  York,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Henry 
and  Mary  (Blackmer)  Pritchard.  Her  parents  were 
both  of  English  descent,  and  were  born  respectively 
in  Vermont  and  New  York.  Late  in  life  they 
left  their  native  States  and  settled  in  De  Kalb 
County,  where  the  former  died,  in  April,  1875.  The 
mother  is  81  years  of  age  (1885).  Mrs.  Rand  pre- 
ceded her  parents  in  her  removal  to  Illinois  and  be- 
came a  member  of  the  household  of  her  aunt,  Mrs. 
Roxana  Moon,  of  South  Grove  Township,  with  whom 
she  lived  until  her  marriage.  One  of  four  children 
born  of  that  event  is  deceased.  Herbert  B.  is  mar- 
ried and  engaged  in  farming  in  South  Grove  Town- 
ship. Herman  H.  and  Amie  A.  are  unmarried.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Rand  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church. 


L.harles  Newsham,  farmer,  section  24,  Mal- 
ta Township,  was  born  Nov.  2,  1835,  in 
Pittsburg,  Pa.  Charles  Newsham,  senior, 
removed  his  family  in  1838  to  a  farm  in  Erie 
County  in  the  same  State.  The  latter  married 
Mary  Ward,  a  native  of  the  city  of  London, 
England.  The  father  was  born  and  bred  in  York- 
shire, England,  and  their  marriage  took  place  after 
their  removal  to  the  United  States,  and  they  resided 
in  Erie  County,  Pa.  The  mother  died  in  November, 
1882,  and  the  father  has  since  married  Mrs.  Betsey 
(Henton)  Brace.  He  is  77  years  of  age. 

Mr.  Newsham  is  the  oldest  of  nine  children,  seven 
of  whom  yet  survive.  He  was  bred  to  the  occupation 
of  a  farmer  on  his  father's  homestead  in  Pennsylvania, 
and  he  acquired  a  fair  common-school  education.  He 
was  married  Oct.  6,  1856,  in  Erie  Co.,  Pa.,  to  Sarah 
Barton.  She  was  born  Oct.  3,  1 838,  in  Trenton,  Onei- 
ida,  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Thomas  P.  and 

^^^ 


Rhoda  (Calkins)  Barton.  In  1848  Mrs.  Newsham  re- 
moved with  her  parents  to  Erie  Co.,  Pa.,  where  both 
died  after  long  and  useful  lives.  Five  children  have 
been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Newsham — May,  Nellie, 
George  H.,  Jennie  V.  and  Kiltie  D. 

After  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Newsham  set 
out  for  the  West  to  seek  to  build  up  a  home  and  for-* 
tune,  and  they  first  fixed  their  residence  at  Broad- 
head,  Greene  Co.,  Wis.,  where  they  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, operating  as  renters.  In  the  winter  of  1864  Mr. 
Newsham  went  to  the  oil  regions  of  the  Keystone 
State,  where  he  was  occupied  two  years,  and  during 
two  years  subsequent  he  resided  in  Erie  County,  in 
the  vicinity  of  his  father's  homestead.  The  family 
came  to  Illinois  in  the  summer  of  1867  and  settled 
in  Milan  Township,  De  Kalb  County,  where  they 
continued  six  years,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time  re- 
turned to  Pennsylvania  for  a  year's  stay  at  Erie  City, 
after  which  they  settled  permanently  in  Malta  Town- 
ship. Mr.  Newsham  is  conducting  the  farm  interests 
of  Mrs.  Thomas  Holderness.  In  political  connection 
he  is  a  Republican. 


r. 


A.  Iievi  Wells,  dealer  in  lumber, 
building  material,  stone,  coal,  etc.,  at 
Shabbona,  established  his  present  business 

June    i,    1880,  as  successor  to  Wm.   Deacon. 

He  was  born  in  Charlotte,  Chautauqua  Co.,  N. 

Y.,  Sept.  1 6,  1836,  the* son  of  Royal  and  Betsey 
(Larkin)  Wells,  and  received  a  common-school  edu- 
cation. He  engaged  in  clerking  until  1857,  when  he 
came  to  Albany,  Whiteside  Co.,  111.,  and  one  year 
afterward  removed  to  Kaneville,  Kane  Co.,  111.,  con- 
tinuing in  the  same  business. 

He  enlisted  in  the  cause  of  the  Government  Sept. 
18,  i86r,  in  the  Eighth  111.  Vol.  Cav.,  Co.  I,  and  on 
its  organization  was  appointed  Corporal.  In  Decem- 
ber following  he  was  elected  First  Sergeant,  served 
as  such  till  Sept.  i,  1862,  when  he  was  commissioned 
First  Lieutenant,  and  April  3,1863,  was  commissioned 
Captain  of  Co.  I,  above  referred  to,  his  commission 
to  date  back  to  Aug.  29,  1862.  In  this  capacity  he 
served  till  Sept.  27,  1864.  He  was  wounded  at  the 
battle  of  Falling  Waters,  July  14,  1863,  by  a 
gunshot  in  the  left  breast,  the  ball  passing  around 
to  the  shoulder  blade  and  thence  outward.  Capt. 
Wells  was  in  85  different  engagements  in  all,  in- 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


eluding  all  those  in  which  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
participated  up  to  December,  1864. 

After  his  return  from  the  war,  in  the  springof  1866, 
he  settled  in  the  town  of  Milan,  De  Kalb  County, 
and  engaged  in  farming.  Continuing  in  that  busi- 
ness until  March  1878,  he  removed  to  Shabbona  vil- 
lage, formed  a  partnership  with  S.  G.  Gilbert  in  the 
grocery  trade,  and  followed  that  business  until  June, 
1880,  when  he  entered  upon  his  present  business,  in 
which  he  is  prospering. 

He  was  Supervisor  of  Milan  Township  four  years, 
Township  School  Treasurer  eight  years.  In  his 
views  of  national  policy  he  is  a  Republican. 

Mr.  Wells  was  married  at  Kaneville,  III.,  Sept.  7, 
1863,  to  Miss  Nancy  C.  Fink,  daughter  of  J.  A.  and 
Nancy  B.  (Norris)  Fink.  She  is  a  native  of  Onondaga 
Co.,  N.  Y.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wells  have  five  children, 
namely,  RilleM.,  Jessie  M.,  Clarence  N.,  Marion  H. 
and  Lizzie. 

The  publishers  of  this  ALBUM  take  pleasure  in 
presenting  to  the  public  a  fine  lithographic  portrait 
of  the  subject  of  the  foregoing  brief  biographical 
sketch,  upon  a  page  in  proximity. 


ft 


L.harles  Whitney,  one  of  the  inventors  and 
manufacturers  of  the  Marsh-Whitney 
Platform  Binders,  resident  at  Sycamore, 
was  born  Jan.  30,  1834,  in  Almond,  Alle- 
gany  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  is  the  son  of  David  and 
Margaret  (Karr)  Whitney.  The  former  was 
born  March  4,  1796,  in  Chittenden  Co.,  Vt,  was  a 
farmer  by  vocation  and  became  a  resident  of  Alle- 
gany  Co.,  N.  Y.,  in  1814.  He  married  and  contin- 
ued a  resident  of  that  county  until  his  removal  in 
the  fall  of  1836  to  Ohio.  He  went  later  to  Roches- 
ter, Minn.,  and  eventually  to  Carthage,  Jasper  Co., 
Mo.,  where  he  died,  in  the  fall  of  1876.  The  mother 
is  a  native  of  the  Mohawk  Valley  in  the  Empire 
State,  and  was  born  in  the  year  1800.  She  is  still 
living,  in  Allegany  County.  They  had  eight  chil- 
dren, five  of  whom  are  deceased:  Matilda  is  the 
wife  of  H.  O.  Nearing,  a  farmer  of  Delta,  Ohio.  Car- 
oline is  the  widow  of  Oscar  Snyder,  formerly  a  farmer 
of  Massillon,  Ohio. 

Mr.  Whitney  was  brought  up  on  his  father's  farm 
until  he  was  r8,  when  he  went  to  California,  then  in 


the  height  of  its  notoriety  as  the  Golden  State,  and 
offering  a.  wonderful  field  of  successful  operation  to 
such  as  sought  its  opportunities  in  cool,  well  balanced 
judgment,  instead  of  being  impelled  by  the  spirit  of 
adventure  which  so  frequently  gives  a  false  impetus 
toward  unexplored  and  undeveloped  regions.  Mr. 
Whitney  made  his  way  to  the  El  Dorado  of  the 
Pacific  coast  under  the  guidance  of  the  former  im- 
pulse, and  operated  in  the  gold  fields  nearly  three 
years,  meeting  with  a  reasonable  degree  of  success. 
Early  in  1855  he  returned  to  the  Buckeye  State,  and 
was  married  on  the  25th  of  March  of  the  same  year, 
at  Waterville,  Lucas  County,  to  Orilla  Paine.  Soon 
after  that  event  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Whitney  located  at 
Rochester,  Minn.,  where  three  sons  were  born  to 
them:  George  was  ''born  March  25,  1856.  Fred 
was  born  Oct.  7,  1857,  and  died  July  5,  i88i,at 
Sycamore.  Frank  was  born  April  7,  1860.  Mrs. 
Whitney  was  born  May  20,  1834,  in  Huron  Co., 
Ohio,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Henry  A.  and  Esther 
(Middleton)  Paine. 

On  his  removal  to  Minnesota,  Mr.  Whitney  pre- 
empted a  claim  of  160  acres  of  prairie,  and  not  long 
afterward,  associated  with  Z.  J.  Cowles,  he  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  furniture,  in  which  he 
continued  to  operate  until  1869.  Mr.  Whitney  pos- 
sesses keen  powers  of  observation,  and  a  mental 
organism  of  a  reflective  character,  coupled  with  in- 
ventive genius  of  a  practical  type  ;  and  the  feasibility 
of  all  kinds  of  agricultural  machinery  in  prairie  farm- 
ing was  with  him  a  foregone  conclusion  from  the 
beginning  of  enterprise  in  that  direction.  In  1869 
he  sold  his  interest  in  the  traffic  in  kwhich  he  had 
been  engaged  for  14  years,  and,  in  company  with  his 
brother  John,  gave  scope  to  the  bent  of  his  inventive 
proclivities  in  manufacturing  and  experimenting  with 
platform  binders.  They  pursued  their  operations  in 
Minnesota  until  1871,  with  varying  success,  and  in 
that  year  went  to  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  and  continued  their 
business  in  that  line  several  years,  their  joint  opera- 
tions being  terminated  in  the  spring  of  1876  by  the 
death  of  John  Whitney. 

Charles  Whitney  came  to  Sycamore  in  1877,  and 
became  interested  in  perfecting  and  manufacturing 
the  Marsh-Whitney  platform  binder.  The  machine 
in  its  completeness  was  first  put  into  market  in  1882, 
and  was  received  with  all  the  favor  it  merited.  Its 
popularity  grew  and  sales  multiplied  in  proportion 


-zn&cr 


COUNTY. 


667 


I 


until  June,  1884,  when  the  manufacturers  were  com- 
pelled to  suspend  operations  by  the  collapse  of  other 
£  p    business  houses  of  heavy  capital  with  which   they 
were  connected. 

Mr.  Whitney  has  patented  several  principles  con- 
nected with  his  inventions,  which  he  is  engaged  in 
introducing  to  manufacturers,  who  are  recognizing 
the  merits,  and  becoming  interested  in  the  con- 
struction, of  the  machines. 


eorge  Chapel,  farmer  and  stock-raiser,  sec- 
tion 22,  Malta  Township,  was  born  in 
Washington  Township,  Berkshire  Co., 
Mass.,  Oct.  '6,  1829.  Joseph  Chapel,  his  fa- 
ther, was  a  native  of  the  same  township  and 

I  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  his  father,  Jona- 
than Chapel,  was  born  in  Connecticut  and  also  fol- 
lowed the  vocation  of  a  farmer. 

The  Chapel  family  were  of  English  extraction  and 
early  settlers  in  this  country.  Jonathan,  grand- 
father of  our  subject,  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of 
1812,  and  Mr.  Chapel  of  this  notice  still  retains  in 
his  family,  as  a  memento  of  those  "  trying  days,"  the 
old  musket  his  grandfather  used.  The  grandfather 
died  in  Berkshire  Co.,  Mass.,  at  an  advanced  age. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Chapel  came  West  in  1868  and 
lived  with  his  children  until  the  date  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  at  the  residence  of  his  daughter,  Mrs. 
E.  A.  Watkins,  in  Malta,  May  13,  1874.  The  mother 
and  grandmother  of  Mr.  Chapel  were  both  natives  of 
New  York.  The  latter  died  in  Berkshire  Co.,  Mass., 
about  1847,  at  an  advanced  age,  and  the  mother, 
Amanda  (Chapel)  Chapel,  also  died  in  that  county, 
in  1880,  aged  79  years. 

George  Chapel  lived  at  home,  and  assisted  the 
father  in  the  cultivation  of  the  farm  and  attending 
the  common  schools,  until  he  attained  the  age  of  22 
years.  At  this  period  in  his  life,  Mr.  Chapel  was 
united  in  marriage.  That  event  occurred  at  Lebanon 
Springs,  Columbia  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Aug.  26,  1852,  and  the 
life  companion  he  chose  was  Miss  Mary  E.  Watkins. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  Millen  and  Barbara  (Arm- 
strong) Watkins,  natives  of  Massachusetts  and  Scot- 
land, respectively.  Her  grandfather  and  grandmother, 
Zack  and  Olive  (Brown)  Watkins,  were  natives  of 
Massachusetts,  of  English  extraction,  and  died  in 


Berkshire  Co.,  that  State,  the  former  in  1852  and  the 
latter  in  1874,  aged  respectively  73  and  92  years. 

The  parents  of  Mrs.  Chapel  came  to  this  county 
in  1858  and  located  in  Malta  Township,  where  her 
father  died  in  September,  1867,  and  her  mother  in 
September,  1874,  aged  68  and  83  years  respectively. 
Mrs.  Chapel  remained  a  member  of  her  father's  farn-' 
ily  until  the  date  of  her  marriage. 

After  marriage  Mr.  Chapel  lived  in  his  native  State 
and  county  until  the  year  1858,  when  he  came  to 
this  county  and  located  in  South  Grove  Township. 
He  remained  on  that  farm  six  years,  until  1864, 
when  he  moved  to  Malta  Township  and  purchased 
186  acres  of  land  approximate  to  the  village  of  Malta. 
The  land  was  only  partially  improved  at  the  time  he 
made  his  purchase,  but  he  has  since  improved  the 
entire  tract  and  has  the  same  under  a  good  state  of 
cultivation. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chapel  are  the  parents  of  five  chil- 
dren, one  of  whom  is  deceased.  The  living  are 
Emma  A.,  born  March  16,  1856,  and  married  David 
Radcliff,  Dec.  12,  1875,  at  Malta;  Will  D.,  born 
Dec.  3,  1858,  married  Miss  lola  Chandler,  Dec.  i, 
1878,  and  resides  on  the  homestead;  Barbara,  born 
July  24,  1863,  resides  with  her  parents;  and  George 
E.,  born  July  26,  1869,  also  resides  on  the  farm. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chapel  are  members  of  the  Congre- 
gational Church,  of  which  Mr.  Chapel  is  a  Trustee 
and  Deacon. 

Politically,  Mr.  Chapel  is  a  Republican.  He  has 
been  Assessor  of  his  township  for  10  years,  and  is  at 
present  acting  in  that  capacity. 


lies  M.  Alexander,  general  merchant  at 
Shabbona,  was  born  in  Paris,  Oneida  Co., 
N.  Y.,  July  15,  1823.  He  is  a  son  of 
Henry  and  Betsy  (Gallup)  Alexander,  who 
soon  after  the  birth  of  their  son  moved  to 
1  Herkimer  County,  that  State,  and  settled  on  a  ^ 
farm.  Mr.  Alexander,  of  this  sketch,  was  brought 
up  on  his  father's  farm  in  Herkimer  County.  His 
years  of  minority  were  passed  in  farm  labor  and  in 
attendance  at  the  common  schools.  In  the  fall  of 
1845,  in  Herkimer  County,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Eve,  daughter  of  Dennis  and  Elizabeth  Clapsaddle. 
She  was  born  in  Herkimer  County,  N.  Y.,  May  28, 


J 


1822.  Two  children  were  the  issue  of  their  union, 
namely :  Elizabeth  C.,  wife  of  M.  V.  Allen,  of 
Shabbona,  and  Eva  M.,  wife  of  W.  W.  Bouslough, 
residing  at  Shabbona.  Mrs.  Alexander  died  in  the 
fall  of  1858. 

In  the  spring  of  1854  Mr.  Alexander,  with  his 
family,  came  to  this  county  and  located  on  section 
34,  Shabbona  Township.  He  entered  at  once  on  the 
improvements  and  cultivation  of  his  land  and  con- 
tinued to  reside  on  it  until  1875.  In  the  spring  of 
that  year  he  moved  to  Shabbona  village  and  engaged 
in  the  drug  business.  Two  years  later,  sold  his  busi- 
ness to  Capt.  M.  V.  Allen,  and  in  October,  1878,  en- 
gaged in  the  mercantile  business  which  he  has  con- 
tinued to  the  present  time.  He  carries  a  full  line  of 
general  merchandise  and  is  conducting  a  growing 
and  prosperous  business. 

Mr.  Alexander  contracted  a  second  marriage  in 
Herkimer  County,  N.  Y.,  in  October,  1859,  the  lady 
chosen  for  his  wife  being  a  Miss  Maryett,  daughter  of 
Lawrence  and  Margaret  (Hess)  Clapsaddle. 

Politically,  Mr.  Alexander  is  a  Republican.  He 
has  held  various  public  offices,  was  Supervisor  of 
Shabbona  Township  two  years  and  Justice  of  the 
Peace  1 1  years,  and  is  at  present  holding  the  latter 
office.  He  is  one  of  the  oldest  Masons  in  this  vi- 
cinity and  was  prominently  instrumental  in  establish- 
ing Shabbona  Lodge,  No.  374,  and  was  elected  its 
first  Master  after  the  charter  was  organized. 


[illiam  D.  Seeley,  mechanic  and  retired 
farmer  on  section  3,  Franklin  Township, 
was  born  Nov.  18,  1816,  in  Easton  Town- 
ship, Bristol  Co.,  Mass.  He  was  brought 
up  to  the  vocation  of  a  farmer,  and  on  attain- 
ing his  majority  he  found  himself  with  the  dis- 
posal of  his  future  on  his  hands.  Mr.  Seeley  came 
to  Boone  Co.,  111.,  in  1851.  He  became  the  owner 
of  60  acres  of  land  in  that  county,  where  he  pursued 
agriculture  with  success  and  profit.  In  1870  he  sold 
the  place  and  located  where  he  has  since  resided  and 
where  he  owns  18  acres  of  land.  On'making  sale  of 
his  land  in  Boone  County  he  put  the  money  at  inter- 
est, and  the  accumulated  sum  is  now  a  practical 
competency  for  a  man  of  moderate  requirements.  He 
lives  in  solitude,  engaged  at  times  in  farming  and 


working  also  as  a  blacksmith  and  carpenter.  He  is 
a  natural  mechanic,  with  an  aptitude  for  the  use  of 
tools  which  was  not  acquired  under  the  directions  or 
guidance  of  a  craftsman.  He  enjoys  his  solitary  cir- 
cumstances, and  he  has  been  an  expert  in  flute-play- 
ing, but  is  now  deprived  of  the  pleasure  of  his  favor- 
ite recreation,  having  received  an  injury  to  one  of  his 
hands  which  resulted  in  necrosis  of  the  bone,  neces- 
sitating amputation  of  his  arm  below  the  elbow.  His 
natural  ingenuity  is  manifest  from  the  fact  that  he  is 
still  a  skillful  workman  as  a  mechanic. 

He  was  married  in  early  manhood,  but  circum- 
stances compelled  a  separation  from  his  wife.  They 
had  two  children, — Sarah  F.  and  William  H., — who 
remained  in  the  State  of  New  York. 


) 


Lattin,  deceased,  a  former  pioneer  C 
De  Kalb  County,  was  born  May  30,  * 
Reading,  Conn.,  of  which  State  his 
Abner  and  Sarah  Lattin,  were  both 
The  family  removed  to  the  State  of 
New  York  in  1815  and  settled  in  that  part  of 
Chemung  County  now  included  in  Schuyler  County, 
where  Mr.  Lattin  grew  to  manhood  and  was  reared  -| 
on  a  farm.  His  parents  had  six  children,  and  when  (  )) 
he  was  nine  years  of  age  he  became  an  inmate  of  the 
family  of  Jesse  Lyon,  under  whose  charge  he  contin- 
ued until  1834.  In  that  year  he  came  to  Illinois, 
going  at  first  to  the  southern  part  of  the  State.  He 
came  to  De  Kalb  County  in  the  spring  of  1835  and 
took  possession  of  a  claim  including  the  west  part  of  V 
the  present  site  of  Sycamore.  When  the  land  came 
into  market,  Mr.  Lattin,  with  other  settlers  in  De  « 
Kalb  County,  went  to  Chicago  and  entered  a  claim 
to  160  acres  of  land,  now  within  the  city  limits.  He 
built  a  log  house  in  Sycamore,  on  Main  Street,  near 
the  present  location  of  the  National  Bank.  This  was 
his  home  for  ten  years.  He  next  erected  a  brick 
house  on  High  Street,  which  he  occupied  ten  years,  f 
His  next  residence  was  a  large  frame  house,  which 
he  built  on  the  cornerof  Somonaukand  High  Streets. 
Mr.  Lattin  was  a  resident  of  Sycamore  41  years,  and 
was  a  witness  of,  and  a  participant  in,  its  career  of 
splendid  progress.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Metho- 
dist Church,  and  a  most  zealous  supporter  of  the 
society  at  Sycamore.  He  donated  the  land  now  oc- 


ffl 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


cupied  by  the  church^  edifice  and  the  two  parsonages, 
besides  a  great  deal  of  money.  He  gave  $1,000  to- 
ward the  present  church.  He  was  one  of  its  first 
members,  and  when  the  first  church  was  built  he  and 
Joseph  Sixbury,  as  Trustees,  assumed  the  heavy  in- 
debtedness, of  which  he  afterwards  paid  $500. 

In  the  days  of  his  early  political  belief  he  was  a 
Whig,  but  on  the  organization  of  the  Republican 
party  he  adopted  its  principles  and  issues.  The  first 
political  meeting  at  Sycamore  was  held  at  the  home 
of  Mr.  Lattin.  He  was  one  of  the  first  instigators  of 
the  movement  which  established  the  county  seat  at 
Sycamore.  He  was  engaged  for  a  number  of  years 
in  traffic  in  grain  and  lumber,  his  farm  being  leased. 
His  death  took  place  at  Sycamore,, April,  20,  i8j6. 

Mr.  Lattin  was  married  Sept.  5,  1839,  to  Nancy, 
daughter  of  James  and  Ruth  (Pierce)  Cartwright. 
She  was  born  Aug.  9,  1820,  in  the  town  of  Perinton, 
Monroe  Co.,  N.  Y.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lattin  became 
the  parents  of  seven  children, — Jesse  L.,  Ellen  D., 
John  W.,  Carlos  Orlando,  Marion  Ella,  Charles  W. 
and  Sadie  A.  All  are  deceased  but  the  two  youngest. 

Charles  W.  was  born  March  6,  1855.  He  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Sycamore,  and  in 
the  Gem  City  College,  where  he  was  graduated  in 
1873.  He  was  married  Oct.  10,  1883,10  Emily  E.( 
daughter  of  George  E.  and  Christina  (Young)  Stafford, 
born  in  the  township  of  Cortland.  C.  W.  is  the  own- 
er of  190  acres  of  finely  improved  land  situated  on 
sections  30  and  31,  formerly  the  property  of  his  father. 
The  youngest  child — Sadie  A. — married  Frank  E. 
Stephens,  a  banker  and  attorney  at  Huron,  Dak. 

jrbert  W.  Fay,  editor  of  the  Hinckley 
'.  Review  and  of  the  Waterman  Leader,  was 
born  Feb.  28,  1859,  in  Squaw  Grove  Town- 
ship, and  is  the  son  of  Edwin  and  Ann  (Hay- 
wood)  Fay,  the  former  a  native  of  New  York, 
I  the  latter  of  Maine.  His  father  settled  in  De  Kalb 
County  in  1849,  on  a  soldier's  land  warrant  obtained 
for  services  in  the  Mexican  War.  The  mother  died 
Nov.  n,  1884.  The  father  resides  in  the  township 
of  Squaw  Grove. 

Mr.  Fay  obtained  his  primary  education  in  the 
common  schools,  and  was  a  student  four  years  at  the 
college  at  Monmouth.  After  completing  his  educa- 


tional  course,  he  taught  school  one  term,  and  then 
came  to  Hinckley  and  purchased  a  third  interest  in 
the  Review  and  remained  in  company  with  Tomblin 
Brothers,  the  former  proprietors,  from  May,  1880,  to 
May,  1882,  when  he  became  sole  proprietor  by  pur- 
chase and  has  since  conducted  the  paper  alone. 
Politically  he  is  a  Republican. 

He  was  married  Sept.  24,  1884,  in  Hinckley,  to 
Nellie,  daughter  of  William  M.  and  Rosetta  Sebree. 
(See  sketch  of  W.  M.  Sebree.)  Mrs.  Fay  was  born 
in  Squaw  Grove  Township,  Dec.  21,  1864. 

The  grandfather  of  Mr.  Fay,  Horace  W.  Fay,  was 
a  civil  engineer  on  the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal 
and  an  early  surveyor  of  De  Kalb  County,  laying  out 
nearly  the  entire  county.  He  became  prominent  in 
public  affairs  and  was  a  member  of  the  Legislature 
of  Illinois  from  1848  to  1850.  He  died  at  Vicks- 
burg,  Miss.,  during  the  course  of  the  Civil  War, 
while  officiating  as  an  army  chaplain.  H.  W.  Fay 
has  been  Village  Clerk  of  Hinckley,  since  1881,  and 
Town  Clerk  of  Squaw  Grove  Township  since  188,2. 

Mr.  Fay  is  the  youngest  editor  in  De  Kalb  County. 
He  is  a  young  man  of  versatile  talents,  has  a  decided 
predilection  for  a  literary  career  and  is  an  accom- 
plished draughtsman,  showing  some  fine  specimens 
from  his  pencil.  He  possesses  a  fine  discriminating 
taste  in  artistic  matters. 


'ames  L.  Hamilton,  farmer  and  stock-raiser, 
section  n,  Malta  Township,  was  born 
in  Delaware  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Dec.  i,  1844.  The  \ 
grandfather  of  James  L.,  Robert  Hamilton, 
was  a  native  of  Glasgow,  Scotland,  and  emi- 
;rated  to  America,  settling  in  Delaware  Co., 
N.  Y.,  about  the  year  1800.  He  was  one  of  the  first 
to  settle  in  that  county  and  was  a  soldier  in  the  war 
of  1812.  He  died  on  the  old  homestead  on  which 
he  originally  settled. 

John  Hamilton,  father  of  James  L.,  was  born  on  ^ 
the  homestead  of  his  father,  Robert,  assisted  him  on 
the    farm   and  remained   thereon,   developing     into 
manhood.     He  married  Miss   Mary  Scott,  a  native    • 
of  New  York  and  of  Scotch  extraction.     She  was  his  | 
faithful  and  loving  companion  until  February,  1861,  * 
when  death  called  her  to  a  better  home.    They  were  ® 
the   parents   of  four  children,  namely :     James  L., 
-»^® 


KALB  COUNTY. 


a 


Robert  S,  Mary  J.  and  William  C.  William  C.  died 
at  Albany  in  1873,  aged  24  years.  Robert  is  living 
with  James  L.  on  his  farm  on  section  n,  Malta 
Township.  Mary  J.  is  married  and  lives  on  the  old 
homestead  in  Delaware  Co.,  N.  Y. 

James  L.  Hamilton,  the  subject  of  this  notice,  was 
brought  up  on  the  old  homestead  in  Delaware  Co., 
N.  Y.  He  remained  on  the  farm  assisting  his  father 
in  its  cultivation  and  attending  the  village  school  at 
Andes,  that  county,  until  he  attained  the  age  of  ma- 
turity. On  arriving  at  this  age  he  went  forth  to  bat- 
tle against  the  trials  and  difficulties  of  life's  journey, 
single-handed  and  alone.  He  aame  to  this  county 
and  remained  for  a  year  at  the  village  of  Malta 
when,  in  1870,  he  and  his  brother  purchased  120 
acres  of  land  in  Malta  Township.  He  then  went  to 
Iowa  where  he  remained  nearly  a  year.  From  Iowa 
he  came  to  Chicago,  thence  back  to  Malta.  Re- 
maining in  the  latter  'place  one  summer,  he  went 
east  to  the  old  homestead  again.  His  next  move 
was  to  Albany,  N.  Y.,  where  he  engaged  with 
Messrs.  Wilcox  &  Gibbs,  in  the  sewing-machine 
business,  and  with  whom  he  remained  for  three 
years.  Severing  his  connection  with  the  "  Wilcox  & 
Gibbs,"  he  engaged  with  the  Domestic  Co.,  and  dur- 
ing a  greater  portion  of  his  time  was  engaged  in  their 
office.  After  leaving  the  latter  company  he  traveled 
for  the  Burlington  Cork  Co.,  New  York.  His  deal- 
ing was  with  wholesale  houses  throughout  the  East- 
ern and  Western  States.  Remaining  in  the  employ 
of  the  company  for  about  a  year,  he  severed  his  con- 
nection and  again  came  to  this  county. 

On  arriving  in  the  county,  he  at  once  purchased 
his  brother's  interest  in  the  land  they  had  jointly 
owned  in  Malta  Township,  which  he  traded  for  120 
acres  on  section  ir.  He  has  since  added,  by  a  sub- 
sequent purchase,  another  120  acres  to  his  landed 
possessions  and  is  at  present  the  owner  of  240  acres. 
His  entire  acreage  is  in  a  good  state.of  cultivation,  ex- 
cluding pasturage,  and  well  stocked.  His  time  and 
resources  are  divided  between  cereal  production  and 
stock-raising,  and  of  the  latter  he  is  ja  considerable 
shipper. 

Mr.  Hamilton  was  married  at  Chatham,  Columbia 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  Feb.  10,  1873,  to  Miss  Hattie  A.  Spicker- 
man,  daughter  of  John  V.  and  Mary  (Rowley)  Spick- 
erman,  a  native  of  New  York  and  of  German  descent. 
Her  father  was  a  horse  dealer  and  trader.  He  died 
^^ Z^Z ^ 


at  Oak  Park,  111.,  on  his  way  home  from  St.  Louis, 
Mo.,  where  he  had  been  to  dispose  of  a  shipment  of 
horses.  Her  mother  died  in  York  State  when  Mrs. 
H.  was  only  18  months  old. 

Mrs.  H.  was  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  four  chil- 
dren, was  born  in  1855,  and  after  the  death  of  her 
mother  lived  with  her  grandfather.  She  remained 
in  his  family,  attending  the  common  schools  and  as- 
sisting in  the  household  duties,  until  her  marriage. 

Four  children  are  the  issue  of  the  marriage,  name- 
ly: John  C.,  born  Nov.  7,  1874;  Mary  G.,  born 
May  28,  1876;  Alma  B.,  born  Dec.  n,  1879;  and 
Hattie  L.,  April  29,  187-. 

The  family  attend  the  Congregational  Church,  of 
which  Mrs.  H.  is  a  member. 

Mr.  Hamilton,  politically,  is  a  Republican.  He 
has  been  chosen  delegate  to  the  County  Convention, 
has  been  Township  Collector  and  held,  other  minor 
offices. 


® 


illiam  Bowling  Atehison,  Pastor  of  the    <$; 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  Sycamore, 
was  born  Feb.   19,  1832,  at  West  Salem,    ^ 
Mercer  Co.,  Pa.,  and  is  the  son  of  Matthew 
Calvin  and   Mary  (Dowling)  Atehison.     His 
.rents  were  of  Scotch  descent  and  were  both 
natives  of  Pennsylvania.     His   father   was   a  land- 
holder and  combined  agricultural    pursuits  with  the 
duties  of  a  carpenter  and  millwright.     He  died  when 
his  son  was  five  years  of  age.     He  and  his  wife  were 
devoted  members  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church,    \ 
the  sect  formerly  known  as  Scotch  Seceders.     They    |  ^ 
had  five  sons  and  four  daughters.     After  the  death 
of  the  father  and  husband,  the  children  were  kept  to- 
gether and  brought  up  with  care  by  their  mother. 

Mr.  Atehison  was  brought  up  on  the  farm  and 
attended  the  district  school  until  he  was  18  years  of 
age.  He  joined  the  Church  of  which  his  parents  had, 
been  zealous  members,  when  he  was  1 6  years  of  age.  f 
At  the  age  of  18  years  he  began  his  career  as  a  pub- 
lic lecturer,  speaking  on  the  subject  of  temperance 
reform  and  giving  Bible  readings.  He  attended 
school,  taught  school  and  studied  classics  with  pri- 
vate tutors.  He  also  studied  languages  at  Beloit 
College,  Wisconsin. 

In  1854  he  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 


COUNTY. 


l\ 


at  Mt.  Pleasant,  near  Galena,  111.,  and  at  the  same 
time  was  licensed  to  preach.  In  1858  he  was  or- 
dained an  Elder  at  Waukegan,  111.,  and  has  been 
constantly  in  the  ministry  since  that  date.  In  1859 
he  was  appointed  to  Belvidere,  111.  In  1864  he  was 
made  Chaplain  of  the  45 th  Regt.  111.  Vol.  Inf.,  and 
accompanied  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee  through 
Georgia  and  the  Carolinas  to  Washington.  He  was 
mustered  out  of  the  service  in  July,  1865,  at  Louis- 
ville, Ky.  His  ministerial  appointments  since  that 

/  date  have  been  Elgin,  Kankakee,  Aurora,  Oak  Park, 
Waukegan,  Sterling  and  Princeton,  where  he  officiated 
three  years  respectively  except  at  Oak  Park,  where 

*  he  preached  one  year.  In  1864  he  assumed  pastoral 
charge  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  society  at  Syca- 
more. t; 

Mr.  Atchison  was  married  Jan.  4,  1855,  to  H.  Jen- 
nie, daughter  of  John  and  Martha  (Bennett)  Cook. 
Her  parents  were  born  in  England,  and  she  is  a  na- 
tive of  Elizabeth,  Jo  Daviess  Co.,  111.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Atchison  have  six  children,  viz.:  John  E.  is  a  lumber 
merchant  at  Scandia,  Kan.;  Wilbur  F.  is  officiating  as 
Pastor  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  Des 
Plaines,  111.;  Hugh  is  a  student  at  the  Northwestern 
University  at  Evanston,  111.;  Florence  J.,  George  B. 
and  Robert  H.  are  the  names  of  the  youngest  chil- 
dren, and  they  are  at  home. 


nos  Whitmore,  deceased,  a  pioneer  of  De 
Kalb  County,  was  born  Nov.  27,  1805,  in 
Weathersfield,  Windsor  Co.,  Vt.,  and  he 
there  passed  the  years  of  his  minority,  acquiring 
a  common-school  education  and  a  knowledge  of 
agricultural  pursuits.  He  also  passed  some  time 
in  a  woolen  factory  in  his  native  town,  of  which  he 
was  proprietor.  He  was  married  April  7,  1836, 
to  Celina  Reed.  She  was  born  at  Windsor,  Windsor 
Co.,  Vt.,  Nov.  23,  1815.  Five  years  subsequent  to 
their  marriage  they  went  from  Weathersfield  to  Pom- 
fret  and  located  on  a  farm.  The  place  was  sold  in 
1847  and  the  family  removed  to  De  Kalb  County, 
coming  by  canal  and  steamboat  on  the  lakes  to  Chi- 
cago, whence  they  traveled  to  their  destination  in  a 
private  conveyance.  Mr.  Whitmore  purchased  160 
acres  of  unimproved  land  on  section  35,  Mayfield 
Township,  where  he  built  a  good  frame  house  and 


at  once  set  about  improving  his  estate.  He  lived 
to  see  De  Kalb  County  rank  in  development  with 
the  best  counties  in  Illinois,  and  was  a  factor  in  its 
progress.  His  death  occurred  May  i,  1877.  His 
first  wife  died  Aug.  16,  1861.  He  was  married  in 
1867,  to  Lovonia  Skeels,  who  died  Dec.  r,  1876.  Fol- 
lowing is  the  record  of  their  children :  Louisa  mar- 
ried A.  G.  Weeden  (see  sketch).  Howard  resides  in 
Mayfield.  Harrison  is  a  lawyer  and  lives  in  Frank- 
lin Co.,  Neb. ;  Harry  O.  is  a  farmer  in  Mayfield ;  Lavi- 
na  was  born  March  21,  1858,  and  died  Feb.  6,  1861. 


in.  F.  Peas,  merchant  and  farmer,  residing 
in  Malta,  was  born  in  Middlefield,  Hamp- 
shire Co.,  Mass.,  Dec.  30,  1826.  His 
father,  Dan.  Peas,  Sr.,  was  also  a  native  of 
that  State  and  was  born  in  the  same  town.  He 
was  of  New  England  parentage,  a  farmer  by  oc- 
cupation and  resided  in  his  native  county  until  the 
date  of  his  death,  July  8,  1883,  at  which  time  he  had 
attained  the  venerable  age  of  81  years.  The  mother 
of  our  subject,  Mary  (Root)  Peas,  was  a  native  of  the 
same  State  and  county  as  her  husband  and  son,  and 
there  resided  until  her  death,  which  occurred  July  12, 
1872. 

Dan.  F.  Peas  was  the  oldest  of  seven  childrent 
four  boys  and  three  girls,  all  of  whom  are  living.  He 
lived  on  the  homestead,  in  Massachusetts,  assisting 
in  the  cultivation  of  the  farm  and  attending  the  com- 
mon schools  until  he  arrived  at  the  age  of  maturity. 

On  arriving  at  man's  estate,  Mr.  Peas  purchased 
a  farm  in  his  native  county,  which  he  successfully 
cultivated  for  about  six  years  and  worked  out  five 
years,  or  until  he  arrived  at  the  age  of  32  years, 
when  he  came  to  this  county.  He  purchased  a  farm 
of  40  acres  in  Malta  Township,  which  he  added  to 
and  sold  from  at  subsequent  purchases  and  sales, 
owning  at  times  some  700  acres  in  the  county.  He 
is  at  present  the  owner  of  80  acres  of  land  in  a  good 
state  of  cultivation. 

In  the  spring  of  1867  Mr.  Peas  moved  to  the  vil- 
lage of  Malta.  He  there  engaged  in  the  general 
mercantile  business,  in  1873,  in  a  store  room  he  had 
previously  purchased.  His  stock  averages  about 
$5,000  and  his  annual  trade  amounts  to  $20,000. 
He  has  also  three  houses  and  lots  in  the  village. 

Mr.  Peas  was  united  in  marriage  Aug.  7,  1860,  to 


<^ 


P; 


Miss  Rachel  Burgess  in  the  village  of  Malta.  She 
was  born  in  Buffalo,  Erie  Co.,  N.  Y.,  May  18,  1836. 
Her  parents  were  natives  of  France  and  emigrated  to 
Canada  Her  father  died  at  Genoa,  this  county, 
in  1873,  and  her  mother  is  still  living,  with  her  son 
at  Genoa. 

Mrs.  Peas  came  to  this  State  with  her  parents 
when  she  was  about  eight  years  of  age,  and  lived 
with  them  in  Genoa  Township,  this  county,  attend- 
ing the  common  schools  and  assisting  in  the  house- 
hold duties,  until  she  attained  the  age  of  maturity. 
She  is  the  mother  of  1 1  children  by  Mr.  Peas,  four  of 
whom  are  deceased.  The  living  are :  Julia,  wife  of 
H.  H.  Morris,  editor  of  the  Rochelle  Herald;  Jennie, 
Frank,  Charles,  Nettie,  Emma  and  Henry.  All  the 
children  received  the  advantages  of  a  good  educa- 
tion and  Henry  is  exceptionally  learned  in  mathe- 
matics. . 

Mr.  Peas  has  been  honored  with  the  offices  of 
Supervisor  and  Collector,  and  has  been  Justice  of 
the  Peace  for  some  years.  Politically,  he  is  a  staunch, 
active  and  energetic  Republican. 


ilbert  A.  Maxfleld,  of  Sycamore,  was  born 
May  17,  1828,  in  Crawford  Co.,  Ohio.  His 
father,  John  Maxfield,  was  born  in   Fair- 
fax, Vt.,  in  1791,  and  removed  to  Crawford  Co., 
Ohio,  where  he  was  married  Nov.  27,  1816,  to 
Anna  Pond,  who  was  also  a  native  of  the  Green 
Mountain  .State. 

He  was  a  pioneer  of  Crawford  County,  where  he 
settled  after  marriage  on  a  tract  of  timbered  land 
which  he  bought  of  the  Government.  With  his  wife 
he  took  possession  of  a  log  house  which  he  built  on 
his  farm  and  entered  with  energy  upon  the  work  of 
clearing  away  the  forest.  In  1837  he  sold  his  prop- 
erty in  the  Buckeye  State,  and,  equipped  with  five 
yokes  of  oxen,  two  wagons,  a  horse  and  carriage  and 
the  household  goods,  the  family  came  to  De  Kalb 
County,  camping  at  night  while  on  their  way  hither. 
On  arrival  Mr.  Maxfield,  senior,  made  a  claim  on 
section  16,  in  town  41,  range  5  east,  which  is  now 
Sycamore  Township.  The  family  lived  in  tents  and 
in  wagons  until  a  log  house  was  built  for  their  ac- 
commodation. The  doors  were  constructed  of  lum- 
ber which  was  purchased  in  Chicago  when  they 


passed  through  that  city.  For  a  number  of  years  the 
nearest  market  and  place  of  supplies  was  Chicago. 
A  large  farm  including  nearly  400  acres  was  placed 
under  excellent  improvements  by  the  father,  on  which 
he  resided  until  a  short  time  previous  to  his  death, 
which  occurred  May  25,  1875.  The  mother  died 
June  27,  1878. 

They  had  five  children,  and  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  is  the  only  one  now  living.  William  Munson, 
the  eldest  son,  was  born  Dec.  5,  1817.  He  accom- 
panied his  parents  to  De  Kalb  County,  and  entered 
a  claim  adjoining  that  of  his  father  on  the  east. 
When  it  came  into  market  in  January,  1843,  they 
went  together  to  Chicago  and  secured  their  Govern- 
ment title.  He  went  back  to  Ohio  in  1846  and  on 
the  6th  of  October  was  married  to  Caroline  Plummer. 
He  returned  to  his.  land  on  which  he  lived  until  he 
improved  the  property  in  a  creditable  manner,  re- 
moving thence  to  Sycamore.  He  died  June  27,  1872, 
in  Odin,  Marion  County,  where  his  widow  now  re- 
sides. He  left  two  children — Lymna  O.  and  Forrest. 
James  M.,  the  second  child,  was  born  in  Ohio  in 
1820  and  died  there  in  1823.  John  Nelson  was  born 
Sept.  5,  1824.  He  was  married  June  i,  1847,  to 
Mary  A.  Crocker,  and  settled  on  the  homestead,  his 
parents  becoming  members  of  his  household.  His 
wife  died  April  22,  1867,  leaving  three  children — 
Carlos  M.,  Frank  A.  and  Mary  V.  He  was  married 
a  second  time  in  Ohio,  to  Rebecca  Hosford  and  they 
had  one  child— Flora  Belle.  He  died  Jan.  23,  1873, 
and  the  widowed  mother  resides  in  Galion,  Ohio. 
Carlos  K.,  youngest  brother  of  Mr.  Maxfield,  was  born 
in  1833  and  died  in  1847. 

The  senior  Maxfield  divided  his  property  in  1854 
between  his  three  children  then  living,  and  after  the 
death  of  his  son,  John  Nelson,  he  lived  with  his  remain- 
ing son  until  his  death.  In  his  political  belief  and  con- 
nection he  was  originally  a  Whig,  and  on  the  expira- 
tion of  the  issues  of  that  element  became  a  member 
of  the  Free-Soil  party  and  later  a  Republican.  The 
first  Abolition  meeting  held  in  this  county  convened 
at  his  home.  The  candidate  of  the  Free-Soil  ele- 
ment for  Representative  in  the  State  Legislature  who 
was  then  in  the  field  received  only  seven  votes  in 
Sycamore. 

Mr.  Maxfield  was  nine  years  of  age  when  he  ac- 
companied his  parents  to  De  Kalb  County,  and  he 
attained  to  man's  estate  on  his  father's  farm,  obtain- 


s 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


ing  such  education  as  he  could  in  the  pioneer  schools. 
Jan.  19,  1850,  in  company  with  two  others,  he  started 
for  California  by  way  of  New  Orleans.  They  crossed 
the  Isthmus  on  the  river  Chagres  in  a  bark  canoe,  up 
the  river  by  boat  to  Cruces,  thence  to  Panama  on 
foot,  and  to  San  Francisco  in  a  sail  vessel  called 
"Glenmore  "  (which  name  he  afterward  gave  to  his 
oldest  son).  He  returned  home  in  the  latter  part  of 
the  winter  of  1851. 

His  marriage  to  S.  Eleanor  Crocker  occurred  Dec. 
14,  1852,  and  they  settled  on  a  portion  of  the  home- 
stead estate.  Five  children  have  been  born  to  them 
— Frederick  G.,  Anna  M.  and  George  G.,  and  two 
who  died  in  infancy.  Mrs.  Maxfield  was  born  July 
21,  1832,  in  the  State  of  New  York. 

The  family  resided  on  the  farm  until  1870,  when 
he  bought  a  residence  at  Sycamore,  whither  he  re- 
moved. He  rents  a  portion  of  his  farm  which  in- 
cludes the  original  claim,  and  the  remainder  is  under 
his  own  control  and  operated  by  hired  assistants. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Maxfield  were  among  the  earliest 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Mr. 
Maxfield,  having  been  a  Republican  since  the  party 
was  organized,  was  one  of  20  who  cast  their  votes  for 
prohibition  in  the  town  of  Sycamore  in  1 884,  out  of 
900  votes  cast.. 


If;  hilip  I.  Cromwell,  M.  D.,  homeopathic 
[|  physician  at  De  Kalb,  was  born  July  12, 
^  1848,  at  Queensbury,  Warren  Co.,  N.  Y. 
His  parents,  James  and  Sarah  C.  (Bradshaw) 
Cromwell,  were  born  in  the  same  State,  where 
the  latter  is  still  resident.  His  father  was  a 
physician  and  practiced  medicine  more  than  40 
years,  dying  at  Lake  George,  N.  Y.,  Dec.  5,  1876. 
Their  children  were  born  in  the  following  order : 
Ellen  B.,  Edward  A.  (killed  in  the  second  battle  of 
Bull  Run),  John  B.,  Philip  I.,  James  J.  and  Mary  E. 
When  Dr.  Cromwell  was  eight  years  of  age  he 
went  to  live  with  an  uncle  in  Otsego  County  in  his 
native  State,  where  he  remained  three  years.  At  the 
end  of  that  time  he  returned  to  his  parents  and 
passed  the  next  five  years  as  an  assistant  on  his 
father's  farm  and  in  attendance  at  school  as  his  health 
L ..  nitted,  unremitted  study  being  inadmissible  from 
a  tendency  to  an  invalid  condition.  At  the  age  of 


1 6  years  he  attended  the  academy  at  Glens  Falls, 
studying  there  about  a  year,  and  going  thence  to  Gil- 
more 's  private  school  at  Ballston  Springs  in  his  native 
State.  His  attendance  there  was  interrupted  at  the 
end  of  two  months  by  the  destruction  of  the  building 
by  fire.  In  the  fall  following  he  entered  the  Medical 
College  at  Albany  and  attended  one  term  of  lectures. 
He  went  to  the  University  of  New  York,  where  he 
gave  his  attention  to  medical  instruction  during  a 
similar  period,  after  which,  his  health  again  becom- 
ing precarious,  he  sought  relaxation  from  mental  la- 
bor and  recuperation  of  physical  powers  in  a  mackerel 
fishing  expedition,  on  which  he  was  absent  some 
weeks.  After  a  few  months  interim  he  again  re- 
sumed attendance  upon  the  lecture  course  at  Albany, 
and  four  months  later  began  his  career  as  a  medical 
practitioner  at  Patten's  Mills,  N.  Y.,  operating  there 
several  months  and  returning  to  Albany  for  his  de- 
gree and  credentials,  which  he  received  in  December, 
1870.  He  obtained  the  appointment  of  resident 
physician  in  the  Albany  City  Dispensary,  in  which 
position  he  officiated  eight  months.  He  went  thence 
to  Salem,  Washington  Co.,  N.  Y.,  where  he  estab- 
lished himself  in  the  practice  of  his  profession.  He 
was  not  satisfied  with  the  location,  and  after  a  trial 
of  four  months  he  proceeded  to  Cleveland,  Oswego 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  where  he  embarked  in  the  twofold  duties 
of  druggist  and  physician.  He  prosecuted  his  busi- 
ness there  until  July,  1873,  when  he  came  to  Chi- 
cago, and  soon  after  to  De  Kalb,  where  he  has  since 
continued  the  career  of  a  practitioner  of  homeopathy 
without  intermission,  and  is  the  only  representative  of 
that  school  of  medicine  at  that  place. 

Dr.  Cromwell  is  a  Republican  in  political  views 
and  connections.  He  belongs  to  Lodge  No.  155,  I. 
O.  O.  F. 

He  was  married  at  Cleveland,  N.  Y.,  Nov.  5, 1874, 
to  Kate,  daughter  of  Christopher  and  Sybil  Halle- 
ghan.  The  latter  was  born  in  Maine,  the  former  in 
Ireland.  Mrs.  Cromwell  was  born  in  Oswego  Co., 
N.  Y.,  in  1854.  Following  is  the  record  of  the  chil- 
dren born  to  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Cromwell :  Edward  G. 
was  born  July  ig,  1876 ;  Harry  D.  was  born  Jan.  15, 
1880;  Clinton  B.,  June  22,  1882;  George  G.,  Aug. 
2,  1884.  A  daughter  died  when  four  months  old. 

As  one  of  the  prominent  and  representative  pro- 
fessional men  of  the  county,  we  give  Dr.  Cromwell's 
portrait  in  this  ALBUM  and  opposite  to  this  sketch. 


: 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


tartin  C.  Dedrick,  farmer  and  general 
stock-raiser,  residing  on  section  n,  Malta 
Township,  was  born  in  Ghent,  Columbia 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  April  26,  1824.  His  father, 
Christian  Dedrick,  was  born  in  the  same  State 
and  on  the  same  farm  as  his  son.  In  fact,  the 
farm  on  which  the  father  and  son  were  born  had 
been  in  possession  of  the  Dedricks  for  three  genera- 
tions. Christian  Dedrick,  the  great-grandfather  of  the 
father  of  our  subject,  pre-empted  it,  and  it  is  at  pres- 
ent in  the  hands  of  Henry  Dedrick,  a  brother  of  our 
subject.  The  family  were  originally  from  Holland. 
The  father  of  Martin  C.  died  on  the  homestead  in 
1833,  at  the  age  of  60  years,  when  Martin  was  14 
years  old.  His  mother,  Hannah  (Bener)  Dedrick, 
was  a  native  of  New  York,  of  Holland  extraction 
and  died  in  her  native  State,  about  1839,  aged  63 
years.  She  was  the  mother  of  four  children,  Martin, 
Henry,  Phillip  and  Eliza.  The  last  two  are  de- 
ceased. Sixteen  years  elapsed  between  the  birth  of 
the  two  oldest  and  the  two  youngest,  and  Martin  C. 
is  the  youngest  of  the  four. 

He  lived  at  home,  assisted  his  father  on  the  farm 
and  attended  the  common  schools  until  the  death 
of  his  father.  At  this  point  in  his  life's  history, 
when  14,  years  of  age,  he  started  on  his  journey 
alone.  He  engaged  with  a  Mr.  Stickles  to  learn  the 
boot  and  shoe  making  trade,  with  whom  he  remained 
for  three  years.  Discovering  fhat  his  health  was 
failing,  he  left  the  shop  and  returned  to  the  home- 
stead, and  he  and  his  brother  worked  the  same  for 
five  years  in  partnership,  at  which  time  Martin  sold 
his  interest  to  his  brother  and  engaged  in  the  grocery 
business  at  Kinderhook.  He  remained  at  the  latter 
place,  successfully  prosecuting  the  business  stated, 
for  12  years. 

In  1857  Mr.  Dedrick  came  to  this  county  and 
purchased  160  acres  of  land,  which  he  has  made  his 
home  until  the  present  time.  After  making  some 
improvements  on  his  land,  in  1860,  Mr.  Dedrick  re- 
turned to  his  native  State  after  his  family  and 
brought  them  to  his  new  home  in  the  West.  He  has 
since  added  80  acres,  by  subsequent  purchase,  to  his 
original  tract,  and  is  now  the  owner  of  240  acres. 
His  farm  is  a  gocd  one,  the  land  being  productive, 


with  no  waste,  and  all  under  a  high  state  of  cultiva- 
tion. He  has  a  fine  and  costly  residence,  and  his 
barn  and  out-buildings  are  emblematical  of  good 
taste  and  prosperity. 

Mr.  Dedrick  is  certainly  one  of  the  representative 
men  of  the  county.  He  is  a  man  of  popularity,  as 
evinced  by  his  constituents  electing  him  for  17  years 
as  their  Supervisor,  in  which  capacity  he  is  at  present 
serving.  He  was  also  Assessor  of  his  township  and 
three  times  assessed  the  same.  In  fact,  every  year 
(except  the  first)  since  1857,  the  year  he  came  to  the 
county,  Mr.  Dedrick  has  held  some  office.  Politically 
he  is  an  active,  energetic  working  Republican. 

May  14,  1849,  Mr.  Dedrick  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Elizabeth  Fowler,  daughter  of  Delaware  and 
Polly  (Head)  Fowler,  natives  of  New  York.  She 
was  born  at  Kinderhook,  Columbia  Co.,  N.  Y.,  March 
24,  1823.  Her  father  followed  the  occupation  of  a 
farmer  and  the  daughter  remained  under  their  care, 
on  the  farm,  assisting  her  mother  in  the  household 
duties  and  attending  the  common  schools  until  her 
marriage.  She  is  the  mother  by  Mr.  Dedrick  of  four 
children,  born  as  follows  :  Freeling  H.,  born  March 
26,  1850,  was  married  Sept.  20,  1882,  to  Miss  Sarah 
Modeland,  and  at  present  resides  at  Glidden,  Carroll 
Co.,  Iowa.  Adelphia,  born  Dec.  25,  1852;  Anna 
Stella,  born  Jan.  29,  1856;  and  Charles  H.,  born 
Oct.  24,  1858. 


£iram  Holcomb,  of  Sycamore  Township, 
and  President  of  the  De  Kalb  County  Ag- 
ricultural Society,  was  born  Oct.  30,  1838, 
in  Newstead,  Erie  Co.,  N.  Y.  George  Holcomb, 
his  father,  was  born  June  8, 1798,  in  Sangerfield, 
Oneida  Co  ,  N.  Y.  Orator  Holcomb,  father  of 
George,  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts  and  married 
Hannah  Terry,,  who  was  born  in  Connecticut.  They 
removed  from  Erie  to  Canandaigua,  Ontario  Co.,  N. 
Y.,  in  1805,  whence  they  went  after  four  years  to  that 
part  of  Genesee  County,  now  included  in  Attica,  Wy- 
oming County.  He  there  bought  a  tract  of  land  in- 
cluded within  the  immense  acreage  sold  by  Robert 
Morris  to  the  Amsterdam  Company  and  known  as 
the  "Holland  Purchase,"  which  comprised  3,500,000 


\\ 


DE  KALB   COUNTY, 


) 


I 


acres  lying  west  of  the  dividing  line  between  the 
States  of  New  York  and  Massachusetts. 

George  Holcomb  passed  the  years  of  his  minority 
there  and  assisted  his  father  in  clearing  a  farm.  In 
1819  he  was  married  to  Beulah  Hosingting,  and  he 
started  out  in  life  as  the  head  of  a  family,  settling  on 
60  acres  of  timber  land  given  him  by  his  father.  A 
house  of  basswood  logs  was  built,  in  which  the  young 
pair  began  their  housekeeping.'  A  few  years  later 
the  place  was  sold,  and  Mr.  Holcomb  moved  to 
Darien,  an  adjoining  town,  where  he  bought  another 
farm,  which  he  sold  three  years  later  and  returned  to 
Attica.  He  bought  a  farm  adjoining  his  father's 
homestead,  whence  he  went  soon  after  to  Orange- 
ville,  making  another  removal  not  long  after  to 
Darien.  He  again  became  a  land-holder  there,  and 
in  1836  his  wife  died.  In  1837  he  was  married  to 
Caroline  A.  Hebbard.  and  they  settled  on  a  farm  in 
Newstead,  Erie  County.  In  1848  they  sold  out 
preparatory  to  removal  to  Illinois,  whither  they  made 
an  overland  journey  from  their  former  home  to  Buf- 
falo, and  there  embarked — team  '  and  all — on  <i 
steamer  for  Chicago,  coming  thence  with  their  team 
to  De  Kalb  County. 

Mr.  Holcomb  bought  80  acres  of  land  on  sections 
34  and  35,  Sycamore  Township,  for  which  they  paid 
$8  an  acre.  There  was  on  it  a  log  house  and  a  straw 
stable.  A  neat  frame  structure  soon  supplied  the 
place  of  the  former,  and  additional  improvements 
'  were  soon  made.  Mr.  Holcomb  continued  to  occupy 
the  place  until  his  death,  in  October,  1878.  His  sec- 
ond wife  died  meanwhile,  and  he  was  again  married 
to  Harriet  Stillwell. 

Hiram  Holcomb  is  the  older  of  two  children  born 
of  the  second  marriage.  He  was  born  in  the  State 
of  New  York,  and  was  10  years  of  age  when  he  came 
to  De  Kalb  County  with  his  parents,  and  there  he 
has  lived  since,  obtaining  a  common-school  educa- 
tion and  a  thorough  knowledge  of  agricultural  pur- 
suits. He  was  married  Feb.  4,  1863,  to  Clara  Ben- 
ton  Dow,  daughter  of  Agrippa  Dow.  He  settled  on 
the  homestead  which  he  owns  and  occupies  with  his 
brother,  Orator  F.  They  own  together  227  acres  of 
land,  which  is  improved  and  comprises  10  acres  of 
timber.  The  farm  contains  double  sets  of  frame 
buildings.  The  brothers  are  engaged  in  raising  stock 
and  in  the  pursuit  of  general  agriculture.  Mr.  Hol- 
comb has  been  a  member  of  the  Agricultural  Society 


since  its  organization,  of  which  he  is  now  the  Presi-  *& 
dent,  and  he  is  a  member  of  the  Farmers'  Alliance,  ^jj 
He  and  his  wife  are  the  parents  of  five  children, —  %  ^ 
George  D.,  Sanford  A.,  Frank  T.,  Arthur  H.  and 
Millie  Florence. 


homas  W.  Dodge,  farmer,  section  10,  Malta 
Township,  was  born  in  Mt.  Holly  Town- 
ship, Rutland  Co.,  Vt,  May  30,  1 838.  His 
father,  Thomas,  Sr.,  was  of  ."  York  State  "  par- 
entage, of  English  extraction,  and  was  born  in 

I  the  province  of  Quebec.  His  parents  left 
Canada  for  Vermont  just  prior  to  the  war  of  1812, 
and  when  the  son  was  but  two  years  of  age.  Thomas, 
Sr.,  came  to  this  county  in  1863,  and  is  at  present 
residing  here,  aged  76  years.  The  mother  of  Thomas 
W.  was  born  in  Townsend,  Mass.,  was  of  New  Eng- 
land parentage,  and  came  to  this  county  with  her 
husband,  Thomas,  Sr.,  in  1863.  She  resided  here 
until  March  22,  1875,  when  death  separated  her  from 
her  loved  ones,  and  67  well  spent  years  marked  the 
period  of  her  earthly  existence.  Together  they  reared 
a  family  of  three  children,  all  of  whom  are  yet  living, 
and  the  elder  of  whom  is  the  subject  of  this  notice. 

Thomas  W.  lived  under  the  parental  roof-tree, 
assisting  the  father  on  the  farm  and  taking  advan- 
tage afforded  by  the  common  schools  of  the  county 
until  he  attained  the  age  of  maturity. 

On  attaining  his  majority,  Mr.  Dodge  engaged  in 
the  occupation  of  teaching,  which  vocation  he  fol- 
lowed, with  no  small  degree  of  success,  in  the  com- 
mon schoolsof  his  native  county  until  1867.  During 
the  summer  of  that  year  he  came  to  De  Kalb,  this 
county,  and  the  following  year  moved  to  Malta 
Township.  He  purchased  160  acres  of  partly  im- 
proved land,  situated  on  section  10,  that  township, 
and  at  once  entered  on  the  laborious  task  of  improv- 
ing the  same.  How  well  his  energetic  labors  have 
succeeded  is  observable  in  the  fine  condition  of  his 
farm  to-day.  The  entire  tract  is  in  a  good  state  of 
cultivation,  and  the  farm  .is  well  supplied  with  all 
necessary  farm  buildings,  including  a  small  but  com- 
fortable residence. 

Mr.  Dodge  was  united  in  marriage  July  i,  1867, 
in  Windham  Co.,  Vt.,  to  Miss  Eugenia  Upham, 
daughter  of  Gardner  and  Eunice  (Emory)  Upham, 
natives  of  New  England,  of  English  extraction,  and 


: 


'• 


date  the  origin  of  their  family  in  the  United  States  to 
the  early  English  settlements  in  Massachusetts.  Her 
father  follows  the  vocation  of  a  farmer,  and  still  re- 
sides in  Windham  Co.,  Vt,  having  attained  the  ven- 
erable age  of  87  years.  Her  mother  died  in  the  lat- 
ter county  in  1848,  while  in  her  46th  year. 

Mrs.  Dodge  was  born  March  4, 1843,  and  remained 
at  her  father's  home,  attending  the  common  schools 
of  her  native  county,  until  her  marriage.  Prior  to 
the  latter  event  she  engaged  in  teaching,  which  voca- 
tion she  began  when  15  years  of  age,  and  a  number 
of  years  (until  her  marriage)  followed  with  success. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dodge  are  the  parents  of  five  chil- 
dren, namely:  James  W.,  born  July  25,  1868;  Ma- 
bel E.,  born  May  i,  1871 ;  Arthur  U.,  born  Aug.  3, 
1875  ;  Edmond  Roy,  born  Dec.  29,  1878,  and  Nellie 
E.,  born  April  10,  1881.  The  family  attend  the 
Congregational  Church,  of  which  Mrs.  Dodge  is  a 
member.  Politically,  Mr.  Dodge  affiliates  with  the 
Republican  party,  and  has  held  some  of  the  minor 
offices  of  his  township. 


l"acob  Siglin,  farmer,  section  15,  Sycamore 
Township,  was  born  in  Chestnut  Hill, 
Northampton  (now  Monroe)  Co.,  Pa.,  July 
19,  1810,  and  is  the  son  of  Jacob  and  Susan 
(Singer)  Siglin.  His  father  was  born  in  New 
Jersey,  and  settled  in  Pennsylvania  with  his 
parents  when  he  was  young.  His  mother  was  also 
a  native  of  the  same  State. 

Mr.  Siglin  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm,  and 
lived  in  his  native  town  until  his  marriage  in  March, 
1832,  to  Hannah  J.  Setzer.  She  was  born  in  Ham- 
ilton Township,  then  Northampton  County.  Her 
great-grandfather  was  born  in  Germany,  and  his 
wife  was  a  native  of  Paris,  France.  Both  her  grand- 
sires  were  soldiers  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 

After  their  marriage,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Siglin  settled 
on  a  farm  he  owned  at  Chestnut  Hill,  which  he  had 
previously  purchased,  and  on  which  they  resided  un- 
til 1853,  when  Mr.  Siglin  sold  out  and  came  to  De 
Kalb  County.  He  bought  a  farm  on  section  15,  Syc- 
amore Township,  of  which  75  acres  was  broken  to  the 
plow,  and  the  place  was  provided  with  a  small  log 
house.  It  now  contains  216  acres  fenced  and  mostly 
improved,  and  he  has  erected  good  frame  buildings 
and  set  out  orchards  of  apples  and  small  fruits. 

^yvV_PT^/-g 

^Jj^f- 


They  have  ten  children.  Rachel  married  Thomas 
Marshall,  of  Sycamore  Township.  Mary  is  the  wife 
of  Royal  Wright  and  lives  in  Floyd  Co.,  Iowa.  Jacob 
is  a  practicing  attorney  at  Marshfield,  State  of  Ore- 
gon, and  is  serving  his  second  term  as  a  Senator  of 
that  State.  Susan  is  the  wife  of  Albert  Olmstead, 
and  lives  in  Genoa  Township,  De  Kalb  County. 
Joshua  married  Delia  Dean  and  lives  at  Sycamore. 
Isaiah  married  Sarah  Scott  and  resides  in  Crawford 
Co.,  Iowa.  Taylor  is  in  the  employ  of  the  Govern- 
ment in  Oregon.  Michael  married  Lottie  Lawrence 
and  lives  in  Dallas  Co.,  Iowa.  Jennie  is  the  wife  of 
Harvey  Barlow,  of  Dallas  Co.,  Iowa,  and  Ellen  mar- 
ried William  Whipple,  of  Sycamore. 


armon  Paine,  a  citizen  of  Sycamore,  was 
born  July  25,  1822,  in  the  town  of  German 
Flats,  Herkimer  Co.,  N.  Y.  His  father, 
Chester  Paine,  was  born  Aug.  21,  1792,  in  Con- 
necticut, and  when  in  infancy  was  taken  by  his 
parents  to  the  State  of  New  York,  the  removal 
being  accomplished  by  means  of  ox  teams.  Chester 
Paine  grew  to  manhood  in  Herkimer  County  and 
married  Angelina  Vedder,  who  was  born  in  the  Em- 
pire State,  Jan.  16,  1786.  After  their  union  they  lo- 
cated on  a  farm  in  German  Flats,  where  they  were 
the  first  cheese-makers.  Angeline  (Vedder)  Paine 
died  Sept.  5,  1822,  and  Chester  Paine  Sept.  10,  1850. 
Harmon,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  brought 
up  on  his  father's  farm,  and  was  married  Jan.  13, 
1842,  in  Springfield,  Otsego  Co.,  N.  Y.,  to  Clarinda 
Van  Home,  a  native  of  that  place,  born  Feb.  26, 
1824.  After  a  residence  of  a  year's  duration  at  Ger- 
man Flats,  they  bought  a  farm  near  Stone  Mills,  Jef- 
ferson Co.,  N.  Y.,  which  they  sold  after  three  years 
and  went  back  to  the  home  of  their  early  married 
life,  where  they  settled  on  the  homestead  and  lived 
until  1855.  In  that  year  the  family  removed  to  Syc- 
amore, and  Mr.  Paine  bought  the  Wyoming  House, 
which  was  built  by  Marshall  Stark,  on  the  present 
site  of  the  Ward  House.  This  was  conducted  as 
"  Paine's  Hotel  "  14  years,  when  the  proprietor  sold 
out,  and,  in  company  with  E.  F.  Dutton,  he  engaged 
in  agricultural  pursuits,  in  which  he  has  since  contin- 
ued, though  he  has  remained  a  resident  of  Sycamore. 
He  has  also  trafficked  in  farm  produce.  During  the 


J 


war  he  was  occupied  in  buying  horses  for  the  United 
States  Government.  In  1876  he  bought  the  site  for 
his  residence  in  Sycamore. 

Following  is  the  record  of  the  children  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Paine:  Julia  A.  was  born  Jan.  29,  1843,  and 
died  March  20  following.  Rosa  A.  is  the  wife  of  E. 
F.  Button  (see  sketch).  William  B.  was  born  Aug. 
29,  1847,  at  Orleans,  Jefferson  Co.,  N.  Y.  He  mar- 
ried Sadie  Ellwood  and  resides  at  Sycamore.  Ida 
D.  was  born  at  German  Flats,  May  i,  1850,  and  is 
the  wife  of  Edward  Boynton,  of  Sycamore. 


shn  Henaughan,  farmer,  section  20,  Pierce 
Township,  is  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of 
De  Kalb  County.  He  was  born  in  June, 
1828,  in  County  Mayo,  Ireland.  He  was 
brought  up  on  the  farm  where  his  parents 
lived  and  was  sent  to  the  subscription  school, 
His  parents,  Malachi  and  Mary  (Gibbons)  Henaug- 
han, were  both  natives  of  County  Mayo,  and  in  1849 
the  family  sailed  from  Ireland  for  America.  After  a 
sailing  voyage  of  seven  weeks  and  four  days,  they 
landed  at  New  Orleans,  and  proceeded  thence  up  the 
Mississippi  to  the  Illinois  River,  by  which  they  came 
to  Peru  in  La  Salle  County,  and  from  there  on  the 
canal  to  Ottawa.  His  father  came  with  a  part  of  the 
family  to  De  Kalb  County,  making  the  journey  with  a 
team.  The  family  of  Michael  Walsh,  who  were 
friends  and  neighbors  in  the  "  Green  Isle,"  had  lo- 
cated a  home  in  the  township  of  Pierce,  and  thither 
they  made  their  way.  A  purchase  of  160  acres  of 
land  on  section  19  was  made,  and  the  necessary  steps 
taken  to  secure  the  claim  from  the  Government. 

Mr.  Henaughan,  of  this  sketch,  had  obtained  a  job 
in  Ottawa,  where  he  passed  two  months  before  join- 
ing the  family  of  his  father  in  their  new  home.  The 
latter,  with  the  aid  of  his  sons,  improved  a  home- 
stead. They  lived  at  first  in  a  rude,  hastily  con- 
structed shanty,  which  they  occupied  a  year,  and 
afterward  erected  a  more  comfortable  shelter.  The 
first  year  the  father  broke  ten  acres  of  prairie  and 
sowed  it  the  next  year  to  wheat.  The  yield  was 
about  30  bushels  to  the  acre.  In  the  year  following 
a  much  larger  acreage  was  sown,  and  the  surplus 
!  marketed  at  St.  Charles.  The  parents  lived  on  this 

(J5\V2G5£jL 


place  until  death.  That  of  the  father  occurred 
Dec.  31,  1875,  when  he  was  88  years  of  age.  The 
death  of  the  mother  took  place  in  July,  1879,  at 
which  time  she  was  79  years  of  age. 

Mr.  Henaughan  was  nlarried  Nov.  26,  1853,  to 
Mary,  daughter  of  Michael  and  Ellen  (Philbien) 
Walsh,  and  they  lived  with  his  parents  until  1858, 
when  he  settled  on  his  farm  on  section  20,  now  well 
tilled  and  valuable  from  the  skill  and  good  judg- 
ment exercised  in  its  management.  The  buildings 
are  of  a  good  type,  and  the  place  has  a  good  orchard, 
including  small  fruits  of  several  varieties.  The  pro- 
prietor is  interested  in  the  production  of  both  grain 
and  stock.  The  family  includes  n  living  children, — 
Malachi  L.,  Michael  J.,  Stephen  M.,  Patrick  J.,  El- 
len A.,  Mary  A.,  John,  Thomas,  Mark,  Bridget  and 
James.  The  first-born  son  is  married  and  lives  in 
Greene  Co.,  Iowa.  Michael  is  a  merchant  at  De  Kalb. 
The  family  belong  to  the  Roman  Catholic  Church. 

Mr.  Henaughan  is  a  leading  agriculturist  and  a 
prominent  citizen  of  his  township.  He  has  been  a 
School  Director  nearly  25  years,  and  has  served  as 
Assessor  and  Road  Commissioner.  In  1878  he  re- 
turned to  Ireland  to  rest  his  eyes  once  more  on  the 
place  of  his  nativity  and  to  renew  friendly  ties  with 
those  to  whom  he  is  allied  by  association  and  con- 
sanguinity. 


John  H.  Luther,  a  citizen  of  Syc- 
amore, was  born  Dec.  16,  1825,  at  Somer- 
set, Bristol  Co.,  Mass.,  and  is  the  son  of 
Wheaton  and  Mary  A.  (Hood)  Luther.  His 
parents  were  born  in  Massachusetts,  and  in 
the  paternal  line  he  is  a  descendant  from  two 
ancestors  named  Luther,  who  came  from  Germany 
to  America  in  the  i7th  century.  His  grandfather 
Luther  was  born  in  Swansea,  Mass.,  and  was  a  Revo- 
lutionary soldier,  and  during  the  closing  years  of  his 
life  drew  a  pension.  His  mother's  father  was  a  sol- 
dier in  the  War  of  1812,  and  an  officer.  Wheaton 
Luther,  then  but  15  years  of  age,  was  aid  on  his  staff, 
and  later  married  his  daughter.  His  wife  is  still  liv- 
ing and  receives  a  pension. 

Captain  Luther  was  brought  up  in  his  native  town, 
and  passed  his  earlier  years  on  the  farm  and  in  at- 
tendance at  the  public  schools.  He  became  a  sailor , 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


before  the  mast  when  he  was  17  years  of  age,  but  he 
soon  worked  his  way  up  the  scale  of  promotion  and 
eventually  became  master  of  a  sailing  vessel,  and 
was  in  the  merchant  service  until  1870,  engaged  in 
the  South  American  and  European  trade. 

On  leaving  his  maritime  calling,  Captain  Luther 
came  to  Sycamore  and  bought  an  interest  in  the  flax- 
mill  with  Mr.  Loomis.  He  was  married  Oct.  16, 
1856,  to  Josephine,  daughter  of  Daniel  A.  and  Abby 
E.  (Windsor)  Brown.  She  was  born  in  Providence, 
R.  I.,  of  which  State  the  preceding  generations  of  her 
family  were  natives  and  were  of  English  descent, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Luther  have  three  children, — Amy 
rioward,  John  H.,  Jr.,  and  Mary  A. 


rederick  Love,  deceased,  was  one  of  the 
pioneer  settlers  of  this  county,  and  was 
born  Oct.  18,  1793,  in  New  York  State. 
The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Jane  De- 
Mott,  and  after  marriage,  which  occurred 
March  7,  1813,  they  settled  in  Chautauqua 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  where  they  resided  until  1833.  During 
that  year  they  moved  to  this  State  and  located  in 
Kane  County.  In  1835  they  pushed  further  West 
and  located  on  section  6,  now  known  as  De  Kalb 
Township,  this  county.  After  the  land  was  surveyed 
and  was  offered  to  settlers,  he  entered  it  and  at  once 
commenced  vigorously  the  laborious  task  of  improv- 
ing it.  He  lived  on  this  land  until  1862.  In  1853 
he  made  an  overland  journey  to  California,  to  visit  a 
son.  He  returned  via  the  Isthmus,  after  an  absence 
of  about  a  year.  In  1862  he  again  attempted  to 
cross  the  plains,  but  turned  back  after  he  had  crossed 
the  Missouri  River.  He  then  moved  to  De  Kalb. 
He  was  a  man  of  considerable  attainment,  for  that 
age,  being  kind  and  generous,  and  popular  among 
his  fellow  men.  He  held  various  offices  of  trust  and 
was  the  first  Superintendent  of  Schools  in  De  Kalb 
County.  His  death  occurred  at  De  Kalb  about  June, 
1874.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  nine 
children,  only  two  of  whom  survive,  namely:  Lewis, 
a  resident  of  Portland,  Oregon  ;  and  Melinda,  wife  of 
F.  P.  Wright,  who  lives  in  East  Pierre,  Dak. 

Frederick    Love,   son   of  Frederick,  Sr.,  and   Jane 

(DeMott)  Love,  was  born  in  Chautauqua  Co.,  N.  Y., 

Nov.  n,  1827,  and  was  in  his  eighth  year  when  his 

irents  moved  to  this  State.     He  grew  to  manhood 


in  De  Kalb  Township,  working  on  the  farm  and  at- 
tending the  common  schools.  He  was  married 
March  31,  1853,  to  Alice  C.,  daughter  of  David  and 
Sarah  (Chapin)  West,  pioneers  of  De  Kalb  County. 
He  purchased  80  acres  of  land  on  section  7,  Cort- 
land  Township,  built  good  frame  buildings,  planted 
fruit,  shade  and  ornamental  trees  thereon  and  en- 
tered on  the  task  of  cultivating  the  land.  He  was 
industrious,  a  good  manager  and  soon  added  to  his 
landed  possessions,  and  in  1862  purchased  the  old 
homestead  of  his  father  in  De  Kalb  Township,  on 
which  he  moved  his  family.  He  continued  to  operate 
both  farms  until  the  date  of  his  death,  March  15, 
1865.  He-and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  seven 
children,  five  of  whom,  two  sons  and  three  daughters, 
survive.  They  are  all  married  except  the  youngest 
son,  and  living  in  comfortable  homes  of  their  own. 
Their  names  are  Lewis  D.;  Carrie  E.,  wife  of  Robert 
Whittaker,  resident  of  Cortland  Township;  Sarah  J., 
wife  of  M.  D.  Barber,  resident  of  Cortland  Township; 
Alice  M.,  wife  of  George  E.  Robinson,  resident  of 
Cortland  Township;  and  Frederick  C. 

Lewis  D.,  the  eldest  son,  was  born  July  7,  1855. 
He  received  his  early  education  in  the  schools  of  De 
Kalb  and  matriculated  at  Gem  City  College,  Quincy, 
111.  After  completing  his  studies  at  the  latter  place 
he  returned  home  and  assumed  the  management  of 
the  homestead  farm,  on  which  he  is  at  present  re- 
siding. He  was  married  June  31,  1877,  to  Miss 
Minnie  I.,  daughter  of  Sylvester  and  Elizabeth 
(Badger)  Taylor.  She  was  born  in  De  Kalb  Town- 
ship, Nov.  16,  1858.  They  are  the  parents  of  three 
children.  Frederick  D.,  Zuella  A.  and  Marion  Joy. 
The  youngest  son,  Frederick,  matriculated  at  Hills- 
dale  College,  Mich.,  and  is  at  present  a  teacher  in 
the  schools  at  De  Kalb. 


ames   C.    Fulkerson,  of    Sycamore,  was 
born  in  the  township  of  Greenwood,  Craw- 
ford Co.,  Pa.,  July  30,  1822.     His   father, 
Cornelius  Fulkerson,  was  born  in  New  Jersey, 
and  married  Annie  Custard,  who  was  a  native 
of  Pennsylvania.     They   removed  during   the 
infancy  of  their  son,    to   Chautauqua   Co.,    N.    Y., 
where  the  father  bought  timber  land   in  the  town  of 
Busti.     He  improved  a  farm  there  and  died  in  1836. 
James  C.    is  the  oldest  of  six  children,  and  after 

£HH3>A^ **^ »f*§§^ 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


68 1 


he  decease  of  his  father  he  spent  some  years  in  aid- 
ing in  the  support  of  the  family.  He  operated  as  a 
farm  assistant  and  worked  the  first  year  at  $4  per 
month.  The  second  year  he  obtained  an  advance  of 
$2  on  his  monthly  wages.  Between  the  ages  of  16 
and  20  years  he  worked  for  a  man  named  Eliakim 
Garfield,  engaged  in  farming  and  lumbering.  The. 
year  before  he  was  21  he  went  with  his  mother  on 
a  visit  to  Crawford  Co.,  Pa.,  and  after  a  brief  stay 
returned  to  "  York  "  State.  In  the  winter  following 
he  went  to  Crawford  Co.,  on  foot,  and  engaged  as  a 
laborer  on  his  uncle's  farm.  He  was  married  (here, 
Jan  23,  1845,  to  Olive  E.  Moyers,  a  native  of  that 
county.  In  February,  1846,  he  went  to  the  State  of 
New  York,  where  he  was  engaged  for  a  month  in 
lumbering  and  rafting,  arid  when  the  river  opened 
he  -went  with  a  raft  down  the  Allegheny  River  to 
Pittsburg,  and  thence  to  Cincinnati.  He  went  from 
there  to  the  Mississippi  on  a  steamer  and  then  up 
that  river  to  Galena.  At  that  place,  in  company 
with  five  others,  he  went  by  hired  conveyance  to 
Freeport.  He  set  out  thence  to  walk  to  Belvidere, 
but  his  feet  became  sore,  and  after  he  had  walked 
12  miles  he  took  the  stage.  The  coach  was  full, 
and  he  was  obliged  to  take  an  outside  seat,  which 
was  far  from  pleasant,  as  the  day  was  rainy.  Three 
miles  out  from  Rockford  the  stage  became  fast  in  a 
slough,  an  incident  which  characterized  every  journey 
in  the  early  days  of  Illinois.  But  a  "  breaking  "  team 
was  at  hand,  and  the  difficulty  overcome.  Belvidere 
was  reached,  and  there  the  traveler  spent  the  night, 
setting  out  on  foot  the  following  morning  for  Genoa, 
in  De  Kalb  County.  Reaching  Deer  Creek,  he  found 
the  water  high  and  no  bridge  available.  He 
took  off  his  clothes,  strapped  them  on  his  shoulders 
and  swam  across.  He  stayed  a  few  days  with  some 
friends  in  Genoa,  and  proceeded  to  Burlington,  Kane 
County,  where  he  remained  until  July,  when  he  re- 
turned to  Pennsylvania,  by  way  of  Chicago  and  the 
lakes  to  Cleveland.  He  started  to  go  from  there  to 
his  home  on  foot, — a  distance  of  90  miles.  At  the 
close  of  the  first  day  he  was  seized  with  ague  and 
hired  a  man  to  take  him  home.  In  the  spring  of 
1847  he  started  with  his  family  for  Kane  County, 
driving  the  entire  distance  with  a  span  of  horses  and 
a  covered  wagon.  On  the  23d  of  May  they  arrived 
in  Burlington,  where  Mr.  Fulkerson  rented  a  piece  of 
land  and  raised  a  good  crop  of  corn.  In  the  spring 
:o  De  Kalb  County  and  rented 


land  in  Kingston  Township,  which  method  of  opera- 
tion he  continued  until  1857,  when  he  bought  80 
acres  of  unimproved  land  on  section  4,  in  the  town- 
ship of  Mayfield.  He  at  once  erected  a  frame 
house  and  proceeded  lo  reclaim  his  land,  and  in  the 
course  of  a  few  years  he  had  the  entire  place  im- 
proved and  well  supplied  with  necessary  farm  build- 
ings. In  1859  he  drove  through  to  Pike's  Peak,  and 
after  spending  two  months  there  in  the  mines  he  re- 
turned home.  He  went  back  in  1860  and  returned 
to  his  farm  in  De  Kalb  County  in  1861.  In  1869  he 
rented  his  farm  and  removed  to  Sycamore,  where  he 
bought  two  lots  and  a  residence.  To  the  latter  he 
has  made  additions,  and  has  built  another  dwelling 
on  his  land.  After  settling  at  Sycamore  he  engaged 
in  the  lumber  business  with  James  Harrington,  in 
which  he  was  engaged  five  years.  After  that  he  was 
employed  by  the  Marsh  Harvester  Company  as  an 
expert  in  machinery. 

Four  children  are  living:  Ann  E.  is  the  wife  of 
Wenlworth  Sivwright.  Sophia  married  John  W.  Os- 
terbout,  of  Johnson  Co.,  Neb.  David  E.  lives  in 
Chicago.  George  P.  resides  at  Sycamore.  James 
Harvey,  oldest  child,  died  in  1872,  aged  22  years. 


athew  Nisbet,  deceased,  was  a  pioneer  of 
Paw  Paw  Township  of  1841.     He   was 
born  in  Glasgow,  Scotland,  April  i,  1820, 
\  and  was  the  son  of  William  and   Isabella 
(Drew)  Nisbet.     He  emigrated  from  Scotland 
to  America  in  1840  and  made  his  home  near 
London,  Canada  West. 

In  1841  he  came  to  Paw  Paw  Township,  De  Kalb 
Co.,  111.,  on  foot  from  Chicago,  searching  for  a  site  for 
a  home.  In  passing  through  this  township  he  was 
delighted  by  the  beautiful  appearance  of  the  country 
about  Ross  Grove ,  but  he  continued  on  farther  west, 
crossed  the  Mississippi  into  Iowa,  and  traveled  sev- 
eral weeks.  Not  finding  anything  to  suit  him  better, 
he  returned  to  Ross  Grove  and  made  a  claim  at  the 
south  side  of  the  Grove  on  section  22,  taking  up  160 
acres  of  land,  which  he  entered  at  Government  price. 
He  continued  to  occupy  the  home  of  his  choice  to 
the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  March  23, 
1874.  He  had  increased  his  acreage  to  360  acres. 
He  was  married  at  Ross  Grove,  111.,  May  3,  1847, 

mmn&^ — ^»^ -*«§«@. 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


9 


to  Agnes  Harper,  daughter  of  James  and  Elizabeth 
(Black)  Harper.  Mrs.  Nisbet  was  born  in  the  town 
of  Argyle,  Washington  Co,  N.  Y.,  May  3,  1825,  and 
came  to  Illinois  in  September,  1845.  Six  children 
were  born  of  their  union, — three  boys  and  three 
girls:  Elizabeth,  born  Feb  3,  1848,  is  the  wife  of 
James  Harper  (son  of  Robert  Harper),  residing  in 
Paw  Paw  Township;  Isabella,  born  March  r,  1849, 
is  the  wife  of  William  Hyde,  and  is  living  in  Taylor 
Co.,  Iowa;  William,  bora  Jan.  28,  1851,  married 
Lillian  Laport  and  lives  in  Paw  Paw  Township ; 
James,  born  Oct.  28,  1853,  married  Lemira  Bartlett, 
and  is  also  a  resident  of  Paw  Paw  Township  ;  Mary, 
bom  Nov.  28,  1855,  is  the  wife  of  Charles  V.  Wed- 
dell,  of  Paw  Paw  Township;  Lawrence,  born  Sept. 
14,  1860,  single,  is  living  at  home. 

Mr.  Nisbet  was  a  man  of  upright  principles,  arid 
held  in  high  esteem  by  a  wide  circle  of  acquaintances. 
Although  not  a  member  of  any  Church,  he  was  a  fre- 
quent attendant  at  the  United  Presbyterian  Church 
of  Ross  Grove.  He  was  one  of  the  most  liberal 
contributors  toward  the  building  of  that  church,  and 
subsequently  a  generous  supporter  of  it. 

His  estimable  wife  survives  him,  and  with  her 
youngest  son  occupies  the  old  homestead,  of  200 
acres.  She  is  a  consistent  Christian  and  at  present 
a  member  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Freeland. 


•> 


ease  Alden,  of  Sycamore,  was  born  March 
-  2,  1821,  in  Lyme,  Grafton  Co.,  N.  H.,  and 
is  the  son  of  Ezra  and  Clarissa  (Beal)  Al- 
f  den.  He  is  a  descendant  from  the  first  Al- 
denswho  came  to  the  New  World,  whose  unique 
courtship  has  handed  their  names  down  to 
posterity,  and  is  in  the  seventh  generation  from  the 
John  who  told  his  story  to  Priscilla  in  behalf  of 
another  man.  He  lived  in  Lyme  until  the  years  of 
his  minority  were  passed,  and  at  21  he  went  to 
Natick,  Mass.  He  there  obtained  employment  in 
the  shoe  factory  of  the  Hon.  Henry  Wilson.  He 
continued  there  three  years,  when  impaired  health 
compelled  his  return  to  his  native  place.  He  lived 
at  Lyme  until  1855,  when  he  came  West  and  located 
\  De  Kalb  County,  buying  a  farm  on  sections  i  and 
2,  in  De  Kalb  Township.  He  greatly  improved  the 


'imothy  Solon,  general  farmer,  section  13^ 
Malta  Township,  was  born  May  15,  1822, 
in  County  Mayo,  Ireland.  He  is  of  un- 
xed  Irish  blood  and  descent,  his  parents, 
Patrick  and  Sarah  (Craby)  Solon,  having  been 
born  of  Celtic  parentage  in  the  same  country. 
They  died  in  County  Mayo,  where  they  passed  their 
entire  lives. 

Mr.  Solon  passed  his  entire  minority  in  his  native 
county  and  was  married  there  Feb.  7,  1848,  to  Mary 
Welch.  She  was  born  in  County  Mayo  in  1823,  and  is 
the  daughter  of  Martin  and  Mary  (Kelley)  Welch, 
both  of  whom  have  been  some  years  deceased.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Solon  nine  children  have  been  born, 
five  of  whom  are  no  longer  living :  John  S.,  Anna, 
William  and  Ella,  are  the  names  of  the  children  yet 
surviving.  Michael,  Mary,  Thomas,  Sarah  and  Jane 
are  deceased. 

Mr.  Solon  was  25  years  of  age  when  he  became 
the  head  of  a  family,  and  soon  after  the  incident  of 
his  marriage  he  set  out  with  his  wife  to  seek  a  home 
in  what  was  to  him  the  land  of»promise.  Proceeding 
from  New  York,  the  port  of  landing,  they  first  located 
in  Herkimer  Co.,  N.  Y.,  where  they  continued  four 
years.  They  came  thence  to  Elgin,  111.,  where  they 
were  some  time  residents,  while  Mr.  Solon  operated 


place  and  resided  upon  it  until  1862.  In  that  year 
he  sold  it  and  removed  to  the  village  of  Sycamore, 
where  he  embarked  in  the  provision  business,  and 
was  occupied  in  its  relations  three  years.  Mean- 
while he  bought  a  farm  in  Mayfield  Township,  and 
superintended  its  management.  In  1875  he  bought 
the  farm  he  now  occupies,  situated  on  section  31, 
Sycamore  Township.  It  contains  no  acres  of  land, 
and  is  situated  adjoining  the  city.  It  is  well  im- 
proved, and  the  buildings  are  of  an  excellent  class. 
He  was  married  Sept.  12,  1847,  to  Mary  E.  Dur- 
kee,  who  vvas  born  in  Hanover,  N.  H.,  Sept.  12, 
1826.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Alden  have  three  children: 
Clara  E.  is  the  wife  of  John  F.  Tudor,  of  Sycamore  ;  * 
Flora  R.  married  John  A.  Rankin,  a  lawyer  of 
Girard,  Kan.  Mary  H.  is  a  teacher  in  the  High 
School  at  Sycamore.  She  is  a  graduate  from  the 
Normal  School  at  Oswego,  N.  Y.,  and  has  been  a 
teacher  in  California. 


-  ,, - 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


i 


as  a  section  man  on  the  line  of  the  Northwestern 
Railroad.  Two  years  later  he  accepted  the  position 
of  foreman  of  a  construction  corps  on  the  main  line 
owned  by  the  Northwestern  corporation,  his  route  ex- 
tending from  "  Turner's  "  to  Rochelle,  a  distance  of 
46  miles.  He  acted  as  section  foreman  between  De 
Kalb  and  Creston  from  the  completion  of  the  road  in 
1854  to  1873.  Meanwhile,  in  1864,  he  purchased 
1 60  acres  of  land  near  Malta,  which  he  rented  to 
others  until  1872,  in  which  year  he  settled  with  his 
family  on  the  place.  Since  1874  he  has  devoted  his 
time  exclusively  to  agriculture,  and  his  improved 
farm  is  a  testimony  to  the  quality  of  the  effort  and 
judgment  he  has  exercised.  In  political  views  Mr. 
Solon  is  a  Democrat. 


ulius  Chapman,  farmer  and  miller,  resident 
in  the  township  of  Kingston,  was  born  Nov. 
23,  1812,  in  Morgan,  Ashtabula  Co.,  Ohio. 

He-  passed  the  first  23  years  of  his  life  in  his 
ative  town,  obtaining  as  good  an  education  as 

was  possible  in  those  days.  He  came  in 
March,  1837,10  De  Kalb  County,  which  was  then 
included  in  Kane  County  for  municipal  purposes. 
He  had  learned  the  trade  of  carpenter  in  Ohio,  and 
during  the  first  10  years  which  he  spent  in  Illinois 
he  followed  that  branch  of  business.  He  entered  a 
claim  of  40  acres  of  land  in  what  is  now  the  town- 
ship of  Genoa,  in  1841,  which  he  afterwards  sold. 
About  1843,  in  the  year  in  which  the  land  came  into 
market,  he  obtained  a  claim  of  240  acres  of  land  on 
sections  14  and  15,  Kingston  Township,  which  is 
still  in  his  possession.  He  has  added  to  his  estate 
until  he  now  owns  1,400  acres  in  De  Kalb  County, 
nearly  all  of  which  is  under  improvement.  He  set- 
tled upon  section  14  in  the  spring  of  1844,  and  en- 
entered  with  vigor  into  the  work  of  improving  his 
property  and  adding  to  his  estate,  and  operated  from 
that  point  until  1877,  when  he  removed  to  the  village 
of  Kingston,  where  the  family  resided  one  year. 
They  returned  in  1878  to  the  farm  and  resumed 
united  associations  and  their  accustomed  avenues  of 
employment,  in  which  they  continued  two  years.  At 
the  end  of  that  time  they  went  to  Kingston  village 
for  a  permanent  residence. 

In  the  summer  of  1876   Mr.  Chapman  erected  a 


grist-mill  in  the  vicinity  of  his  residence,  and  he  has 
since  been  engaged  mostly  in  its  management.  He 
has  also  built  a  grist-mill,  at  a  cost  of  $10,000,  at 
Millbank,  Grant  Co.,  Dak.  In  1881  he  constructed 
a  business  block  of  brick,  which  is  located  near  the 
center  of  the  village,  and  is  a  credit  alike  to  the 
place  and  to  the  enterprise  of  the  builder.  In  1880 
he  built  the  cheese  factory  near  the  limits  of  Kings- 
ton, which  is  at  present  under  the  management  of  a 
company  in  Elgin,  111.  He  also  constructed  the 
wooden  bridge  over  the  creek  near  his  home. 

Caleb  Chapman,  his  father,  was  a  native  of  Win- 
sted,  Conn.,  where  the  wife  and  mother,  Deborah 
(Knowlton),  was  also  born.  They  settled  in  Ohio 
after  their  marriage,  where  the  father  died,  in  January, 
1875.  The  mother  died  in  January,  1885.  The 
son,  who  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  is  the  oldest  of 
12  children. 

He  was  married  Sept.  14,  r843,  m  tne  township  of 
Genoa,  to  Sarah, 'daughter  of  Henry  and  Jane  (Wa- 
ger) Durham.  Her  parents  were  natives  of  Dela- 
ware Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  they  settled  in  the  township  of 
Genoa  in  1838.  Her  father  died  there  Feb.  12, 1855. 
and  her  mother's  demise  followed  Nov.  4,  of  the 
same  year.  They  had  10  children,  of  whom  Mrs- 
Chapman  is  the  second,  and  is  the  oldest  daughter. 
She  was  born  March  5,  1823,  and  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  De  Kalb  County  since  her  15 th  year. 

Mr.  Chapman  is  a  Democrat  in  political  princi- 
ple. He  has  officiated  eight  years  as  Justice  of  the 
Peace,  two  years  as  Assessor,  and  held  other  local 
offices. 

The  lithographic  likeness  of  Mr.  Chapman,  on  a 
page  just  preceding,  is  considered  an  essential  addi- 
tion to  the  collection  of  portraits  of  representative 
men  of  De  Kalb  County. 


I  eorge  H.  Gurler,  son  of  Benjamin  (see 
sketch)  and  Harriet  (Hopkins)  Gurler,  is  a 
manager  of  a  creamery,  and  resides  in  the  f 
village  of  De  Kalb.  He  was  born  in  Chester- 
field, Cheshire  Co.,  N.  H.,  March  29,  r84S, 
and  was  12  years  of  age  when  his  parents 
emigrated  with  the  family  to  the  West,  locating  in 
this  county.  Here  he  grew  up  to  manhood,  working 
upon  his  father's  farm  and  attending  school. 

In  February,  1865,  he  enlisted  in  the  cause  of  the 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


; 


Government  of  his  country,  in  Co.  H,  I5th  111.  Vol. 
Inf.,  and  went  to  Morehead  City,  N.  C.,  under  Gen. 
Sherman's  command;  thence  he  marched  with  the 
army  to  Washington,  where  he  participated  in  the 
Grand  Review ;  next  he  was  ordered  to  the  Western 
plains,  to  Fort  Kearney  and  Leavenworth,  and  was 
finally  discharged  with  the  regiment  at  Springfield. 
Returning  home  in  the  spring  of  1866,  he  engaged  in 
the  grocery  trade,  in  partnership  with  his  brother, 
Henry  B.,  for  two.  years;  he  then  conducted  the 
business  alone  for  nine  years ;  the  .next  three  years 
he  acted  as  a  clerk  in  Hiram  Ellwood's  drug  store ; 
was  then  one  year  in  the  produce  and  poultry  busi- 
ness. In  1882,  in  company  with  his  brother  above 
mentioned,  he  engaged  in  the  creamery  business, 
having  four  establishments,  namely,  at  Hinckley, 
South  Grove,  De  Kalb  and  Malta. 

Mr.  Gurler  was  married  Jan.  i,  1867,  to  Zilla 
Newitt,  who  was  born  in  the  village  of  Thames,  Eng- 
land, and  they  have  two  children, — Charles  H.  and 
Bertha  B. 


( Ibert  Eugene  Hix,  a  citizen  of  Sycamore, 
was  born  June  24,  1843,  in  Alabama,  Gen- 
esee  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  is  the  youngest  son  of 
Ephraim  and  Laura  W.  (Williams)  Hix. 
When  he  was  five  years  of  age  his  parents 
came  to  De  Kalb  County.  He  was  educated 
in  the  district  schools,  and  afterwards  attended 
Wheaton  College  two  terms.  In  the  winters  of  1861 
and  1862  he  was  employed  in  teaching  in  Kingston 
Township,  after  which  he  was  variously  employed, 
operating  at  times  as  a  farmer  and  also  as  a  travel- 
ing salesman  and  buying  farm  produce.  In  October, 
1869,  he  removed  to  Sycamore  and  entered  the  em- 
ployment of  the  Marsh  Harvester  Company,  and  in 
1871  was  made  foreman  of  their  warehouse.  In 
1873  he  became  shipping  clerk,  and  operated  in 
their  interests  until  October,  1883.  Upon  the  or- 
ganization of  the  Fourth  Ward  in  April,  1878,  he  was 
elected  one  of  its  Aldermen  for  one  year,  and  in 
1879  was  re-elected  for  a  full  term  of  two  years.  In 
April,  1884,  he  entered  the  employment  of  E.  B. 
Shurtliff,  as  book-keeper  and  shipping  clerk,  and  is 
at  present  officiating  in  that  capacity. 

He  was  married  in  September,  1863,  to  Eleanor 


Irish,  and  they  have  two  children, — Laura  A.  and 
Orvis  R.  Mrs.  Hix  is  a  native  of  Canada,  where  she 
was  born  March  16,  1843,  a  daughter  of  Daniel  and 
Janet  Irish.  Daniel  Irish  is  a  native  of  Vermont, 
and  Janet  (McLean)  Irish  was  born  in  Ireland,  her  ^ 
family  emigrating  to  Canada  when  she  was  about 
seven  years  of  age. 


eorge  Terwilliger,  resident  at  De  Kalb, 
was  born  in  Ulster  Co.,  N.  Y.,  May  n, 
1842,  and  is  a  son  of  Levi  H.  and  Fanny 
Terwilliger,  natives  ofr  "  York  State."  When 
14  years  of  age  Mr.  Terwilliger  set  forth  on  the 
road  of  adversity  to  battle  against  the  trials  of 
life  alone.  He  came  to  this  State  and  engaged  to  a 
cousin,  Lewis  McEvven,  to  work  on  his  farm  and  con- 
tinued in  that  vocation  until  1869.  During  the  latter 
year  he  came  to  De  Kalb,  and,  in  company  with  A. 
B.  Pollock,  built  an  elevator,  and  entered  upon  the 
business  of  buying  grain.  In  1872  the  present  firm 
of  L.  M.  McEwen  &  Co.  was  formed  and  Mr.  Ter- 
williger became  a  member  of  it  and  still  retains  his 
connection.  They  deal  in  grain,  lumber,  coal,  live 
stock,  lime,  hair,  etc. 

He  was  married  Nov.  6,  1873,  to  Miss  Genevra, 
daughter  of  Perley  B.  and  Lois  Snow.  They  had  five 
children,— Roy  L.,  Fay  L.,  Perley  S.,  Covell  G.  and 
Nevie  H.  Mr.  Terwilliger  was  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Trustees  for  a  number  of  terms.  Politically 
he  is  a  believer  in  and  supporter  of  the  principles  and 
doctrines  of  the  Republican  party. 


ichard  Parks,  farmer,  resident  on  section 
32,  Victor  Township,  was  born  Dec.  5, 
1837,  in  Niagara  Co.,  N.  Y.  His  parents, 
Edward  and  Sarah  (Davidson)  Parks,  were 
natives  of  Ireland,  and  emigrated  thence  to 
Canada  in  1832.  After  being  there  one  year 
they  moved  to  New  York  State.  They  came  to 
Illinois  in  1873,  and  are  now  living  at  Lelancl,  La 
Salle  Co.,  111.,  aged  respectively  84  and  80  years. 

Mr.  Parks  was  reared  by  his  parents  and  instructed 
in  practical  farming,  remaining  at  home  until  he  was 
22  years  of  age.  In  1858  he  came  to  Illinois  and 


,    — ;-^ 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


began  his  career  as  an  independent  farmer  in  the 
township  of  Victor,  where  he  is  now  the  owner  of  169 
acres  of  land.  His  farm  is  in  fine  agricultural  con- 
dition, supplied  with  good  and  necessary  buildings 
L  and  well  stocked.  The  proprietor  is  a  representative 
farmer  of  his  township,  and  has  held  several  offices 
of  trust  and  responsibility.  He  is  a  Republican  and 
takes  an  interest  in  local  and  national  affairs  incum- 
bent upon  his  citizenship,  and  is  active  in  affording 
aid  in  the  furtherance  of  any  cause  or  enterprise  for 
i  the  general  welfare. 

JL  Feb.  13,  1860,  he  contracted  a  matrimonial  alliance 
V  with  Mary  S.  Parks,  of  Youngstown,  N.  Y.,  and  they 
have  had  seven  children,  four  of  whom  are  living, — 
William  H.,  Hattie  M.,  Bert  L.  and  Charlie  R. 
Three  children  died  unnamed  in  infancy.  Mrs. 
Parks  has  been  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  since  1852. 


incey  Rose,  a  pioneer  of  De  Kalb 
County,  was  born  March  31,  1800,  in 
Chenango  Co.,  N.  Y.  He  was  brought 
up  a  farmer,  and  married  Salina  E.  Porter, 
also  a  native  of  Chenango  County.  Soon  af- 
ter marriage  they  set  out  to  seek  a  home,  and 
located  in  Evans,  Erie  Co.,  N.  Y.,  where  he  bought  a 
farm  and  continued  to  reside  until  1843,  when  he 
again  took  up  his  march  westward,  with  a  span 
of  horses  and  a  wagon,  and,  accompanied  by  his  fam- 
ily, he  came  to  De  Kalb  County.  He  entered  a 
claim  in  Sycamore  Township,  which  included  a  part 
of  the  Norwegian  Grove,  and  began  to  improve  a 
farm,  on  which  he  died  Aug.  3,  1846.  His  widow 
died  Aug.  14,  1878,  aged  76  years  and  14  days. 


J.  Conde,  a  resident  at  Sycamore,  was  born 
Jan.  19,  1817,  in  the  city  of  Schenectady, 
N.  Y.,  and  is  the  son  of  Isaac  S.  and  Mary 
(Bradford)  Conde.  He  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  the  schools  of  his  native  city,  and 
when  he  was  14  years  of  age  was  apprenticed 
to  a  hatter  and  served  five  years,  which  included 
nearly  all  the  time  he  worked  at  that  business,  as 
hand-made  hats  were  soon  afterward  supplanted  by 
those  made  by  machinery.  He  next  operated  as  a 

.§&&&• 


traveling  salesman  for  John  Benedict,  in  Saratoga 
County,  for  whom  he  drove  a  two-horse  team  and 
supplied  the  farmers  with  tin-ware  and  Yankee  no- 
tions. He  conducted  that  line  of  business  n  years, 
after  which  he  removed  to  Monroe  Co.,  Mich.,  going 
there  in  1845.  He  bought  timber  land  in  the  town- 
ship of  Milan,  intending  to  make  a  permanent  set- 
tlement ;  but,  the  entire  family  becoming  ill,  he  sold 
the  place  in  1 848  and  returned  to  Schenectady.  He 
obtained  a  situation  as  lock-tender  on  the  Erie  Canal, 
in  which  capacity  he  was  occupied  three  years ;  and 
in  1851  he  established  a  grocery  trade  three  miles 
west  of  Schenectady  on  the  Erie  Canal,  where  he 
was  engaged  five  years.  About  1856  he  sold  out 
and  removed  to  De  Kalb  County  and  settled  on  a 
farm  in  Shabbona  Township,  where  he  was  engaged 
in  agricultural  pursuits  until  1866,  when  he  sold  out 
and  bought  a  place  on  State  Street  in  Sycamore, 
where  he  opened  a  restaurant.'  He  managed  the  re- 
lations of  that  business  about  13  years,  when  he 
again  sold  out  and  embarked  in  the  provision  busi- 
ness, in  which  he  has  since  been  engaged. 

Mr.  Conde  was  married  in  1847,  to  Philela  Ketch- 
am.  She  was  born  in  Glenville,  Schenectady  Co., 
N.  Y.  She  died  in  Shabbona  Township  in  1865, 
leaving  five  children, — Mary  J.,  Chauncey,  Jane 
Amanda,  Sadie  and  Porter.  Mr.  Conde  was  a  second 
time  married  in  September,  1869,  to  Eliza  Van  Pat- 
ten. She  was  born  in  the  same  place  as  her  prede- 
cessor, the  first  wife  of  Mr.  Conde. 


enry  H.  Harrington,  deceased,  was  form- 
erly a  farmer  on  section  16,  Malta  Town- 
ship. He  was  born  Aug.  2,  1839,  in  Erie 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  was  the  son  of  Sydney  P.  Har- 
rington, a  farmer  of  the  Empire  State.  His 
mother,  Polly  (Hicks)  Harrington,  was  also  a 
native  of  the  State  of  New  York,  and  the  parents  came 
to  De  Kalb  Co.,  111.,  in  r 840,  locating  in  Franklin 
Township.  (See  ske.tch  of  S.  A.  Harrington.)  The 
father  is  now  a  resident  of  Kirkland,  in  that  town- 
ship, where  Henry  was  reared  and  attended  the  com- 
mon schools.  He  was  married  Sept.  23,  1862,  to 
Jane  A.  Jones.  Her  parents,  Edmond  and  Ann 
(Barber)  Jones,  were  of  Welsh  and  German  extrac- 
tion, and  were  natives  respectively  of  New  England 


\ 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


and  New  York.  They  were  of  the  farming  fraternity 
and  came  in  the  early  history  of  the  "  West "  to 
Hillsdale  Co.,  Mich.  The  point  where  they  first  lo- 
cated is  now  the  flourishing  and  well-known  village 
of  Jonesville,  near  the  city  of  Hillsdale,  which  re- 
ceived its  name  from  Mrs.  Harrington's  father,  who 
was  the  first  permanent  white  settler.  The  daughter 
was' born  there  March  u,  1843.  When  she  was 
1 1  years  of  age  her  parents  came  to  Illinois  and 
located  in  Franklin  Township,  De  Kalb  County, 
at  a  time  when  the  inhabitants  where  resident  on 
sections  widely  separated.  Nine  children  have  been 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harrington,  six  of  whom  are 
living:  Frank  L.,  born  Dec.  19,  1864,  is  attending  a 
business  college  at  Rockford,  111.;  Beulah  A.  was 
born  July  4,  1866;  Edward  E.,  Feb.  26,  1868,  is  at 
school  at  Bement,  Piatt  Co.,  111.;  Susan  L.,  Jan.  r, 
1871;  Martha  L.,  Oct.  25,  1872,  and  Guy  H.,  Sept. 
25,  1878. 

Mr.  Harrington  died  Aug.  12,  1881,  when  he  was 
ten  days  past  42  years  of  age.  He  was  a  skillful 
farmer  and  stock-grower,  and  during  the  last  years  of 
his  life  was  extensively  interested  in  the  latter  busi- 
ness. After  his  death  Mrs.  Harrington  continued  to 
conduct  the  homestead  until  the  autumn  of  1884, 
when  she  leased  the  place  and  removed  to  Malta 
village  for  the  purpose  of  educating  her  children. 

Mr.  Harrington  was  an  adherent  of  the  Republi- 
can party.  He  held  during  his  life  several  positions 
of  importance  and  trust. 


[homas  M.  Hopkins,  attorney  at  law,  De 
Kalb,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Salem, 
Washington  Co.,  N.  Y.,  April  23,  1818. 
He  received  his  early  education  at  the  public 
schools  and  at  Washington  Academy  three 
years.  In  1835  he  commenced  the  study  of 
law,  and  was  admitted  to  practice  by  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  State  at  Albany  in  January,  1842,  Judge 
Samuel  Nelson  presiding.  After  that  time  he  prac- 
ticed law  in  Salem  one  year. 

In  r843  he  came  to  Illinois,  and  after  spending  a 
summer  in  this  State  he  went  to  Missouri,  where  he 
resided  until  February,  1846,  when  he  came  to  this 
county  and  made  a  claim  on  section  13  of  De  Kalb 
Township,  and  afterward  entered  the  same  from  the 


Government.  He  immediately  commenced  building 
and  improving  the  land,  and  engaged  in  raising  the 
usual  farm  products ;  and,  having  been  admitted  to 
the  Bar  of  this  State  by  the  Supreme  Court, — Chief 
Justice  Caton  and  Judge  Richard  M.  Young, — May 
2,  1843,  he  also  prosecuted  to  some  extent  his  pro- 
fession as  an  attorney.  In  1865  he  came  to  the  vil- 
lage of  De  Kalb  and  opened  a  law  office,  and  has 
since  devoted  his  whole  time  to  legal  practice. 

He  was  married  April  23,  1836,  to  Miss  Julia  A. 
Hawken,  who  was  born  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Jacob  Hawken,  a  native  of  Maryland.  By  this 
marriage  there  have  been  five  children,  namely : 
Montgomery,  now  a  resident  of  Sycamore;  Charles, 
a  farmer  in  this  county  ;  Christopher  H.,  a  physician 
at  Wall  Lake,  Iowa;  Alice  C.;  and  Jacob,  the  young- 
est, is  a  student  at  Knox  College,  Galesburg. 

Mr.  Hopkins  has  been  and  is  a  prominent  and  in- 
fluential citizen  of  De  Kalb. 


amesVan  Dusen,  a  pioneer  settler  of  Syca- 
more Township,  now  deceased,  located  on 
section  15  of  township  41,  range  5,  as  it 
then  designated,  in  1842,  and  was  thence- 
forward a  resident  of  De  Kalb  County  as  long 
as  he  lived.  On  taking  possession  of  his  farm, 
he  built  the  customary  pioneer  house — a  log  cabin 
with  puncheon  floor  and  clapboard  roof.  He  har- 
vested his  first  crop  of  grain  in  1844,  which  was 
threshed  with  oxen,  several  yoke  being  driven  over 
the  grain,  which  was  spread  in  a  circle.  He  con- 
tinued to  make  improvements  until  he  had  placed 
130  acres  under  the  plow. 

He  was  born  in  the  State  of  New  York,  in  1795, 
where  he  attained  to  the  age  of  manhood.  He  was 
married  there  to  Bethiah  Sprague,  who  was  born  in 
the  same  State  in  1799.  They  located  at  first  at 
Penn  Yan,  whence,  after  a  short  residence,  they 
went  to  Cuyahoga  Co.,  Ohio,  and  settled  near  Cleve- 
land, where  they  were  pioneers,  having  taken  up 
their  residence  there  about  1820.  They  continued 
to  live  there  about  a  score  of  years,  and  improved  a 
farm.  They  removed  thence  to  Crawford  Co.,  Ohio, 
whence  they  came,  as  has  been  stated,  to  De  Kalb 
County.  Mr.  Van  Dusen  died  in  1861,  leavings 
children, — Eliza,  James  Riley,  Oliver,  Simeon,  Au- 


V 

I 


«, 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


rilla  and  Martha  Ann.  Eliza  and  Aurilla  are  now 
deceased;  James  lives  in  Dakota  ;  Oliver  is  in  Dodge 
Co.,  Minn  ;  Martha  is  the  wife  of  L.  W.  Miller,  of 
Madison  Co.,  Neb. 

Simeon  Van  Dusen  was  born  April  n,  1832,  in 
Cuyahoga  Co.,  Ohio,  and  was  10  years  of  age  when 
his  parents  came  to  Illinois  and  settled  in  De  Kalb 
County.  He  was  married  in  1858,  to  Mary  J.,  daugh- 
ter of  Harris  and  Lavina  (Snow)  Sibley.  Mrs.  Van 
Dusen  was  born  in  Clarendon,  N.  Y.,  and  when  she 
was  yet  in  childhood  they  came  to  Illinois  and  lo- 
cated at  St.  Charles,  in  Kane  County.  Their  chil- 
dren are  named  Willie  and  Frank.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Van  Dusen  settled  at  first  on  the  Van  Dusen  home- 
stead, on  section  15,  and  continued  there  until  18701 
when  the  farm  they  now  occupy  was  purchased,  and 
which  contains  191  acres  situated  on  sections  21,  22 
and  23.  The  place  is  all  under  improvements,  with 
good  buildings,  orchard  and  modern  farm  fixtures. 


i\ 


fheodore  Klein,  farmer,  section  35,  Pierce 
Township,  has  been  a  land-holder  since 
February,  1868,  when  he  bought  land  on 
section  16.  In  1875  he  bought  his  present 
farm  on  section  35.  He  was  born  April  27, 
1832,  in  Prussia,  and  went  to  school  from  the 
age  of  6  to  14  years,  according  to  the  law  of  his  na- 
tive land.  He  was  then  employed  on  his  father's 
farm  until  he  was  21  years  of  age,  when  he  set  out  to 
find  a  home  and  fortune  in  the  New  World.  He 
sailed  for  New  York  and  landed  at  that  port  after  a 
journey  of  63  days,  which  he  remembers  as  a^stormy, 
anxious  time.  On  arrival  in  the  great  city  he  had  a 
surplus  cash  capital  of  only  $12,  but  he  bestowed 
nearly  all  of  that  on  his  needy  fellow  passengers.  He 
went  up  the  Hudson  River  to  Catskill,  where  he 
worked  in  the  harvest  field  a  few  days,  receiving  a 
recompense  of  $i  a  day.  He  proceeded  thence  to 
Chicago,  where  he  obtained  employment  in  a  lumber- 
yard three  months,  after  which  he  went  to  Michigan 
and  chopped  wood  through  one  winter.  He  came 
then  to  Aurora  and  worked  by  the  month  for  four 
years,  receiving  $14  a  month.  He  next  went  to 
California,  going  from  the  city  of  New  York  by  the 
Isthmus  to  San  Francisco,  where  he  operated  alter- 
nately in  mining  and  farming.  He  left  the  Golden 


State  in  1865  and  returned  to  Kane  Co.,  111.  April  5, 
1866,  he  was  married  to  Caroline  Ahart,  and  they 
have  six  children — Mary  J.,  Ida  May,  Emma  A., 
Cora,  Frank  T.  and  Theadore  O.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Klein  lived  in  Kane  County  two  years,  bought  a 
farm  of  P.  McDole,  which  was  originally  located  by 
Benjamin  McDole.  The  place  contains  440  acres, 
all  under  cultivation  and  with  two  sets  of  farm  build- 
ings of  excellent  type.  For  some  years  Mr.  Klein 
has  been  interested  in  the  purchase  and  sale  of 
stock,  for  Chicago  markets.  Mrs.  Klein  is  the  daugh- 
ter of  Christoph  and  Maria  Ahart,  and  was  brought 
from  Wurtemburg,  Germany,  by  her  parents  when  an 
infant. 


yron  F.  Wyman,  farmer,  section  36,  Syca- 
more Township,  a  life-long  resident  of  De 
Kalb  County,  was  born  March  19,  1839, 
in  Sycamore  Township.  Ralph  Wyman,  his 
father,  was  a  pioneer  of  De  Kalb  County, 
whither  he  came  in  1836.  At  that  date  the 
townships  were  designated  under  the  regulations  by 
which  they  were  located  previous  to  being  put  upon 
the  market  by  the  United  States  Government,  and 
the  senior  Wyman  made  a  claim  on  section  36,  town 
41,  range  5,  and  also  on  section  i  of  town  40,  ranges- 
He  was  born  in  1813,  in  Weathersfield,  Windsor 
Co.,  Vt.  His  parents,  Asa  and  Sally  (Searls)  Wy- 
man,.were  natives  of  the  Bay  State,  and  settled  after 
their  marriage  in  Vermont.  When  he  was  two  years 
of  age  they  went  to  Worcester,  Mass.,  removing 
thence  after  a  brief  residence  to  Middletown,  Rut- 
land Co.,  Vt.,  where  the  son  attained  to  man's  estate, 
and  was  married  in  1837  to  Susan  Dayton.  He  came 
to  De  Kalb  County,  as  stated,  and  after  making  his 
claims  he  returned  to  Vermont  for  his  wife  and  set- 
tled in  town  4.1,  where  he  built  a  log  house  and  com- 
menced the  work  of  improving  his  property.  In  1842 
he  made  a  trip  to  his  native  State,  and  on  the  third 
day  of  December,  of  the  same  year,  he  set  out  as  agent 
for  a  cloth-manufacturing  firm,  with  a  span  of  horses 
and  a  large  sleigh  loaded  with  woolen  goods,  to  sell 
in  their  interest.  The  snow  had  disappeared  when 
he  reached  Western  New  York,  and  he  exchanged 
his  sleigh  for  a  wagon  and  pressed  on  to  De  Kalb 
County,  passing  through  Chicago  on  the  day  when 
the  land  sale  of  the  county  began,  Jan.  29,  1843. 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


' 


On  reaching  his  destination  he  exchanged  his  wares 
for  wheat,  of  which  the  farmers  had  abundance,  but 
little  money;  and  the  opportunity  was  one  they 
heartily  appreciated.  Mr.  Wyman  took  the  wheat  to 
St.  Charles,  where  it  was  converted  into  flour,  and 
was  shipped  to  the  East.  He  resided  on  his  farm 
until  1860,  when  he  bought  a  lot  in  Sycamore,  built 
a  house  thereon,  in  which  he  lived  until  his  death,  in 
February,  1864.  To  him  and  his  wife  who  survives 
him  1 1  children  were  born,  eight  of  whom  are  still 
living:  Henry  D.,  Byron  F.,  Helen  G.  (Mrs.  Coch- 
rane  Black),  Cecil  (Mrs.  A.  C.  Colton),  Ida  (Mrs.  A. 
N.  Wheeler),  Frank  W.,  Eva  (Mrs.  Henry  Knights) 
and  Susie. 

B.  F.  Wyman  was  reared  to  manhood  in  his  native 
county  and  township,  where  he  was  eduuated  prima- 
rily in  the'  common  schools,  obtaining  further  ad- 
vantages by  one  term  of  attendance  at  Rock  River 
Seminary,  Mt.  Morris,  and  three  terms  of  study  at 
select  schools  in  De  Kalb  and  Sycamore. 

He  had  just  passed  his  22d  birthday  when  the 
nation  was  involved  in  a  struggle  for  existence,  and 
lie  was  one  of  the  first  to  enroll  after  the  call  of 
President  Lincoln,  May  4,  1861,  for  three-year  men. 
As  Illinois  was  permitted  to  furnish  only  six  regi- 
ments, places  in  the  ranks  were  at  a  premium.  Mr. 
Wyman  enlisted,  and  on  the  gth  of  May,  1861,  the 
1 3th  Illinois  regiment  was  organized  at  Dixon,  and 
he  was  made  First  Corporal  of  Co.  F.  On  the  24th 
the  regiment  was  mustered  into  the  service  of  the 
United  States,  and  after  a  few  weeks  of  necessary 
preparation  it  was  transferred  to  the  field  of  action. 
Mr.  Wyman  served  until  the  expiration  of  his  period 
of  enlistment,  and  received  an  honorable  discharge, 
June  1 8,  1864.  In  September,  1862,  he  was  promo- 
ted as  Sergeant.  Among  the  engagements  in  which 
he  took  active  part  were  Chickasaw  Bayou  (where  he 
was  severely  wounded),  siege  of  Vicksburg,  Jackson, 
Tuscumbia,  Lookout  Mountain,  Mission  Ridge  and 
Ringgold,  Ga.  At  the  latter,  one-half  the  members 
of  his  company  who  were  involved  in  the  action  were 
killed  or  wounded.  He  marched  an  aggregate  of 
3,500  miles. 

After  being  relieved  from  the  military  service  of 
his  country,  he  returned  to  De  Kalb  County  and 
operated  a  few  months  as  a  clerk  at  Sycamore.  In 
1867  he  went  to  Sauk  Co.,  Wis.,  where  he  engaged 
hop-raising  about  two  years.  In  the  spring  of 


1869  he  returned  to  Sycamore,  to  the  place  he  now 
owns  and  occupies,  and  where  he  has  since  been  a 
resident.  He  has  put  the  place  in  the  best  of  order 
and  has  rebuilt  the  farm  structures,  including  the 
house,  barn  and  granary.  Mr.  Wyman  is  a  Repub- 
lican in  political  views,  and  is  at  present  (1885)  hold- 
ing the  position  of  Assistant  Supervisor,  in  which  he 
has  officiated  two  years.  He  acted  several  years  as 
Township  Trustee  and  also  as  School  Director.  In 
1880  he  was  also  Census  Enumerator  for  the  city  of 
Sycamore. 

His  marriage  to  Nettie  S.  Lowell  occurred  Oct.  19, 
1865,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  six  children, — 
Ralph  L.,  Luther  E.,  Frank  E.,  Bernard  A.,  Vincent 
D.  and  Edmond  Stanley.  Mrs.  Wyman  was  born  in 
Moretown,  Washington  Co.,  Vt.  With  her  husband, 
she  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
and  he  has  been  Superintendent  of  the  Sunday- 
school  a  number  of  years. 


tephen  Santee,  a  farmer  on  section  26, 
Kingston  Township,  was  born  April  30, 
1841,  in  Luzerne  Co.,  Pa.  Simon  and  Mary 
(Hoffecker)  Santee,  his  parents,  were  born  in 
Pennsylvania  and  still  reside  in  that  State,  in 
advanced  age.  Mr.  Santee  passed  the  first  23 
years  of  his  life  on  his  father's  farm  as  an  assistant 
after  reaching  a  suitable  age,  and  previous  to  that 
time  in  attending  school.  He  was  then  married  and 
located  t>n  the  homestead,  which  he  conducted  three 
years.  In  March,  1867,  he  came  to  -Illinois  and 
operated  one  year  as  a  laborer  on  the  farm  of  his 
father-in-law.  In  the  autumn  of  that  year,  he  pur- 
chased 135  acres  of  land,  and  in  1868  he  took  posses- 
sion of  his  property  on  which  he  has  since  labored, 
and  all  of  which  he  has  improved  with  the  exception 
of  10  acres  which  is  in  timber.  Mr.  Santee  is  a  Re- 
publican in  political  affinity,  has  been  School  Director 
and  Overseer  of  Highways,  and  in  the  spring  of  1884 
was  elected  Highway  Commissioner. 

He  was  married  Dec.  25,  1863,  in  Luzerne  Co., 
Pa.,  to  Susan,  daughter  of  John  and  Elizabeth 
(Wood)  Uplinger.  She  was  born  Sept.  25,  1847,  in 
the  county  where  she  was  married,  and  which  wa 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


...e  native  place  of  her  parents.     The  names  of  the 
)    children  of  Mr.   and  Mrs.  Santee  are  Ario,  Amlin, 
•3j»   Simon,  Ida,  Mary,  Clara,  Eva,  John  H.  and  Charles  F. 

4  ^^^^^^ 

i  illiam  L.  Pond,  attorney  at  law,  De  Kalb, 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Genoa,  this  coun- 
ty, Feb.  n,  1860.     His  parents,  Americus 
H.   and  Amy  N.  (Hollembeak)  Pond,  were 
early  settlers  in  Genoa  Township,  where  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  and  received 
his  education.     He  graduated  at  the  Genoa  High 
School  June  10,  1881,  in  the  first  class  that  graduated 
there.     He  next  taught  the  High  School  at  Kirkland 
a  year,  then    entered  the  law    office  of  Games   & 
Denton    at   Sycamore,   completed  a  course   of  law 
studies,  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  at  Ottawa  in  June, 
1884,  and  commenced  the  practice  of  his  chosen  pro- 
fession at  De  Kalb  in  September  of  that  year.     He  is 
fQ    a  young  gentleman  of  much  promise,  having  great 
^    "  honor  even  in  his  own  country." 


dward   Butterfield,  deceased,  one  of  the 
first  pioneers  of  Paw  Paw  Township,  was 
born  in  Vermont.     He  left  Vermont  with 
his  parents,  and  went  to  Canada,  where  he  re- 
sided till  of  age,  when  he  returned  to  the  United 
States,  locating  in  Cayuga  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  en- 
gaged in  farming. 

He  married  Polly  Harris,  daughter  of  Rev.  Benoni 
and  Thankful  Harris,  about  1819.  They  had  ten 
children,  six  sons  and  four  daughters,  namely  :  Solo- 
mon V.,  Benoni,  Thankful,  Marion  D.,  'Sarah  J., 
Mary  A.  and  Alexander  H.,  who  grew  to  be  heads  of 
families;  the  others  died  in  childhood.  Of  those 
named  only  three  are  now  living — Solomon  V.,  a 
farmer  of  Paw  Paw,  and  the  oldest  surviving  repre- 
sentative of  the  pioneers  of  1835,  is  st'H  a  resident 
of  the  township;  Sarah  J.  is  the  wife  of  J.  A.  Edgett 
and  lives  in  Carroll  Co.,  Iowa;  Mary  A.  is  the  widow 
of  Lorenzo  Chesley,  and  lives  in  West  Paw  Paw,  Lee 
County. 

Mr.  Butterfield  moved  to  Michigan  in  1830  and 
settled  on  what  was  known  as  Sturgis  Prairie.  He  en- 
listed in  the  Black  Hawk  War,  and  was  commissioned 

<§> 


First  Lieutenant  in  Capt.  Hunter's  company,  Co.  I, 
and  served  till  the  close  of  the  war.  He  spent  one 
winter  in  Michigan  after  his  return  from  the  war,  and 
then  moved  to  Ottawa,  111.  The  following  summer 
(July,  1831;)  he  came  with  his  family  to  Paw  Paw 
Township,  De  Kalb  Co.,  111.  He  was  accompanied 
by  his  father-in-law,  Rev.  Benoni  Harris,  and  his 
family,  and  several  young  single  men.  He  made  a 
claim  on  section  19,  of  this  town,  where  he  lived  till 
1852,  when  he  removed  to  Iowa.  He  returned  to 
Paw  Paw  in  1864,  and  died  May  28,  1867. 

Mr.  Butterfield  was  a  Democrat  in  politics.  He 
served  as  Deputy  Sheriff  four  years,  was  Collector  14 
years  and  Constable  many  years.  In  early  days  the 
struggle  for  claims  and  the  natural  turbulence  of 
society  on  the  frontier,  furnished  a  plenty  of  busi- 
ness for  justices  and  officers,  and  Mr.  Butterfield  was 
actively  employed  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties  over 
a  wide  range  of  territory. 


illiam  Loomis,  senior  member  of  the  busi- 
ness firm  of  Loomis  &  Luther,  at  Sycamore, 
was  born  Sept.  3,  1813,  in  Georgia,  Frank- 
lin Co.,Vt.,  and  is  the  son  of  Jonah  and  Ora 
(Barnard)  Loomis.  His  parents  were  both 
natives  of  the  Green  Mountain  State.  Mr. 
Loomis  was  reared  and  educated  in  the  town  where 
he  was  born,  and  was  there  married  June  23,  1836, 
to  Eliza  D.,  daughter  of  Zina  D.  and  Betsey  (Bowen) 
Stannard.  She  was  born  in  Georgia,  Vt.,  Sept.  30, 
1816.  Her  father  was  born  in  Connecticut,  her 
mother  in  Vermont. 

After  his  marriage,  Mr.  Loomis  bought  a  farm,  in 
company  with  his  brother  in  Georgia,  and  they  man- 
aged it  jointly  four  years,  when  he  sold  his  interest. 
In  1851  he  bought  a  farm  in  the  town  of  St.  Albans, 
in  the  same  county,  where  he  lived  with  his  family 
until  1857.  In  that  year  he  again  sold  out  and 
went  to  Grand  Rapids,  Mich.,  where  he  engaged  in 
banking.  He  was  burned  out,  and  he  finally  dis- 
posed of  his  business  relations  and  went  to  Newaygo 
Co.,  Mich.,  where,  in  company  with  his  brother, 
Henry  Loomis,  he  engaged  in  the  lumber  business. 
Their  land  lay  remote  from  the  Muskegon  River,  and 
in  order  to  transport  their  logs  to  the  stream  they 
built  a  railroad,  two  and  one-fourth  miles  long,  on 
AiffiA£@ 


Vx 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


® 


which  the  motive  power  was  furnished  by  horses. 
This  was  the  first  railroad  built  for  the  purpose  and 
operated  by  horses  in  Michigan. 

In  1864  he  sold  his  interest  there  and  came  to 
Sycamore,  where  he  bought  city  property  and  built 
his  present  residence.  He  bought  the  lumber  yard 
of  H.  James,  and  was  engaged  14  years  in  the  lum- 
ber trade,  being  associated  a  part  of  the  time  with 
his  brother,  Samuel  Loomis.  Afterward  he  bought 
an  interest  in  the  flax-mill,  which  he  still  retains. 
This  establishment  is  one  of  the  earliest  business 
ventures  at  Sycamore,  having  been  put  in  operation 
about  1838,  and  has  been  run  since  with  little  inter- 
ruption. 

Mr.  Loomis  has  been  prominently  identified  with 
the  manufacturing  interests  at  Sycamore,  owning 
stock  in  the  Marsh  Harvester  Company  and  in  the 
Ellwood  Manufacturing  Company,  and  being  a 
director  in  each.  He  is  at  present  the  Vice-Presi- 
dent of  the  latter.  He  is  popular  in  public  esteem 
from  meritorious  character,  having  been  a  decided 
and  consistent  advocate  and  supporter  of  the  prin- 
ciples of  morality  and  religion.  He  has  been  a 
Trustee  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  about 
seven  years,  of  which  denomination  his  wife  is  also  a 
member.  He  was  a  Whig  originally,  but  on  the 
organization  of  the  Republican  party  became  its 
adherent.  Five  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Loomis  are  living. 


9sse  C'.  Kellogg,  deceased,  was  a  pioneer 
citizen  of  De  Kalb  County,  and  came  to 
Illinois  in  its  earliest  days,  setting  out  from 
Vermont  with  his  bride  of  a  few  weeks  to  find 
a  home  in  the  Prairie  State.  They  started 
from  Stowe,  Lamoille  County,  and  went  by  pri- 
vate conveyance  to  Vergennes,  then  the  only  city  in 
the  Green  Mountain  State  and  only  a  few  hundred 
rods  square.  The  absurd  little  metropolis  is" a  lake 
port,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kellogg  embarked  on  Lake 
Champlain  and  went  thence  via  Champlain  Canal  to 
Albany,  whence  they  traveled  by  the  Erie  Canal  to 
Buffalo  and  thence  by  the  lakes  to  Chicago.  They 
passed  17  days  between  the  two  ports.  After  a  few 
days  spent  in  the  Garden  City,  then  showing  scarcely 
ji  shadow  of  its  present  splendid  prominence,  they 

(S&eZ^t&a ^y^C Q-A 

Ory/^V*^*  ^-X^ 


went  to  Plainfield,  Will  County,  where  Mr.  Kellogg 
rented  a  farm. 

In  the  spring  of  1836  he  visited  the  part  of  Kane 
County,  now  converted  by  separation  and  independ- 
ent municipal  regulations  into  De  Kalb  County,  and 
made  a  claim  of  sections  8  and  9,  in  what  is  now 
Sycamore  Township.  This  was  seven  years  previ- 
vious  to  the  survey,  and  when  the  land  was  placed 
on  the  market  he  entered  a  claim  of  160  acres.  In 
the  summer  succeeding  his  locating  here  he  broke  a 
few  acres  of  land  and  built  a  log  cabin  14  feet 
square,  floored  with  "  puncheons  "  and  roofed  with 
"shakes."  He  soon  became  prominent  in  local  af- 
fairs, and  in  1837  was  elected  County  Recorder.  He 
was. re-elected  in  1841  and  in  1842,  and  also  in 
1845,  serving  in  the  same  office  until  1848.  He  was 
one  of  the  first  Postmasters  at  Sycamore,  and  was 
one  of  the  founders  of  the  Congregational  Church  at 
that  place,  of  which  he  was  the  first  Deacon  and 
held  the  position  as  long  as  he  lived.  He  was  for  a 
long  period  of  years  President  of  the  De  Kalb 
County  Bible  Society,  and  was  held  in  the  highest 
esteem  for  his  character  of  uniform  Christian  consist- 
ency. He  was  elected  Trustee  of  the  city  on  the 
temperance  issue,  as  he  was  a  strong  advocate  of 
the  principles  of  the  temperance  reform.  He  was  an 
active  Abolitionist  and  was  a  powerful  adjunct  of  the 
"  Underground  Railroad,"  one  of  whose  prominent 
stations  was  at  Sycamore.  He  was  for  many  years 
Deputy  Clerk,  and  in  all  passed  35  official  years  in 
the  Court-House  at  Sycamore.  In  1841  he  took  up 
his  residence  at  Sycamore.  A  part  of  the  land  he 
entered  was  included  within  the  corporation,  but  he 
never  engaged  to  any  great  extent  in  personal  effort 
on  the  place,  operating  in  the  way  of  renting  until 
his  sons  were  sufficiently  grown  to  work  it. 

Mr.  Kellogg  was  a  man  of  superior  mental  and 
executive  abilities.  He  had  a  good  education, 
which  was  found  especially  valuable  in  the  formative 
period  in  which  he  came  to  De  Kalb  County,  and  he 
was  an  interesting  contributor  to  the  local  press  of  his 
native  State  during  those  early  days.  He  also  wrote 
much  on  occasions  for  the  Sycamore  papers,  by 
which  valuable  reminiscences  were  preserved. 

He  was  born  April  to,  1806,  in  Stowe,  Vt.  His 
father,  Aaron  Kellogg,  was  a  native  of  Connecticut 
and  was  a  pioneer  of  Lamoille  Co.,  Vt.  He  was  edu 
cated  at  the  district  schools  and  at  Randolph  Acad 
emy,  one  of  the  most  thorough  educational  institu- 

C)         ^g^ »f*§§^ 


• 


TUfUIWRf 

OF  THE 
DIVERSITY  OF  ILLHKNS 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


695 


tions  of  the  State.  His  father  died  when  he  was 
?  five  years  of  age,  and  he  lived  with  an  older  brother, 
•t  who  assisted  him  in  obtaining  an  education.  He 
began  his  struggle  with  the  world  by  teaching  in  the 
public  school  at  $8  a  month,  one-half  to  be  paid  in 
cash  and  one-half  in  grain  ;  and  he  boarded  among 
the  patrons  of  the  school.  He  worked  at  farming 
summers  and  taught  winters,  and  paid  his  way  at 
the  academy  with  his  earnings.  While^studying  at 
Randolph  he  became  acquainted  with  Phebe,  daugh- 
/  ter  of  Zachariah  Wood,  of  Tunbridge,  herself  a 
student  and  teacher.  They  were  married  Feb.  5, 
1 834,  and  their  subsequent  history  has  already  been 
*  told.  The  wife  died  in  February,  1873,  and  the 
husband  in  March,  1874.  Following  is  the  record  of 
their  five  children:  Emily  J.  was  born  Jan.  18, 
1837,  and  married  C.  T.  Pierce.  She  lived  many 
years  in  De  Kalb  County,  arfd  died  in  March,  1877, 
in  Erie,  Whiteside  Co.,  111.;  Hiram  J.,  Heniy  W., 
Heman  A.  and  Homer  W.  were  born  in  the  order 
named.  Henry  W.  is  Auditor  of  Greene  Co.,  Iowa. 
Heman  A.  is  a  resident  of  Anderson  Co.,  Kan. 
The  youngest  son  died  at  Jefferson,  Greene  Co., 
Iowa,  July  5,  1883. 


ra  Vail  Randall,  attorney  at  De  Kalb,  and 
whose  portrait  is  on  the  opposite  page,  was 
born  in  Mount  Holly,  Vt.,  March  2,  1820. 
His  father,  Isaac  Randall,  a  farmer,  was  a 
native, of  the  same  county,  and  died  when  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  in  his  i6th  year, 
leaving  him  without  home  or  means,  and  only  a 
moderate  common-school  education.  The  grand- 
father of  Ira  was  Snow  Randall,  who  came  from  En- 
gland after  the  Colonies,  had  gained  their  indepen- 
dence. Snow  Randall  was  a  Quaker  of  the  Hicksite 
faith.  Isaac  Randall  married  Gallana  Chandler,  a 
Methodist  lady,  and  Isaac  was  thereupon  expelled 
from  the  Quakers  for  marrying  one  not  a  member  of 
their  sect,  willfully  and  against  the  rules  of  their 
society.  Gall  ana's  grandfather  was  a  millionaire  and 
settled  in  Chester,  Vt.,  and  owned  at  an  early  day 
the  township.  He  held  many  positions  of  public  use- 
fulness, and  kept  a  public  house,  or,  more  properly 


speaking,  a  house  for  the  public,  in  which  his  hos- 
pitalities were  dispensed  with  an  entirely  gratuitous 
as  well  as  a  liberal  hand. 

He  married  a  sea  captain's  daughter,  and  tradition 
states  that  at  the  wedding  he  (the  sea  captain) 
measured  out  half  a  bushel  of  gold  coin,  uncounted, 
as  a  present  to  his  wife. 

Our  subject,  with  $3  in  silver  money  in  his  pocket, 
and  his  clothing  tied  up  in  a  cotton  frock,  on  his 
back,  started  out  on  foot,  the  spring  after  his  father's 
death,  for  West  Poultney,  Vt.,  to  attend  the  academy 
there,  where  he  could  work  by  the  hour  at  I2j^  cents 
to  pay  for  books,  tuition  and  board.  At  the  end  of 
the  first  quarter  he  found  himself  in  debt  for  board 
$13}^.  He  hired  out  to  a  tanner  in  the  village  for 
one  month  at  $r3,  to  drive  horse  in  grinding  bark 
and  hauling  hides  from  lime  vats,  and  scraping  off 
the  hair,  etc.  After  graduating  at  the  tannery  at  the 
end  of  the  month  he  took  possession  of  his  $T3  and 
paid  his  debts.  Working  on  a  farm  for  a  short  time,  he 
attended  the  fall  term  of  the  Poultney  School.  He 
then  taught  school  during  the  winter,  attended  the 
academy  in  spring  and  next  fall,  teaching  again  in 
the  winter,  and  continued  to  teach,  work  on  farm  in 
summer,  and  attend  school  spring  and  fall.  He 
taught  13  terms,  attending  the  academy  alternately 
until  fitted  for  college,  and  intending  to  take  a  full 
course;  but  the  state  of  his  health  deterred  him  from 
matriculating.  At  the  latter  part  of  his  career  as 
teacher,  which  commenced  in  his  i7th  year,  he  com- 
menced the  study  of  the  law.  He  read  with  the 
Hon.  Sewell  Fullam,  State's  Attorney  at  Ludlow,  Vt., 
and  finished  his  reading  with  the  Hon.  Solomon  Foot, 
of  Rutland,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  at  Rutland, 
in  1847. 

In  April  of  the  year  before,  he  married  Miss  Susan 
L.  Earle,  of  Mount  Holly,  daughter  of  Lawson  Earle, 
an  extensive  farmer  and  dairynnn.  Mr.  Randall 
practiced  his  profession  for  three  years  at  Barnard, 
Windsor  Co.,  Vt.  During  that  period  he  visited  the 
West,  and  on  the  solicitation  of  the  "  Maine  Law 
Alliance,"  lectured  in  Illinois  for  three  months  in  ad- 
vocacy of  the  Maine  law, — an  episode  in  his  life 
which  no  doubt  he  still  calls  to  remembrance  with 
great  pleasure. 

Dec.  27,  1856,  he  landed  in  the  embryo  village  of 
De  Kalb,  with  his  family,  consisting  of  his  wife  and 
one  daughter,  Emma  A.,  his  only  child. 

For  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century,  Mr.  Ran- 


1 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


dall  has  been  in  the  practice  of  the  Law,  doing  bus- 
iness in  all  the  State  and  Federal  Courts,  and  making 
a  success  of  his  profession.  He  has  the  reputation 
of  being  a  well-read  lawyer,  faithful  to  his  clients, 
clinging  to  his  client's  interests  with  bull-dog  ten- 
acity, thus  attaining  a  success  in  his  profession  per- 
haps greater  than  most  practitioners.  Mr.  Randall 
was  Postmaster  at  Mount  Holly,  his  native  town,  and 
held  the  same  office  at  an  early  day  at  De  Kalb ; 
but  resigned  his  office  on  entering  the  State  Legisla- 
ture in  1865-6,  to  which  he  was,  against  his  own 
wishes,  elected,  and  has  held  several  municipal 
offices  in  this  city,  and  was  also  a  member  of  the 
School  Board.  He  has  always  taken  a  lively  interest 
in  the  cause  of  education,  and  no  doubt  still  regrets 
that  ill  health  prevented  him  from  going  through 
college. 

He  was  originally  a  Whig,  an  unterrified  Vermont 
Whig,  and  left  that  State  two  years  after  "John 
Brown's  soul  "  commenced  "  marching  on."  Since 
1855  he  has  been  an  enthusiastic  Republican,  and  an 
earnest  worker  in  his  party,  attending  Judicial,  Con- 
gressional and  State  Conventions  as  a  Delegate  from 
his  county,  and  at  times  doing  manly  and  effective 
work  on  the  stump.  Also,  he  was  an  efficient  worker 
in  securing  recruits  for  the  war,  making  war  speeches, 
but  poor  health  prevented  hini  from  taking  the  field. 
He  is  still  a  zealous  advocate  of  temperance,  in  be- 
half of  which  cause  he  has  pleaded  in  a  half  dozen 
States  besides  Illinois,  including  New  Hampshire, 
Vermont,  Massachusetts,  New  York  and  Michigan. 
Mr.  Randall  has  also  lectured  on  various  other  sub- 
jects, such  as  the  enfranchisement  of  women,  pre- 
Adamite  man,  etc.  Being  well  posted  in  the  Scrip- 
tures, he  has  given  an  able  lecture  on  "What  is  Re- 
ligion ?"  and  is  familiar  with  the  various  questions 
and  themes  agitating  the  public  mind.  He  is  a  fas- 
cinating talker,  a  keen  logician  and  a  splendid  de- 
bater. 

His  first  wife  died  in  1861,  and  in  1868  he  married 
Mrs.  Mardula  D.  (Bent)  Boynton.  They  have  no 
children.  Mr.  Randall  has  a  compact  build,  is  five 
feet  two  inches  tall,  and  weighs  185  pounds.  His 
eyes  are  blue,  but  his  disposition  is  not!  He  is 
rather  jovial,  laughs  easily  and  heartily,  and  is  a 
good  factor  of  a  social  circle.  He  was  educated  a 
Methodist  and  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church. 


ohn  P.  Van  Voorhis,  physician  an  sur- 
geon, resident  at  Fielding,  was  born  Oct.  ^ 
16,  1833,  in  Ulster  Co.,  N.  Y.  Daniel  Van 
Voorhis,  his  father,  was  a  native  of  Ulster 
County  and  married  Cornelia  Nagle.  Both 
parents  were  of  Dutch  descent.  After  their 
marriage  they  remained  in  Ulster  Co.,  N.  Y.,  until 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  about  a  year  old, 
when  they  moved  to  Booneville,  Oneida  Co.,  N.  Y., 
where  the  father  died,  Aug.  8,  1,842,  aged  43  years,  f 
The  mother  died  there,  Aug.  31,  1884,  being  86 
years  of  age. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  sixth  in  order  of 
birth  of  a  family  of  nine  children.     He  was    eight 
years  qjd  when  his  father  died.  He  remained  a  pupil 
of  the  district  school  until  he  was   15  years  of  age,  ( 
when  he  entered  Whitestown  Seminary, .which  school « 
he  attended   for   the  next  five  years,  teaching  "win-  4 
ters  to  pay  his  way.     At  this  time  he  commenced  J 
reading  medicine  with  Dr.   Gardner,  of  Whitesboro, ^ 
and  graduated  three  years  later,  in  the  Eclectic  Medi-J 
cal  Institute,  May  17,  1856,  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio.          ~ 
Soon   after  obtaining  his  credentials  he  took  the^ 
practice  of  Dr.  Thomas  at  Harrison,  Ohio,  while  that 
doctor  took  a  vacation,  coming  thence  in  the   spring 
of  1857  to  Rockford,  111.,  where  he  .remained  only  a 
few  months.  In  the  fall  of  1857  he  located  in  the  Penn- 
sylvania Settlement  in  the  township  of  Monroe,  in 
Ogle  County,  where  he  prosecuted  the  labors  of  his 
chosen    profession   until   1877,  when    he    moved  tov 
Fielding,  DeKalb  Co.,  111. 

At  the  time  of  his  settlement  in  Ogle  County   he 
was  considerably  in  debt  for  his  last  year's  schooling,' 
but  when  he  left  there  he  paid  off  his'  indebtedness 
and  was   the  owner  of  320  acres  of  land   in    that 
county  and  of  800  acres  in  Wright   and   Delaware 
Counties  in  Iowa.     He  became  a  stock-holder  in  the 
Sycamore  National  Bank  at  its  organization  in   1876,^ 
and  is  now  a  Director  of  the  Bank,   having   had   a  ® 
considerable  experience  in   money-lending,   on    his 
own  account,  for  the   last   20  years.     Since   his  re-* . 
moval  to  Fielding  he  has  added  150  acres  to  hispos-^y 
sessions  in  Illinois,  and  has  purchased  320  acres  in* 
the  southern  part  of  Dakota.     He  is  also  the  owner*1, 
of  a  fine  and  valuable  location  at  Fielding. 


X 


The  Doctor's  skill  as  a  medical  practitioner  has 
<?met  with  constant  and  ready  recognition,  and  he  con- 
^trols  a  large  practice.  He  is  a  temperance  advocate 
of  an  inflexible  type.  While  politically  a  Republican, 
he  is  always  ready  to  support  prohibition  principles. 

He  married  Miss  J..  Ann  Miller,  Oct.  3,  1860.  Her 
father,  John  Miller,  was  born  at  Canajoharie,  N.  Y. 
Her  mother,  Mary  Grill,  was  born  at  Starks,  N.  Y. 
Both  parents  were  of  German  descent.  After  their 
marriage  they  moved  to  Steuben,  Oneida  •  Go., 
N.  Y.,  where  Mrs.  Van  Voorhis  was  born,  Dec.  31, 
1833.  When  she  was  12  years  of  age,  she  came 
<£|>West  with  her  parents,  who  settled  in  Ogle  Co.,  111. 
\Five  children  have  been  born  of  her  marriage  to  the 
Doctor,  as  follows :  Miss  Viola  V.,  their  eldest,  is  a 
music  teacher  and  has  an  enviable  reputation  in  hej 
profession.  Miss  Carrie  C.,  their  second  daughte^ 
is  a  successful  school-teacher ;  J.  Frank,  their  oldest 
son,  is  a  graduate  of  the  business  college  at  Dixon, 


)lll.;  D.  De  Witt,  their  second  son,  is  an  acth 


^getic  lad  of  14  summers,  full  of  business  and  energy  ; 
ttie  M.,  their  youngest,  is  a  bright,  active  little  girl 
^nine  years  of  age;  is  very  fond  of  her  books  and  a 
•^  great  reader. 

=     Thus  we  see  the  Doctor  has  a  good  home,  a  pleas- 
^Jant  family,  a  competence  of  this  world's  goods,  and 
.something  to  help  his  children,  of  whom  he  is  very 
fond.  / 


artin  Pabst,  formerly  of  Sycamore,  was 
born  in  Unterlauderbach,  Bavaria,  in 
October,  1824.  He  attended  school  until 
he  was  14  years  of  age,  as  required  by  the 
laws  of  his  native  country,  after  which  he  was 
engaged  in  farming.  He  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1 848  and  located  at  first  in  Chicago,  where  he 
learned  the  cooper's  trade.  He  removed  from  there 
to  Elgin  and  was  there  married  to  Margaretta  Wetzel. 
He  remained  in  Elgin  working  at  his  trade  until  1854, 
when  he  went  to  Dundee,  and  there  opened  a 
cooper's  shop.  He  soon  after  bought  a  hotel  and 
continued  to  operate  in  both  capacities  until  1863,  in 
*jj*  which  year  he  transferred  his  residence  to  Chicago. 
His  wife  died  July  30,  1864.  He  was  again  married 
^  Dec.  25,  1864,  to  Mary  Bar,  a  native  of  Baden,  Ger- 
many 

Mr.  Pabst  continued  to  operate  as  cooper  until  his 


removal  to  Sycamore  in  1866.  He  bought  a  frame 
house,  and  its  location  on  the  corner  of  State  and 
Maple  streets,  and  opened  a  boarding-house  and 
restaurant  and  continued  the  management  of  these 
branches  of  business  until  he  built  the  Pabst  House  in 
1873.  He  died  Jan.  13,  1875,  at  Sycamore.  In  1883 
his  wife  sold  his  hotel  property  and  bought  a  site  for 
a  dwelling  where  she  erected  a  fine  residence.  Mr. 
Pabst  was  one  of  the  solid  men  of  Sycamore  and  has 
done  a  prosperous  business  throughout  his  life  of  ac- 
tivity. 

By  his  first  marriage  he  had  two  children — Frank 
and  Anna.  The  present  Mrs.  Pabst  is  a  lady  of  in- 
telligence and  ability. 


eorge  I.  Talbot.  County  Superintendent  of 
Schools,  residing  at  De  Kalb,  was  born  in 
Wyoming  Co.,  N.  Y.,  April  '19,  1854.  He 
is  a  son  of  Alfred  and  Celia  (nee  Hunt)  Tal- 
bot, the  former  a  native  of  England  and  the 
latter  of  New  York.  His  parents  moved  to 
Barry  Co.,  Mich.,  when  the  subject  of  this  notice  was 
but  four  years  of  age,  where  they  remained  two 
years  and'then  came  to  this  State,  locating  in  Leland, 
La  Salle  County. 

Mr.  Talbot  received  his  early  education  in  the 
graded  schools  at  Leland,  and  previous  to  his  i8th 
year  taught  a  term  of  winter  school  in  Northville,  La 
Salle  County.  After  teaching  several  terms  he  con- 
cluded to  prepare  himself  more  thoroughly  for  pro- 
fessional work ;  and,  possessing  a  strong  desire  for  a 
higher  education,  he  matriculated  at  the  State  Nor- 
mal University  at  Normal,  111.,  and  followed  the  cur- 
riculum of  that  institution  two  years. 

After  leaving  the  latter  place,  Mr.  Talbot  sojourned 
for  one  summer  in  Kentucky,  when  he  returned  to 
this  State  and  engaged  in  teaching.  In  the  fall  of 
1877  he  returned  to  the  State  Normal  University  and 
completed  the  entire  curriculum  of  that  institution, 
including  three  terms,  teaching  in  the  preparatory 
department,  graduating  in  the  spring  of  1878. 

After  graduating  he  taught  one  year  in  Victor 
Township,  and  was  then  invited  to  take  charge  of 
the  graded  schools  of  Shabbona,  which  invitation  he 
accepted.  In  1881  he  was  appointed,  and  in 
elected,  County  Superintendent  of  Schools,  which 
position  he  now  holds.  When  he  first  accepted  the 

-^        ~^^f^  -*4*f^£(5) 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


appointment  of  County  Superintendent,  the  time  al- 
lotted to  that  officer  in  which  to  perform  his  duties 
was  so  short  (65  days  in  each  year)  and  the  salary 
so  small,  he  was  compelled  to  teach  also.  But  the 
increasing  duties  of  the  office  obliged  him  to  resign 
his  position  as  teacher  at  the  close  of  the  year  1882. 
At  this  time  the  Board  of  Supervisors  increased  the 
number  of  days  allowed  for  official  duties.  Since 
that  time  he  has  devoted  his  entire  time  to  the  inter- 
ests of  the  schools  of  this  county. 

Previous  to  Mr.  Talbot's  appointment,  for  several 
years,  the  district  schools  had  been  entirely  without 
supervision,  without  any  definite  plan  of  work  and 
with  but  few  trained  teachers.  Under  his  judicious 
management,  a  course  of  study  and  system  of  exam- 
ination for  district  schools  has  been  prepared  and 
introduced;  a  series  of  institutes  and  teachers'  meet- 
ings held ;  the  grade  of  scholarship  of  the  teachers 
raised  at  lea.st  40  per  cent.  A  lively  interest  is 
awakened  and  De  Kalb  County  is  rapidly  taking  a 
a  prominent  place  among  the  counties  of  the  State 
in  educational  matters.  At  the  institute  held  in 
1 884,  the  teachers  of  this  county  testified  their  ap- 
preciation of  the  ability  of  Mr.  Talbot  as  a  school 
manager,  as  well  as  of  his  genial  and  gentlemanly 
social  qualities,  by  presenting  him  a  fine  gold  watch. 

Mr.  Talbot  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Lucy 
E.  Maxwell,  Oct.  4,  1879.  She  was  born  in  John- 
sonburg,  N.  J.,  June  16,  1856.  They  are  the  parents 
of  two  children,  namely :  Ray  Maxwell,  born  Dec. 
4,  1880,  and  Edna  J.,  born  Dec.  4,  1882. 


i  illiarn  H.  Wise,  deceased,  a  former  resi- 
dent of  section  9,  Sycamore  Township, 
was  born  in  Minden,  West  Prussia,  Feb.  2, 
1827.  He  obtained  a  good  education  in  his 
native  country,  and  in  1847  sailed  for  the 
United  States.  When  he  landed  at  Boston,  he 
was  the  possessor  of  five  dollars  in  cash.  His  first 
employment  was  with  a  hotel-keeper,  where  he  was 
engaged  until  winter,  when  he  attended  school.  In 
the  ensuing  spring  he  went  to  Wisconsin.  He 
engaged  in  farming,  and  saved  his  earnings  to  pay 
his  educational  expenses  at  a  seminary.  He  became 
competent  to  teach,  and  passed  four  years  in  that 
vocation.  He  went  next  to  Massachusetts,  where 


he  passed  four  years,  after  which  he  resumed  the 
labors  of  his  former  vocation  in  Wisconsin,  coming 
subsequently  to  Illinois,  where  he  was  similarly  em- 
ployed until  1859.  In  that  year  he  made  an  over- 
land journey  to  California,  walking  most  of  the  way, 
and  spending  four  months  on  the  journey.  He 
bought  300  acres  of  land  in  Yuba  County,  four  miles 
from  Marysville.  He  sold  his  California  property  in 
1863  and  came  to  Sycamore,  where  he  arrived  in 
December. 

He  was    married  March   12,  18615,  to  Caroline  M.  V 
Calkins,  daughter  of  Asa  M.  Calkins,   one  of  the 
early  settlers  of  Sycamore.     After  their  marriage,  Mr.    j 
and  Mrs.  Wise  settled  on  a  farm  on   section   9  of 
Sycamore  Township,  where  his  death  occurred  Jan. 
•15,   1884.     The  farm  contains  467  acres,  all  under 
improvement,  well  stocked  and  having  commodious 
buildings.     Two  sons  survive  the  father — William  C., 
a  student  at  Evanston,  and  Charles  H. 

Mr.  Wise  was  a  Republican  in  political  sentiment,  v  '} 
and  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  . 
Church,  to  which  Mrs.  Wise  also  belongs. 


*, 


amen  A.  McDole,   foreman  in  the  shops  of  ^ 
the  Superior  Barbed-Wire  Works,  located  , 
at    De  Kalb,  is    a    native    of  New  York 
State.      He    was  born   in   Deering,  Chemung 
County,    that  State,  Oct.   18,   1848,  and  is  a 
son  of  John  and  Catherine  (Swasey)  McDole. 
When  five  years  of  age  his  parents  moved  to  this 
State  and  located  in  Kane  County.     They  resided  in  v 
the  latter  county  for  about   three  years,    and    then 
moved  to  this  county,  settling  in  Pierce  Township.  g 
Remaining  in  that  township  two  or  three  years,  they 
then  removed  to  Afton  Township,  where  his  father 
purchased  a  farm  and  devoted  his  time  and  energies 
to  its  improvement  and  cultivation. 

Mr.    McDole   remained  on   his  father's  farm,   in 
Afton  Township,  assisting  in  its  cultivation  and  at- 
tending the  common  schools,  until  he  attained  his 
majority.    In  1872  he  started  on  life's  journey  single- 
handed  and  alone.     For  two  years  he   cultivated  a  > 
farm  which  he  rented,  and  then  purchased  one  of 
his  own,    which   he  conducted   until    1875.     During^ 
that  year  he  sold  his  farm  and  moved  to  the  village  ® 
of  De  Kalb,  and  for  a  year  worked  in  a  grocery  and 
^^(^ 


) 


: 


restaurant.  He  then  engaged  in  the  wire  works  and 
followed  that  vocation  for  three  years,  after  which  he 
returned  to  Afton  Township  and  resumed  farming. 
He  continued  in  the  latter  vocation  until  1882,  when 
he  again  returned  to  De  Kalb,  and  on  the  sth  of 
April  of  that  year  accepted  the  position  as  foreman 
in  the  shops  of  the  Superior  Barbed- Wire-Fence  Fac- 
tory, and  has  continuously  filled  the  position  ^ntil 
the  present  time. 

Mr.  Me  Dole  was  married  Dec.  20,  1882,  to  Miss 
Amanda,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Mary  (Brown) 
Wilkinson.  She  was  born  in  Mayfield  Township. 


ouis  Connart,  one  of  the  substantial  busi- 
ness men  of  Sycamore,  was  born  Aug.  4, 
1833,  in  the  city  of  Krotochin,  in  the  prov- 
ince of  Posen,  in  Prussian  Poland.  He  is  the 
son  of  Simon  and  Bertha  Warschauer.  His  father 
was  a  merchant  in  the  city  where  the  son  was 
born.  The  latter  went  to  England,  where,  on  ac- 
count of  the  orthographical  difficulty  with  the  family 
name,  and  the  fact  that  its  proper  pronunciation  was 
almost  impossible  to  untrained  tongues,  induced 
him  to  change  his  name  to  its  present  form. 

Mr.  Connart  passed  the  period  required  by  the 
laws  of  his  native  land  in  attendance  at  school  and 
in  compliance  with  the  law  that  the  children  should 
go  to  school  until  13  years  of  age ;  but  he  was  taken 
from  school  for  the  purpose  of  learning  a  trade  at  the 
age  of  12  years  and  was  apprenticed  to  a  tailor. 
At  the  end  of  the  prescribed  three  years  he  had  ac- 
quired a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  business,  and  on 
the  expiration  of  his  indentures  he  set  out  for  Ham- 
burg on  foot  with  ten  cents  cash  capital  to  begin  the 
world  with.  He  spent  six  months  in  Hamburg,  and 
went  thence  to  England,  where  he  worked  at  his 
trade  in  London  two  years.  In  the  year  1850  he 
returned  to  his  home,  where  he  passed  a  brief  period 
among  his  friends,  after  which  he  sailed  for  America. 
After  a  voyage  of  six  weeks  he  landed  at  the  port  of 
New  York.  He  went  thence  to  Boston,  where  he 
operated  as  a  tailor  a  few  months  and  proceeded  to 
Eastport,  Maine.  He  was  there  one  year,  working 
at  his  trade  and  as  a  salesman  in  a  clothing  house. 
He  went  next  to  Calais  and  became  the  manager  of 
a  clothing  establishment,  officiating  in  that  capacity 


two  years,  when  his  employer  failed,  without  having  ^ 
paid  his  salary  for  the  time  he  had  operated  in  his  < 
interests.     Attorneys  advised  him   to  take  no  legal 
measures   to   secure    the   amount  due  him,  but  he 
watched  his  opportunity,  and  on  one  occasion,  when 
he  found  his  employer  making  a  temporary  stay  in 
New    Brunswick,  he    procured    his    pay   by  forcing 
him   to   a   settlement.     Mr.   Connart   went   next  to 
Dover,  N.  H.,  and  after  a  short  time  proceeded  to 
Farmington,  where,  with   an   associate,  he  opened  a 
tailor    shop.     This   venture   proved   a   failure   and  V 
closed  at  the  end  of  a   year,   Mr.   Connart   finding  G  ^ 
himself  the  possessor  of  $20,  with  which  he  set  out 
for  the  West.     After  a  brief  stay  in  Chicago,  he  came 
to  Sycamore,  the  owner  of  $5  in  money.     He  arrived 
here  in  1858.     He  obtained  a  situation  in  the  store 
of  Isaac  Marks,  at  a  salary  of  $30  a  month,  with 
which  he  paid  his  own  expenses  and  contributed  to 
the  support  of  his  father  in  his  native  land.     His  in-  ,. 
dustry  and  frugality  wrought  substantial  results,  and 
in  1861  he  found  himself  the  possessor  of  $600,  and 
friends  (Mr,  J.  S.  Waterman  and  E.  Hunt)  in   cir- 
cumstances to  afford  him  assistance  in  obtaining  from 
the  latter  the  necessary  guaranty  for  $5,000  worth 
of  goods  in  New  York,  and  entered  upon  the  prose- 
cution of  a  prosperous  business.     He  carries  on  a 
gentlemen's  furnishing  store,  dealing  in  all  the  arti-* 
cles  common  to  such  establishments.     A  custom  de- 
partment is  attached  to  the  establishment. 

Mr.  Connart  was  married  in  1865,  to  Miss  Herbert, 
a  native  of  the  same  city  in  Prussia,  of  whifch  he  is 
himself  a  native.  They  have  four  children — Bertha, 
Benjamin,  Isaac  and  Dora.  The  family  residence 
on  State  Street  was  purchased  in  1876. 


R.  Thompson,  one  of  the  oldest  and  most 
prominent  and  worthy  pioneers  of  De  Kalb 
County,  and  residing  at  De  Kalb,  as  a  vener- 
able patriarch,  surrounded  by  a  large  circle^, 
of  relatives  and  friends,  is  a  native  of  Ohio. 
His  parents,  Samuel  and  Hannah  (Roberts) 
Thompson,  were  natives  of  the  State  of  New  York. 
His  grandfather  Thompson,  a  native  of  Connecticut, 
was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  the  Holland  Pur- 
chase,  in  Western  New  York.  He  and  three  sons,®^ 
as  also  Samuel  Thompson's  father-in-law,  served  in 


^nti»^ 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


'the  War  of   i8r2,  between  the  United  States  and 
?  Great  Britain,  and  were  stationed  at  Buffalo,  N.  Y., 
J^at  the  time  that  city  was  captured  and  burned.     Mr. 
Samuel  Thompson,  being  well   acquainted  with  the 
topography  of  the  country  in  the  vicinity  of  Buffalo, 
if  was  selected  to  act  as  guide  to  a  portion  of  the  re- 
treating army. 

After  the  restoration  of  peace,  the  latter  settled  in 
Ashtabula  Co.,  Ohio,  where  he  was   a  pioneer,  and 
made  three  farms  in  the  primitive  wilderness,  in  the 
/town  of  Geneva.     In  the  meantime,  as  foreman,  he 
^superintended  the  construction  of  the  Government 
.works  at  the  wharves  at  the  mouth  of  Ashtabula 
^Creek;   but  while  thus  engaged  he  contracted  a  pul- 
monary disease,  which  became  the  occasion  of  his 
moving  Westward.     Accordingly,  on  the  I5th  day  of 
April,  1835,  he  started  West,  with  two  yoke  of  oxen 
and  two  wagons,  loaded  with   household   goods,  and 
accompanied  by  his   family,  consisting   of   his   wife, 
eight  children  and  a  son-in-law.     At  that  early  day, 
*when  the  roads  were  poor  and  the  bridges  few  and 
*'  far  between,  they  had  a  tedious  journey.     They  were 
=  five  and  a  half  days  crossing  the  Maumee  swamp 
>  alone — a   distance  of  31    miles.      They   arrived  at 
ajoliet  on  the  22d  of  May,  stopping  first  at  the  Black- 
Tavern.      Mr.  T.  bought  city  property,  and, 
'"with  "his  family,  remained  a  resident  there  until  No- 
)  vember,  1836.  Then  pushing  on  still  further  into  the 
frontier,  he  first  located,  before  the  land  was  sur- 
veyed, in  that  part  of  Kane  County  which  is  now  in- 
cluded in  De  Kalb  County.     He  purchased  a  claim 
on    what   was    afterward   surveyed   as  section   i  of 
De  Kalb  Township,  on  which  was  only  a  log  house. 
(Here  he  commenced  the  protracted  task  of  making  a 
X  J comfortable  home;  but,  his  health  already  impaired, 
i  he  continued  gradually  to   fail    until  Aug.  2,  1840, 
when  death  put  an  end  to  his  sufferings.     He  had  to 
cease  from  manual  labor  entirely  in  the  fall  of  1838. 
Three  years  afterward  his  widow  married  Valentine 
Randall  and  moved  to  Kane  County.     She  finally 
died  in   Hampshire  Township,  that  county,  in  July7 


The  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  a 
^native  of  Connecticut,  was  a  pioneer  of  Western  New 
^York,  and    afterward  a   resident  of  Ashtabula  Co., 
/p\  Ohio.     In  1836  he  visited  his  son  in  Illinois,  making 
he  journey  from  Ohio  and  return  with  a  team.     His 
cai*™ Shme CL^ 


death  occurred  in  Pennsylvania,  in  1837,  at  77  years 
of  age. 

Mr.  Thompson,  whose  name  heads  this  biography, 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Geneva,  Ashtabula  Co.,  Ohio, 
Aug.  23,  1818,  came  to  Illinois  with  his  parents  and 
made  his  home  with  them  until  the  death  of  his 
father.  He  continued  to  occupy  and  improve  the 
claim,  which  he  entered  after  it  came  into  market. 
He  equipped  the  place  with  a  good- collection  of  farm 
buildings,  residing  there  until  1872,  when  he  sold  it 
and  moved  to  De  Kalb,  purchasing  the  residence  he 
now  occupies. 

He  was  married  Dec.  ro,  1843,  to  Miss  Eliza  A. 
Parker,  who  was  born  in  Castile,  Genesee  Co.,  N.  Y. 
They  had  eight  children,  namely:  Alvira,  now  the 
wife  of  Daniel  Klock ;  Elizabeth,  now  Mrs.  Charles 
Foreman  ;  William  W. ;  George  S.,  farmer  and  broom 
manufacturer  in  Ogle  County;  Ira  Andrew,  who  is  a 
resident  of  Texas;  James  S.,  a  resident  of  De  Kalb ; 
Ida,  who  is  the  wife  of  Dr.  C.  D.  Carter;  and  Emma, 
the  youngest,  who  resides  at  home  with  her  parents. 


ev.  L.  A.  R.  Erhard,  Priest  in  charge  of 
the  Catholic  Church  at  Somonauk,  was 
born  in  Joliet,  Will  Co.,  111.,  April  16,  1856. 
Sept.  i,  1870,  he  entered  the  College  and 
Seminary  of  Our  Lady  of  Angels,  an  institution 
beautifully  situated,  two  miles  north  of  Sus- 
pension Bridge,  on  the  New  York  bank  of  Niagara 
River.  By  a  special  act  of  the  Legislature  it  enjoys 
all  the  privileges  of  a  university. 

It  was  there  that  Mr.  Erhard  completed  his  classi- 
cal and  theological  studies,  and  June  7,  1879,  was 
ordained  priest  for  his  native  diocese  of  Chicago  by 
Rt.  Rev.  S.  V.  Ryan,  Bishop  of  Buffalo.  At  that 
time  he  was  appointed  by  the  deceased  Bishop  Mc- 
Mullen,  then  administrator  of  the  diocese,  to  take 
charge  of  one  of  the  most  important  curacies  in  the 
city.  He  remained  there  for  five  years,  under  the 
learned  and  zealous  priest,  Father  P.  Riordan,  who, 
Sept.  16,  1883,  was  consecrated  coadjutor,  now 
Archbishop  of  San  Francisco.  Under  the  adminis- 
tration of  this  learned  and  zealous  ecclesiastic,  was 
built  St.  James"  Catholic  Church,  a  structure  erected 
at  a  cost  of  $150,000.  Its  location  is  2,924  Wabash 
Avenue.  Whilst  discharging  his  duties  as  a  curate 

3 **$$¥>£ 


COUNTY. 


in  this  church,  Father  Erhard  made  for  himself 
numerous  friends  by  his  zeal,  which  he  particularly 
evinced  whilst  in  charge  with  Father  Henneberry, 
his  fellow-curate,  over  the  Sunday-school  department, 
which  had  an  attendance  of  1,000  children.  It  was 
from  this  Church,  Father  Erhard  was  first  appointed 
to  take  charge  of  a  parish  by  His  Grace,  Archbishop 
Feehan,  of  Chicago.  He  was  appointed  to  succeed 
Father  Huth,  of  Somonauk,  May  i,  1884. 
'  His  parents  are  the  oldest  residents  of  Will  County. 
They  emigrated  from  Europe  in  1833  and  arrived 
that  same  year  in  Chicago;  assisted  in  erecting  its 
first  Catholic  church,  old  "St.  Mary's;"  were  there 
united  in  the  holy  bonds  of  matrimony,  and  two  years 
later  settled  in  Joliet,  enjoying  at  an  advanced  age 
the  society  of  numerous  friends.  Mr.  Erhard's 
father,  George  Erhard,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Mid- 
dlestreih,  in  the  kingdom  of  Bavaria,  and  his  mother, 
Louisa  (Periolat)  Erhard,  is  a  native  of  Hochfelden, 
in  the  province  of  Alsace. 

Rev.  L.  A.  R.  Erhard,  their  son,  though  hardly  a 
year  in  his  new  fieM,  has  added  improvements  to  the 
amount  of  a  thousand  dollars  to  the  parochial  resi- 
dence. A  new  Catholic  Church,  at  a  cost  of  $3,000, 
will  be  dedicated  during  the  autumn  of  1885,  in  Bris- 
tol, a  mission  attached  to  Somonauk.  The  contract 
for  building  a  Catholic  church  at  the  same  cost  will 
be  let  this  spring  in  Piano,  where  a  mission  has  re- 
cently been  opened,  and  in  Sandwich  $600  has  been 
paid  in  the  purchase  of  a  lot  and  in  the  laying  of  a 
foundation  for  a  Catholic  school.  Four  Sunday- 
schools  have  been  organized,  with  an  average  attend- 
ance of  200  children.  Father  Erhard  is  doing  a 
grand  work  for  his  people. 


orenzo  Dow  Evans,  resident  on  section  2, 
Sycamore  Township,  was  born  Feb.  9,  1834, 
in  Ash  County,  N.  C.  He  is  the  son  of 
Benjamin  and  Frances  (Perry)  Evans,  and  was 
an  infant  in  his  mother's  arms  when  his  par- 
ents set  out  to  seek  a  home  in  the  then  far  away- 
West.  They  made  the  journey  overland,  but  he  has  no 
remembrance  of  the  slow,  toilsome  and  tedious  prog- 
ress they  made  toward  the  setting  sun.  When  he 
was  four  years  old — in  1838 — they  located  at  Syca- 
more. He  has,  therefore,  so  to  speak,  "  grown  up  " 


with  the  county,  and  witnessed  its  increasing  pros- 
perity. As  soon  as  he  reached  a  suitable  size  he 
aided  his  father  in  his  labors  on  the  farm,  arid  he  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  pioneer  schools ;  to  use 
his  own  language,  he  "  graduated  at  the  log  school- 
house." 

He  was  married  April  26,  1857,  to  Mary.daughter 
of  Eli  and  Deborah  (Rockwood)  Jewell,  who  were 
among  the  earliest  settlers  in  De  Kalb  County.  After 
marriage  he  settled  on  section  2,  Sycamore  Township, 
which  he  still  occupies.  It  had  been  entered  by  his 
father,  and  is  now  a  valuable  farm  with  a  comple- 
ment of  good  buildings. 


dward  P.  White,  deceased,  was  one  of  the 
earliest  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  De  Kalb 
County,  where  he  came  in  1836.     He  was  ( 
born  Jan.  31,  1795,  in   Rensselaer  Co.,  N.  Y 
and  is  the  son  of  James  and  Mary  White.     His  ^ 
parents  were  both  natives  of  New  England,  and 
when  he  was  an  infant  they  moved  to  Brandon,  Vt., 
where  he  was  reared  to  adult  age  on  a  farm.     Dur- 
ing the  War  of  1812  he  was  a  volunteer,  and  went  to 
Plattsburg.     After  the  battle  he  returned  to  Vermont.  «! 
Two  years  later  he  went  to  the  State  of  New  York  ( 
and  located  near  Plattsburg.     He  was  married  Aug. 
25,    1822,   to   Mary,   daughter   of  Seth   and  Sarah 
(Stone)  White.     He  owned  a  farm  in  Chazy,  12  miles 
from  Plattsburg,  on  which  he  resided  until  1835.     In 
that  year  he  started  for  Illinois.     He  went  with  two 
span  of  horses  and  two  wagons  to  Ogdensburg,  and 
thence  by  boat  on  the  St.  Lawrence  River  and  Lake<b 
Ontario  to  Lewiston,  on  the  Niagara  River.     From^ 
there  the  teams  were  in  requisition  to  Buffalo,  where 
they  re-embarked  for  Detroit.     They  drove  thence  to 
Chicago,  which  was  then  but  a  village,  and  went  to 
Plainfield,  where  they  remained  until  the  spring  of 
1836. 

In  the  previous  winter,  Mr.  White  prospected  in 
De  Kalb  County,  and  bought  a  claim  in  what  is  now 
Sycamore  Township,  where  he  built  a  log  house,  of 
which  the  family  took  possession  in  May.  When  the 
survey  was  made  and  the  land  came  into  market, 
seven  years  later,  he  paid  $228  for  the  claim,  which' 
he  entered  in  the  land  office  at  Chicago.  He  made 
the  usual  improvements  on  the  farm,  which  he  occu-' 


pied  until  1859.     In  that  year  he  removed  to  Syca- 
more, where  he  died,  Sept.  23,  1867.     He  was  one  of 
•;  ~f  the  organizers  of  the  First  Methodist  society  at  Syca- 
more. 

Mrs.  White  still  survives  her  husband.  Five  chil- 
dren are  also  living — Eveline,  Phebe,  Caroline,  Al- 
mira  and  Mary.  Oliver  White,  the  only  son,  died 
when  42  years  of  age. 


J 


ichael  Walsh,  formerly  a  resident  on  sec- 
tion n,  Pierce  Township,  was  a  pioneer  of 
De  Kalb  County.     He  was  born  in  1796, 
in  County  Mayo,  Ireland,  and  was  bred   to 
the  vocation  of  farming  in  his  native  land.  Hrs 
wife,  Ellen  (Philbein)  Walsh,  was  also  born  :in" 
)  County   Mayo,   and  to  them    were    bom    four  chil- 

-  dren, — John,  Mark,  Mary  and  Bridget. 

N       In  1848  the  family  set  out  from  Liverpool  for  the 

*  United  States  in  a  sailing  vessel,  and  were  on  the 
J  Atlantic  Ocean  five  weeks.     On  arrival  at  the  port  of 
i  New  York  they  started  for   Albany  on  the   Hudson 
£  River,  and  proceeded  thence  by  the  Erie  Canal  to 
fc  Buffalo.     From  that  place  they  came  to  Chicago  on 
>  a  lake  steamer.  Their  journey  thence  to  St.   Charles, 

Kane  Co.,  Ill ,  was  made  with  a  team,  where  they 
arrived  in  June,  1848.  In  July  following  they  came 
to  De  Kalb  County,  where  the  father  entered  a  claim 
of  land  on  section  n,of  township  39,  range  5,  now 
the  township  of  Pierce.  The  family  lived  for  a  time 
y  in  a  shanty  made  of  boards,  which  was  later  replaced 
by  a  comfortable  house.  The  first  crops  raised  on 
the  place  were  marketed  at  St.  Charles,  17  miles  dis- 
tant. Mr.  Walsh  improved  his  entire  property,  set- 
ting out  shade  and  fruit  trees  and  erecting  good 
buildings.  He  lived  to  see  his  property  well  devel- 
oped, and  died  March  4,  1871.  His  wife  died  May 
18,  1884.  Three  of  their  children  survive  them. 

Mark  Walsh  was  born  May  10,  1837,  in  County 
Mayo,  Ireland.  He  came  when  1 1  years  old  with 
his  parents  to  the  United  States,  and  grew  to  man- 

•  hood  in  the  township  of  Pierce,  assisting  in   the   im- 
'f  provement    of  the   home   farm    and    attending   the 
^  pioneer  schools.     He  was  married  Sept.  28,  1869,  to 

Mary  Scott.     She   was   born  in  Illinois  and  was  the 
daughter  of  Richard  Scott.     She  died  in  1876,  leav- 

s^^f8- ^^^- ^ 


ing  one  child — Richard.  The  second  wife,  to  whom 
Mr.  Walsh  was  married  Jan.  i,  1877,  was  named 
Margaret  Bartley.  She  died  Oct.  15,  1880,  leaving 
two  children. — Ellen  and  John.  Mr.  Walsh  con- 
tracted a  third  matrimonial  alliance,  Oct.  19,  1882, 
with  Mary  Coffey,  and  they  have  one  child,  named 
Mark.  Mrs.  Walsh  is  the  daughter  of  Jeremiah  and 
Bridget  Coffey,  and  was  born  in  County  Kerry,  Ire- 
land, 

In  1869  Mr.  Walsh  located  on  his  homestead, 
comprising  240  acres  of  land  located  on  sections  2 
and  1 1 ,  all  of  which  is  at  present  under  good  improve- 
ments. In  1876  he  rented  his  farm  and  removed  to 
Sycamore,  whence  he  went  in  1880  to  Maple  Park 
and  engaged  in  the  lumber  business,  in  which  he  is 
still  interested. 


mos  Story,  whose  name  is  as  much  a  part 
of  the  local  history  of  the  county  of  De  Kalb 
and  the  township  of  Sycamore  as  that  of 
any  other  individual  within  their  borders,  has 
been  identified  with  the  progress  and  develop- 
ment of  both  since  1837,  six  years  before  the 
land  came  into  market,  and  some  time  before  Syca- 
more assumed  the  dignity  of  its  present  name.  He 
has  been  a  resident  on  section  9  from  the  date  of 
making  his  location.  The  claim  contained  a  log 
shanty  roofed  with  shakes,  and  constituted  the  en- 
tire improvements.  Mr.  Storey  moved  the  structure 
to  a  new  location,  bought  a  yoke  of  oxen  and  entered 
resolutely  into  the  work  of  improvement.  He  was 
then  a  single  man,  and  boarded  in'  the  neighborhood 
while  improving  his  property. 

He  was  born  Dec.  8,  1813,  in  the  town  of  Stowe, 
Washington  Co.,  Vt.,  and  is  the  son  of  William  and 
Rebecca  (Hicks)  Story.  His  parents  were  natives  of 
Vermont,  and  his  paternal  grandfather  was  a  soldier 
in  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  He  died  and  was  buried 
at  St.  Alban's,  Vt.  The  father  died  in  St.  Lawrence 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  whither  he  had  removed  many  years  be- 
fore. 

Mr.  Story  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native  town.  In 
the  fall  of  1835,  he  went  to  Allegany  Co.,  N.  Y.,  with 
a  team,  and  there  spent  the  winter  as  a  saw-mill  as- 
sistant in  the  town  of  Cuba.  In  the  spring  of  1836 
he  started  for  Pittsburg  with  a  raft  of  lumber  on  the 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


7°5 


Allegheny,  and  at  the  junction  boarded  a  similar 
river  cr.ift  for  Cincinnati,  and  proceeded  to  the  junc- 
tion of  the  Ohio  with  the  Great  Father  of  Rivers.  He 
went  up  the  Mississippi  to  the  mouth  of  the  Illinois, 
and  went  on  the  latter  river  to  Ottawa,  La  Salle 
County,  on  board  a  steamer,  whence  he  went  to  Plain- 
field,  Will  County.  He  there  engaged  as  a  farm 
laborer  with  James  Matthews.  In  the  spring  of  1837) 
in  company  with  another  man,  he  went  to  Iowa  to 
seek  a  place  for  a  home,  but  was  not  pleased  with 
the  outlook  and  came  to  De  Kalb  County  as  stated. 

He  was  married  Jan.  28,  1860,  to  Mrs.  Abbie 
(Cronk)  Hunt,  and  they  have  had  five  children — 
Jane,  Alma,  Amos,  Arthur  and  Lottie.  Mrs.  Story 
was  born  Aug.  14,  1838,  in  Chenango,  Broome  Co., 
N.  Y.  She  was  married  May  13,  1857,  at  St.  Charles, 
Kane  Co.,  111.,  to  Augustus  Hunt,  who  died  Nov.  23, 
1858,  leaving  one  child— Kendall  A. 

After  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Story  began  to 
keep  house  in  their  pioneer  log  cabin,  where  they 
lived  until  1861;,  when  the  fine  brick  residence  they 
no.v  occupy  was  erected.  Mr.  Story  has  built  a  good 
class  of  farm  structures,  and  has  a  valuable  place 
with  good  stock.  He  is  engaged  in  other  avenues  of 
business  besides  farming,  and  has  been  prominent  in 
official  life.  In  1872  he  met  with  an  accident  from 
which  he  has  since  been  a  constant  sufferer. 


D.  London,  farmer  on  the  northeast  quar- 
ter of  sec.  1 6,  Cortland  Township,  was  born 
in  Clearfield  Co.,  Pa.,  Aug.  10,  1842.  His 
father,  Richard  London,  was  born  in  Luzerne 
Co.,  Pa.,  Jan.  20,  1818,  was  reared  in  his  native 
State,  followed  farming,  and  after  coming  to  De 
Kalb  County,  dealt  considerably  in  stock,  and  died 
Feb.  2,  1880.  The  mother  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  Sarah  A.,  nee  Estes,  was  born  Jan.  15,  1818, 
in  Luzerne  Co.,  Pa.,  and  is  now  living  in  Sycamore. 
When  he  was  1 3  years  of  age,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  came  with  his  parents  to  this  county,  in  1855, 
first  settling  in  Mayfield  Township.  Two  years  af- 
terward they  sold  out  and  purchased  a  farm  in  Syca- 
more Township,  where  they  lived  about  ten  years; 
then  they  located  upon  the  farm  now  occupied  by 
Mr.  L.  D.  London.  Five  or  six  years  afterward  his 
father  moved  back  to  Sycamore.  He  has  since  lived 
on  this  place,  except  a  year  and  a  half  in  Iowa. 


Mr.  London  was  married  Sept.  8,  1867,  to  Miss 
Mary  M.  Schoonover,  who  was  born  April  6,  1842, 
in  Bradford  Co.,  Pa.  Her  father,  James  Schoonover, 
was  born  Nov.  23,  1808,  was  a  farmer,  moved  to  this 
county  in  1855,  settling  in  De  Kalb  Township  for  17 
years,  then  moved  to  Boone  Co.,  Iowa,  and  finally 
died  in  Dallas  County,  that  State,  Feb.  16,  1880. 
Her  mother,  Palmila  E.,  nee  Lattimore,  is  living  in 
Ogden,  Boone  Co.,  Iowa,  with  her  danghter,  Mrs. 
Sarah  Smith. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  L.  have  two  children,  viz. :  Emma 
J.,  born  June  23,  1870,  and  Nettie  A.,  Sept.  26, 

I872. 

Mr.  London  is  a  Democrat  in  his  political  princi- 
ples, and  both  himself  and  wife  are  members  of  the 
Free-Will  Baptist  Church. 


eorge  E.  Hobbs,  retired  farmer,  living  at 
Hinckley,  was  born  May  12,  1823,  in 
Delaware  Co.,  N.  Y.  His  father,  Samuel 
Hobbs,  was  born  in  New  York  State  and  mar- 
ried Catherine  Williams,  a  native  of  England. 
His  parents  settled  after  marriage  in  Delaware 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  where  his  father  died  Sept.  4,  1829.  His 
mother  died  in  January,  1830,  in  Oneida  Co.,  N.  Y. 
Mr.  Hobbs  is  the  second  of  five  children  born  to  his 
parents.  Joseph  W.,  Olive  E.,  Jonas  and  Catherine 
are  the  names  of  his  brothers  and  sisters. 

He  received  a  common-school  education,  and 
afterwards  attended  the  academy  at  Delhi  in  his 
native  county,  where  he  resided  until  1865,  with  the 
exception  of  three  years  which  he  spent  in  California, 
and  along  the  Pacific  Coast,  spending  some  time  in 
each  of  those  small  republics  from  New  Granada  or 
Colombia  (as  it  is  now  called)  up  to  California, 
and  also  spending  some  months  in  Mexico.  In 
In  February  of  that  year  he  came  to  De  Kalb  County 
and  bought  320  acres  of  land  in  Squaw  Grove  Town- 
ship, located  on  section  8.  On  this  he  pursued  his 
agricultural  interests,  and  was  resident  there  until  his 
removal  to  Hinckley  in  the  spring  of  1883,  and  has 
not  since  participated  in  active  business  life.  He  is 
and  has  been  prominent  and  active  in  the  Dem- 
ocratic element  of  De  Kalb  County,  and  is  one  of  the 
leaders  in  the  local  organization.  He  is  also  promi- 
nent in  the  Masonic  and  Odd  Fellows  fraternities, 
and  has  held  the  highest  offices  in  both. 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


He  was  united  in  marriage  Oct.  9,  1848,   in  Delhi, 
Delaware  Co.,  N.    Y.,  to  Jannett  P.  Aitken.      She 
was  born  May  3,  1828,  in  the  city  of  New  Yoik,  and   j 
was   the    daughter   of   David   and   Agnes  (Gordon)    j 
Ailken.     By  her  mother  she  was  distantly  connected 
with  General  Gordon,  recently  (1885)  killed  at  Khar- 
toum, Afric.i.     David  A.,   Mary  A.,   Hattie  A.  and    j 
Nettie  M.  are  the  names  of  the  children  of  Mr.  and   j 
Mrs.  Hobbs.     Mary  A.  died  when  nine  years  and  six 
months  old.     Hattie  A.  married  William  T.    Blagg 
and  resides  at  Sandwich.     Nettie  M.  is   the  wife  of 
George   Mewhirter,  of  Bristol  Station,  Kendall  Co., 
111.     The  mother  died  at  Hinckley,  April  16,  1883. 

For  nearly  20  years  Mr.  Hobbs  was  extensively  en- 
gaged in  agricultural  pursuits  in  this  county,  becom- 
ing one  of  the  leading  and  most  prominent  farmers  in 
the  county.  He  is  a  gentleman  highly  esteemed  by 
the  many  who  know  him  and  has  a  most  excellent 
reputation  throughout  the  county.  As  a  man,  there- 
fore, worthy  of  the  place,  we  insert  his  portrait  in  this 
volume. 


Daniel  Waite,  farmer,  resident  on  section  34, 
Sycamore  Township,  was  born  Oct.  2, 
1798,  in  Braintree,  Orange  Co.,  Vt.,  and 
is  the  son  of  Daniel  and  Sally  (Kidder) 
Waite.  His  parents  were  both  natives  of  Mas- 
sachusetts, and  accompanied  their  parents  to 
Orange  Co.,  Vt.,  when  extremely  young.  The  fam- 
ilies of  both  became  prominent  in  social  and  public 
life,  and  were  remarkable,  even  in  that  land  of  steady 
habits,  for  correct,  well  ordered  lives. 

The  history  of  Braintree,  Vt.,  in  the  Gazetteer  of 
Miss  Abbie  Hemenway,  says  that  Daniel  Waite  came 
to  Braintree  in  1788  or '9.  "  Uncle  Daniel,"  as  he 
was  familiarly  called,  was  thorough  and  successful, 
and  wholly  devoted  to  his  calling.  In  this  particu- 
lar he  demonstrated  the  fact  that  intelligent  farming 
pays.  He  early  imbibed  the  principle  that  no  far- 
mer can  afford  to  raise  corn,  oats  or  hay  to  sell.  He 
should  sell  horses,  not  oats  ;  sheep  and  cattle,  not 
corn.  In  common  with  other  pioneers,  he  endured 
many  hardships.  Once  he  was  obliged  to  bring  his 
seed  wheat  from  Middlebury  on  horseback,  with  only 
marked  trees  to  guide  him  across  the  mountains. 
All  the  Waites  were  strictly  temperate,  not  one  of 


them  having  ever  been  known  to  be  intemperate  or 
to  use  tobacco  in  any  form.  The  death  of  the  father 
of  Daniel  Waite  occurred  Sept.  6,  1862.  Mrs. 
Waite,  the  mother,  died  Oct.  4,  1849. 

Mr.  Waite  grew  to  man's  estate  on  the  farm  in 
Braintree,  and  was  educated  in  the  common  schools. 
He  was  married  Jan.  i,  1827,  to  Mary,  daughter  of 
Elias  and  Mary  (Willmarth)  Cobb.  He  settled  on 
one  of  his  father's  farms,  where  he  continued  to 
reside  until  1839,  the  year  in  which  he  moved  to 
Darien,  Genesee  Co.,  N.  Y.,  where  he  became  the 
possessor  of  an  improved  farm.  He  decided  to  lo- 
cate in  the  West  on  account  of  his  growing  sons, 
and  accordingly,  in  1854,  he  sold  his  farm  and  came 
to  De  Kalb  County,  where  he  bought  an  improved 
farm  on  section  34,  on  which  he  pursued  his  agricul- 
tural projects  until  1869.  His  wife  died  on  the  3d 
of  February  of  that  year,  and  soon  afterward  he  sold 
the  place  and  has  since  resided  with  his  sons,  who 
are  farmers  on  the  same  section  (34). 

To  him  and  his  wife  nine  children  were  born,  as 
follows:  Daniel  P.,  Tyler  K.,  Orlando,  Edwin  and 
Ellen  (twins),  John  E.,  Charles,  Jasper  H.  and  Mary 
E.  Daniel  P.  Waite  was  born  Feb.  22,  1828,  in 
Braintree,  Vt.  He  was,  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a 
century,  secretary  of  the  Minnesota  Copper  Mining 
Company,  and  in  March,  1871,  he  settled  in  Spring- 
field, Mo.,  and  engaged  in  mercantile  business.  He 
died  there  Nov.  3,  1871.  Tyler  K.  Waite  was  born 
July  i,  1829,  and  was  engaged  as  a  teacher  after  the 
removal  of  his  parents  to  Western  New  York.  He 
came  to  Sycamore  in  1854  and  started  the  pioneer 
cheese  factory  in  De  Kalb  County,  and  continued  its 
manager  and  proprietor  until  his  death,  March  13, 
1871.  Charles  and  Jasper  Waite  entered  the  mili- 
tary service  of  the  United  States,  an,d  both  distin- 
guished themselves  and  honored  the  stainless  name 
they  represented,  as  well  as  the  generation  and  com- 
munity to  which  they  belong. 

The  former  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Co.  C,  271)1 
Michigan  Regiment  Vol.  Inf.  Soon  after  the  organ- 
ization of  his  company  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank 
of  Second  Lieutenant,  and  he  passed  the  several 
grades  of  promotion  for  meritorious  conduct,  leaving 
the  army  at  the  close  of  the  war  with  the  rank  of 
Brigadier  General,  by  brevet.  He  is  living  at  Lena, 
Stephenson  Co.,  111.,  and  is  engaged  in  the  banking 
business.  He  was  wounded  in  the  battle  of  the 


I! 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


Wilderness.  Jasper  enlisted  in  1863,  in  Co.  C,  i?th 
111.  Cav.  He  went  to  the  front  as  Lieutenant  of  his 
command,  and  was  promoted  to  a  Captaincy.  He 
served  until  the  close  of  the  war,  and  during  the 
closing  months  was  a  member  of  the  staff  of  Gen. 
Curtis.  Orlando,  Edwin  and  John  are  farmers  on 
section  34.  The  former  has  traveled  extensively  on 
his  native  continent,  has  been  to  California  twice, 
and  on  the  second  occasion  extended  his  trip  to 
British  Columbia,  where  he  passed  three  years. 
Edwin  Waite  is  an  enterprising  and  prominent  citi- 
zen of  his  township,  and  has  devoted  much  time  and 
attention  to  the  interests  of  the  general  public.  He 
is  a  voracious  reader,  and  has  a  well  stored  and  dis- 
ciplined mind.  He  was  formerly  engaged  in  the 
sale  of  McCormick's  farm  machinery.  The  broth- 
ers Waite  have  a  valuable  and  well  improved  farm, 
with  good  buildings  and  orchard.  The  sisters  Waite 
reside  with  their  brothers. 


ackson  Hiland,  farmer,  section  25,  De 
I?  Kalb  Township,  was  born  in  Licking  Co., 
Ohio,  in  September,  1832,  and  is  a  son  of 
Joseph  and  Hannah  (McKillup)  Hiland. 
His  father  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and 
settled  in  Ohio  a  few  years  after  his  marriage, 
where  he  resided  until  about  1846.  During  that 
year  he  started  with  five  horses  and  two  wagons  for 
an  overland  trip  to  Illinois,  accompanied  by  his 
family.  He  arrived  in  De  Kalb  Township  and  pur- 
chased a  farm  from  the  widow  of  one  Jacob  Cox,  lo- 
cated on  sections  13  and  14.  There  was  a  double 
log  house  and  a  stable  covered  with  straw  on  the 
place,  but  he  soon  erected  a  comfortable  frame  house 
and  fenced  the  land.  He  then  sold  the  farm  and 
moved  to  De  Kalb,  where  he  died.  There  were 
eight  children  in  his  family,  seven  of  whom  grew  up 
and  six  of  whom  are  yet  living. 

Jackson  Hiland,  the  subject  of  this  notice,  soon 
after  coming  to  this  county,  engaged  with  Dr.  Ruby 
in  the  sale  of  drugs,  groceries  and  dry  goods.  The 
relation  existed  for  five  years,  when  Mr.  Hiland,  in 
company  with  J.  W.  Stone,  opened  a  jewelry,  drug 
and  grocery  store  and  continued  to  operate  it 
jointly  until  1861.  During  the  latter  year  he  en- 
listed in  the  42d  Regt.,  Douglas  Brigade,  and  served 
nine  months,  in  the  late  Civil  War. 


On  receiving  his  discharge,  Mr.  Hiland  returned 
to  De  Kalb  and  worked  at  the  jewelry  trade 
until  1867.  He  then  purchased  an  improved  farm 
on  section  25,  De  Kalb  Township.  He  has  since 
erected  thereon  a  good  frame  barn  and  otherwise 
improved  the  place. 

Mr.  Hiland  was  married  June  8,  1857,  to  Juliet, 
daughter  of  David  and  Juliet  (Smith)  Price,  and  a 
native  of  Otsego  Co.,  N.  Y.  They  have  one  child, 
Carrie,  wife  of  Luzerne  Hopkins,  a  farmer  of  De 
Kalb  Township. 


illiam  J.  Bates,  dealer  in  agricultural  ma- 
chinery at  Cortland,  was  born  Oct.  15, 
1830,  in  Chenango  Co.,  N.  Y.  He  came 
n  1844  to  De  Kalb  County  with  his  parents 
and  located  in  what  is  now  Cortland  Town- 
ship. In  1848  the  family  went  to  what  is  now 
Pierce  Township  and  settled  on  the  northeast  corner 
of  section  5,  where  the  senior  Bates  bought  40  acres 
of  land.  His  mother,  Cynthia  Bates,  died  there. 
His  father,  J.  J.  Bates,  continued  to  reside  on  the 
farm  some  years  and  was  occupied  in  its  improve- 
ment. Later  on  he  took  up  his  residence  with  his 
son  William  in  Cortland,  where  he  passed  his  last 
days. 

Soon  after  coming  to  De  Kalb  County,  Mr.  Bates 
bought  his  time  of  his  father,  paying  him  $50  there- 
for, and  in  the  winter  of  1850-1  he  taught  the  first 
school  in  the  township  of  Pierce.  He  chopped  the 
wood  and  furnished  the  stove  in  which  it  was  burned. 
He  was  to  receive  $15  per  month  for  his  services  as 
pedagogue  and  waited  two  years  for  his  pay.  He 
continued  to  operate  as  a  teacher  24  years,  pursuing 
that  vocation  winters  and  farming  summers.  He 
taught  20  terms  in  District  No.  3,  Pierce  Township. 

Mr.  Bates  was  married  Marches,  1851,  to  Sarah, 
daughter  of  Daniel  and  Polly  Hunt.  She  was  born 
in  Chenango  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  came  to  Illinois  with 
her  parents  in  1844.  Mr.  Bates  bought  a  farm  on 
section  5,  Pierce  Township,  where  he  built  a  house, 
after  a  primitive  fashion, — driving  posts  in  the  ground 
and  boarding  outside,  while  the  inside  was  plastered. 
He  is  the  owner  of  160  acres  of  fenced  and  well  im- 
proved land.  In  1856  he  began  the  sale  of  farm 
machinery,  and  in  1860  he  established  his  present 


DE  KALB 


COUNTY. 


^.f    business  at  the  village  of  Cortland,  where  he  has 
f  s?     built  a  commodious  warehouse  for  the  storage  of  ag- 
'     ricultural  implements.    Mr.  Bates  was  the  first  Clerk 
of  Pierce  Township,  and  offidated  six  years  success- 
ively as  Assessor  in  Cortland.     To  him  and  his  wife 
^fJ    six  children  have  been  born,  only  one  of  whom,  Wal- 
ter H.,  survives.     Three  children  died  in  infancy. 
Charles  A.  died  when  13  years  of  age,  and  Sarah  J. 
when  she  was  three  years  old. 


ylvester  Pasley,  deceased,  formerly  a  far- 
mer on  sections  13  and  14,  De  Kalb 
Township,  was  born  in  July,  1842.  in  the 
township  in  which  he  lived  until  his  death.  His 
father,  James  Pasley,  one  of  the  pioneers  of  this 
county,  was  born  in  Kentucky,  April  n,  1807. 
When  seven  years  of  age,  his  parents  moved  to  Hamil- 
ton Co.,  Ohio,  where  he  lived  and  grew  to  manhood. 
He  married  Sarah  Carney,  a  native  of  that  State, 
born  Jan.  30,  1808,  and  about  1834  they  moved  to 
Indiana  and  located  on  the  Wabash  River,  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Shawnee.  He  was  a  carpenter  by 
trade,  and  was  engaged  in  making  flat-boats  in  the 
latter  State  until  the  spring  of  1836.  At  that  time 
he,  with  his  family,  started  on  an  overland  trip  to 
Illinois  and  arrived  in  that  part  of  Kane  County 
now  known  as  De  Kalb.  He  immediately  entered  a 
claim  on  sections  13  and  14  of  what  is  now  De  Kalb 
Township,  this  county.  He  at  once  set  about  to 
build  him  a  log  house,  split  shakes  to  cover  the  roof, 
and  in  lieu  of  nails  used  heavy  poles  to  keep  the 
roof  in  place,  and  for  a  floor  used  puncheons  split 
from  basswood  logs..  Having  faith  in  the  future  de- 
velopment of  the  country,  and  desiring  to  establish  a 
home  for  his  family,  he  entered  vigorously  upon  the 
laborious  task  of  improving  his  land,  and  continued 
to  reside  thereon  and  labor  until  his  death  in  1851. 
Ten  years  later,  in  1861,  his  wife  joined  him  in  the 
unknown  world.  They  were  the  parents  of  six  chil- 
dren. Henry  died  in  Indiana,  and  William  Hamil- 
ton died  in  this  county ;  May  married  Arthur  Pasley 
and  died  in  De  Kalb  Township.  William  and  Ben- 
jamin are  the  only  survivors,  and  the  latter  is  a  res- 
dent  of  Story  Co.,  Iowa. 

Sylvester  Pasley  was  brought  up  on   the    home- 
stead   and  assisted  his  father  in    its    development. 


He  was  a  recipient  of  the  advantages  afforded  by 
the  common  schools  and  remained  on  the  home- 
stead until  he  attained  his  majority.  When  the  late 
Civil  War  broke  out,  Mr.  Pasley  was  among  the 
many  who  responded  to  the  call  for  troops  and  en- 
listed December,  1861,  in  Co.  G,  58th  111.  Vol.  Inf. 
He  veteranized  in  1863  and  continued  in  the  service 
until  April,  1866.  Among  the  more  important  bat- 
tles in  which  he  participated,  were  Ft.  Donelson, 
Shiloh,  Nashville,  Fort  Blakely,  and  Spanish  Fort, 
besides  numerous  minor  battles  and  skirmishes.  He 
was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Shiloh  and  thereby 
incapacited  from  service  for  about  four  months,  ex- 
cepting which  time  he  was  continuously  in  active 
service.  He  was  mustered  out  with  the  regiment  in 
1866,  and  was  the  only  one  of  17  from  this  county 
in  his  company  who  had  not  previously  received  his 
discharge. 

In  the  spring  of  1867  Mr.  Pasley  went  to  Colo- 
rado, where  he  engaged  in  teaming  between  Denver 
and  the  mines.  After  three  years'  sojourn  in  that 
State  he  returned  to  this  county,  remained  a  year 
and  then  went  back  to  Colorado.  He  remained  at 
the  latter  place  six  years,  variously  engaged,  and 
then  r-iturned  and  settled  on  the  old  homestead  on 
which  he  resided  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
March  30,  1885. 

Mr.  Pasley  was  married  Feb.  n,  1878,10  Miss 
Sarah  Kessler,  a  daughter  of  Michael  and  Mary  A. 
Kessler,  pioneer  settlers  of  Pierce  Township,  in 
which  township  she  was  born.  They  have  four  chil- 
dren,— Ida  M.,  Henry  C.  and  Alonzo  A.  The  old- 
est child,  Eliza  D.,  died  when  one  year  and  one 
month  old. 


osea  W.  Willard,  contractor  and  builder  at 
Sycamore,  was  born  July  17,  1826,  in 
Windsor  Co.,  Vt.  His  father,  Oliver  Will- 
ard, was  born  Aug.  5,  1789,  at  Windsor,  Vt., 
and  died  Jan.  2,  1854.  His  mother,  Lucy 
(Weeden)  Willard,  was  born  Oct.  24,  1796,  at 
Hartland,  Vt.,  and  died  Dec.  9,  1849.  They  re- 
moved from  the  Green  Mountain  State  to  Sycamore, 
111.,  in  1846.  Five  of  their  n  children  are  living. 
Mr.  Willard  is  the  eldest  who  survives,  and  is  the  © 
fifth  in  the  order  of  birth.  Charles  is  a  mason 


4*^ 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


709 


(21 


i 


Boone  Co.,  Iowa.  Marcia  is  the  wife  of  Spafford 
Smith,  a  retired  farmer  of  Sycamore.  Helen  married 
Robert  Rowe,  a  merchant  in  Story  Co.,  Iowa.  Cur- 
tis is  a  mason  and  pursues  his  trade  in  Boone  Co., 
Iowa. 

Mr.  Willard  was  reared  to  the  age  of  1 6  on  a  farm. 
In  the  fall  of  1843,  an  elder  brother,  Oliver,  now  de- 
ceased, came  to  Sycamore  and  engaged  in  the  busi- 
ness of  a  mason.  Hosea  accompanied  him  and 
obtained  employment  as  a  carpenter.  After  working 
(  at  his  trade  for  a  time  he  began  to  operate  as  con- 
tractor, which  method  of  business  he  has  since  pur- 
sued. He  has  erected  a  number  of  fine  residences 
and  prominent  buildings  in  Sycamore. 

He  was  married  in  Derby,  Orleans  Co.,  Vt.,  to 
Martha  A.  W.,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Susan 
Weeden  and  a  native  of  Hartland,  Windsor  Co.,  Vt. 
They  have  two  children  :  Clarence  H.,  now  follow- 
iiig  the  business  of  photography,  was  born  Feb.  19, 
1856;  and  Oliver  T.,  born  July  i,  1868,  is  a  tele- 
graph operator. 


dwin  L.  Mosher,  retired  farmer,  De  Kalb, 
was  born  in  Providence,  Saratoga  Co., 
N.  Y.,  Jan  2,  1834,  and  was  12  years  of 
age  when  his  parents,  Levi  and  Caroline  L. 
(Smith)  Mosher,  natives  of  the  same  county, 
removed  to  the  town  of  Yates  in  Orleans 
County,  same  State,  where  he  was  reared  to  man- 
hood on  the  farm  and  at  the  district  school. 

In  1854  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mercy  A.  Water- 
bury,  who  was  born  in  the  town  of  Yates  above 
mentioned.  They  then  resided  in  the  town  of 
Ridgeway,  same  county,  for  a  period  of  three  years, 
and  then,  in  1857,  removed  to  Clinton,  this  county; 
but  within  two  years  returned  to  New  York  State  and 
worked  his  father-in-law's  farm  in  Ridgeway  for  three 
years.  Coming  again  to  this  county,  Mr.  Mosher 
bought  a  quarter  of  section  16,  De  Kalb  Township, 
of  his  brother,  Charles  D.,  who  now  resides  in  Chi- 
cago. He  managed  that  farm  until  1882,  when  he 
left  his  son  in  charge  of  it -and  moved  to  the  city  of 
De  Kalb,  occupying  his  present  residence  on  Fourth 
Street. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mosher  have  had  four  children, 
namely  :  George  W.  ;  Charles  W.  is  married  and 


settled  on  a  farm  in  Carroll  Co.,  Iowa;  Grant  E., 
now  living  on  the  home  farm;  and  Frank,  now  a 
clerk  in  De  Kalb.  George  W.,  the  first  child,  was 
born  Sept.  14,  1858,  and  died  Dec.  9,  1877. 


orter  Swift  Coolidge,  farmer,  resident  on 
sections  9,5  and  4,  Cortland  Township,  was 
born  Sept.  28,  1829,  in  the  town  of  Frank- 
fort, Herkimer  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  is  the  son  of 
Warren  and  Rachel  (Swift)  Coolidge.  Both 
his  parents  were  natives  of  Massachusetts,  and 
when  a  young  man  his  father  went  to  the  State  of 
New  York,  to  seek  a  home.  After  a  stay  of  a  year  at 
Frankfort  Hill,  he  returned  and  was  married.  At  the 
date  of  his  settlement  in  Herkimer  County,  there  was 
but  one  log  house  on  the  present  site  of  Utica.  He 
bought  a  tract  of  land,  which  was  all  covered  with 
timber.  He  was  in  a  position  to  secure  the  choice  of 
land  in  the  Mohawk  Valley,  but  he  had  been  cau- 
tioned against  it  as  a  fever-and-ague  district,  and 
made  his  selection  on  the  hills  instead.  He  went  on 
foot  from  Albany,  and  on  arrival  at  the  place  where 
he  had  determined  to  locate,  with  the  necessary  and 
trusty  ax,  he  took  up  his  lodgings  in  a  hollow  log.  In 
this  he  slept,  and  a  few  mornings  after  taking  pos- 
session he  found  a  bear  in  the  other  end  of  the  log! 
He  made  a  clearing,  built  a  house  and  started  vari- 
ous plans  in  the  way  of  pushing  his  work  for  estab- 
lishing a  home.  To  this  place  he  brought  his  wife. 
The  first  stove  he  owned  he  bought  with  40  cords  of 
split  body  maple  wood  and  drew  it  four  miles. 

Twelve  children  were  born  to  Warren  and  Rachel 
Coolidge,  all  of  whom  attained  maturity,  Porter  being 
the  youngest.  .The  mother  died  in  1837,  and  the 
father  in  1842. 

After  the  demise  of  the  latter,  Porter  took  charge 
of  the  farm  and_  conducted  its  affairs,  in  company 
with  his  three  sisters.  He  obtained  a  good  common- 
school  education,  and  afterwards  attended  Sauquoite 
Academy  three  years.  On  leaving  school  he  set  out 
for  Illinois,  and  in  the  winter  of  1850-1  taught  school 
at  Naperville.  In  the  spring  following  he  went  to 
California,  making  the  route  there  via  Nicaragua. 
He  spent  six  months  there  on  the  Middle  Fork  of 
the  American  River,  after  which  he  proceeded  to  the 
Santa  Clara  Valley,  near  San  Jose  Mission,  where  he 
spent  1 8  months  as  a  farmer.  He  then  returned 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


> 


Illinois,  coming  thither  by  Panama  and  New  York  to 
De  Kalb  County.  In  company  with  Stephen  A. 
Bemis,  he  leased  the  stock  farm  of  John  R.  Hamlins, 
which  contained  1,000  acres.  He  went  to  Ohio  and 
Kentucky,  and  purchased  horses,  and  they  interested 
themselves  in  breeding  horses,  mules  and  cattle, 
having  about  100  head  of  each.  They  continued 
their  joint  operations  five  years,  after  which  Mr. 
Coolidge  sold  his  interest  to  Mr.  Bemis  and  Nathan 
Lattin,  and  the  stock  was  taken  across  the  plains  to 
California. 

Mr.  Coolidge  was  married  July  26,  1858,  to  Mary 
M.  McLagan.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  bought  his 
farm,  which  was  one  of  the  first  settled  in  that  part 
of  De  Kalb  County, having  been  improved  by  Phineas 
Joslyn  (see  sketch).  It  had  a  small  frame  house 
and  a  small  barn.  The  house  in  which  he  now  re- 
sides was  built  in  1875.  In  1874  he  purchased  the 
Churchill  farm,  which  contained  212  acres,  located 
on  sections  4  and  5.  He  now  owns  nearly  400  acres, 
all  of  which  is  under  improvement.  On  the  comple- 
tion of  the  Central  Pacific  Railroad,  he  returned  to 
California,  of  whose  climate  he  had  always  held  a 
favorable  opinion,  and  had  cherished  a  plan  to  es- 
tablish his  home  there.  But  the  soil  had  deteriorated 
to  such  an  extent  that  the  yield  of  grain  was  less  than 
one-half  of  that  at  the  date  of  his  earlier  visit,  and 
he  did  not  continue  there.  In  1881  he  made  a  third 
trip  to  California,  going  there  by  the  Southern  Pacific 
Railroad,  and  making  a  tour  of  the  State  from 
north  to  scuth.  He  still  had  the  purpose  of  estab- 
lishing a  home  in  a  milder  climate,  but  was  again 
disappointed  in  the  Golden  State  and  returned  to 
Illinois,  not  deeming  it  wise  to  risk  the  certainties  of 
a  farm  in  the  Prairie  State  for  the  uncertainties  of 
the  lands  of  California. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Coolidge  have  six  children — Carrie 
E.,  Porter  B.,  Irving  A.,  Ida  L.,  Gertie  M.  and  Abbie 
Blanche. 


'homas  A.  Luney,  cashier  of  the  De  Kalb 
National   Bank,   was  born    in  the    city    of 
Rockford,   Winnebago    Co.,   111.,    July    2, 
1853,  and  when  a  year  old  his  parents,  Ed- 
mund and  Catherine   (Hogan)  Luney,  moved 
with  their  family  to  De  Kalb,  where  he  grew  to 
years  of  maturity  and  received  a  thorough  education 

<§&&*&-• ^€^^ %* 


at  the  district  school.  When  16  years  of  age  he  en- 
tered the  bank  of  R.  Hopkins  &  Co.,  as  clerk,  and 
since  that  time  he  has  been  closely  identified  with 
that  bank,  till  its  dissolution  in  1874,  and  with  its 
successors  through  all  the  changes  of  proprietorship, 
policy  and  name.  Before  it  was  made  a  National 
bank  it  was  conducted  as  a  private  institution  for 
several  years.  At  the  time  it  was  organized  as  a 
National  bank,  Mr.  Luney  was  appointed  to  his  pres- 
ent position  as  cashier.  Mr.  Luney  is  an  independ- 
ent Democrat  in  politics,  and  has  held  the  office  of 
Township  Treasurer  since  1877. 

Mr.  Luney  was  married  in  1878,  to  Miss  Anna  A. 
Solon,  who  was  born  in  De  Kalb  County,  and  from 
infancy  to  the  time  of  her  marriage  lived  in  Malta. 
She  is  the  daughter  of  Timothy  and  Mary  Solon. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  L.  have  two  children, — Ella  Agnes 
and  Francis  Solon. 


I 


ylvanus  Holcomb,  of  Sycamore,  was  born    " 
March  23,  1803,  at  Sangerfield,  Oneida  Co.,    $£ 
N.  Y.  He  is  the  son  of  Orator  and  Hannah    J: 
(Perry)  Holcomb.  His  father  was  born  in  Mas-    &> 
sachusetts  and  went'in  early  manhood  to  the    * 
State  of  New  York,  where  he  met  and  married 
his  wife,  who  was  a  native  of  Connecticut,  and  had 
moved  from  that  State  to  New  York  with  her  parents. 
They  lived  in    Sangerfield    until    1805,    when    they 
moved  to  Ontario  .Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  after  a  residence  of 
four  years  they  removed  to  that    part  of   the  Hol- 
land Purchase  included  in  Genesee  County,  where  he    ^ 
bought  land  and  improved  a  large  farm. 

When  Mr.  Holcomb  was  17  years  of  age  his  par- 
ents went  to  the  township  of  Darien.  He  was  mar- 
ried there  Oct.  4,  1826,  to  Julia  B.  Joslyn.  He 
bought  a  farm  in  the  same  township,  which  he  re- 
tained in  his  possession  until  1839,  when  he  started 
for  a  home  in  the  West.  He  drove  with  his  own 
team  to  Buffalo,  where  he  embarked  for  Toledo.  He 
drove  thence  to  De  Kalb  Co.,  111.,  and  bought  a 
claim  on  section  34,  in  what  is  now  the  township  of 
Sycamore.  The  tract  consisted  of  unbroken  prairie, 
and  Mr.  Holcomb  built  a  log  house,  18  x  24  feet  in 
dimensions.  There  was  but  one  house  in  sight,  and 
the  neighbors  were  the  deer  and  wolves,  which  then 
were  in  abundance.  One  night  the  fire  went  out, 
~^t^f  «*>§fr^)£@ 


i 


and  as  they  were  without  matches,  Mr.  Holcomb  was 
obliged  to  go  more  than  a  mile  to  obtain  fire.  Ifi  the 
year  in  which  he  made  his  location,  he  broke  10 
acres  and  tried  to  raise  a  crop  on  it  in  1840,  but  it 
was  almost  a  failure.  He  rented  land  the  same  year 
on  which  he  raised  a  crop  of  oats.  Soon  after- 
ward he  began  to  raise  wheat,  which  he  marketed  at 
Chicago,  then  and  for  some  years  subsequently  the 
nearest  available  point.  He  improved  175  acres  of 
land,  and  built  two  dwellings  besides  other  farm 
buildings.  He  sold  his  farm  in  1863  and  moved  to 
Sycamore. 

His  first  wife  died  Dec.  20,  1864,  leaving  seven 
children.  He  •  married  Betsey  C.  Adams,  Jan.  i, 
1866,  who  died  Dec.  27,  1882. 

•'     r       -    *.  .Q*^Q-   *    -       , 

*^*    «  t  X'j&v  »  •"*"*  • 


oses  W.  Jordan,  farmer,  resident  on  sec- 
tion 1 6,  Cortland  Township,  was  born 
Dec.  5,  1819,  in  the  town  of  Moriah,  Es- 
sex Co.,  N.  Y.  He  was  the  fifth  child  of 
Rufus  and  Rebecca  (Bacon)  Jordan.  His 
father  was  born  Sept.  21,  1783,  in  the  town  of 
South  Brimfield,  Mass.  His  mother  was  born  March 
22,  1788.  The  parents  of  his  mother,  Thaddeus  and 
Polly  (Daly)  Bacon,  were  natives  of  the  State  of  New 
York.  John  Jordan,  father  of  Rufus  Jordan  and 
grandfather  of  Moses,  was  born  Dec.  19,  1752,  in 
Massachusetts,  and  was  born  of  English  ancestry. 
He  settled  in  Moriah  in  the  early  part  of  the  i8th 
century,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming.  He,  in 
connection  with  his  son  Rufus,  bought  timber  land, 
from  which  he  cleared  two  good  farms.  He  was 
prominent  in  town  and  county  affairs,  acting  some 
years  as  Justice  of  the  Peace.  His  records  as  a 
Magistrate  (dating  back  to  1809)  are  now  in  the 
possession  of  Mr.  Jordan  of  this  sketch.  He  died 
March  19,  1813,  and  the  demise  of  his  wife  occurred 
Oct.  30,  1810.  His  son  Rufus  was  manied  Feb.  4, 
1808,  and  settled  on  a  farm  adjoining  his  father.  In 
1830  he  removed  to  Gainesville,  Genesee  Co.,  N.  Y., 
which  is  now  included  in  Wyoming  County,  buying  a 
farm  where  he  spent  many  years,  afterwards  retiring 
from  active  life  and  buying  a  residence  near  his 
daughter.  He  died  Nov.  i,  1862,  and  his  wife  died 
in  Cortland,  April  29,  1865.  Four  of  their  children 
are  still  living:  Hiram  is  a  fanner  at  Gainesville  but 

**maa±ir'  s-\    A. 


much  of  his  time  has  been  spent  in  teaching;  Lucina 
is  the  wife  of  F.  H.  Jennison,  of  Gainesville;  Moses 
W.  and  Lydia,  wife  of  C.  F.  Ely,  live  in  Cortland. 

Mr.  Jordan  of  this  sketch  was  reared  on  the  farm 
and  educated  in  the  public  schools.  He  continued 
to  live  with  his  parents  until  1843,  when  he  went  to 
Warsaw,  the  county  seat  of  Wyoming  County,  and 
operated  there  as  a  carpenter  and  joiner  and  also  as 
a  farmer,  having  bought  a  small  farm.  He  lived  in 
Warsaw  until  1852,  in  which  year  he  settled  on  his 
farm  in  Cortland  Township.  In  the  spring  of  1853 
he  bought  land  on  sections  9  and  16,  containing  69 
acres,  of  which  15  acres  were  broken  prairie,  with  a 
small  log  house  and  an  orchard  of  limited  extent.  The 
place  is  now  in  advanced  cultivation,  with  valuable 
buildings,  fruit,  shade  and  ornamental  trees.  While 
a  resident  at  Warsaw  he  studied  medicine  with  C.  A. 
Dake,  M.  D.,  after  which  he  operated  to  some  extent 
as  a  practitioner  while  yet  in  his  native  State,  and 
also  has  been  similarly  occupied  since  coming  West. 

In  December,  1839,  he  joined  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  at  Gainesville,  and  immediately  de- 
voted himself  to  the  study  of  the  Bible  with  a  view  of 
preparing  for  the  ministry.  While  living  in  the  State 
of  New  York  he  was  an  active  member  of  the  Church, 
a  Class-leader  and  Steward.  In  1869  he  was  or- 
dained at  Freeport  as  a  local  preacher.  He  has 
always  been  warmly  interested  in  educational  affairs 
and  an  earnest  and  decided  anti-slavery,  anti- tobacco 
and  anti-liquor  advocate. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  Feb.  27,  1843,  to  Miss 
Betsey  Perkins.  She  was  born  in  Hampton,  Wash- 
ington Co.,  N.  Y.,  Aug.  5,  1817,  and  is  the  daughter 
of.  Sylvester  and  Ruth  (Hooker)  Perkins  The  family 
consisted  of  three  sons  and  six  daughters,  she  being 
the  youngest  daughter.  Mr.  Perkins  was  born  in 
Connecticut,  and  his  wife  in  Poultney,  Rutland  Co., 
Vt.  Only  one  child  was  born  to  Moses  and  Betsey 
Jordan,  Edward  Franklin,  whose  birth  occurred  Sept. 
21,  1847,  in  Warsaw,  Wyoming  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  he 
married  Lucy  J.  Gale.  She  was  born  May  2,  1875, 
in  Pierce,  De  Kalb  Co.,  111.,  and  is  the  mother  of  two 
children,— Ethel  and  Carmi.  E.  F.  Jordan  is  the 
manager  of  his  father's  farm.  He  is  apt  with  the  use 
of  tools,  and  his  readiness  in  mechanical  arts  is  of 
special  value  in  his  business  as  a  farmer  and  to  his 
neighbors. 

Mrs.  Jordan  is  a  lineal  descendant  of  Rev.  Thomas 


• 

i 

• 

] 
\ 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


Hooker,  who  came  from  England  with  his  Church 
and  settled  at  Hartford,  Conn.,  in  1600,  and  her  father 
was  a  local  preacher  in  the  Methodist  Church.  David 
Star  Jordan,  son  of  Hiram  Jordan,  is  a  graduate  from 
Cornell  University  at  Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  the  author  of 
several  modern,  standard  text-books  on  natural 
science,  and  is  at  present  residing  at  Bloomington, 
Ind.,  where  he  is  President  of  the  State  University. 


{.on.  A.  W.  Lloyd,  of  Sycamore,  was  born 
Dec.  14,  1800,  in  the  town  of  Blandford, 
Hampden  Co.,  Mass.  His  father,  James 
Lloyd,  was  born  in  Massachusetts,  of  Scotch 
parentage,  and  married  Sally  White,  of  English 
descent,  and  belonging  to  the  posterity  of  Pere- 
grine White,  the  first  white  child  born  in  Massachu- 
setts. 

Mr.  Lloyd  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
his  native  county,  and  was  taught  the  details  of 
farming  on  his  father's  estate.  In  1825  he  married 
Parthenia,  daughter  of  Roger  and  Mary  (Webster) 
Haskell,  both  of  Massachusetts.  She  was  born  in 
Peru,  Berkshire  County.  Her  father  was  of  French 
descent,  and  was  a  patriot  of  the  Revolution.  After 
marriage,  Mr.  Lloyd  and  his  wife  occupied  the  home- 
stead until  1854,  when  they  sold  their  interest  and 
came  to  De  Kalb  County,  where  they  bought  a  tract 
of  unimproved  land  in  South  Grove  Township.  Dur- 
ing the  first  year  he  broke  100  acres  on  his  own  land, 
and  built  a  house ;  this  he  did  in  addition  to  man- 
aging the  affairs  of  a  farm  he  rented.  In  1855  the 
family  took  possession  of  the  place.  Mr.  Lloyd  im- 
proved and  operated  nearly  the  entire  acreage  of  the 
farm — 240  acres — erected  a  large  frame  house  and 
barn,  a  granary  and  other  farm  buildings,  and  con- 
verted the  place  into  one  of  the  best  and  most  val- 
uable farms  in  De  Kalb  County.  In  1872  he  placed 
his  son  in  charge  of  the  estate  and  removed  to  Syca- 
more, where  he  bought  a  residence.  In  April,  1884, 
he  removed  to  another  location  on  the  same  street. 
Mr.  Lloyd  became  a  distinguished  citizen  of  Berk- 
shire County,  and  held  important  township  offices. 
He  also  represented  his  district  two  terms  in  the 
State  Legislature.  He  also  became  prominent  in 
local  military  affairs.  He  was  commissioned  Ensign 
of  the  State  militia  Feb.  10,  1823,  and  assigned  to 


the  Fourth  Regiment  of  Infantry  in  the  First  Brigade 
and  Fourth  Division.  He  afterwards  received  the 
following  commissions  :  Jan.  7,  1828,  Captain  of  the 
same  company;  Major  of  the  "Fourth"  March  13, 
1829;  Lieut-Colonel,  June  9,  1830;  and  Colonel, 
Feb.  21,  1831. 

His  wife  died  July  2,  1867,  and  left  seven  chil- 
dren :  Paulina  resides  with  her  father  at  Sycamore ; 
William  is  a  Congregational  clergyman  at  Ravens- 
wood,  111. ;  Mary  is  the  wife  of  A.  J.  Vanderen,  who 
is  engaged  in  mining  at  Boulder,  Col. ;  Sergius  is  the 
manager  of  the  homestead  in  South  Grove  Town- 
ship ;  Louis  is  in  business  in  Chicago ;  Alice  married 
William  M.  Rule  and  lives  at  Boulder,  Col.;  and 
Eli  W.  is  a  farmer  in  Malta  Township. 


Lawrence  Curts,  Principal  of  the  De  Kalb 
Schools,   was   born   in   Benton  Township, 
Crawford  Co.,  Ohio,  Oct.  14,  1852,  and  is  a 
son  of  John  and  Elmira  (Leist)  Curts,  natives 
of 'Ohio.     His  father  is  a  Methodist   Episco- 
pal  preacher,  though  formerly  connected  with 
the  United  Brethren  Church. 

The  parents  of  Mr.  Curts  moved  from  Crawford 
County  when  lie  was  an  infant,  and  settled  in  Henry 
County.  They  lived  there  1 1  years  and  removed  to 
Linn  Co.,  Iowa.  Remaining  there  five  years,  they 
removed  to  Sterling,  this  State,  then  to  Manteno,  then 
to  Mendota.  Between  the  ages  of  13  and  18,  three 
years  of  his  life  were  spent  working  at  the  shoe- 
maker's trade,  and  one  year  on  a  farm. 

In  1870,  his  father  purchased  a  farm  in  Dickinson 
Co.,  Kan.,  and  moved  his  family  upon  it.  He  was 
absent  from  the  farm  a  greater  portion  of  the  time,  at- 
tending to  his  professional  duties,  and  the  manage- 
ment of  the  place  and  necessary  work  required  to 
successfully  cultivate  it  in  a  great  degree  devolved 
on  the  son.  He. nevertheless  was  ambitious  to  ac- 
quire an  education,  and  managed  to  alternate  his 
labors  on  the  farm  with  attendance  at  the  common 
schools  and  study  at  home.  His  energy  soon  ad- 
vanced him  sufficiently  to  teach.  He  taught  his 
first  term  of  school  near  Abilene,  Dickinson  County, 
and  then  returned  to  Henry  Co.,  Ohio,  and  taught  in 
the  first  school-house  in  which  he  had  received  in- 
struction, His  object  in  teaching  at  this  time  was  to 
A  ^ 


I  * 


nruaunr 

OF  THE 

flwvERsnr  op  ILLHKMJ 


DE  KALB   COUN'J  Y. 


procure  means  in  which  more  thoroughly  to  prepare 
himself  for  the  calling  of  teacher,  and  he  was  suc- 
cessful. He  taught  two  winter  terms  at  the  place 
last  mentioned,  and  during  the  remainder  of  the  time 
attended  the  Rock  River  Seminary  at  Mt.  Morris,  111. 
In  1876  he  returned  to  Kansas  and  engaged  in  teach- 
ing at  Ellis,  in  Ellis  County,  that  State.  He  taught 
there  two  years,  and  from  his  savings  was  enabled  to 
matriculate  at  Cornell  College,  Iowa.  He  completed 
the  curriculum  of  that  institution  and  graduated  in 
June,  1881.  He  then  came  to  De  Kalb  and  ac- 
cepted the  position  which  he  at  present  occupies.  He 
is  one  of  those  who  believe  "  a  person  never  gets 
too  old  to  learn,"  and  devotes  considerable  time  to 
study.  That  his  efforts  at  De  Kalb  have  proven  a 
success,  the  present  flourishing  condition  of  the 
schools  will  testify ;  and  that  they  are  appreciated  by 
the  citizens,  is  demonstrated  by  the  length  of  time 
he  has  served  and  the  terms  of  praise  connected  with 
his  name  when  he  is  spoken  of  as  an  educator  and 
gentleman. 

Mr.  Curts  was  married  in  June,  1881,  to  Miss 
Clara  Holroyd.  She  was  born  in  Wyanet,  Bureau 
Co.,  111.,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Mark  and  Cordelia 
Holroyd.  Two  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Curts:  Boyd  G.,  Oct.  2,  1882,  and  Paul  H., 
July  3,  1884. 


ichard  Dee,  manufacturer  of  bottled  soda- 
water  and  ginger  ale,  bottled  beer,  ale  and 
porter,  and  dealer  in  ice  in  any  quantities, 
at  De  Kalb,  was  born  in  Lincolnshire,  Eng- 
land, Oct.  31,  1829,  was  brought  up  to  agri- 
cultural pursuits,  and  in  1851  left  his  native 
land  and  came  to  America,  locating  first  in  Racine, 
Wis.,  where  his  employment  for  a  few  months  was  in 
a  pork-packing  establishment.  He  next  engaged  at 
chopping  wood  at  three  shillings  per  cord,  walking 
twice  a  day  the  four  miles  which  lay  between  his 
boarding  place  and  the  woods !  This  was  not  the 
kind  of  life  he  had  dreamed  of  enjoying  in  America, 
and  he  felt  like  returning  to  his  native  land  ;  and  he 
probably  would  have  done  so  had  he  sufficient  means 
in  his  possession. 

In  the  spring  of  1852  he  came  to  Illinois  and  en- 
gaged in  coal-mining  in  La  Salle,  111.,  six  years  ;  then 


was  three  years  in  McDonough  County,  managing  a 
saloon  at  Colchester  two  years  of  that  time;  then  he 
continued  the  same  line  of  business  in  Chicago  until 
1863,  when  he  came  to  the  village  of  De  Kalb.  For 
the  first  year  here  he  kept  a  saloon ;  the  succeeding 
three  years  he  conducted  a  meat  market;  selling  out 
the  latter,  he  built  a  brewery  at  Dixon ;  but  during 
the  following  winter  he  again  crossed  the  ocean  and 
for  a  couple  of  months  visited  friends  in  his  native 
land.  Returning  in  the  spring,  he  sold  his  interest 
in  the  brewery,  came  again  to  De  Kalb  and  re-pur- 
chased the  meat  market,  which  he  operated  for  some 
years.  In  1878  he  established  his  present  business 
as  above  stated. 

He  was  married  March  3,  1851,  to  Miss  Augusta 
Trower,  who  died  May  4,  1855.  Mr.  Dee  was  again 
married  Feb.  25,  1865,  to  Miss  L.  S.  Bennett,  and  by 
the  present  marriage  there  are  two  sons, — Richard 
D.  and  William  H. 


arshall  Stark,  deceased,  a  pioneer  of  De 
Kalb  County,  first  came  to  Illinois  in 
1834,  and  spent  the  summer  of  that  year. 
He  returned  to  his  native  State  to  engage 
in  teaching  during  the  winter,  and  in  1834  lo- 

|  cated  a  claim  of  land  near  Rockford,  Winne- 
b:igo  County,  but  made  no  permanent  settlement 
there.  He  came  soon  after  to  De  Kalb  County  and 
located  a  claim  on  sections  20  and  21  in  what  is  now 
Sycamore  Township.  He  built  a  log  house  near  the 
timber  and  began  to  make  improvements,  and  as 
soon  as  the  land  came  into  market  took  the  neces- 
sary steps  to  secure  the  claim. 

In  1841  he  returned  to  Pennsylvania  and  was 
married  Oct.. 5,  of  the  same  year,  to  Louisa  S.  Tyler, 
daughter  of  Royal  and  Mary  Tyler.  She  was  born 
DSC.  r6,  1820,  in  Dimock,  Susquehauna  Co.,  Pa. 
Her  parents  were  born  in  Connecticut  and  settled 
in  Pennsylvania  in  the  fall  of  the  year  in  which  the 
daughter  w.n  born.  Two  weeks  after  their  marriage 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stark  started  for  their  new  home  in  the 
West,  and  drove  through  with  a  pair  of  horses.  They 
occupied  the  log  house  three  years,  when  they  re- 
moved to  a  frame  house  that  had  been  built  on  sec- 
tion 2r.  Mr.  Stark  has  been  School  Director.  In 
1848  he  was  elected  Sheriff  and  removed  to  Syca- 


lj 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


more.  He  served  in  that  office  three  years,  and 
during  the  time  he  built  a  hotel  at  Sycamore.  He  con- 
ducted it  as  a  house  of  public  entertainment  six  years, 
after  which  he  returned  to  the  farm.  During  the 
period  of  his  business  career  he  became  extensively 
interested  in  the  lumber  business  in  Michigan  and 
spent  two  winters  there.  He  also  owned  and  man- 
aged a  lumber  yard  in  the  city  of  Sycamore.  His 
connection  with  official  matters  in  the  township  be- 
gan at  an  early  date,  and  he  fulfilled  the  obligations 
of  many  offices  of  trust.  His  homestead  farm  included 
800  acres  of  land,  all  of  which  was  improved,  and  he 
owned  360  acres  of  land  in  the  township  of  Kings- 
ton, which  was  all  under  tillage. 

Mr.  Stark  was  born  Aug.  12, 1813,  in  Luzerne  Co., 
Pa.  His  parents,  Oliver  and  Betsey  (Dixon)  Stark, 
were  both  natives  of  that  State,  and  gave  their  son  a 
good  education,  which  at  as  eavly  a  date  as  possible 
he  utilized  in  teaching  winters,  spending  the  remain- 
der of  the  years  in  agricultural  pursuits.  He  died 
Dec.  26,  1882,  leaving  10  children,- Harmon  M., 
Martha  S.,  Mary  E.,  Jefferson  O.,  Henry  J.,  Theron 
M.,  Adah  Louisa,  Ella  A.,  Emma  J.  and  Hattie  M. 

As  a  representative  pioneer  of  De  Kalb  County,  as 
well  as  of  this  section  of  Illinois,  and  a  gentleman 
who  was  honored  with  public  office  and  esteemed  by 
his  fellow-citizens  and  worthy  to  be  classed  with  the 
representative  men  of  the  county,  we  place  the 
portrait  of  Mr.  Stark  in  this  volume. 


eorge  Spickerman,  farmer,  section  34, 
Malta  Township,  was  born  Oct.  14,  i833) 
in  Columbia  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  is  the  son  of 
Andrew  A.  Spickerman,  a  farmer  and  native 
of  the  State  in  which  his  son  w;is  born,  and 
where  he  married  Catherine  E.  Budd,  a  native 
of  Dutchess  Co.,  N.  Y.  The  father  is  of  German  ex- 
traction; the  mother  also,  with  a  slight  admixture  of 
French.  She  former  died  in  Columbia  County,  March 
16,  1883,  and  in  June  of  the  same  year  the  mother 
died.  Mr.  Spickerman,  Sr.,  was  a  man  of  influence 
and  position,  and  possessed  a  fine  estate.  He  was 
85  years  of  age  when  he  died,  which  was  also  the  age 
of  his  wife.  She  was  a  devoted  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

Mr.  Spickerman  is  one  of  10  children  born  to  his 

®%&& **^ & 


parents,  seven  of  whom  are  living.  He  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  of  Rensselaer  Co.,  N.  Y.,  ad- 
joining that  of  his  nativity.  He  remained  at  home, 
assisting  on  his  father's  farm  until  1859,  the  year  of 
his  removal  to  Illinois  and  of  his  locating  in  Malta 
Township,  where  he  operated  as  a  farmer  on  his  own 
account,  making  frequent  visits  to  his  native  county. 

He  was  married  there  March  27,  1880,  to  Annie 
M.  Pulver.  She  was  born  March  6,  1842,  in  Ghent, 
Columbia  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  is  the  daughter  of  James 
and  Sarah  (Stupplebeem)  Pulver,  farmers,  and  of  ^ 
German  descent.  Mrs.  Spickerman  is  one  of  six 
children,  and  was  but  nine  years  of  age  when  her 
father  died.  Her  mother  died  April  26,  1877.  She 
has  one  child — Harry,  born  May  13,  1881. 

After  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  S.  took  posses- 
sion of  their  home  in  Malta  Township,  where  the 
former  has  an  undivided  interest  in  his  father's  es- 
tate and  also  160  acres  of  land  in  Iowa.  He  is  a 
Republican,  and  has  served  a  term  as  Tax  Collector. 
Mrs.  S.  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church. 


Charles  S.  Hunt,  retired  farmer,  De  Kalb, 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Murray,  Orleans 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  3,  1811.  His  parents,  Joseph 
L.  and  Lydia  (Davenport)  Hunt,  natives  of 
Vermont,  moved  to  Western  New  York  in 
,  making  the  journey  with  a  one-horse 
n,  containing  all  their  worldly  possessions.  They 
were  early  settlers  in  what  is  now  the  town  of  Murray. 
The  senior  Mr.  Hunt  soon  made  a  contract  with  the 
Holland  Company  for  a  tract  of  timber  land.  Being 
too  poor  to  pay  cash,  he  followed  the  plan  of  purchas- 
ing, clearing  and  improving  a  few  acres  and  selling 
what  he  had  thus  reduced  from  the  wild  forest,  pro- 
ceeding to  contract  for  and  clear  a  few  more  acres, 
and  so  on.  Residing  there  until  1836,  he  moved  to 
Ashtabula  Co.,  Ohio,  and  after  a  few  years  to  Fulton 
Co.,  111.,  and  after  several  years  more  to  Mason 
County,  this  State,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of 
his  days,  passing  from  earthly  scenes  in  185  i. 

In  his  family  were  1 1  children,  nine  of  whom  grew 
up  to  years  of  maturity,  namely,  Charles  S.,  Betsy  P., 
Harvey,  Hiram,  Abel,  Warren,  Joseph  L.,  Sarah, 
Curtis,  Sophia  and  Louisa  J.  Abel  died  in  Ohio,  at 


V  v 


DE  KALB    COUNTY. 


'..' 


^V    the   age  of  20   years,  and   Sophia  died   in  Havana, 
/$     Mason  Co.,  111.,  in  1884. 

The  first  above  mentioned,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  lived  with  his  parents  until  16  years  of  age, 
when  he  foand  employment  in  a  hotel  at  Holly,  Or- 
leans Co.,  N.  Y.,  continuing  there  five  years.  In 
1836  his  father  proposed  to  him  to  go  to  Ashtabula, 
Co ,  Ohio,  and  select  a  tract  of  land,  for  which  he 
(the  father)  was  about  to  trade.  Accordingly,  in  the 
month  of  February,  in  company  with  five  others,  he 
started  on  foot  and  walked  all  the  way  to  his  destina- 
ML  tion,  a  distance  of  200  miles.  He  soon  selected  a 
<4  3  tract  of  land,  in  R)ma  Township,  near  the  turnpike 
I  leading  from  Ashtabula  to  Warren,  and  fell  to  work 
clearing  the  same.  In  the  meantime  he  had  to  do, 
two  days'  work  each  week  at  Rogers'  Hotel,  to  pay 
for  his  board  there.  The  following  May  his  father 
and  family  moved  to  the  place,  when  they  all  com- 
menced work  together. 

Here  Charles  S.  lived  with  his  parents  until  1838, 
when  he  sold  the  50  acres  of  land  which  his  father 
A£  had  given  him,  and  with  the  proceeds,  $300,  started 
3  out  to  seek  a  home  farther  West,  accompanied  by  his 
5§  wife  and  child,  and  his  brother-in-law,  wife  and  two 
pa  children.  Coming  by  way  of  Lake  Erie  to  Detroit 
$>  and  thence  by  wagon  to  Fulton  County,  this  State, 
they,  in  company  with  seven  others,  started  a  village 
which  they  named  Bernadotte,  building  a  hotel,  dis- 
tillery, etc. :  they  also  bought  two  farms.  Mr.  Hunt 
soon  sold  his  interest  in  the  village  and  purchased 
80  acres  of  farming  land  in  the  vicinity  ;  but  this  he 
sold  rn  1847  and  he  moved  to  a  point  on  the  Illinois 
River  in  the  same  county,  and  conducted  a  "  tavern" 
/  a  year  in  a  rented  building.  In  the  spring  of  1849 
he  moved  to  Havana,  Mason  County,  purchasing  a 
J\  farm  on  the  banks  of  the  Illinois  River ;  but  he  leased 
the  land  and  kept  .a  hotel  in  the  village,  in  a  building 
he  rented  for  the  purpose.  In  1854  he  sold  the  farm 
and  moved  to  this  county,  and,  in  company  with 
Israel  Nichols,  engaged  in  the  business  of  buying 
and  shipping  grain.  In  1857  he  bought  a  farm  on 
section  19  of  De  Kalb  Township,  where  he  resided 
from  1860  to  1882,  when  he  bought  his  present  resi- 
dence in  De  Kalb,  which  he  has  since  occupied. 

Mr.  Hunt   was  married   May  4,  1837,  to  May  A. 
Woodard,  who  was  born   Feb.  5,   1815.     They  had 
^  eight  children,  namely:     Horace   D.,    Mortimer  A., 
Amanda  M.,  Harriet  A.,  Charles  M.,  William  Artluir, 


Darwin  ].  and  Carrie  Edna.  Mortimer  A.  and  Har- 
riet A.  died  in  infancy,  and  Arthur  died  in  Colorado, 
at  the  age  of  66.  Mr.  Hunt's  second  wife  was  Mary 
Cooper,  A  native  of  Summit  Co.,  Ohio,  whom  he  mar- 
ried July  10,  1865. 


rthur  Mozley  Stark,  of  Sycamore,  was  born 
Jan.  31,  1849,  in  the  city  of  London,  Eng- 
land, and  is  the  son  of  John  M.  and  Harriet 
Jane  (Guy)  Stark.  He  attended  school  until 
he  was  15  years  of  age,  when  he  became  a 
clerk  in  the  store  of' his  father,  who  was  a  sta- 
tioner, continuing  in  the  situation  two  years,  when 
he  accepted  a  position  as  assistant  in  the  publishing 
house  of  Simpkin,  Marshall  &  Co.,  in  London,  where 
he  remained  until  he  was  21  years  of  age. 

In  1870  he  came  to  the  United  States  and  fixed 
his  first  residence'  at  Beloit,  Wis.,  whence  he  came 
four  months  later  to  Sycamore  and  became'  book- 
keeper in  the  employment  of  the  Marsh  Harvester 
Company.  Subsequently  he  was  made  secretary 
and  treasurer  in  the  same  business,  and  is  still  offi- 
ciating in  that  capacity. 

He  was  married  May  20,  1873,  to  Ellen,  daughter 
of  Fleming  and  Louisa  (Stone)  Holcomb,  of  Syca- 
more. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stark  have  two  children,— Guy 
and  Emily. 


eorge  W.  Savory,  farmer,  resident  at  Cort- 
land,  was  born  Aug.  20,  1818,  at  Orford, 
Grafton  Co.,  N.  H.,  and  is  the  son  of  John 
and  Abiah  Sa.vory.  His  father  was  born  in 
Plymouth,  Mass.,  and  descended  from  Eng- 
lish ancestors.  His  mother  was  born  in  Ver- 
mont. The  senior  Savory  served  an  apprenticeship 
with  a  shoemaker  when  a  youth,  with  whom  he-  re- 
moved to  New  Hampshire,  and  he  became  a  soldier 
of  the  War  of  18 1 2.  He  died  at  Orford  in  1820,  and 
his  wife  died  there  in  1827.  Mr.  Savory  was  taken 
in  charge  by  the  authorities,  who  bound  him  to  a 
farmer  named  Willard  Jaquith,  who  lived  in  Orford 
and  with  whom  he  resided  until  15  years  of  age,  when 
he  became  the  charge  of  a  man  named  Webster  Hall, 
who  was  his  guardian  three  years.  At  18  years  of  age 


he  bought  his  time  for  $(oo.  He  remained  in  Orford 
variously  employed  until  1844,  when  he  came  to 
Perry  Co.,  111.  After  spending  a  few  months  there 
he  went  to  Chicago.  He  obtained  employment  at 
the  lime  kilns  in  the  vicinity  of  that  city,  where  he 
remained  until  the  spring  of  1847,  when  he  enlisted 
in  the  Third  United.  States  Infantry  and  went  to 
Mexico.  He  was  a  participant  in  the  battle  at 
Contreras  and  at  Churubusco,  where  he. was  wounded 
Aug.  20,  1847,  l)y  a  gunshot  in  the  .right  thigh.  (He 
has  a  bamboo  cane,  which  was  cut  on  the  battle-field 
of  the  last  named  engagement.)  After  the  capfure 
of  the  city  of  Mexico  he  was  conveyed  to  the  hospital 
there,  and  was  honorably  discharged  Jan.  13,  1848. 
He  returned  to  Chicago,  where  he  remained  until 
1857,  variously  employed.  In  that  year  he  came  to 
Cortland,  where,  in  company  with  James  Burbank, 
he  bought  the  Cortland  Hotel  property.  He  sold  his 
interest  in  thai  about  two  years  later  to  his  partner, 
and  in  1860  bought  two  lots  at  the  east  end  of  the 
village  and  built  a  house.  He  .has  since  purchased 
additional  land,  and  has  now  a  valuable  farm.  He 
was  engaged  for  a  time  in  market  gardening,  but  for 
Ihe  past  few  years  he  has  been  interested  in  the  dairy 
business. 

In  1856  Mr.  Savory  was  married  to  Joan  C.,  daugh- 
ter of  Joseph  and  Catherine  (Kelly)  Wood.  They 
have  four  children, — George  W.,  May,  Virginia  and 
Lulu. 


ewis  M.  McEwen,  one  of  the  self-made  men 
of  the  county,  residing  at  De  Kalb,  was  born 
in  Crawford,  Orange  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  28, 
827.  He  is  a  son  of  Henry  and  Ann  Eliza 
(Terwilliger)  McEwen,  natives. of  "  York  State  " 
and  of  Scotch  and  Holland  descent,  respect- 
ively. At  the  age  of  13  years,  Mr.  McEwen  became 
an  orphan  by  the  death  of  his  father,  and  continued 
to  reside  with,  his  mother  until  he  was  18  years  old. 
At  this  age  in  his  life's  history,  he  set  forth  to  fight 
the  battles  of  his  future  unaided  except  by  his  own 
indomitable  determination  to  succeed.  He  made 
his  way  to  New  York  city,  and  succeeded  in  obtain- 
ing employment  in  a  morocco  manufactory.  He 
continued  in  that  vocation,  laboriously  endeavoring 
to  learn  the  trade,  and  succeeded. 

No  sooner  had  the  tidings  reached  the  city  of  New 


York  of  the  discovery  of  gold  in  California,  than  Mr. 
McEwen  determined  to  cast  his  fortunes  with  thou- 
sands of  others  and  visit  the  "  Land  of  Gold."  He 
accordingly,  in  1849,  started  for  that  distant  region. 
He  sailed  Jan.  30, on  board  the  good  ship  "  Orpheus,'' 
which  took  him  round  Cape  Horn,  and  in  July  fol- 
lowiiTg,  over  five  months  after  starting,  landed  him 
in  the  country  for  which  he  set  out.  While  there  he 
engaged  in  mining,  and  was  thus  occupied  for  about 
three  years,  until  the  spring  of  1852.  He  then 
started  on  his  return  to  New  .York,  and  went  by  way 
of  the  Isthmus,  arriving  at  the  metropolis  in  May  of 
that  year. 

Afte:  returning  to  Ne.v  York  city,  Mr.  McEwen 
spent  several  weeks  visiting  friends,  and  then  came 
to  this  State  and  located  in  what  is  now  Milan  Town- 
ship, this  county.  He  entered  320  acres  of  land, 
the  first  land  that  was  entered  in  the  township.  On 
this  land  he  erected  a  small  frame  house,  or  as  it 
might  more  properly  be  called,  "  shan'y,"  in  which 
he  kept  "  bach "  and  energetically  entered  on  the 
laborious  though  pleasant  task  of  improving  the  land. 
The  same  year  he  replaced  his  "  shanty  "  with  a  good 
and  comfortable  frame  house,  bringing  his  lumber 
from  Aurora,  30  miles  distant. 

Mr.  McEwen  was  married  O>:t.  4,  1857,  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Ward.  She  was  born  in  Highgate,  Fiank- 
lin  Co.,  Vt.,  Oct.  25,  1833,  and  is  the  mother  of  six 
children  by  Mr.  M.,  namely:  Frances,  Flora,  Annie, 
Willard,  Earnest  and  Harry. 

After  marriage,  he  continued  to  reside  on  his  farm, 
and,  having  great  faith  in  the  future  development  of 
the  country  and  the  consequent  enhanced  price  of 
the  land,  he  added  80  acres  to  his  320  and  is  at 
present  the  owner  of  400  acres,  accumulated  through 
his  own  endeavors.  In  1869  Mr.  McEwen  rented 
his  farm  and  moved  into  the  village  of  Di  Kalb.  In 
1871  he,  in  company  with  George  Terwilliger,  en- 
gaged in  the  coal  and  lumber  business,  and  has  been 
continuously  occupied  in  that  line  ever  since. 

Mr.  McEwen  is. a  true  representative  of  that  class 
of  successful  individuals  who  wasted  no  time  in  boy- 
hood's days  and  improved  each  shining  moment  of 
manhood's  years.  His  early  education  was  limited, 
and  he  accumulated  only  such  as  the  labors  on  the 
farm  would  permit  him  to  receive  from  the  public 
schools.  As  he  grew  in  years,  he  improved  each 
leisure  mo.nent  in  reading  and  study,  and  the  ac- 
cumulated knowledge  he  possesses  to-day,  both  pn 


I 


S 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


tical  and  professional, — for  he  is  a  practical  as  well 
as  professional  man, — is  due  to  his  uncontrollable 
determination  to  succeed.  He  was  the  first  Super- 
visor of  Milan  Township,  and  was  its  Supervisor  dur- 
ing his  entire  residence  in  the  township  except  one 
year.  He  has  also  acted  as  Supervisor  of  De  Kalb 
Township  several  yjars.  In  1870  Mr.  McEwen  was 
elected  to  represent  his  district  in  the  State  Legisla- 
ture. Politically  he  is  a  Republican.  For  several 
years  he  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of 
De  Kalb  and  at  present  writing  is  City  Attorney. 


dwin  P.  Rose,  conductor  on  the  Cortland 
Branch  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern 
Railroad,  resident  at  Sycamore,  was  born 
April  n,  1827,  in  the  town  of  Evans,  Erie  Co  , 
N.  Y.  He  is  the  son  of  Chauncey  and  Salina 
(Porter)  Rose.  When  he  was  16  years  old  his 
parents  emigrated  with  their  family  to  Illinois, 
whither  they  made  their  journey  with  a  team  and 
also  transported  their  household  effects.  After  his 
father's  death  he  assumed  the  control  of  the  farm  af- 
fairs, where  they  settled  for  a  time.  He  then  went  to 
Sycamore  and  was  there  variously  occupied  until  he 
obtained  his  situation  as  conductor. 

Mr.  Rose  was  married  in  1863,  to  Sarah  ].,  daugh- 
ter of  David  and  Louisa  Russell,  and  they  have  eight 
children, — Chauncey  D.,  Lamont  F.,  Effie  A  ,  Elmer 
E.  arid  Elzie  E.  (twins),  Edwin  S.,  Fred  A.  and 
Frank  C. 


anfordA.  Tyler,  Superintendent  of  the  Ell- 
wood  Wire  Works,  was    born  in  Newark, 
Tioga  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Jan.  1 1,  1836.     His  par- 
ents were  Anthony  and  Harriet  B.  (Packer) 
Tyler,  both  natives  of  the  State  of  New   York. 
He  was  reared  on  a  farm  in  his  native  town, 
making  his  home  with  his  parents  there  until  he  was 
1 8  years  of  age. 

He  came  to  Illinois  and  first  stopped  at  Belvidere, 
where  he  attended  school  one  year.  In  1854  he 
came  to  this  county  and  bought  land  in  Afton  Town- 
ship, where  he  was  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits 
for  six  years.  March  20,  1864  he  started  on  a  jour- 
ney across  the  plains,  and  arrived  at  Virginia  City, 


Montana,  June  n  following,  where  he  followed  gold-  \f 
mining   for  about   half  a  year.     Returning   to    this    * 
county,  he  engaged  in  mercantile  trade,  in  company 
with  R.  H.  Roberts,  and  this  relation  continues  to  the 
present.     They  also  buy  live  stock,  which  they  ship   .  £\ 
to  Chicago.     In   addition   to  the  above  business,  Mr. 
Tyler,  since  1883,  has  been   also  Superintendent  in 
the  Ellwood  Wive  Works.     In   all  the  public  enter- 
prises of  De  Kalb,  Mr.  Tyler  has  been  an  efficient 
agent,  having  held  the  offices   of  Town  Clerk  and 
Aldermar,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Educa-    v 
tion.     He  is  a  member  of  De  Kalb  Chapter  of  A.  F. 
&A.  M. 


He  was  married  in  November,  1861,  to  Sarah 
Louisa- Taylor,  a  native  of  Paris,  Ky.,  and  they  have 
three  children, — Clara  Louisa,  Squire  Allen  and 
Harriet  Daisy. 


Imon  F.  Parke,  farmer,  sections  7,  8  and  9, 
Sycamore  Township,  was  born  Jan.  25, 
1838,  in  Evans,  Erie  Co.,  N.  Y.  He  is  the 
son  of  Larmon  Z.  and  Martha  W.  (Fenton) 
Parke,  and  grew  to  manhood  on  his  father's 
farm,  receiving  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  at  Pontiacin  his  native  county.  In  1856  he 
accompanied  his  parents  to  De  Kalb- County,  where 
they  settled  in  the  township  having  the  same  name. 
He  had  learned  the  Irade  of  brick,  stone  and  plaster 
mason,  and  after  his  arrival  in  De  Kalb  County  pur- 
sued th  .t  vocation  until  he  entered  the  army  of  the 
Unio'i.  He  enlisted  Sept.  2,  1862,  in  Co.  K,  1051)1 
Regiment,  111.  Vol.  Inf.,  which  was  for  a  time  at- 
tached to  the  i  ith  Army  Corps,  and  later  to  the  2oth, 
being  assigned  to  the  First  Brigade  and  Third 
Division.  Mr.  Parke  was  a  participant  in  the  battles 
at  Resaca,  Dallas,  Kenesaw  Mountain,  Marietta,  At- 
lanta and  Peach-Tree  Creek,  and  in  many  others  of 
less  importance.  At  Atlanta  he  procured  a  furlough 
to  return  home  to  see  his  father,  who  was  danger- 
ously ill,  and  was  absent  seven  days.  On  his  attempt- 
ing to  return  he  was  cut  off  from  his  regiment  and 
stopped  at  Chattanooga,  where  he  was  placed  in 
charge  of  a  company  of  recruits,  with  whom  lie  re- 
turned to  Nashville,  and'  was  there  on  garrison  duty 
at  the  time  of  the  battle.  He  went  thence  with  the 
army  to  Decatur,  Ala.,  where  he  was  taken  sick  and 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


. 


was  sent  to  the  hospital  at  Chattanooga.  As  soon  as 
he  recovered  he  was  appointed  on  the  military  com- 
mission at  Chattanooga.  In  April  follo.ving  he  was 
sent  to  join  his  command  at  Raleigh,  N.  C.,  and  pro- 
ceeded thence  for  the  Grand  Review  at  Washington, 
D.  C.  He  was  mustered  out  of  the  United  States 
service  with  his  regiment,  June  7,  1865,  at  Chicago 
He  enlisted  as  a  private,  but  on  the  organization  of 
his  company  was  made  Second  Lieutenant.  Three 
months  later  he  was  promoted  First  Lieutenant,  and 
in  1863  was  made  the  Captain  of  Co.  K. 

Returning  to  Da  Kalb,  he  resumed  work  at  his 
trade.  The  same  fall  he  bought  a  farm  in  Afton 
Township,  where  he  combined  work  at  his  trade  with 
the  labors  of  his  farm.  In  1870  he  abandoned 
the  vocation  of  mason,  and  has  since  given  his  atten- 
tion wholly  to  farming.  In  1873  he  settled  on  the 
farm  on  which  he  now  resides,  being  sections  7,  8 
and  9.  The  place  was  originally  settled  by  Edward 
White,  was  well  improved  and  supplied  with  good 
frame  b.iildings.  In  1884  he  erected  a  large  brick 
house,  one  of  the  best  in  De  Kalb  County.  The 
farm  contains  250  acres.  Mr.  Parke  is  largely  in- 
terested in  raising  stock  and  horses,  and  is  giving 
particular  attention  to  raising  Norman  horses. 
:  He  was  married  Sept.  i,  1870,  to  Ruth,  daughter 
of  Ephraim  and  Caroline  Hall,  and  they  have  had 
six  children— Nelson,  Henry  H.,  Mary  E.,  Mila, 
Ruth  and  Eleanor  G. 


•enjamin  Evans,  a  pioneer  of  De  Kalb 
County,  was  born  Feb.  21,  1811,  in  Ash 
Co.,  N.  C.,  and  was  there  reared  on  a 
farm.  He  was  married  April  21,  1833,  lo 
Frances  Perry,  also  a  native  of  Ash  Co.,  N. 
C.,  where  she  was  born  Oct.  31,  1814.  In 
the  year  following  they  left  their  native  State  and 
journeyed  West  with  a  span  of  horses  and  a  wagon 
with  their  household  effects,  and  cooked  and  camped 
on  the  route.  They  reached  La  Salle  County  after 
long  and  weary  travel,  and  Mr.  Evans  made  a 
claim  where  the  city  of  Piano  is  now  situated.  He 
built  a  log  house,  which  had  a  roof  of  "shakes  "  and  a 
floor  made  of  puncheons.  He  sold  out  in  1838  and 
came  to  De  Kalb  County  and  bought  a.  claim  on  sec- 


tion 14,  Sycamore  Township.  He  retained  his  own- 
ership two  years,  and  in  1840  sold  and  bought  on 
section  3  of  the  same  township.  There  he  built  a 
log  house  and  entered  into  the  work  of  making  im- 
provements. He  died  on  the  place  Feb.  5,  1854. 
Of  six  children  born  to  himself  and  wife,  four  reached 
adult  age, — Lorenzo  Dow,  Lucinda,  Ira  and  Mary 
Belinda.  The  latter  married  Alfred  King,  and  died 
Oct.  2,  1880.  The  mother  resides  with  her  son,  Lo- 
renzo Dow  Evans. 


=E3- 


zel  P.  Stone,  florist,  at  Sycamore,  was  born 
Nov.  ir,  1815,  in  Franklin  Co.,  Vt.  His 
father,  James  Stone,  at  the  outset  of  his 
business  life,  was  a  tanner  and  currier,  and 
later  was  a  fanner.  He  was  a  native  of  Hav- 
erhill,  N.  H.,  and  in  1837  came  to  Allegan  Co., 
Mich.,  where  he  died.  The  mother,  Chastina  Stone, 
was  born  in  Haverhill,  N.  H.,  and  died  in  Paw  Paw, 
Mich.  Four  of  their  nine  children  are  living :  A.  P. 
is  the  oldest ;  Irena  is  the  widow  of  E.  A.  Kinney,  of 
Prairie  Ronde,  Mich.;  Clarinda  is  the  wife  of  Norman 
Rice,  of  Paw  Paw,  Mich.;  Emeline  married  Frank 
Taylor,  of  Medicine  Lodge,  Kan. 

Mr.  Stone  was  reared  to  the  callings  of  his  father, 
in  the  tan-yard  and  on  the  farm.  He  came  West,  to 
Allegan,  Mich.,  in  the  fall  of  1835,  and  learned  the 
trade  of  mason.  He  was  married  there  July  16, 
1839,  to  Mary,  daughter  of  David  and  Ruth  Schurt- 
leff  Her  parents  were  among  the  early  pioneer 
settlers  of  this  portion  of  Illinois.  Mrs.  Stone  was 
born  on  Stanstead  Plains,  Canada.  Six  children 
have  been  born  of  her  marriage  to  Mr.  Stone  :  Mary 
A.,  deceased,  was  the  wife  of  C.  H.  Beach,  of  Syca- 
more ;  Herbert  F.  is  a  manufacturer  of  agricultural 
implements,  wind-mills,  etc.,  at  Appleton,  Wis. ; 
Edwin  is  deceased — he  was  a  cheese  manufacturer 
at  New  Lebanon,  III,  for  some  years,  and  later  was 
an  insurance  agent  at  that  place;  Nellie  B.  is  the 
wife  of  Harry  Ewing,  photographer  at  Sycamore ; 
James  B.  is  a  machinist  at  Batavia,  III;  and  Clarence 
is  an  assistant  in  the  office  of  the  Minnesota  Lumber 
Company,  at  Sycamore. 

Mr.  Stone  went  to  Kenosha,  Wis.,  where  he  followed 
his  business  as  a  mason  and  builder  for  a  score  of 
years,  operating  as  a  contractor  and  erecting  a  num- 


k' • : :  •  i 

I 


<V 


DB  KALB  COUNTY. 


i 


a 


ber  of  fine  and  valuable  buildings  at  that  place.  He 
went  in  1860  to  Central  City,  Colorado,  taking  wilh 
him  a  quartz  mill  and  entering  a  gold  claim.  He 
met  with  a  reasonable  degree  of  success,  and  after 
a  stay  there  of  tw^  years  he  came  to  Geneva  and 
purchased  184  acres  of  land,  took  up  his  residence 
there,  and  engaged  in  its  improvement  until  his  re- 
moval to  Sycamore  in  1875.  He  first  embarked  in 
the  purchase  and  shipment  of  farm  produce,  in 
which  he  was  occupied  two  years.  He  then  built  a 
feed  mill  at  New  Lebanon  in  this  county,  which  he 
continued  to  manage  three  years.  In  1882  he  estab- 
lished the  business  in  which  he  has  been  since  en- 
gaged. His  grounds  are  190  x  85  feet,  and  his  green- 
house stocked  with  finely  assorted  varieties  of  plants. 
He  sends  the  cuttings  to  Chicago,  and  supplies  the 
home  demand  for  cut  flowers  and  designs.  Mr. 
Stone  is  a  member  of  the  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 
Mrs.  Stone  is  a  communicant  in  the  Episcopal 
Church,  of  which  her  family  are  attendants. 


enry  B.  Gurler,  farmer  and  a  resident  of  De 
Kalb,  was  born  in  Chesterfield,  Cheshire 
Co.,  N.  H.,  May  21,  1840,  and  was  eight 
years  of  age  when  his  parents,  Benjamin  (see 
sketch),  and  Harriet  (Hopkins)  Gurler,  moved 
to  Keene,  N.  H.,  where  they  resided  until  1856^ 
when  they  came  to  De  Kalb  County,  settling  on  sec- 
tion 32,  De  Kalb  Township. 

On  the  latter  place  the  subject  of  this  sketch  made 
his  home  with  his  parents  until  his  enlistment,  July, 

1861,  in    the   42d    III.  Vol.   Inf.,  Co.  K,  which  was 
ordered  first  to  Missouri,  then  to  Kentucky  and  Miss- 
issippi.    He  was  honorably  discharged  in  September, 

1862,  but  in  May,   1864,  he  re-enlisted,  in  Co.  K, 
I32d  Vol.  Inf.,  and  was  placed  on   garrison  duty  in 
Kentucky,  as  Second  Lieutenant.     On  the  expiration 
of  his  term  of  service  in  October,  1864,  he  returned 
home  and   engaged  in  the  grocery  trade  in  De  Kalb, 
which  he  continued  until  1868.     The  next  two  years 
he  look  charge  of  his  father's   farm,  and  then  pur- 
chased   a  farm    on   section    5   of  Afton  Township, 
whereon  were  a  small  house  and  barn.   He  has  since 
added  to  the  dimensions  of  his  house,  erected  a  good 
frame  barn,  corn-crib  and  other  farm  buildings,  be- 
sides a  creamery.     At  present,  in  company  with  his 


brother,  he  has  creameries  at  Malta,  De  Kalb  and 
Hinckley.  In  March,  1882,  he  moved  into  the  village 
of  De  Kalb,  and  since  then  has  bought  his  residence 
on  Fourth  Street  He  still  owns  and  manages  the 
farm. 

Mr.  Gurler  was  married  March  27,  1867,10  Sale- 
nia  Rolph,  a  native  of  Oxfordshire,  England,  who 
emigrated  to  this  country  when  ten  years  of  age,  and 
was  reared  in  this  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  G.  are  the 
parents  of  three  children, — Stella  F.,  Lulu  May  and 
Hazel.  The  youngest  died  March  24,  1885,  aged 
two  years  and  four  months. 


illiani  J.  Me  Alpine,  member  of  ihe  firm 
of  Willard  &  McAlpine,  contractors  and 
builders  at  Sycamore,  was  born  Aug.  15 

1852,  in  Ashtabula,  Ohio.     His  father,   Dr. 

Lemuel  McAlpine,  was  born  in  Connecticut, 
nd  was  a  physician  while  in  active  lite.  He 
is  living  in  retirement  at  Aurora,  III.  The  mother, 
Sarah  (Price)  "McAlpine,  was  born  in  the  State  of 
New  York,  and  is  •yet  living.  Ella,  their  youngest 
child,  resides  with  them;  Thomas,  older  son,  is  a 
farmer  in  Cortland  Township.  In  1853,  Dr.  McAl- 
pine transferred  his  family  to  Illinois  and  settled  on 
a  farm  of  200  acres  in  the  township  of  Cortland,  in 
De  Kalb  County,  which  they  occupied  until  their  re- 
moval to  Aurora,  in  1871. 

Mr.  McAlpine  is  the  second  of  three  children  born 
to  his  parents,  and  was  reared  on  a  farm  in  this  State. 
When  about  17  years  of  age  he  went  to  Aurora,  111:, 
and  entered  upon  an  apprenticeship  to  acquire  a 
knowledge  of  his  trade,  and  served  two  years.  He 
passed  a  period  of  three  years  in  work  at  various 
places  in  New  York  and  Michigan,  and  in  the  fall  of 
1873  returned  to  Sycamore.  After  working  a  short 
time  at  his  trade,  he  entered  into  a  business  relation 
with  Jacob  Deily  as  contractors  and  builder.-;.  Their 
joint  transactions  covered  a  period  of  three  years,  and 
was  terminated  in  1877.  In  1879  the  present  asso- 
ciation of  Willard  &  McAlpine  was  formed,  which 
has  since  been  in  operation.  A  number  of  the  prom- 
inent edifices  in  De  Kalb  and  adjoining  counties 
were  built  by  them.  Their  buildings  at  Sycamore 
comprise  the  Congregational  church  and  a  number  of 
prominent  residences. 


v 


x 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


Vf        Mr.  McAlpine  was  married  Jan.  12,  1876,  in  Syca- 
\    more,  to  Mattie  Manning,  daughter  of  John  Manning. 
&,  She  was  born  Dec.  6,  1857,  in  Piano,  111. 


Abraham  Ashelford,  retired  farmer  and 
stockman,  resident  at  Sycamore,  formerly 
a  resident  on  section  31,  South  Grove 
Township,  was  born  Feb.  24,  1832,  in  Somer- 
setshire, England.  His  parents  were  George 
and  Sarah  (Blackmer)  Ashelford  (see  sketch  of 
George  Ashelford). 

Mr.  Ashelford  came  to  America  in  October,  1855, 
having  passed  his  minority  in  his  native  country  un- 
der the  circumstances  of  the  class  to  which  he  be- 
longed. After  a  brief  stay  in  Ontario,  he  came  to 
De  Kalb  County,  arriving  at  the  city  bearing  the 
same  name  on  Christmas  day  of  1855.  In  March, 
1856,  he  returned  to  Canada,  remaining,  however, 
but  a  short  time  and  came  back,  to  Illinois,  making 
a  permanent  location  in  South  Grove  Township.  He 
was  almost  wholly  without  means,  but  obtained  em- 
ployment on  the  farm  of  John  Orfut  and  worked 
some  time  for  him  and  his  brother.  With  his  first 
earnings  he  bought  a  yoke  of  oxen,  and  worked  land 
on  shares  for  a  time,  subsequently  leasing  a  large 
farm  for  a  period  of  five  years.  At  the  end  of  four 
years  he  had  saved  sufficient  money  to  buy  160  acres 
of  the  farm  which  he  had  leased,  and  whereon  he 
established  his  homestead.  To  this  he  has  added 
by  later  purchases  until  he  owns  680  acres  of  the 
best  quality  of  land,  under  the  best  type  of  improve- 
ments, the  condition  being  manifest  from  the  fact 
that  the  proprietor  has  laid  29  miles  of  tiling.  The 
farm  bindings  are  of  a  character  in  keeping  with  the 
value  of  the  estate.  Mr.  Ashelford  makes  a  specialty 
of  raising  Durham  cattle  and  half-breed  Norman 
horses.  All  the  land  he  has  improved  was  in  its 
primeval  condition  when  it  came  into  his  possession. 

Mr.  Ashelford  cast  his  first  Presidential  vote  for 
Abraham  Lincoln,  and  has  since  been  an  ardent  ad- 
herent of  the  "  grand  old  party." 

He  was  married  in  Pierce  Township,  Kane  Co., 
111.,  Feb.  3,  1863,  to  Ellen  McMutchy.  She  was 
born  July  6,  1834,  in  Ontario,  Can.,  and  was  brought 
in  her  childhood  to  Kane  County  by  her  parents. 
She  died  May  27,  1877,  aged  43. years,  and  was  the 


mother  of  five  children:  Sarah  was  born  Dec.  7, 
1 86-;  James,  Jan  22,  186-;  Lizzie,  Feb.  12,  1872; 
Robert,  May  i,  1875.  John  died  when  two  years 
old.  Mr.  Ashelford  was  again  married  Jan.  8,  1878, 
in  the  township  of  Malta,  to  Mrs.  Mary  J.  Crandall. 
She  was  born  Nov.  13,  1833,  in  Columbia  Co.,  N.  Y., 
and  is  the  daughter  of  Delaware  and  Dolly  (Head) 
Foster.  Her  parents  were  of  French  extraction  and 
of  New  England  ancestry  and  were  born  in  the  State 
of  New  York,  where  they  lived  all  their  lives.  The 
father  died  about  1872,  the  mother  in  May,  1876. 
Both  were  aged  76  years.  Mrs.  Ashelford  was  first 
married  in  her  native  county  in  1855,  to  Morgan  L 
Crandall,  a  native  of  Delaware  Co.,  N.  Y.  In  1856 
she  accompanied  her  husband  to  Malta  To'vnship 
and  settled  on  a  farm.  Mr.  Crandall's  demise  oc- 
curred Feb.  2,  1874,  at  the  age  of  44  years.  Five 
children  were  bom  of  this  union.  Ida  is  married 
and  lives  on  her  mother's  estate  in  Malta.  Hattie 
resides  in  Malta.  Cary  lives  in  Mayfield  Township. 
Charles  is  in  the  charge  of  his  uncle  in  Malta  Town- 
ship. Mary  died  at  the  age  of  19  years,  in  Malta 
Township. 


.  Basil  Ruby,   physician,  residing  at  De 
Kalb,  was   bom    iu    Bedford   Co.,  Penn., 
Oct.  5,  i8ti,  and  is  a  son  of  Arthur  and 
Sarah  (Conaway)   Ruby,  the  former  a  native 
of  Maryland  and  the  latter  of  Virginia. 
\  When  about  three  years  of  age,  the  parents 

of  Mr.  Ruby  moved  to  Perry  Co.,  Ohio,  where  they 
resided  two  years,  then  removed  to  Muskingum 
County,  same  State;  resided  there  six  months,  then 
moved  to  Licking  County,  that  State.  In  the  latter 
county  Dr.  Ruby  resided,  working  on  his  father's 
farm,  attending  the  common  schools  and  developing 
into  manhood. 

In  October,  1832,  Dr.  Ruby  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Mary  Mackrel,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania. 
Thirteen  months  afterward  she  died,  and  he  was 
again  married  in  1836,  to  Miss  Isabell  Hiland,  a  na- 
tive of  Huntington  Co.,  Pa. 

They  settled  in  Licking  Connty,  where  he  followed 
the  vocation  of  a  farmer  until  1849.  During  that 
year  he  started  with  a  team  of  horses,  overland,  for 
this  State,  and  14  days  later  arrived  iu  De  Kalb. 


I 


I 


f 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


He  purchased  a  lot  in  the  village,  erected  a  dwelling 
thereon,  and  then  engaged  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness with  John  M.  Goodell.  which  relation  existed 
for  six  months,  when  the  same  was  dissolved,  and  in 
the  spring  of  1850  Dr.  Ruby  engaged  in  business  on 
his  own  account,  continuing  two  years.  At  the  expi- 
ration of  the  latter  date,  Dr.  Ruby,  in  company  with 
Jackson  Hiland,  purchased  the  business  of  Mr. 
Goodell,  and  the  firm  name  became  Ruby&  Hiland. 
They  carried  on  the  business,  which  consisted  of  two 
stores,  and  also  engaged  in  the  sale  of  drugs,  groceries 
and  dry  goods,  until  1855,  when  they  closed. 

Dr.  Ruby  had  been  a  medical  student  in  Ohio, 
completed  his  study  of  medicine  after  coming  to  this 
county,  and  commenced  his  practice  in  1855.  After 
closing  his  business,  in  1865,  his  son  bought  the 
building,  moved  it  and  converted  it  into  a  dwelling, 
in  which  they  resided  until  1883,  when  it  was  burned, 
and  he  built  his  present  residence. 

Dr.  Ruby  is  a  member  of  the  Advent  Church,  and 
Mrs.  Ruby  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
They  are  the  parents  of  two  children — Baxter  W. 
and  Mary  D. 


fohn  Buckardt,  farmer,  section  16,  Victor 
1^-  Township,  was  born  Aug.  22,  1825,  in 
Pomerania,  Prussia.  His  parents,  Jacob 
id  Caroline  (Wokossen)  Buckardt,  were  na- 
ves of  Germany,  and  there  spent  their  lives. 
The  son  remained  an  inmate  of  his  father's 
house  until  he  was  24  years  of  age.  He  attended 
school  during  the  period  prescribed  by  law,  and  on 
leaving  school  learned  the  trade  of  mason,  the  statute 
requiring  that  every  boy  be  taught  a  trade.  He 
served  three  years  in  its  acquisition  and  pursued  it 
as  a  business  from  1844  to.  1859. 

In  the  year  last  named  he  emigrated  to  America 
and  located  in  Somonauk,  De  Kalb  County,  where 
he  spent  five  years  in  working  at  his  trade  and  other- 
wise. He  then  rented  a  farm  in  Victor  for  three 
years,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time,  in  1868,  he  be- 
came the  owner,  by  purchase,  of  160  acres  of  land 
on  section  16.  This  he  has  since  held  and  has  added 
no  acres  to  his  original  purchase.  Mr.  Buckardt  is 
one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  Victor  Township,  and 
has  been  successful  in  his  methods  of  operation.  He 


is  justly  esteemed  for  his  character  of  benevolence    ^ 
and  energetic  perseverance. 


His  marriage  to  Caroline  Gruel  took  place  Nov.  2,    * 
1849,  and  they  have  had  12  children,  six  of  whom 
are  living, — John  A.,  Herman  A.,  August  A.,  Ida  J.,    .1 
Bertha  M.  and   Henry  V.     John  married  Caroline 
Kelso,  Aug.  i,  1881;    Herman  was  married  Dec.  2, 
1883,  to  Caroline   Kukuk.     Bertha  was  married  to 
John  M.  Kukuk,  July  22,  1840.     Ida  J.  was  married 
Oct.  26,   1884,  to  Gus.  Johnson.     The   two   oldest 
sons  are  marketmen  at  Somonauk.     Mrs.   Buckardt, 
the  mother,  is  a  native  of  Germany. 


F.    Warren,   jeweler   at   De  Kalb,   and 

and  whose  portrait  appears  on  the  oppo- 
site page,  was  born  in  Rushford,  Allegany 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  July  5,  1848,  and  is  a  son  of 
Luke  A.  and  Ursula  (Foster)  Warren.  His 
parents  were  both  natives  of  Ycrk  State,  his 
father  of  Delaware  and  his  mother  of  Orleans  County. 
In  1864  they  moved  to  Whiteside  County,  this  Stale, 
where  they  resided  two  years,  and  then  removed  to 
Ogle  County,  where,  in  Monroe  Township,  his  father 
purchased  a  farm. 

Mr.  Warren  remained  on  the  farm  about  a  year 
and  then  concluded  to  abandon  that  vocation.  He 
accordingly  left  the  place  and  went  to  Sycamore, 
where  he  engaged  with  J.  E.  Southworth,  a  jeweler, 
and  with  whom  he  remained  until  1871.  He  then 
engaged  with  Frank  Smith,  successor  of  Mr.  South- 
worth,  and  worked  for  him  two  years.  By  this  time 
he  had  thoroughly  mastered  the  trade  in  all  its  var- 
ious branches,  and  established  a  business  of  his 
own. 

In  1875  Mr.  Warren  formed  a  partnership  with 
Frank  W.  Lott,  and  they  jointly  conducted  the  busi- 
ness until  1877,  when  Mr.  Warren  sold  his  interest 
to  his  partner  and  moved  to  De  Kalb,  and  estab- 
lished his  present  business.  By  strict  attention  to 
business,  and  fair  and  honest  representations,  Mr. 
Warren  has  built  up  a  good  and  constantly  increas- 
ing trade. 

He  was  married  to  Mariam  E.,  daughter  of  John 
and  Mary  (Johnson)  Woodworth,  July  5, 1870.  They 
have  two  children, — J.  Lott  and  John  Lyle. 

Mr.  Warren  is  a  member  of  Sycamore  Lodge,  No. 

^ng^ 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


xx  134,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  He  has  traveled  extensively  in 
this  country,  and  in  1880.  accompanied  by  his  wife, 
visited  his  old  home  in  "  York  State."  In  1883116 
accompanied  the  Knights  Templars'  excursion  to 
California,  visiting  all  the  places  of  interest  in  Colo- 
•^  rado  and  the  Territories,  as  well  as  in  the  "  Land  of 
Gold,"  and  keeping  a  diary  of  the  principal  events  of 
the  trip.  He  has  a  lot  and  residence  at  De  Kalb 
and  is  succeeding  well  in  his  business. 


3.  Hemenway,  of  Sycamore,  was  born 
in  the  town  of  Williamsburg,  Hampshire 
Co.,  Mass.,  June  17,  1813.  His  grand- 
fy  father,  Ichabod  Hemenway,  was  a  native  of 
Framingham,  Mass.  He  was  a  patriot  of  the 
Revolution,  and  was  in  the  actions  at  Saratoga 
and  Schuylerville  (now  Herkimer),  N.  Y.,  and  in 
other  important  battles.  He  was  one  of  the  first  to 
locate  at  Williamsburg,  whither  he  went  on  foot  from 
Framingham  carrying  an  ax,  Hampshire  County  then 
being  in  its  primitive  condition  and  covered  with 
heavy  timber.  He  improved  a  farm  and  resided 
there  until  his  death  about  1823. 

Mr.  Hemenway  is  the  son  of  Elijah  and  Amy 
(Budlong)  Hemenway.  He  was  married  April  14, 
1836,  in  Conway,  Hampshire  Co.,  Mass.,  to  Eunice 
Guild.  She  was  born  Nov.  12,  1814,  in  Brookfield, 
Vt.,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Israel  and  Rachel  (Kel- 
logg) Guild,  both  natives  of  the  State  of  Vermont. 
In  September,  1836,1116  Hemenways,  father  and  son, 
with  their  families,  set  out  for  Illinois.  Public  convey- 
ances of  travel  were  the  exception  rather  than  the 
rule,  and  the  journey  from  Massachusetts  to  Albany, 
N.  Y.,  was  made  by  private  conveyance,  whence  the 
party  came  to  Buffalo  by  way  of  the  Erie  Canal. 
From  there  they  traveled  by  steamer  to  Chicago, 
whence  they  went  by  team  to  what  is  now  Du  Page 
County,  then  included  in  Cook  County  for  municipal 
purposes.  The  land  had  not  been  surveyed,  and  the 
elder  Hemenway  made  a  claim  in  what  is  now  Wayne 
Township ;  and  when  the  land  came  into  market 
he  entered  the  claim.  This  was  his  home  until  his 
death  in  1862.  His  wife  died  in  1860. 

H.  B.  Hemenway  bought  a  claim  in  Wayne  Town- 
ship, on  which  there  was  a  log  house,  of  which  the 
family  took  possession.  In  1838  he  cut  a  quantity 


of  oak  logs,  drew  them  to  the  mill,  and  with  the 
lumber  built  the  first  frame  house  in  the  township  of 
Wayne.  It  was  finished  with  pine  lumber,  which 
was  drawn  from  Chicago.  In  1843  he  went  to 
Chicago  and  there  secured  the  title  to  his  land.  In 
December,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  Co.  C,  i2th  111.  Cav. 
At  Harper's  Ferry  he  was  taken  prisoner,  being  cap- 
tured in  August,  1862.  He  was  held  five  days  and 
released  on  parole,  when  he  came  home,  and  in  Sep- 
tember, 1862,  was  honorably  discharged  on  account 
of  illness. 

In  1870  he  sold  his  farm  in  Wayne  and  removed 
to  a  farm  situated  two  and  a  half  miles  east  of  the 
city  of  Sycamore,  in  De  Kalb  County.  He  sold  the 
place  five  years  later  and  bought  a  residence  in  Syca- 
more. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hemenway  have  eight  children. 
Edward  is  a  merchant  at  Bartlett  Station,  111.;  A. 
Dwight  lives  in  Chicago ;  George  W.  resides  at 
Greenwood,  Kan.,  where  he  is  a  farmer;  Ellen  mar- 
ried Charles  Stevenson,  of  Sycamore  ;  Elma  is  the 
wife  of  James  Congleton,  and  lives  in  Wheaton,  Du 
Page  County;  Sarah  E.  married  Walter  Scott,  a 
grocer  in  Chicago.  Lyman  is  a  practicing  physician 
at  Pingree  Grove;  William  is  m  the  grocery  business 
in  Chicago. 


acob  Gletty,  a  pioneer  farmer  of  Somonauk 
Township,  resident  on  section  5,  is  the  son 
of  George  and  Frederika  Gletty,  and  was 
born  Oct.  10,  1802,  in  Alsace,  France.  He 
was  bred  to  the  calling  of  his  forefathers,  that 
of  agriculture,  which  he  has  pursued  all  his 
life.  He  was  reared  to  manhood  in  his  native  land, 
and  was  married  there,  June  22,  1836,  to  Betsey 
Yant.  She  was  born  Aug.  20,  1816,  in  France,  where 
six  children  were  born  to  her  and  her  husband. 

In  May,  1844,  the  family  bade  a  permanent  fare- 
well to  "  Fair  France,"  and  came  to  the  New  World, 
arriving  in  the  township  of  Somonauk  July  28  of  the 
same  year.  Mr.  Gletty  Ixnight  80  acres  of  land, 
where  he  at  once  settled  and  commenced  the  work  of 
improving,  subsequently  adding  to  his  acreage  until 
he  now  has  132  acres.  He  is  living  in  retirement, 
his  sons,  Louie  and  Henry,  conducting  the  affairs  of 
the  farm.  His  wife  died  Sept.  16,  1881.  Six  chil- 
dren were  born  to  them  after  their  removal  to  Amer 


I 


jy.fi'  KALB   COUNTY. 


. 


\\ 


ica:  Charles  is  a  farmer.  Louisa  is  the  wife  of 
Frank  Goradot,  of  Somonauk.  Louie  is  next  in  order 
of  birth.  Jacob  lost  his  life  in  the  Civil  War.  Wil- 
liam'is  a  farmer  in  De  Kalb  County.  Henry  is  the 
seventh  child.  Daniel  is  deceased.  Josephine  resides 
at  home.  Caroline  is  Mrs.  Julius  Schidecker.  David 
is  a  farmer  in  Somonauk  Township.  Adeline  is  the 
wife  of  George  Beck,  of  Sandwich. 


fames  W.  Arkills,  farmer  and  breeder  of 
stock,  resident  on  section  15,  Victor  Town- 
ship, was  born  Dec.  18, 1849,  at  Richmond, 
McHenry  Co.,  111.  His  parents,  John  and 
Maria  (Eastwood)  Arkills,  were  natives  of  the 
State  of  New  York  and  settled  in  McHenry 
County  in  1839.  After  a  residence  there  of  33  years, 
they  removed  to  the  township  of  Victor,  where  they 
settled  in  1873,  locating  on  section  15.  The  father 
died  there  in  1884.  .  . 

Mr.  Arkills  was  educated  in  the  common  school, 
and  has  always  lived  with  his  parents.  In  1884  he 
succeeded  to  the  ownership  of  his  father's  home- 
stead. He  is  a  progressive  farmer,  and  is  breeding 
Hambletonian  horses,  also  fine  grades  of  Short-Horn 
Durham  cattle.  He  is  a  Republican,  and  takes  a 
zealous  interest  in  all  movements  and  measures  that 
seem  likely  to  benefit  the  general  public. 

Mr.  Arkills  was  married  Feb.  21,  1872,  to  Mary 
Eastwood,  and  they  have  had  one  child,  Ada  M., 
who  died  when  she  was  15  months  old. 


J.  Woodworth,  resident  at  Sycamore,  is 
the  agent  for  the  estate  of  Mrs.  James  S. 
Waterman.  He  was  born  Dec.  10,  1850, 
Jrownhelm,  Lorain  Co.,  Ohio.  His  father 
and  mother,  John  and  Mary  (Johnson)  Wood- 
worth,  were  natives  of  Chenango  Co.,  N.  Y., 
and  located  soon  after  their  marriage  in  Sandusky. 
In  1853  they  came  to  Illinois,  and  the  senior  Wood- 
worth  bought  a  farm  in  Cortland  Township,  De  Kalb 
County.  The  land  was  in  its  original  condition.  At 
the  date  of  its  owner's  death,  which  occurred  Aug. 
27,  1858,  it  was  all  improved. 

Mr.  Woodworth  went  to  live  when    he  was  nine 


years  of  age  with  Milo  Wells,  of  Sycamore,  and  work- 
ed on  a  farm  except  in  the  winter  seasons,  when  he 
attended  district  school.  In  the  summer  of  1870, 
when  19  years  old,  he  suddenly  formed  a  resolution, 
while  engaged  in  farm  labor,  that  he  would  not  be  an 
agriculturist  through  life,  and  he  then  and  there  laid 
down  the  implement  he  was  using  and  went  to  Syca- 
more, where  he  formed  a  partnership  with  F.  B.  Col- 
ton  in  the  sale  of  musical  instruments.  In  the  spring 
of  1872  he  went  to  Madison,  Wis.,  and  there  pursued 
a  course  of  study  preparatory  to  a  business  career, 
attending  the  Northwestern  Commercial  College.  In 
the  spring  of  1873  he  went  to  Quincy,  111.,  and  en- 
tered upon  the  duties  of  a  teacher  of  plain  and  orna- 
mental penmanship,  book-keeping  and  business  cor- 
respondent in  the  "  Gem  City  Business  College."  He 
resigned  the  position  July  15,  1876,  to  enter  upon  the 
responsibilities  of  Principal  of  the  "  Theoretical  Bus- 
iness and  Penmanship  Departments  of  Jacksonville 
Business  College,"at  Jacksonville,  111.,  which  he  held 
until  July  25,  1883.  At  that  date  he  resigned  to 
assume  the  position  he  now  occupies. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  June  6,  1876,  to  Nellie 
L.,  daughter  of  Dr.  Charles  W.  and  Lucia  C.  Bab- 
cock.  They  have  five  children, — James  A.,  Jessie 
M.,  Arthur  C.,  Charles  J.  and  Edward  G.  Mrs. 
Woodworth  is  the  niece  of  Mrs.  James  S.  Waterman. 


ansing  De  Forest,  retired  farmer,  residing 
in  De  Kalb  village,  was  born  in  Southville> 
Herkimer  Co.,  N.  Y.,  May  10,  1832.  His 
parents,  John  and  Elizabeth  (Pooler)  De  For- 
est, were  al#o  natives  of  the  Empire  State.  He 
remained  with  them  until  12  years  of  age,  and 
until  17  years  old  he  worked  out  during  the  summer 
seasons,  attending  school  during  the  winters ;  thence- 
forward he  devoted  his  whole  time  to  manual  labor. 
Feb.  5,  1852,  he  married  Lurena  L.  Kingsbury, 
who  was  born  in  the  town  of  Turin,  Lewis  Co.,  N.  Y., 
the  daughter  of  Flavel  C.  and  Tryphena  (Holmes) 
Kingsbury,  both  the  latter  being  natives  of  Connect- 
icut, and  settling  in  the  State  of  New  York  after  mar- 
riage. At  the  time  of  his  marriage,  Mr.  De  Forest 
located  in  German  Flats,  N.  Y.,  where  he  rented 
saw-mill  for  one  year,  and  then  a  farm  until  the 
spring  of  1856,  when  he  moved  to  Rome,  N.  Y.  In 


.... 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


the  spring  of  1857  he  came  to  this  county,  locating 
near  Cortland,  where  he  followed  farming  a  year,  and 
the  next  spring  he  purchased  80  acres  of  land  on  sec- 
tion 24,  Afton  Township,  where  there  were  only  a 
small  frame  house  and  a  small  stable.  Six  years 
afierward  he  sold  that  place  and  bought  160  acres, 
on  the  same  section,  where  there  were  a  small  frame 
house  and  a  straw  stable.  This  place  he  still  owns, 
having  improved  it  in  every  way,  erecting  a  good 
frame  house,  a  frame  barn,  corn-crib,  etc.,  and  plant- 
ing shade  and  ornamental  trees.  Having  bought 
other  land  adjoining,  he  now  has  a  total  of  310  acres 
all  improved  and  fenced.  In  April,  1884,  he  leased 
his  farm  and  moved  to  De  Kalb  city,  where  he  now 
lives,  on  Third  Street,  North,  in  a  residence  he  had 
previously  purchased. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  De  Forest  have  had  seven  children, 
namely  :  Mary  Ella,  wife  of  Ellis  Ingham  and  living 
in  Afton  Township;  Albert  Eugene ;  Lizzie  A.,  wife 
of  J.  Charles  Smith,  and  also  living  in  Afton  Town- 
ship; Smith;  Inverna  B.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  nine 
years  and  four  months ;  Sarah  Phenie,  wife  of  Ernest 
Chambers,  and  resides  in  Afton  Township ;  Carrie 
Melvina,  the  wife  of  Grant  E.  Mosher,  and  resides  in 
Afton  Township  ;  and  Lettie  E. 


;  eter  H.  Lawyer,  retired  farmer,  resident  at 
Sycamore,  was  born  Jan.  12,  1824,  in  the 
town  of  Wright,  Schoharie  Co.,  N.  Y.  His 
parents,  David  S.  and  Maria  (Snyder)  Lawyer, 
were  natives  of  the  State  of  New  York.  His 
grandparents  on  both  sides  were  Germans,  and  were 
among  the  early  settlers  of  Schoharie  County.  David 
L.  Lawyer  removed  with  his  family  to  De  Kalb 
County  in  1853  and  settled  in  the  township  of  Cort- 
land, on  section  8,  where  he  died  April  2,  1879.  His 
first  wife  died  about  .1840,  and  he  was  married  a 
second  time,  to  Maria  Settle,  and  she  resides  on  the 
homestead. 

The  son  was  reared  on  the  homestead  faim,  and 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools.  He  was  mar- 
ried Dec.  23,  1853,10  Eva  Schoolcraft,  a  native.of 
Schohaire  County.  After  his  marriage,  Mr.  Lawyer 
lived  on  the  farm  where  he  was  born  and  brought  up 
until  1857,  when  he  came  to  De  Kalb  County  and 
bought  an  improved  farm  in  Cortland  Township, 


located  on  section  17.  The  farm  had  a  small  house 
on  it,  which  Mr.  Lawyer  rebuilt,  and  he  also  added 
other  farm  buildings.  In  1875  he  rented  the  place 
and  moved  to  Sycamore  where  he  already  owned  a 
residence.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  L.  have  one  son,  Jay,  who 
is  traveling  for  his  health  in  California.  Mrs.  Law- 
yer was  born  May  5,  1827,  and  is  the  daughter  of 
Adam  and  Catharine  Schoolcraft.  They  were  natives 
of  York  State,  where  the  mother  died,  when  the 
daughter  was  eight  years  old  ;  and  the  father  came 
to  Illinois  when  she  was  18  years  old  and  died  in 
Belvidere,  Boone'Co.,  111.,  in  t86i. 

:enry  A.  Severy,  farmer  and  stock-breeder, 
resident    in    Somonauk    Township,   is   the 
owner  of  200  acres  of  land  on   sections   16 
^    and  21.  He  was  born  Oct.  7,  1851,  in  Lawrence, 

I  Mass.  Dexter  Severy,  his  father,  is  a  native  of 
Maine,  and  is  engaged  in  raising  stock,  associ- 
ated with  his  two  sons,  Henry  and  Charles  A.  Their 
father  resides  in  Leland,  La  Salle  Co.,  111.,  and  the 
second  son  is  prosecuting  his  branch  of  the  business 
in  Victor  Township,  De  Kalb  County.  Their  aggre- 
gated herds  include  more  than  200  head  of  fine 
blooded  stock,  of  which  125  head  are  thoroughbreds. 
Mr.  Severy 's  individual  herd  includes  usually  about 
25  cows.  He  has  several  registered  animals,  among 
them  Princess  Anna,  No.  685,  Julia  A.,  No.  798, 
Princess  of  Brabant  the  Fourth,  No.  1,027,  and  Hilke, 
No.  3,460.  The  head  of  the  herds  of  Messrs.  Severy 
is  Lawrence  Marion,  No.  2,050,  from  Lawrence, 
Mass.,  and  he  is  a  lineal  descendant  from  the  Lord 
Clifton  and  Aaggie  family.  (On  the  farm  of  C.  A. 
Severy  are  kept  Lord  Clifton,  Sir  Newton  of  Aaggie, 
No.  1,858,  and  several  others  registered  and  num- 
bered.) Thirty-five  fine  thoroughbred  animals  were 
added  to  the  herds  during  1884.  The  Messrs. 
Severy  are  practically  pioneers  in  raising  fine  stock 
west  of  Ohio,  having  been  in  the  business  12  years. 
They  are  members  of  the  Holstein  Breeders'  Asso- 
ciation, have  bought  a  number  of  thoroughbreds  from 
the  East,  and  have  imported  stock.  They  rank 
among  the  most  reliable  dealers  in  the  West  and 
have  issued  a  catalogue  annually  for  n  years.  C.  A. 
Severy  raises  trotting  horses  from  the  well-known 
stock  Basha  and  Hauibletonian.  Mr.  Severy  of  th 


v 


:. 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


) 


sketch  is  President  of  the  Mutual  Fire  Insurance 
Company. 

He  was  married  March  23,  1875,  to  Julia  A., 
daughter  of  Hon.  Hiram  and  Amanda  Loucks,  of 
Sandwich.  (See  sketch  of  H.  Loucks.)  She  was 
born  Dec.  5,  1851,  in  Oneida  Co.,  N.  Y.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Severy  have  one  son — Frank  D.,  born  April  13, 
1878. 

The  family  of  Mr.  Severy  came  to  De  Kalb  County 
in  1854.  The  elder  Severy  was  born  March  4,  1820, 
and  his  wife  in  November,  1821.  They  have  but 
two  children,  and  the  family  circle  intact.  Mr. 
Severy  took  possession  ot  his  present  farm  April  i, 
'875- 


^ 


! 


eorge  W.  Weeden,  deceased,  a  former  res- 
ident of  Sycamore,  was  born  Dec.  23,  1807, 
in  Hartland,  Windsor  Co,  Vt.,  and  was 
the  son  of  Samuel  and  Mrs.  M.  Weeden.  He 
learned  the  trade  of  a  brick  and  stone  mason, 
at  which  he  worked  in  his  native  State  until 
1843.  In  that  year  he  came  to  Illinois  to  find  a 
broader  field  for  a  life  of  activity  than  that  afforded  in 
the  narrow  valleys  of  the  Green  Mountain  State.  He 
crossed  the  Green  Mountains  and  reach  Whitehall, 
at  the  foot  of  Lake  Champlain,  went  to  Albany  by 
the  Champlaii'i  Canal,  thence  by  the  Erie  Canal  to 
Buffalo,  whence  he  came  to  Chicago  by  the  lake 
route.  At  that  city  he  hired  a  ;'  prairie  schooner " 
to  bring  him  to  De  Kalb  County.  The  land  was  in 
market  that  year  and  he  entered  a  claim  of  80  acres 
on  section  31,  Sycamore  Township,  and  bought  130 
acres  adjoining.  He  built  a  log  house,  in  which  his 
household  found  shelter  seven  years;  after  this 
period  they  occupied  a  brick  house  which  Mr. 
Weeden  built  on  his  farm  The  place  was  sold  in 
1855  and  a  removal  to  Sycamore  effected,  where  Mr. 
Weeden  bought  town  property  and  worked  at  his 
trade. 

His  marriage  to  Sarah  Pearsons  occurred  Jan.  29, 
1834.  She  was  born  Jan.  7,  1812,  in  Reading,  Wind- 
sor Co.,  Vt.,  and  is  the  daughter  of  William  and 
Azubah  (Brockvvay)  Pearsons.  Her  parents  were 
both  bom  in  Vermont.  Two  of  the  six  children  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Weeden  are  living, — Alvin  G.  and  Al- 
bina  S.  The  latter  married  S.  C.  Hale  and  is  now 

£%&*& 


living  near  Laddonia,  Audrain  Co.,  Mo.  Mr.  Weeden 
died  Aug.  16,  1870. 

Alvin  G.  Weeden  was  born  Nov.  16,  1834,  and 
was  but  nine  years  of  age  when  his  parents  removed 
from  Hartland,  Vt.,  his  birthplace,  to  De  Kalb 
County.  He  assisted  his  father  in  improving  his 
farm  and  acquired  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  vo- 
cation of  a  stone  and  brick  mason.  He  has  been  for 
a  number  of  years  engaged  in  the  business  of  a  con- 
tractor. He  was  married  Aug.  10,  1857,  to  Louisa, 
daughter  of  Enos  and  Celina  (Reed)  Whitmove. 
They  have  two  children, — Lillie  M.  and  Leon  F. 


euben  Nichols,  a  pioneer  of  De  Kalb 
County,  of  1837,  was  born  May  23,  1770, 
in  DutchessCo.,  N.  Y.  His  parents  were 
of  Connecticut  origin,  and  soon  after  their 
marriage  located  in  the  State  of  New  York. 
His  father  bargained  for  a  farm  a  few  miles 
from  Poughkeepsie,  and  took  possession.  He  had 
saved  sufficient  money  to  pay  for  the  place,  but  the 
marauding  English  soldiery  in  the  Revolutionary 
War  invaded  the  house  and  carried  off  the  money. 
He  managed  by  hard  labor  and  economy  to  secure 
his  title,  and  died  on  his  farm  Nov.  22,  1802,  aged 
74  years  and  n  months.  His  wife  died  May  21, 
1820,  at  the  age  of  88  years  and  n  months. 

Reuben  Nichols  grew  to  mature  life  in  Dutchess 
County,  and  learned  the  trade  of  harness,  and  boot 
and  shoe  maker.  He  was  married  to  Mercy  Caverly, 
a  native  of  Ulster  Co.,  N.  Y.  After  marriage  they  ' 
located  for  a  short  time  near  Newburg,  where  Mr. 
Nichols  worked  at  his  trade  and  managed  a  tannery 
several  years,  after  which  he  went  to  Ontario,  Can- 
ada. The  location  caused  him  to  fall  into  ill  health, 
and  he  returned  to  Ulster  Co.,  N.  Y.  After  a  short 
stay  there  he  went  to  Sullivan  County,  in  the  same 
State,  and  bought  a  farm,  which  he  cultivated  until 
1837.  In  1835  a  son — John  Nichols — came  to  De 
Kalb  County  and  settled  on  a  claim  on  section  13, 
of  township  41,  range  4  east,  now  Mayfield  Town- 
ship. 

The  senior  Nichols  sold  his  farm  in  1837,  with  the 
intention  of  establishing  a  home  in  De  Kalb  County, 
and  he  started  in  company  with  his  wife,  four  chil- 
dren and  two  sons-in-law.  They  made  the  journey 
i ^^^ "&i££@. 


DE  KALB    COUNTY. 


overland,  driving  through,  and  were  on  the  road  six 
weeks.  They  first  stopped  in  Mayfield  Township,  at 
the  home  of  their  son.  Mr.  Nichols  bought  the 
claim,  and  when  the  Government  survey  was  made 
and  the  land  put  upon  the  market,  he  went  to  Chi- 
cago and  secured  the  claim.  He  raised  his  first 
crop  of  grain  in  1838.  He  died  May  5,  1844,  and 
his  wife  survived  him  several  years,  dying  Sept.  6, 
185  i.  Their  children  were  named  Benjamin,  Esther, 
Amy,  Peter,  Ephraim,  Abigail,  Phebe,  John,  Ira, 
Amos  and  Latin. 

Latin  Nichols,  a  resident  of  Sycamore,  was  born 
Dec.  4,  1820,  in  the  township  of  Neversink,  in  Sulli- 
van Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  was  17  years  of  age  when  he 
came  with  his  parents  to  De  Kalb  County,  and  he 
lived  at  home  .until  the  death  of  his  father.  After 
spending  a  few  seasons  as  a  farm  laborer,  he  bought 
80  acres  of  land  on  section  10,  Mayfield  Township. 
He  built  a  small  frame  house  on  the  place,  and 
broke  and  plowed  a  part  of  the  land  the  same  year 
he  became  its  owner. 

He  was  married  July  3,  1847,  to  Armena, 
daughter  of  Abner  and  Mary  (Kendall)  Jackman, 
who  weue  pioneers  of  the  township  of  Sycamore. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nichols  settled  on  the  farm  he  had 
prepared  for  his  residence,  and  which  they  occupied 
until  1882,  when  it  was  sold,  and  the  family  removed 
to  Sycamore.  Three  children  were  born  of  their 
union:  Mary  E.  married  William  B.  Dunmore,  and 
resides  at  Sycamore.  Martha  L.  was  born  Oct.  30, 
1855,  and  died  Jan.  4,  1861 ;  Clara  E.  married 
William  Ault  and  lives  in  Mayfield  Township. 


left  home,  and  had  received  a  limited  education. 
After  coming  to  Victor  Township  he  became  a  farm 
laborer  and  continued  in  that  capacity  three  years. 
He  subsequently  managed  a  farm  on  shares,  in  which 
he  was  occupied  three  years.  He  then  bought  the 
estate  he  now  owns,  then  consisting  of  80  acres,  and 
|  he  has  also  added  thereto  80  acres  more.  Mr.  Cox 
is  a  Republican,  and  has  held  several  offices  in  the 
township  in  which  he  is  a  citizen.  He  has  reaped 
the  reward  of  faithfulness  and  merit  in  all  his  busi- 
ness relations. 

He  was  married  Jan.  i,  1867,  to  Alice  Arnold,  a 
native  of  England.  Four  children  were  added  to 
their  household, — Jonathan,  Alice,  Betsey  and  Cyn- 
thia. 


Joseph    Cox,    farmer,    section     25,    Victor 
Township,  was  born   April    22,    1840,    in 

f"*  Lincolnshire,  England.  His  parents,  Joseph 
and  Jane  (Wilson)  Cox,  were  also  born  in  Eng- 
land and  emigrated  thence  in  1863  to  the 
United  States.  They  first  found  a  home  .in 
the  State  of  New  York,  where  they  maintained  a  resi- 
dence three  years.  In  1866  they  came  to  Illinois, 
where  the  father  died  in  1872.  The  mother  is  still 
living. 

Mr.  Cox  left  his  native  land  for  America  three 
years  before  his  father  and  mother  came  hither.  On 
landing  at  the  Port  of  New  York  he  came  at  once  to 
Victor  Township.  He  was  20  years  of  age  when  he 


• 


enry  M.  Thorp,  farmer,  section  17,  Somo- 
nauk  Township,  was  born  Sept.  25,  1836,  in 
Otsego  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  is  the  son  of  Leon- 
ard and  Eliza  (Miller)  Thorp.  His  father  was 
born  April  4,  1802;  his  mother,  Nov.  20,  1805, 
and  were  both  natives  of  the  State  of  New  York. 
They  had  ten  children,  seven  of  whom  are  still  liv- 
ing. The  family  came  to  Illinois  at  a  period  when 
Chicago  was  in  its  infancy,  there  being  but  n  houses 
in  the  now  monster  metropolis  when  they  passed 
through  it  on  their  way  to  "  Big  Woods,"  near  Aurora. 
The  senior  Thorp  kept  what  was  then  known  as  a 
stage  house  at  Bristol  for  a  period  of  two  years,  after- 
wards removing  to  Piano,  Kendall  County,  where 
the  parents  are  now  living,  probably  the  oldest 
couple  of  the  pioneer  settlers  now  living  there. 

Mr.  Thorp  was  married  in  January,  1856,  at 
Piano,  to  Belinda  Loomis.  Mrs.  Thorp  was  born 
May  22,  1839,  in  Lewis  Co.  N.  Y.,  and  is  the  daugh- 
ter of  Emery  and  Nancy  (Lane)  Loomis.  Of  their 
marriage  three  children  have  been  born :  "Emery 
(Jan.  30,  1859)  is  a  farmer  in  Lee  Co.,  111. ;  Leonard, 
born  Feb.  3,  1861,  resides  on  the  family  homestead; 
and  Lyman  was  born  Oct.  7,  1867. 

Mr.  Thorp  came  to  Somonauk  Township  in  the 
spring  of  1860.  He  rented  the  farm  of  which  he  is 
now  the  proprietor,  then  comprising  320  acres,  and 
continued  its  management  13  years,  when  he  pur- 
chased the  property.  He  has  made  additional  pur- 

s*y -teSK®, 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


a 


i 


chases,  and  the  farm  now  includes  453  acres.     He  is 
the   owner  of  163   acres  in  Lee  Co.,  111.,  and  43^    \ 
acres  in  Iowa.     In  connection  with  his   agricultural   I 
operations,  Mr.  Thorp  has  been  largely  interested  in 
the  business  of  threshing  and  corn-shelling.     In   the 
course  of  his  transactions  in  these  avenues  he  has   | 
worn  out  12  threshing-machines  and  several  shellers. 
During  one    season    he    shelled    80,000   bushels  of 
corn,    and  has    averaged    a   daily  amount  of  2,460 
bushels.     He  keeps  from   20  to  35    head  of  horses 
and  mules.     He  is  the  owner  of  a  Clydesdale  and 
Norman    registered    stallion   and  an    English   draft 
horse,  and  is  interested  in  breeding  fine  animals  for 
market. 


ustave  Walter,  manufacturer  of  carriages, 
road  carts,  cutters,  sleighs,  etc.,  at  Sand- 
wich, is  the  son  of  Christian  and  Sarah 
Walter,  and  was  born  Oct.  3,  1849,  in  Alsace, 
France.  He  began  his  apprenticeship  to  learn 
his  trade  when  14  years  of  age  and  served 
three  years.  In  1868  he  came  to  America  and  lo- 
cated at  Ottawa,  111.  After  working  there  one  year, 
he  came  to  Chicago,  where  he  remained  two  years. 
He  proceeded  thence  to  Peoria,  111.,  whence  he  went 
nearly  a  year  later  to  Woodstock.  At  that  place  he 
opened  his  business,  which  he  prosecuted  two  years, 
going  next  to  Serena.  Two  years  later  he  made  an- 
other transfer,  to  Piano,  where  he  continued  one  year. 
In  1876  he  located  his  business  at  Sandwich,  buying 
his  present  location.  He  has  three  buildings — one 
36x48  feet,  built  of  brick,  constituting  a  general 
blacksmithing  department;  another  is  24x48  feet, 
and  is  used  as  a  repository;  a  third,  24x30,  is  the 
wood  department.  His  business  transactions  amount 
annually  to  $25,000,  and  includes  all  varieties  of 
popular  vehicles.  The  usual  working  force  includes 
about  10  men.  Mr.  Walter  is  a  member  of  the  Ma- 
sonic fraternity,  Blue  Lodge  and  Chapter  of  Sand- 
wich and  Aurora  Commandery. 

He  was  married  at  Woodstock,  111.,  July  20,  1872, 
to  Sophia,  daughter  of  Christian  Retterer.  She  was 
born  April  10,  1851,  in  Alsace,  France.  Charles  A., 


born  Feb.  26,  1876,  Laura  A.,  Aug.  i,  1877,  and 
Mabel  E.,  March  17,  1882,  are  the  children  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Walter. 


irles  D.  Jackman,  deceased,  was  born 
July  7,  1837,  in  Sycamore.     His  parents, 
Abner  and  Mary  (Kendall)  Jackman,  were 
among  the  pioneer  settlers  of  De  Kalb  County, 
and  were  born  in  the  State  of  Vermont. 

Mr.  Jackman  was  born  and  bred  on  his 
father's  farm,  and  attended  the  district  school.  He 
was  married  Nov.  10,  1857,  to  Eunice  Halladay.  She 
was  born  in  the  to\Vn  of  Horicon,  Warren  Co.,  N.  Y., 
and  is  the  daughter  of  Harvey  and  Betsey  (Hollon) 
Halladay,  who  were  natives  of  Vermont,  and  were 
among  the  earliest  of  the  permanent  settlers  of  Syca- 
more. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jackman  located  on  the  Jackson 
farm,  on  section  5  in  that  township.  The  husband 
became  a  soldier  in  the  Union  army,  and  enlisted  in 
August,  1862,  in  Co.  C,  1051)1  Regt.  111.  Vol.  Inf. 
He  participated  in  all  the  closing  campaigns  of  the 
war  in  which  the  Army  of  the  West  was  involved, 
marched  with  Sherman  to  the  sea  and  through  the 
Carolinas  to  Washington,  where  he  was  a  part  of  I  he 
Grand  Review.  He  was  mustered  out  of  service  at 
Chicago,  and  resumed  farming  on  the  homestead  in 
Sycamore  Township,  where  he  died,  Jan.  18,  1879, 
leaving  four  children :  Merton  resides  in  McHenry 
Co.,  111.;  Adelbert,  Abner  and  Mary  live  with  their 
mother  on  the  homestead,  on  section  5 . 


fames  B.  Glidden,  teacher  and  farmer,  re- 
siding in  De  Kalb,  was  born  in  Clarendon, 
Orleans  Co.,  N.  Y.,  May  10,  1819.  His 
father,  Jacob  Glidden,  was  a  native  of  the  town 
of  Unity,  Sullivan  Co.,  N.  H.,  where  the  "  Glid- 
den farm  "  has  remained  in  possession  of  the 
family  for  more  than  200  years.  He  settled  in  Or- 
leans Co.,  N.  Y.,  soon  after  the  War  of  1812,  emi- 
grating from  his  native  State  in  the  winter,  with  two 
yoke  of  oxen  and  sleds.  He  was  a  very  early  settler 
in  that  portion  of  the  Empire  State,  bought  a  tract  of 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


- 


' 


s 


timber  land,  cleared  a  farm  and  spent  the  remain- 
der of  his  days  there.  His  wife,  nee  Sarah  Smith, 
was  also  a  native  of  the  town  of  Unity,  Sullivan  Co., 
N.  H.  They  had  13  children,  of  whom  Jan.es  B.  was 
the  youngest,  except  one  brother.  Both  were  born 
in  Orleans  County. 

Mr.  Glidden  was  brought  up  on  the  farm  and  at- 
tended the  district  school.  In  April,  1841,  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Juliet  Beard,  a  native  of  the  town  of  Lyons, 
Yates  Co.,  N.  Y.  He  Ixnight  a  farm  of  58  acres, 
which  three  years  afterward  he  sold,  and  he  rented 
a  farm  until  1852,  when  he  purchased  another  in  Van 
Buren  Co.,  Mich.  In  the  whiter  of  1852-3  he  was 
employed  as  foreman  in  the  construction  of  the  Chi- 
cago, Alton  &  St.  Louis  Railroad,  and  with  that  ex- 
ception, and  teaching  school  during  the  winter 
seasons,  he  has  always  been  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits.  He  commenced  teaching  school  at  the  age 
of  18,  in  the  State  of  New  York,  and  has  taught  for 
20  winters.  In  1860  he  sold  his  farm  in  Michigan 
and  came  to  De  Kalb  County,  this  State,  buying  a 
farm  on  section  10,  in  Afton  Township.  Here,  at 
that  time,  there  were  but  a  few  acres  broken,  and  he 
proceeded  to  place  the  farm  in  a  fine  and  presentable 
condition,  by  fencing,  breaking,  setting  out  fine  shade 
and  ornamental  trees,  erecting  buildings,  etc  ;  but  he 
sold  it  in  1878,  in  order  to  take  charge  of  farms  in 
the  county  belonging  to  his  cousin,  J.  F.  Glidden. 
He  occupied  his  farm  residence  until  1884,  when  he 
moved  into  the  village  of  De  Kalb. 

The  four  children  of  Mr.  Glidden  are  Orson  E., 
Varnum  A.,  Frances  and  Chase  E. 


ohn  Brechbiel,  farmer,  section  35,  Victor 
!?•  Township,  is  a  native  of  Germany,  where 
he  was  born  Oct.  28,  1848.  His  father, 
John  Brechbiel,  was  also  born  there,  and  mar- 
ried Mary  Hanse.  The  former  removed  with 
his  family  from  the  Old  World  to  the  New  in 
1859,  and  landed  in  the  city  of  New  York,  coming 
thence  to  Somonauk,  DeKalb  County,  where  the 
father  bought  80  acres  of  land  on  section  35.  After 
a  residence  thereon  of  five  years  he  died,  in  1865. 
The  family  included  two  children,  but  Mr.  Brech- 
biel, of  this  sketch,  is  the  only  one  living,  to  whom 
the  homestead  was  willed,  and  he  has  been  since  its 


manager  and  the  custodian  of  his  mother.  He  has 
since  purchased  46  acres  joining  his  homestead, 
besides  two  tracts  of  40  acres  each,  situated  respect- 
ively on  sections  26  and  27.  Mr.  Brechbiel  is  a 
Democrat  in  political  faith. 

He  was  married  March  9,  1869,  to  Mary  A.  Lutts- 
mann,  and  they  have  six  children — Ann,  Louise, 
Emma,  George  E.,  Mary  M.  and  Ida.  Mr.  Brech- 
biel and  his  wife  are  members  of  St.  John's  Lutheran 
Church,  at  Somonauk. 


I  i 


oseph  Allen,  deceased,  was  a  pioneer  of 
De  Kalb  County,  and  for  some  years  a 
resident  of  Sycamore  Township,  where  he 
located  in  1846.  He  was  born  Sept.  26,  1790, 
in  Kingsbury,  Washington  Co.,  N.  Y.  In  his 
early  manhood  he  was  a  miller  by  vocation. 
He  was  married  Dec.  23,  1810,  to  Sally  Allen,  who 
was  born  Sept.  14,  1793,  at  Thurman,  Washington 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  they  had  14  children,  12  of  whom 
grew  to  adult  age,  and  seven  are  still  living.  Annie 
is  the  wife  of  C.  B.  Vaughn,  of  Montgomery,  Kane 
Co.,  111. ;  Abisha  is  the  widow  of  Eldad  Calkins 
and  lives  near  Aurora,  111. ;  Charles  lives  in  O'Brien 
Co.,  Iowa ;  William  is  a  resident  of  Kane  Co.,  111-. ; 
Joseph  is  a  farmer  of  Decatur  Co.,  Kan. ;  Angelina 
and  Benjamin  were  born  next  in  order ;  Henry  is  the 
youngest  living,  and  resides  in  Gentry  Co.,  Mo. 

At  the  time  of  their  marriage  they  settled  at  Fort 
Ann.  Mr.  Allen  was  a  "  minute  man  "  during  the 
War  of  1812,  and  with  his  company  made  a  forced 
march  to  Plattsburg,  where  they  arrived  just  in  time 
to  witness  the  retreat  of  the  British  soldiers.  Mr. 
Allen  pursued  his  trade  at  different  parts  of  his 
native  county  until  1845,  when  impaired  health 
furnished  an  imperative  reason  for  a  change  of  loca- 
tion, and  he  set  out  to  seek  a  home  in  the  West.  He 
came  to  Kane  County,  where  his  family  joined  him, 
and  in  the  following  year  he  came  to  De  Kalb 
County  and  settled  on  land  owned  by  his  daughter 
in  Sycamore  Township.  His  death  occurred  there 
Nov.  27,  1853.  Mrs.  Allen  died  Aug.  28,  1873. 

Benjamin  Allen  was  born  April  20,  1829,  and  was 
16  years  of  age  when  he  came  with  his  mother  and 
the  other  children  of  his  father's  family  to  Kane 
County.  He  remained  under  the  parental  authority 


OF  THE 

(fflnvEnsirr  OF  HJJNOB 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


until  the  years  of  his  minority  were  passed,  and 
afterward  found  employment  in  the  vicinity.  •  He 
had  bought  40  acres  of  land  on  section  25,  Syca- 
more Township,  and  he  devoted  his  earnings  to  pay- 
ing for  his  land,  on  which  he  settled  after  marriage, 
and  where  he  had  built  a  house.  He  afterward  pur- 
chased 20  acres  adjoining  and  improved  ihe  entire 
property.  He  was  its  occupant  until  1865,  when  he 
sold  and  bought  a  farm  on  section  i.Cortland  Town- 
ship, which  is  in  good  agricultural  condition.  Mr. 
Allen  is  a  Republican.  While  a  resident  of  Syca- 
more he  was  a  member  of  the  School  Board,  and  has 
also  been  Road  Commissioner. 

His  marriage  to  Abigail  Lhommedieo  took  place 
Oct.  10,  1852.  She  was  born  at  Smithville,  Che- 
nango  Co.,  N.  Y.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Allen  have  an 
adopted  child— Benjamin  Arthur 


snry  Miller,  a  farmer  of  Victor  Township, 
who  is  a  landholder  on  section  32,  was  born 
April  30,  1837,  in  Germany.  His  parents, 
Christian  and  Louise  (Gobel)  Miller,  were  na- 
tives of  Walden,  Germany.  His  mother  died 
there.  Mr.  Miller  was  thrown  upon  his  own 
exertions  fora  livelihood  when  he  was  12  years  of 
age.  He  had  received  a  common-school  education, 
and  after  the  age  named  he  became  a  farm  laborer, 
in  which  capacity  he  was  employed  until  he  was  22 
years  of  age.  In  1845  he  left  his  native  soil  to  win 
for  himself  an  opportunity  that  a  republic  offered  for 
the  better  development  of  his  manhood's  ambitions; 
and,  after  landing  at  New  York,  he  pressed  on  to 
Illinois,  making  his  first  stop  at  Aurora,  where  he 
found  employment  four  years,  going  thence  to  Piano. 
He  was  married  there  Nov.  24,  1859,  to  Elizabeth 
Buckardt,  who  also  is  a  native  of  Germany.  Seven 
children  have  been  born  of  their  union :  William 
H.,  Henry  W.,  Mary  L.,  Fritz  J.,  Christian  J.,  Charles 
F.  and  George  S.  The  oldest  son  and  the  only 
daughter  are  married. 

Mr.  Miller  made  his  first  purchase  of  land  in  Vic- 
tor Township,  in  1859,  when  he  bought  160  acres  of 
land,  on  which  he  has  made  all  the  improvements. 
He  has  also  bought  80  acres  on  section  28,  and  is 
engaged  in  general  farming.  He  and  his  wife  belong 


to  the  Lutheran  Church  at  Leland.     Christian  Mil-  ^", 
ler,  the  father,  came  to  America  in  1850. 


', 


rlando  M.  Bryan,  M.  D.,  of  Sycamore,  is 
one  of  the  pioneer  physicians  and  surgeons 
cv^r  of  the  portion  of  De  Kalb  County  of  which 
Qc^  he  has  been  for  40  years  a  citizen.  He  is  a 
self-made  man  in  the  best  sense  of  the  term, 
possessing  the  qualities  of  industry  and  judg- 
ment requisite  for  the  exertion  of  his  natural  traits 
of  character,  and  the  exercise  of  the  discrimination 
and  good  sense  which,  under  the  privileges  of  the 
times,  places  a  man  securely  on  the  plane  for  which 
he  is  fitted,  both  by  nature  and  training. 

Dr.  Bryan  was  born  July  6,  1823,  in  Fairfield,  Her- 
kimer  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  is  the  son  of  Dr.  M.  L.  and 
Phebe  (Whiteside)  Bryan.  He  inherited  from  his 
father  his  predilection  for  his  profession,  and  obtained 
an  elementary  training  from  association  and  observa- 
tion that  was  especially  valuable,  although  its  impor- 
tance as  a  molding  influence  was  neither  recognized 
nor  understood  at  the  time.  He  received  an  excel- 
lent fundamental  education  at  Fairfield  Academy, 
an  institution  of  acknowledged  reputation,  and  at  17 
years  of  age  he  began  the  regular  course  of  reading 
for  his  profession  with  Dr.  G.  Sweet,  of  Fairfield,  one 
of  the  first  preceptors  of  the  place  and  period.  He 
attended  lectures  at  Geneva,  N.  Y..  and  also  at  the 
University  of  New  York  City,  where  he  was  gradu- 
ated and  received  his  degree  in  1844.  He  began  his 
professional  career  with  Dr.  Sweet,  at  Fairfield,  and 
had  the  benefit  of  the  association  and  the  office  rela- 
tions of  his  preceptor  until  1846,  when  he  came  to 
De  Kalb  County.  He  was  only  23  years  of  age  when 
he  sought  to  test  the  promise  of  the  West,  and  he 
brought  to  his  work  therein  the  fresh  hopes  of  his 
young  and  ardent  manhood. 

Sycamore  was  but  the  germ  of  a  village  when 
Dr.  Bryan  identified  himself  with  its  people  and  inter- 
ests, and  he  grew  up  and  developed  with  it.  He  gave 
his  undivided  attention  to  his  local  medical  duties 
until  1861,  a  period  of  15  years,  and  won  a  substan- 
tial reputation.  In  the  first  year  of  the  war  he  was 
appointed  by  Governor  Yates  to  a  position  on  the 
State  Board  of  Medical  Examiners  to  determine  re- 


garding  the  qualifications  of  army  surgeons,  and  was 
made  Secretary  of  that  body.  While  engaged  in  the 
discharge  of  the  duties  of  the  position  he  was  sum- 
moned by  Secretary  Cameron  to  report  at  Washington 
for  examination  for  the  position  of  Brigade  Surgeon. 
He  was  found  to  be  qualified,  and  was  commissioned 
by  President  Lincoln  as  Brigade  Surgeon,  with  the 
rank  of  Major.  Pending  the  preliminaries,  after  pass- 
ing the  ordeal  of  examination,  he  returned  to  Spring- 
field and  served  in  his  former  position  until  he 
received  his  commission  and  orders  to  report  to  Gen. 
Fremont  in  the  State  of  Missouri.,  under  whom  he 
remained  until  his  commanding  officer  was  super- 
seded by  General  Hunter.  He  was  made  a  member 
of  the  staff  of  the  latter,  and  was  attached  to  the 
command  through  the  actions  at  Island  No.  10  and 
New  Madrid.  He  was  in  charge  of  the  general  hos- 
pital of  the  Army  of  the  Mississippi,  at  Farmington, 
near  Corinth,  whither  he  went  with  General  Pope's 
command  the  day  following  the  battle  of  Shiloh.  He 
was  already  suffering  the  effects  of  over-exertion  and 
a  relaxing  climate,  and  while  at  Corinth  he  made  ap- 
plication to  the  Surgeon-General  at  Washington  to 
be  transferred  to  New  Mexico  for  the  benefit  of  his 
health.  He  soon  received  orders  to  report  at 
Santa  Fe  to  Surgeon  Bailey  of  thj  Regular  Army,  and 
relieve  him  from  duty  as  Medical  Director  and  Pur- 
veyor of  the  Department  of  New  Mexico.  He  occu- 
pied this  position  nearly  three  years,  until  mustered 
out  of  service.  Dr.  Bryan  was  in  the  service  through- 
out the  entire  Rebellion,  and  remained  in  New  Mex- 
ico until  the  border  disturbances  were  under  control. 
He  obtained  his  discharge  in  1866,  and  was  mustered 
out  of  the  service  of  the  United  States  at  Santa  Fe, 
N.  M.,  while  he  had  the  rank  of  Colonel,  by  brevet. 
During  his  connection  with  the  army  at  that  point 
he  made  extensive  tours  through  Mexico,  New  Mex- 
ico and  Colorado,  and  secured  great  benefit  to  his 
health.  He  resumed  his  practice  at  Sycamore,  and 
prosecuted  his  business  vigorously  until  1873,  when 
failing  health  again  compelled  him  to  seek  another 
climate,  and  he  has  since  passed  several  winters  in 
Colorado. 

He  was  married  July  23,  1849,  to  Jane  Leslie 
Voorhees.  She  was  born  Sept.  10,  1824,  in  Lysander, 
OnondagaCo.,  N.  Y.,  and  is  the  daughter  of  James  L. 
and  Martha  (Northrup)  Voorhees.  Her  parents  were 
natives  respectively  of  New  York  and  Connecticut. 
Following  is  the  record  of  the  children  of  Dr.  and 

**^ — e^Hngnns 


Mrs.  Bryan  :  Urania  V.,  born  June  9,  1850,  became 
the  wife  of  Edward  Crist,  of  Sycamore,  and  died 
June  14,  1883;  Florence  was  born  Sept.  24,  1851, 
and  died  Dec.  26,  1853;  Martha,  born  Sept.  6,  1854, 
died  April  23,  1861;  Martin  L.,  born  July  9,  1858, 
died  June  26,  1879;  James  L.,  born  May  25,  1862, 
died  June  24,  1883 ;  Jane  Leslie,  fourth  child  in  or- 
der of  birth,  is  the  only  survivor.  She  was  born 
Feb.  24,  1857,  and  married  Ellhom  Rogers,  of  Syca- 
more, May  6,  1880. 

The  name  and  career  of  Dr.  Bryan  are  inseparably 
connected  with  the  history  of  Sycamore.  In  its  early 
days  he  was  a  part  of  its  pioneer  households,  his  pro- 
fessional duties  bringing  him  to  an  identity  of  inter- 
ests with  the  entire  community.  He  exerted  his  skill 
in  behalf  of  those  who  suffered  from  the  illness  inci- 
dent to  a  developing  section,  and  in  his  professional 
capacity  came  to  have  a  personal  relation  to  the 
affairs  of  those  with  whom  his  lot  was  cast.  With 
many  he  began  his  association  at  the  opening  of  their 
lives,  and  went  with  them  until  they  were  gathered 
into  final  rest.  His  face  was  as  familiar  as  those  of  the 
household  to  which  they  belonged,  and  was  regard- 
ed as  one  of  their  greatest  benefactors.  The  resident 
pioneer  physician  of  a  community  is  by  far  the  most 
important  personage  in  it,  and  his  mission  is  one 
that  bears  with  it  its  own  weight  of  importance. 
While  the  personal  records  collated  in  this  volume 
have  each  its  own  value  to  the  work,  that  of  Dr. 
Bryan  is  presented  with  a  peculiar  satisfaction,  from 
the  fact  that  while  it  reflects  great  credit  on  the  an- 
nals of  De  Kalb  County,  its  subject  holds  a  relation 
to  the  people  of  Sycamore  of  paramount  importance. 

A  portrait  of  Dr.  Bryan  appears  on  a  preceding 
page. 


ndrew  Graham,  farmer,  section 
Township,    was    born     Dec.     9,     1844,    in 
Franklin  Co.,  Ohio.     His  parenis,  Robert 
and  Sarah  (Williamson)  Graham,  were  natives 
of  New  York  and  removed  thence  to  Illinois 
in  1850,  when  their  son  was  six  years  old.    As 
he  advanced  in  age  he  received  a  good   education, 
and  at  the  time  he  attained  his  legal  freedom  he  be- 
gan farming  on  his  own  responsibility.     He  took  a 
farm  to  work  on  shares,  and  made  a  success  of  the 


-     ..    :- 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


- 


venture,  in  which  he  was  occupied  two  years.  Sub- 
sequently he  devoted  the  avails  of  his  labors  to  the 
payment  of  his  expenses  at  Monmouth,  where  he 
was  engaged  in  study  three  years  and  obtained  a 
superior  education.  He  spent  eight  months  in 
teaching,  after  which  he  took  farms  on  shares  and 
operated  in  that  method  five  years.  He  then  pur- 
chased 200  acres  of  land,  where  he  has  since  been 
occupied  in  general  farming. 

Mr.  Graham  is  a  Republican  in  political  principles 
j  and  takes  the  interest  of  a.  man  of  understanding 
who  knows  the  responsibilities  of  citizenship.  He 
has  officiated  in  the  local  offices  of  his  township. 

His  marriage  to  Mary  McEachron  took  place  Dec. 
26,  1872,  and  they  have  four  children, — Walter, 
Bertha  J.,  Sarah  W.  and  Thomas  H.  Mrs.  Graham 
is  a  native  of  the  Empire  State. 


dmond  B.  Harned,  farmer,  section  17, 
Sycamore  Township,  was  born  July  13, 
1829,  in  Smithtown,  Suffolk  Co.,  N.  Y.,and 
is  the  son  of  Hosea  Harned.  His  great  grand- 
father, Jacob  Harned,  was  a  native  of  Perth 
Amboy,  N.  J.,  and  located  on  a  tract  of  1,100 
acres  of  land  on  Long  Island,  which  came  into  his 
possession  about  the  date  of  the  war  of  the  Revolu- 
tion. He  belonged  to  the  sect  of  Friends,  or  Quakers ; 
and,  although  the  principles  of  the  society  would  not 
permit  him  to  go  to  war,  he  aided  in  the  construction 
of  barracks  for  the  soldiery,  as  that  variety  of  'assis- 
tance fell  under  a  possible  higher  law  of  rendering 
help  to  the  needy.  He  died  on  Long  Island,  about 
1824.  Hosea  Harned,  his  son,  was  born  Jan.  2, 

1798,  in  Smithtown;  Suffolk  Co.,  L.  I.,  and  was  there 
brought  up,  under  the  care   and  instructions  of  his 
father,  who  gave  him  a  through  training  in  agricultural 
arts.     He  was  married  Sept.   27,    1818,   to    Rosetta 
Brown.      She    was    born    in    Smithtown,    Sept.   24, 

1799,  and  died  Sept.  27,  1833,  leaving  four  children, 
two  of  whom  still  survive, — Edmond  B.  and   Amelia. 
Mr.  Harned  was  married  a  second  time  Nov.  5,  1833, 
to  Mrs.  Fanny  (Hoag)  Babcock,  widow  of  the  Rev. 
James  Babcock,  a  Methodist  clergyman. 

Mr.  Harned  went  from  Long  Island  to  Ohio  in 
1832,  leaving  his  home  by  way  of  Sandy  Hook,  pro- 
ceeding up  the  Hudson  River  until  he  reached  the 

— ^€3^ — ^ 


Erie  Canal,  by  which  he  went  to  Buffalo,  and  went 
from  there  by  lake  to  Painesville,  Lake  Co.,  Ohio. 
He  located  in  Leroy  in  that  county,  which  was  then 
included  in  the  county  of  Geauga  and  lived  on  a 
farm  there  four  or  five  years,  which  he  sold.  He 
then  removed  to  another,  which  he  bought,  near 
Madison  in  Lake  County.  After  a  few  years  he 
bought  a  third  farm,  near  Monticello,  in  Geauga 
County,  which  he  sold  four  years  later  and  removed 
to  Streetsboro,  Portage  County,  where  he  bought  a 
fourth  farm.  He  decided  on  coming  farther  West, 
and  in  185  i  disposed  of  his  estate  in  Ohio  and  set 
out  for  De  Kalb  County,  whither  he  came  with  two 
two-horse  teams  and  wagons^.  During  the  fi/st  year 
after  his  arrival  he  rented  a  farm,  meanwhile  pros- 
pecting for  a  desirable  location.  In  the  spring  of 
1852  he  bought  a  farm  on  section  8,  Sycamore 
Township,  one  of  the  earliest  settled  in  the  township 
or  county,  and  which  he  purchased  from  the  widow 
of  one  of  the  leading  pioneers  of  Sycamore,  Lysander 
Darling.  The  farm  remained  in  his  possession  until 
1865,  when  he  again  sold  out  and  removed  to  the 
village  of  Cortland.  After  a  residence  there  of  four 
years,  he  went  to  Grundy  Co.,  Iowa,  to  live  with  his 
daughter  at  Fayette,  where  he  died  May  6,  1877.  Of 
his.  second  marriage  five  children  were  born,  four  of 
whom  are  now  living— Lyman,  Mary  (Mrs.  Enoch 
Wheeler,  of  Fayette,  Iowa),  Angeline,  widow  of 
David  Underwood,  of  Marshalltown,  Iowa,  and  Wal- 
ter, resident  at  Steamboat  Rock,  Franklin  Co.,  Iowa. 

The  youngest  son  enlisted  in  1864,  in  the  I47th 
Reg.,  111.  Vol.,  and  died  while  in  the  service  at  Dal-  • 
ton,  Ga.  The  eldest  daughter  by  the  first  marriage 
is  the  wife  of  Fitz  Henry  Talcott,  and  lives  at  Wal- 
dena,  Fayette  Co.,  Iowa. 

Edmond  B.  Harned  accompanied  his  parents  from 
Long  Island  to  Ohio  and  thence-to  Illinois.  He  was 
in  early  manhood  when  they  located  in  De  Kalb 
County.  In  the  fall  of  1853  he  went  to  his  native 
State  and  passed  a  year  there.  He  was  married 
Oct.  21,' 1855,  at  Sycamore,  to  Susan  H.,  daughter 
of  James  M.  and  Prudence  (Eaton)  Sivwright.  She 
was  born  Jan.  6,  1833,  in  Nova  Scotia.  After  his 
marriage,  Mr.  Harned  rented  the  property  known  as 
the  Tower  farm,  and  a  year  later  (in  1856)  bought  a 
farm  on  section  16,  on  which  about  four  acres  had 
been  broken.  He  built  a  house  and  stable,  broke  and 
fenced  the  land,  and  there  conducted  his  agricultural 
projects  until  1865,  when  he  sold  it  and  bought  his 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


father's  farm  on  section  7,  where  he    is  still    living. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harned  have  five   children   living. 
Rosetta  married  Charles   C.    Pond,- Merton  R.  is  a 
graduate  from  the  Dental  College   at   Philadelphia, 
A     and  is  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  at 
^  Oregon,  Ogle  Co.,  111.     Armanella  P.,  James  E.  and 
Susan   A.   are   the    names   of  the   youngest    living 
children.     Eugene,  the  eldest,  was  born    June   29, 
1856.       He  was  completing  a  business  education  at 
the  Gem  City  Business  College,  when  he  died,  April 
19,  1876. 


L.  Barber,  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the 
county  and  now  a  resident  at  De  Kalb, 
was  born  fn  the  town  of  Pike,  then  in  Al!e- 
gany,  now  in  Wyoming,  Co.,  N.  Y.,  June  29, 
1812.  His  parents,  Levi  C.  and  Sally  (Rood) 
Barber,  natives  of  Vermont,  settled  in  the 
township  in  1811,  as  pioneers.  He  (the  senior  Bar- 
ber) bought  land  of  the  Holland  Purchase  Company 
four  miles  east  of  Pike  Hollow,  in  the  wilderness) 
having  to  follow  a  line  indicated  by  marked  trees  in 
order  to  find  his  place.  Here  he  immediately  erected 
a  log  house  (in  which  Clark  L.  was  born),  cleared  a 
farm  and  made  considerable  advancement  toward  the 
establishment  of  a  comfortable  home ;  but  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1835,  he  started  with  a  pair  of  horses  and  a 
sleigh  for  the  Prairie  State.  Arriving  in  this  county, 
he  took  a  claim  on  section  15  of  what  is  now  De  Kalb 
Township.  He  was  accompanied  by  his  two  eldest 
sons,  Lyman  and  Harry,  who  also  took  claims  and 
afterwards  entered  the  land  when  the  Government 
had  surveyed  it  and  placed  it  in  market.  This  was 
their  home  until  the  death  of  the  father,  in  1859. 
He  was  a  stirring  man,  full  of  energy  and  enterprise. 
He  had  been  Sheriff  of  Allegany  Co.,  N.  Y  ,  for  a 
number  of  years.  Six  of  his  children  by  his  first  wife 
— Lyman,  Harry,  Clark  L.,  Amelia,  Adelia  apd  Polly 
— grew  up  to  years  of  maturity.  The  first  two,  who 
settled  on  land  adjoining  that  of  their  father,  are  now 
deceased.  Amelia  is  the  wife  of  Luman  Huntley, 
now  of  |Dixon,  111.  Adelia  is  the  wife  of  Franklin 
Burr  and  lives  at  Lincoln,  Neb. ;  her  second  son,  Car- 
los C.,  is  a  member  of  the  Nebraska  State  Senate. 
The  elder  Barber's  second  wife  was  Mrs.  Hannah 
Brownell,  and  by  this  marriage  there  were  three 


children,  two  of  whom  are  now  living,  namely  :  Wan- 
ton B.,  now  a  resident  of  De  Kalb  Township;  and 
Laura  E.,  who  married  Clark  Carter,  of  De  Kalb. 

Mr.  Clark  L.  Barber,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
grew  to  manhood  in  his  native  township,  being 
brought  up  to  farming  pursuits.  In  1836,  accom- 
panied by  two  sisters,  he  started  to  meet  their  father 
in  Illinois.  Leaving  his  sisters  in  Chicago,  he  started 
on  foot  for  that  part  of  Kane  County  now  included 
in  De  Kalb  County,  where  he  found  his  father.  He 
first  made  a  claim  on  what  is  now  called  Geneva 
Lake ;  but  he  abandoned  it  and  took  one  on  sections 
15  and  1 6,  in  "Orange  Precinct,"  now  in  De  Kalb 
Township.  Here  he  built  a  log  house,  a  chimney 
with  sticks  and  mud,  making  the  roof  with  "  shakes  " 
split  from  oak  timber,  and  the  floor  of  puncheons. 
From  this  rude  beginning  Mr.  Barber  improved  the 
place  to  its  present  fine  proportions,  the  farm  con- 
taining several  hundred  acres.  In  1883  he  sold  it, 
and  he  has  since  traveled  extensively,  visiting  Kansas 
and  Nebraska.  In  Chase  County,  in  the  latter  State, 
he  purchased  a  farm  of  400  acres.  The  same  year, 
1883,  he  also  bought  a  large  farm  in  Iroquois  County, 
this  State. 

Mr.  Barber  has  filled  offices  of  trust  in  the  town  and 
county ;  was  Deputy  Sheriff  six  years,  under  C.  C. 
Landis,  and  Assessor  of  his  township  several  years, 

He  was  married  in  May,  1839,  to  Mary  M.  Spring, 
a  native  of  the  town  of  Woodhull,  Steuben  Co.,  N.  Y., 
and  they  have  two  children  living,  namely  :  Louisa, 
who  is  the  wife  of  Jacob  Crawford,  and  lives  in  De 
Kalb ;  and  Harriet,  who  is  the  wife  of  Newcomb 
Crawford,  and  lives  near  Woodstock,  McHenry 
County. 


eorge  B.  Trench,  farmer,  section  9,  Somon- 
auk  Township,  was  born  in  the  house  in 
which  he  now  resides,  Dec.  19,  1850.  His 
father,  William  French,  was  a  carpenter  and 
came  to  Illinois,  driving  a  team  from  Chi- 
cago to  Somonauk  Township,  arriving  June  2, 
1842.  He  took  up  a  claim  of  160  acres  of  mixed 
prairie  and  timber  land,  and  became  a  prominent 
and  successful  farmer.  He  was  born  Dec.  30,  i8n, 
in  Washington  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  was  married  Oct.  29, 
1833,  in  his  native  county,  to  Isabella  Beveridge  (see 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


739 


sketch  of  J.  H.  Beveridge).  She  was  born  in  the 
same  county,  Nov.  17,  1815,  and  is  still  living.  The 
father  died  July  19,  1880.  Five  of  seven  children 
born  to  them  yet  survive  :  Ellen  A.,  wife  of  Chester 
Henry,  of  Somonauk  Township ;  Mary  C.,  deceased  ; 
Sarah  A.,  wife  of  Martin  McCleary,  a  farmer  of 
Morris  Co.,  Kan. ;  John  B.,  deceased;  George  B. ; 
Andrew  L.,  a  farmer  near  Pawnee  City,  Neb. ;  and 
Jeannette,  wife  of  Thomas  McElheny,  a  farmer  in 
Nebraska. 

Mr.  French  has  always  resided  on  the  farm  where 
he  was  born  35  years  ago,  and  he  is  a  substantial 
and  successful  agriculturist.  In  connection  with 
general  farming  he  owns  about  a  score  of  cows,  of  the 
Short-Horn  Durham  breed,  for  dairy  purposes. 

His  marriage  to  Clara  M.  Kirkpatrick  occurred  in 
Squaw  Grove  Township,  Dec.  31,  1879,  and  they 
have  two  children  :  Mary  E.,  born  Oct.  21,  1880, 
and  William  I.,  born  Nov.  6,  1882.  Mrs.  French 
was  born  May  4,  1853,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Isaac 
and  Sarah  Kirkpatrick,  pioneer  settlers  of  Squaw 
Grove  Township. 


Christian  Von  Ohlen,  farmer,  section  29, 
Victor  Township,  was  born  April  27,  1830, 
in  Braunschweig,  Germany.  He  was 
educated  according  to  the  laws  of  his  native 
country,  and  was  under  the  authority  of  his 
parents  until  he  was  of  age,  and  he  spent  ten 
subsequent  years  in  their  support.  Oct.  i,  1851,  he 
was  conscripted  and  served  in  the  Army  of  Germany 
until  April,  1853,  when,  by  request 'of  the  authorities, 
he  was  released  from  military  obligations  to  maintain 
his  parents  and  the  other  members  of  the  family. 
He  came  to  America  in  1854,  and  landed  Dec.  13, 
in  the  city  of  New  York,  whence  he  proceeded  to 
Piano,  111.,  where  he  arrived  Dec.  22, — nine  days 
later.  His  first  employment  was  in  the  capacity  of 
assistant  on  the  farm  of  Washington  Walker,  with 
whom  he  engaged  to  remain  one  year,  at  the  aggre- 
gate wages  of  $150.  In  1856  he  was  occupied  in 
the  same  capacity  on  a  4o-acre  farm  near  Yorkville, 
Kendall  Co.,  111.  The  subsequent  year  he  rented  a 
farm  containing  80  acres,  which  he  conducted  one 
year.  In  1858  he  came  to  the  township  of  Victor. 
On  the  first  day  of  April  he  took  possession  of  160 


acres  of  land  he  had  purchased  the  previous  autumn. 
He  brought  to  the  furtherance  of  his  agricultural 
projects  his  old  country  thrift,  industry  and  persistent 
energy,  and  has  risen  in  accumulations  and  standing 
to  a  far  better  position  than  the  classes  in  his  own 
land  who  would  deem  it  beneath  their  dignity  to 
have  offered  him  a  civility  on  his  native  soil  under 
the  flag  he  was  forced  to  defend  for  them.  He  is  a 
Republican,  and  rejoices  that  he  is  also  a  citizen  of 
a  land  that  recognizes  his  claims  as  a  man.  In  1867 
he  sold  80  acres  of  his  first  claim  to  his  brother,  and 
in  1873  he  bought  80  acres  on  section  21,  which  is 
still  in  his  possession. 

His  wife,  Louise  Merkel  before  marriage,  is  a 
native  of  Germany,  and  of  their  six  children  five  are 
still  living, — Christian  W.,  Anna,  Ernst,  France  and 
Juliana.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Van  Ohlen  are  members  of 
the  Lutheran  Church. 


ilas  O.  Vaughan,  City  Clerk  of  De  Kalb, 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Hanover,  Grafton 
Co.,  N.  H.,  June  6,  1821.  His  father, 
Silas  T.,  was  a  native  of  Royalton,  Vt.,  and 
his  mother,  nee  Polly  Ingals,  of  Hanover,  N.  H 
When  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  13  years 
of  age  he  began  to  learn  the  blacksmith's  trade,  and 
served  an  apprenticeship  of  seven  years.  He  then 
moved  to  the  State  of  New  York,  locating  in  the  town 
of  Attica  in  that  part  of  Genesee  County  now  included 
in  Wyoming  County,  where  he  was  employed  as 
foreman  in  a  shop  until  1844,  when  he  came  to  Illi- 
nois and  located  in  Naperville.  There,  in  company 
with  others,  he  purchased  the  Naperville  Plow  Fac- 
tory, the  largest  factory  of  the  kind  in  the  State  at 
that  time,  and  was  connected  with  the  institution  14 
years.  Then,  in  1858,  he  came  to  De  Kalb  and 
opened  an  establishment  for  the  manufacture  of  plows 
and  general  blscksmithing,  which  he  carried  on  for  a 
number  of  years;  and  since  he  has  been  here  he  has 
held  various  local  offices,— among  them,  Village  and 
City  Clerk  for  20  years.  He  has  once  been  elected 
a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  of  which  body 
he  has  also  been  once  chosen  President.  For  some 
years  past  he  has  also  been  engaged  in  the  insurance 
business,  and  now  represents  12  solid  and  reliable 
companies.  He  is  a  member  of  De  Kalb  Lodge,  No. 

•^m.JVfi^'  MSvgK>A/>gi 


144,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. ;  he  first  joined  the  order  in  1850, 
at  Naperville.  For  seven  years  he  has  been  Master 
of  the  Lodge,  and  for  13  years  High  Priest  of  De 
Kalb  Chapter,  No.  52  ;  in  1880  he  was  Grand  High 
Priest  of  the  Grand  Chapter  of  Illinois.  For  18 
years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Scotch 
Rite. 

Mr.  Vaughan  was  married  Sept.  it,  1850,  to  Caro- 
line Sabin,  daughter  of  S.  and  Mary  M.  Sabin.  She 
was  born  in  Alexander,  Genesee  Co.,N.  Y.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  V.  have  three  children,— Edmond  E.,  Willie 
and  Mary  Marcy. 


1'acob  M.  Hall,  an  early  settler,  has  been  a 
resident  of  the  township  of  Somonauk 
since  1838.  He  was  born  Dec.  2,  1815,  in 

Ontario   Co.,  N.  Y.      His    father,  William   C. 

Hall,  was  born   in  Connecticut,  Sept.  i,  1787. 

He  married  Dorcas  Thurston,  and  afterwards 
settled  in  Bradford  Co.,  Pa.,  where  he  died  in  1852. 
The  mother  was  born  Feb.  16,  1794,  and  died  May 
26,  1852,  in  the  same  place  where  the  demise  of  her 
husband  occurred.  Five  of  their  nine  children  are 
living. 

Mr.  Hall  came  hither  in  the  month  of  January, 
and  located  on  80  acres  of  land,  which  he  entered 
and  plowed  when  it  came  into  market.  The  entire 
acreage  is  now  platted,  and  a  portion  of  it  is  known 
as  Hall's  Addition  to  Sandwich.  The  residence  of 
Mr.  Hall  is  established  on  four  lots  of  his  original 
purchase.  In  1869  he  bought  120  acres  of  land  on 
section  36,  Somonauk  Township,  whither  he  removed 
and  resided  seven  years,  converting  it  into  a  fine 
farm,  which  he  still  owns.  In  1876  he  removed  to 
Sandwich  for  a  permanent  abode. 

He  was  married  Nov.  7,  1842,10  Lurano,  daughter 
of  Major  and  Eunice  Dennis,  who  were  among  the 
earliest  settlers  of  De  Kalb  County.  The  marriage 
service  was  conducted  in  the  log  house  which  Mr. 
Hall  built  on  taking  possession  of  the  farm,  and 
which  afterward  became  his  legal  property.  Mrs. 
Hall  was  born  June  29,  1815,  in  Dartmouth,  R.  I. 
Of  her  union  with  Mr.  Hall  five  children  have  been 
born :  Dorcas,  widow  of  Charles  W.  Humiston, 
resides  at  Sandwich.  She  was  born  July  26,  1843. 
_Alvira,  born  March  2,  1845,  died  Sept.  24,  1866. 

^Vfre-fR--  >Btf%r<        ^  A(^' 

IO/^^OT*^«®     ^ ^^         ^Pv^^^  T^x—: 


Sarah  A.  was  born  July  8,  1846.  Myron  C.,  a 
farmer  in  Somonauk  Township,  was  born  Sept.  2, 
1848.  John  W.  H.,  born  July  30,  1851,  rents  his 
father's  farm  in  Somonauk  Township.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hall  are  members,  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  and  he  is  a  Class-leader  in  the  society  at 
Sandwich. 


ewis  Dieterich,  senior  member  of  the  firm 
of  Dieterich  &  Ebinger,  manufacturers  of 
drain  tile  and  brick  on  the  Somonauk  road, 
one  mile  west  of  Sandwich,  is  the  son  of  George 
and  Margaret  (Breidenstein)  Dieterich,  and  was 
born  Dec.  26,  1842,  in  Baden,  Germany.  His 
father  was  a  brick-maker  and  died  in  Germany.  The 
son  was  12  years  of  age  when  he  accompanied  his 
mother  and  stepfather,  George  Ebinger,  to  America. 
They  had  seven  children  besides  him,  of  whom  six 
are  now  living.  They  came  across  the  sea  in  1854 
and  settled  at  a  place  now  called  Streator,  La  Salle 
County.  They  went  thence  soon  after  to  Ottawa,  in 
the  same  county,  where  Mr.  Ebinger  had  a  brick- 
yard and  where  the  younger  members  of  the  family 
were  employed  early  in  life,  and  also  secured  a  com- 
prehensive knowledge  of  trie  business.  Mr.  Dieterich 
also  learned  the  trade  of  shoemaker  at  Ottawa,  and 
in  the  fall  of  1857  came  to  Sandwich,  where  he  was 
employed  at  his  trade  in  the  winter  seasons,  and 
passed  the  summers  on  the  farm  and  in  the  brick- 
yard. About  1862  he  was  placed  in  charge  of  Em- 
mons  &  McCoy's  brick-yard  at  Sandwich,  and  offi- 
ciated in  that  position  two  years.  In  1864  he  bought 
the  claim  of  Mr.  McCoy,  and  the  firm  of  Emmons  & 
Dieterich  operated  about  two  years,  when  his  brother 
George  became  a  half  owner.  He  carried  on  his 
business  in  this  connection  two  years,  when  he  pur- 
chased the  entire  property,  and  removed  the  machin- 
ery to  its  present  location  about  1870.  He  bought 
six  acres  where  the  kilns  are  now  situated,  and  was 
engaged  there  in  the  manufacture  of  brick.  He 
bought  124  acres  adjoining,  together  with  a  nice  resi- 
dence. In  1882  he  admitted  his  half-brother,  Valen- 
tine Ebinger,  as  a  partner,  and  they  are  now  engaged 
in  the  prosecution  of  an  extensive  business,  including 
also  the  manufacture  of  tile.  They  have  three  kilns. 
and  their  respective  buildings  are  36x96,  36x36 


j 


; 


5> 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


and  20x60  feet  in  dimensions.  The  first,  a  main 
building,  is  three  stories  high:  the  others  are  two 
stories  in  height.  The  main  structure  is  heated  by 
steam,  and  they  employ  on  an  average  about  20  men. 
Their  works  are  in  operation  all  the  year,  and  their 
products  are  utilized  chiefly  by  home  patrons.  They 
do  about  $20,000  worth  of  business  yearly,  and  their 
wares  are  always  in  demand,  their  surplus  being 
shipped  West. 

Mr.  Dieterich  was  married  in  Sandwich,  Jan.  i, 
1866,  to  Phebe  Haibach,  daughter  of  Adam  and 
Anna  L.  Haibach.  She  was  born  Nov.  14,  1846,  and 
came  to  the  United  States  in  extreme  childhood, — 
when  less  than  three  years  old.  Their  children  were 
born  as  follows:  Amelia,  Nov.  4,  1866;  Adeline  K., 
Nov.  10,  1868;  Ellen  E.,  Feb.  27,  1871;  Lewis 
Franklin,  Dec.  10,  1872;  Martin  G.,  April  27,  1875 
(died  Dec.  18,  1878);  Herbert  M.,  Feb.  9,  1877  (died 
Dec.  13,  1878);  Milton  G.,  Jan.  i,  1880;  Alvah  E., 
March  3,  1882  ;  Roy  O.,  Aug.  22,  1884.  The  deaths 
of  the  deceased  children  were  but  five  days  apart. 


F.  Stout,  a  farmer  of  Victor  Township, 
resident  on  section  15,  was  born  Sept.  14, 
1814,  in  New  Jersey,  and  he  is  the  son  of 
John  V.  and  Elizabeth  (Field)  Stout.  After 
he  was  1 8  years  of  age  he  learned  the  trade  of 
carpenter,  previous  to  which  he  had  passed 
his  time  in  attending  school  and  in  farm  labor.  He 
operated  as  a  carpenter  one  year,  receiving  a  dollar  a 
day  for  his  services.  He  came  to  Illinois  in  1836, 
locating  in  Fairview,  Fulton  County,  where  he  found 
abundant  employment  and  worked  by  the  day  or  job 
at  his  trade  at  that  place  until  1852,  when  he  came 
to  De  Kalb  County  and  purchased  40  acres  of  land 
in  Victor  Township.  He  is  now  the  owner  of  200 
acres  of  land,  having  purchased  160  acres  lying  ad- 
joining the  tract  he  first  purchased.  He  has  a  fine 
and  valuable  farm,  whose  improvements  are  the  re- 
sults of  his  own  efforts,  judgment  and  good  taste. 
The  place  is  supplied  with  fruit  and  ornamental 
trees,  every  one  having  been  set  by  the  hands  of  the 
proprietor  himself.  He  is  also  the  owner  of  valuable 
herds  of  stock  of  several  varieties. 

Mr.  Stout  was  married   Oct.  16,  1844,  to  Ann  M. 
Suydam,  who   was   born  in   New  Jersey,  and  is  the 

^^ <&> 


daughter  of  S.  B.  and  Johannah  Suydam.     Her  par-    ^ 


ents  removed  from  New  Jersey  to  Ohio  and  came 
thence  three  years  later  to  Illinois,  settling  in  Victor 
Township.  Her  mother  died  July  7,  1882.  Her 
father  is  82  years  of  age.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stout  have 
three  children, — John,  Cornelius  and  Mary  E.  The 
daughter  is  married  and  lives  in  Iowa.  The  sons  are 
married  also  and  reside  in  California. 


C.  French,  farmer,  resident  on  section  1 1 , 
Somonauk  Township,  was  born  March  27, 
1819,  in  Wallingford,  Vt.,  and  is  the  son 
of  Isaac  and  Rebecca  (Cummings)  French. 
Both  parents  were  natives  of  Cornish,  N.  H., 
and  belonged  to  the  agricultural  class.  Two 
of  their  four  children  are  living:  Betsey,  the  sister cf 
Mr.  French,  of  this  sketch,  married  James  H.  Mig- 
hell,  a  farmer  of  Hamilton  Co.,  Iowa ;  Abigail,  de- 
ceased, was  the  wife  of  Silas  Edson ;  and  Loomis  is 
deceased. 

Mr.  French  is  essentially  a  farmer  by  descent  and 
inheritance,  and  has  spent  a  large  portion  of  his  life 
in  teaching.  He  obtained  a  practical  education  in 
Vermont,  ar.d  there  engaged  in  teaching  winters. 
The  aggregate  number  of  times  in  which  he  operated 
in  that  capacity  comprised  15  seasons  in  New  Eng- 
land, and  seven  since  his  removal  to  Illinois.  He 
was  first  married  in  Wallingford,  toMariette  Thomp- 
son, by  whom  he  had  a  son — Wallace — since  de- 
ceased. The  wife  and  mother  died  Sept.  12,  1859, 
in  Wheatland,  Will  Co.,  111.  Mr.  French  was  a  sec- 
ond time  married  Dec.  12,  1866,  to  Mrs.  Lucy  A. 
Congdon.  of  Wallingford,  Vt.,  where  she  was  born 
Aug.  28,  1835.  Mrs.  French  is  the  daughter  of  Lev- 
erett  and  Abigail  (Hart)  Culver.  The  former  was 
born  in  1800,  in  Wallingford,  and  died  there  July  4, 
1866.  The  latter  was  also  a  native  of  Wallingford, 
and  was  born  in  1807.  She  died  Jan.  14,  1861. 
The  record  of  their  family  is  .  remarkable  :  they  had 
14  children — seven  sons  and  seven  daughters — all 
of  whom  reached  adult  age  and  all  are  yet  living  save 
one  son,  who  -died  from  the  effects  of  a  wound  re- 
ceived at  the  siege  of  Petersburg  during  the  Civil 
War.  Luanda  is  the  widow  of  Allen  Edgerton,  of 
Wallingford,  Vt.  Abigail  is  the  widow  of  A.  K. 
York  and  lives  in  the  vicinity  of  Wallingford.  Eli- 


V 


' 


I 


phalet ;  Harry  enlisted  in  a  Vermont  regiment  of 
Sharp-shooters,  and  was  killed  June  18,  1864.  Lucy 
Ann  and  Laura  Ann,  twins,  were  born  next  in  order. 
The  sister  of  Mrs.  French  is  the  wife  of  Seneca  Cul- 
ver, of  Sandwich.  Melvina  married  James  C.  Patch, 
of  East  Wallingford.  Daniel  is  a  farmer  in  Walling- 
ford.  Luke  is  a  farmer  in  Fond  du  Lac  Co.,  Wis. 
Mary  is  the  widow  of  Wallace  Johnson  and  lives  at 
Wallingford.  Elmer  is  a  farmer  in  Illinois.  James 
is  a  farmer  of  La  Salle  Co.,  111.  Chauncey  is  a  farmer 
in  Somonauk  Township.  May  is  Mrs.  Cornelius 
Patch,  of  East  Wallingford.  The  paternal  grandpa- 
rents of  Mrs.  French  were  James  and  Hannah 
(Tucker)  Culver ;  on  the  mother's  side  they  were 
Ainasa  and  Abigail  (Fenn)  Hart.  Mrs.  French  was 
a  teacher  in  Wallingford  a  number  of  years,  and 
taught  one  term  of  school  in  Fond  du  Lac  Co.,  Wis. 
Mr.  French  has  been  a  farmer  of  Illinois  since 
1853.  In  that  year  he  came  to  Kendall  County  and 
bought  land  in  Big  Rock  Township,  which  he  man- 
aged three  years.  He  went  thence  to  the  township 
of  Wheatland  in  Will  County,  and  was  a  farmer  there 
five  years,  removing  thence  to  Clinton,  De  Kalb 
County,  where  he  maintained  his  residence  six  years. 
He  bought  the  farm  where  he  now  resides  in  1868. 
The  place  includes  100  acres  of  land,  and  is  all  im- 
proved. Mr.  French  has  been  prominent  in  public 
life,  both  in  his  native  State  and  in  Illinois.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Legislature  of  Vermont  in  185 1-2,  be- 
siJes  holding  a  number  of  minor  offices  in  that  State, 
and  while  a  resident  of  Clinton,  officiated  three  years 
as  Township  Clerk,  and  has  held  other  offices  here. 


enry  Von  Ohlen,  farmer,  section  29,  Vic- 
tor Township,  is  the  son  of  Christian  Henry 
and  Johannah  (Burneman)  Von  Ohlen. 
They  were  natives  of  Brunswick,  Germany,  and 
on  the  igth  day  of  October,  1855,  came  to 
Sandwich,  De  Kalb  Co.,  111.  After  a  residence 
there  of  two  years  the  family  came  to  Victor  Town- 
ship, where  the  father  died  April  15,  1880,  the 
mother's  demise  occurring  Nov.  27,  1882. 

The  son,  who  is   the  subject  of  this  sketch,  first 
became  a  land-holder  in  the  township  of  which  he  is 
tizen,  in  1857,  when  he  bought  80  acres  of  land, 
on  which  he  has  since  pursued  his  agricultural  de- 


signs, and  also  on  1 60  acres  on  the  same  section, 
which  he  has  since  purchased.  He  is  engaged  in 
the  various  branches  of  husbandry  common  to  prairie 
farms,  and  he  owns  a  fine  assortment  of  stock.  Mr. 
Von  Ohlen  is  a  respected  citizen  of  his  township,  and 
is  a  Republican  in  political  principle. 

His  marriage  to  Caroline  Likert  took  place  Oct.  9, 
1865.  She  is  a  native  of  Germany,  and  the  house- 
hold now  includes  five  children, — Alvena  M.,  Clara, 
Henry  J.,  Emma  L.  and  Alice.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Von 
Ohlen  belong  to  the  Lutheran  Church. 


ohn  Syme,  manager  of  the  R.  Ellwood 
£  Manufacturing  Company  at  Sycamore,  was 
born  Nov.  15,  1833,  on  the  Scottish  coast 
at  a  point  eight  miles  south  of  Edinboro,  and 
is  the  son  of  James  and  Ann  (Young)  Syme. 
The  father  removed  the  family  to  Ballymena, 
in  the  North  of  Ireland,  Mr.  Syme  being  a  lad  at  the 
time  of  the  transfer.  He  secured  a  good  education 
and  became  a  book-keeper  later,  engaging  in  the 
manufacture  of  hats  at  Limerick,  in  which  occupa- 
tion he  was  interested  four  years. 

He  came  to  this  country  in  1861,  making  his  way 
through  Canada  to  Chicago,  where  he  entered  the 
employment  of  Low  Brothers,  an  extensive  grain  and 
produce  firm,  as  traveling  salesman,  in  whose  inter- 
ests he  operated  about  two  years.  In  the  fall  of 
1863  he  came  to  Sycamore,  and  established  himself 
in  the  same  business,  buying  and  shipping  grain, 
produce  and  live  stock,  in  company  with  Roswell 
Wheeler.  They  also  were  the  proprietors  of  a  lum- 
ber yard,  in  which  they  conducted  a  considerable  re- 
tail business.  In  1865  he  built  an  elevator,  which  is 
now  owned  by  the  railroad  company.  In  1868  he 
became  associated  with  his  brother,  David  A.  Syme, 
holding  with  him  a  joint  ownership  in  a  hardware 
store,  in  the  sale  of  agricultural  implements,  and 
also  in  buying  and  shipping  grain,  etc.  In  1876  the 
hardware  department  was  sold,  and  the  remaining 
branches  of  business  divided,  Mr.  Syme  continuing 
the  sale  of  agricultural  implements  until  1880,  when 
he  sold  out  and  became  a  stock-holder  in  the  busi- 
ness in  which  he  is  now  interested, and  which  had  been 
re-organized.  Mr.  Syme  was  elected  manager,  and 
has  since  operated  in  that  capacity.  When  the 


works  are  running  on  full  time,  about   130  men  are 
?  employed.     The  products  are  cultivators,  hay-racks, 
£  '   harrows,  sulky-plows,  etc.     Mr.  Syme  is  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  H.  T.   Lawrence  and  Co.,  dealers  in 
^    wagons,   carriages  and   agricultural   implements  at 
^^  Sycamore.     He  has  been  three  times  elected  Alder- 
man and  has  served  six  years  in  that  capacity.     In 
1878  he  was  elected  Captain  of  Co.  A,  Third   Regi- 
ment of  Illinois  National  Guards,  a  position  he  held 
two  years.   He  is  prominent  as  a  Republican,  and  has 
been  Chairman  of  the  County  Committee  during  the 
past  ten  years.     He  belongs  to  the  Sycamore  Com- 
mandery,  K.  T.,  No.  15. 

Mr.  Syme  was  married  in  September,  1876,  to 
Carrie  W.  Waterman.  Their  children  were  as  fol- 
lows: John  W.,  Aug.  1 6,  1878,  and  Kate  Irene,  Aug. 
22,  1882.  Mrs.  Syme  is  the  daughter  of  the  late 
John  C.  and  Caroline  (Hoyt)  Waterman,  and  was 
born  at  Sycamore. 


homas  F.  Latham,  retired  farmer,  section 
•  26,  Somonauk  Township,  was  born  Feb.  23, 
1812,  in   Groton  Township,   New   London 
Co.,  Conn.     Joseph  Latham,  his  father,  was  a 
farmer  in  early  life,  and  in  1824  a  dealer  in  fish 
I       in  the  city  of  New  York,  becoming  the  husband 
of  Mary  Fish. 

In  1833  Mr.  Latham  engaged  in  mercantile  trans- 
actions in  New  York,  in  which  he  was  interested  until 
1838,  the    year  in   which  he  removed  to  De   Kalb 
/  County,  accompanied  by  his  wife  and  one  child,  now 
deceased,  and   his  brothers    Joseph  and    Hubbard. 
The  latter  is  a  resident  of  Willamet,  111.    The  former 
*   is  deceased. 

Mr.  Latham  settled  on  a  claim  of  300  acres,  which 
included  what  land  he  now  owns  in  the  township 
of  Somonauk.  His  brothers  also  secured  claims. 
Joseph  resided  on  his  farm,  situated  north  of  that  of 
his  brother,  until  his  death  in  March,  1883. 

In  1849  Mr.  Latham  went  with  the  tide  to  Cali- 
fornia, remaining  in  the  gold  mines  five  years.  He 
returned  to  Illinois  and  resumed  charge  of  his  farm- 
ing interests,  laboring  in  that  capacity  four  years.  In 
1858  he  again  went  to  California  and  spent  seven 
years,  with  unsatisfactory  results.  In  1880  he  went  to 
the  mining  district  of  Colorado  and  has  passed  five 


vv 


summers  there  prospecting  for  gold  and  silver.  He 
owns  three  claims  in  Chaffee  County,  which  are  be- 
ing worked.  The  farm  in  Somonauk  Township  is 
conducted  by  his  son,  Thomas  J. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Latham  to  Jane  Ayres  took 
place  March  27,  1837.  She  was  born  Feb.  25, 1820, 
near  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Enos 
and  Jane  (Debow)  Ayres.  Seven  children  have  been 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Latham:  Julia  H.,  deceased, 
Feb.  22,  1838;  Thomas  J.,  June  14,  1841;  Mary, 
wife  of  G.  S.  Serine,  of  Iowa,  April  23, 1843  ;  Aurelia 
April  7,  1847;  Franklin,  Nov.  25,  1856. 


hristian  Miller,  farmer,  section  34,  Victor 
Township,  was  born  June  8,  1837,  in 
Germany.  He  was  an  inmate  of  the  parental 
household  until  he  was  15  years  old,  and 
passed  the  next  three  years  in  farm  labor. 
When  he  was  18  years  old  he  set  out  for 
America,  and  on  landing  on  the  shores  of  the  New 
World  he  made  his  way  to  Aurora,  111.;,  he  worked 
there  five  years  on  a  farm,  when  he  bought  80  acres 
of  land  on  section  34  of  Victor  Township  and  estab- 
lished his  homestead.  He  is  prosperously  engaged 
in  agriculture,  and  is  earning  the  right  to  his  privileges 
of  American  citizenship.  He  is  a  Republican  in 
political  principles.  The  parents  of  Mr.  Miller, 
Christian  and  Louise  (Gobel)  Miller,  were  natives  of 
Germany.  . 

He  was  married  March  5,  1866,  to  Christina  Roth, 
a  lady  of  German  birth  and  parentage,  who  came 
from  her  native  land  in  1865.  Their  five  children 
are  named  Louise  J.,  Frederick  C  ,  Henry  F.,  John 
C.  and  Emma  A. 


tries  H.  Pratt,  senior  member  of  the 
mercantile  firm  of  Pratt  Brothers,  at  Sand- 
wich, was  born  Feb.  19,  1846,  in  Deep 
River,  Middlesex  Co.,  Conn.  His  father,  H. 
H.  Pratt,  was  born  in  Connecticut,  and  is  now 
living  at  Sandwich.  Mary  J.  (Comstock)  Pratt, 
the  mother,  is  deceased.  They  had  seven  children,  of 
whom  two  (daughters)  died  in  infancy.  Five  son 
survive:  Merritt  C.  is  a  hardware  merchant 

— ....  ,— 

" 


DE  KALB    COUNTY. 


• 


% 


North  Loup,  Neb. ;  Wilbur  A.  and  Ashley  W.  are 
druggists  at  West  Paw  Paw,  111.  ;  Burton  E.  is  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Pratt  Brothers. 

Mr.  Pratt  was  reared  on  a  farm  to  the  age  of  16 
years,  when  he  became  clerk  and  book-keeper  in  a 
banking  house  at  Sandwich.  He  remained  in  this 
position  two  years,  after  which  he  became  a  clerk  in 
the  dry-goods  store  of  Harvey  Toombs,  of  Sandwich. 
Six  months  later  his  employer  sold  out  his  establish- 
ment to  A.  B.  Crofoot,  and  he  continued  to  officiate 
in  the  same  capacity  under  the  new  order  of  things 
about  two  years,  at  which  time  he  was  admitted  to  a 
partnership.  The  firm  of  A.  B.  Crofoot  &  Co.  existed 
five  years,  when  it  was  terminated  by  the  junior  part- 
ner selling  his  interest  to  Mr.  Crofoot,  and  the  former 
then  embarked  in  the  sale  of  boots  and  shoes,  in 
which  he  was  interested  about  a  year.  At  the  end 
of  that  time  the  firm  of  Pratt,  Goodman  &  Gurley 
was  constituted,  and  their  business  relations  were 
extended  until  they  were  engaged  in  the  prosecution 
of  a  profitable  trade  in  general  merchandise.  Later 
they  opened  a  branch  store  at  Walnut,  Bureau  Co., 
111.  After  three  years  Mr.  Goodman  withdrew  and 
Pratt  &  Gurley  maintained  their  business  relations 
until  April,  1882,  when  the  firm  became  Pratt  Broth- 
ers by  the  sale  of  one-half  the  interest  to  B.  E.  Pratt. 
(See  sketch.) 

Charles  H.  Pratt  is  a  member  of  the  fraternity  of 
Odd  Fellows,  and  also  of  the  Masons,  and  belongs 
to  the  Blue  Lodge,  Chapter  of  R.  A.  M.,  and  to 
Aurora  Commandery. 

He  was  married  Oct.  10,  1871,  to  Martha  S., 
daughter  of  Frederick  A.  and  Martha  W.  Slack.  She 
was  born  Oct.  10,  1854,  in  Ottawa,  111.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Pratt  have  one  daughter,  Mabel  J.,  born  Oct. 
12,  1879.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pratt  are  both  members  of 
the  Congregational  Church. 


eorge  Rompf  is  a  farmer  of  Victor  Town- 
ship, resident  on  section  35,  and  he  was 
born  March  20,  1813.    His  parents,  Jacob 
and  Margaret   (Stahl)    Rompf,   was   born   in 
Germany,  where  he  was  reared  at  home  to  the 
f       age  of  20  years.     He  was  apprenticed  to  learn 
the  boot  and  shoe  trade,  and  was  a  craftsman  about. 
2  years  in  his  native  country. 
He   was   married    March  29,   1843,  to  Henrietta 


Thomas,  previous  to  coming  to  America.  He  made 
his  way  hither  in  1853,  and  proceeded  immediately 
to  Northville,  La  Salle  Co.,  111.  There  he  bought  10 
acres  of  land,  and  also  worked  at  his  trade.  He  sold 
his  property  there  three  years  later,  and  became  a 
farmer  of  De  Kalb  County,  buying  80  acres  of  land 
in  Victor  Township,  on  which  he  has  since  lived  and 
conducted  his  agricultural  labors,  with  a  success  that 
may  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  in  1876  he  bought 
1 60  acres  of  land  on  section  34,  for  which  he  paid 
$8,000.  In  political  views  and  actions  he  is  a 
Republican.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
Church,  to  which  also  his  wife  belongs. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rompf  have  had  six  children,  four 
of  whom  are  still  living  :  Adolph  W.,  Paulina,  Ed- 
ward and  Ferdinand.  All  are  married.  Adolph  W. 
married  Rebecca  Price,  March  18,  1873,  and  they 
have  four  children  :  Eveline  B.,  Ada  M.,  George  R. 
and  Frank  A.  Paulina  is  the  wife  of  Frederick 
Schroder,  to  whom  she  was  married  in  1868.  Their 
children  are  named  Amanda  C.  and  Ervin  E.  Ed- 
ward married  Louisa  Hein,  Oct.  24,  1879,  and  they 
have  two  children,  George  W.  and  Lillie  M.  Ferdi- 
nand was  married  to  Mary  J.  Smith,  Feb.  22,  1882. 
They  have  one  child,  Conrad  E. 


M.  Arnold,  liveryman,  at  Sandwich,  was 
born  May  10,  1843,  within  tne  (now)  cor- 
poration of  Sandwich.  His  father,  Dr. 
Stephen  Arnold,  was  born  in  Vermont  and 
married  Dorcas  Loof borrow,  of  Delaware  Co., 
Ohio,  where  he  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his 
profession  until  1836,  when  he  came  to  De  Kalb 
County,  and  bought  320  acres  of  land.  The  northern 
part  of  the  city  of  Sandwich  is  now  located  on  the 
southern  portion  of  the  farm,  which  was  divided 
among  the  children  on  the  death  of  their  father.  Dr. 
Arnold  died  March  22,  1845,  while  on  a  professional 
trip  to  Big  Rock,  Kendall  Co.,  111.  The  wife  of  Dr. 
Arnold  died  at  Sandwich,  Feb.  26,  1884.  They  had 
nine  children,  three  of  whom  are  living  :  Wesley  W., 
Hester  A.,  wife  of  Harrison  Robb,  of  State  Center, 
Iowa,  and  Mr.  Arnold  of  this  sketch. 

The  latter  remained  on  the  place  where  he  was  born 
25  years,  and  in  1868  opened  a  livery  stable  at  Sand- 
wich, which  he  conducted  five  years.  In  1873  he 


•^W ^A^ 


I 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


purchased  112  acres  lying  a  few  miles  west  of  Sand- 
wich, where  he  interested  himself  in  progressive 
agriculture  eight  years  and  converted  the  place  into 
a  fine  and  valuable  farm.  He  disposed  of  his 
property  there  in  September,  1883,  and  March  19, 
1884,  he  bought  the  equipments  and  stand,  where  he 
has  since  conducted  a  popular  and  successful  busi- 
ness. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  Sept.  9,  1864,  to  Hat- 
tie,  daughter  of  William  and  Eleanor  Ryan.  She 
was  born  July  n,  1842,  in  Little  Rock  Township, 
Kendall  Co.,  111.  One  child,  John  W.,  was  born 
to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Arnold,  Feb.  12,  1867. 

Following  is  the  record  of  the  deceased  brothers 
and  sisters  of  Mr.  Arnold  :  John  L.  Arnold,  M.  D., 
was  a  graduate  at  the  Medical  College  at  St.  Charles, 
111.  He  went  in  1849  to  California  and  died  at 
Marysville.  Mary  D.  married  George  L.  Ismon,  of 
Sandwich,  where  she  died,  leaving  a  daughter — 
Louise,  now  the  wife  of  Burr  Kennedy,  of  Deering 
(Chicago).  Elias  C.  was  a  farmer  of  Somonauk 
Township.  Another  child  died  in  infancy. 


x> 


ewis    Von  Ohlen    was  formerly   a  farmer 
on  section  31,  Victor  Township.     He  was 
born     in    Germany,     where     his    parents) 
Christian    Henry    and    Johannah    (Bruneman) 
Von  Ohlen,  were  also  born.     They  came  to  the 
New  World  in  October,  1855,  and  on  landing  at 
New  York  proceeded  to  Illinois  and  located  at  Sand- 
wich. 

Mr.  Von  Ohlen  lived  there  with  his  parents  until 
he  was  20  years  of  age,  receiving  a  fair  elementary 
education.  He  was  occupied  in  various  places  for  a 
short  time,  and  in  1865  bought  the  farm  where  he 
lived  until  his  death.  He  was  a  Republican  and 
held  several  official  positions  in  the  township  where 
v  he  was  a  citizen,  the  last  in  which  he  officiated  being 
that  of  Road  Commissioner.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 

Mrs.  Alwine  (Schulz)  Von  Ohlen  was  born  in  Ger- 
ff  many  and  came  to  America  with  her  parents,  who 
^  are  still  living  at  Somonauk.  She  was  married  July 
'^  22,  1845,  to  Lewis  Von  Ohlen,  and  they  became  the 
parents  of  five  children — Herman  E.,  Emil  A., 
^^ ^ 


? 

! 
I 


Lewis  J.,  Edward  and  Ida.  Mrs.  Von  Ohlen  resides 
on  and  manages  the  farm  of  155  acres  left  to  his 
family  by  her  deceased  husband. 


rs.  Elsie  C.  Van  Olinda  is  a  resident  on 
section  15,  Somonauk  Township.  She 
was  born  Jan.  3,  1823,  in  the  township 
of  Washington,  Morris  Co.,  N.  J.  Her 
parents,  Jacob  and  Lenora  (Welch)  Frace,  were 
natives  of  the  place  where  they  died,  and  in 
1854  she  came  to  Kane  Co.,  111.,  to  live  with  her 
brother,  Jacob  M.  Frace.  She  was  married  there 
Nov.  17,  1857,  to  John  D.  Van  Olinda,  and  removed 
thence  to  the  farm  of  her  husband,  where  he  has 
since  resided,  and  which  became  his  property  in  1854. 
The  place  is  finely  located  and  valuable  and  includes 
120  acres.  Mr.  Van  Olinda  died  Dec.  2,  1874,  and 
was  buried  on  his  farm.  He  was  born  near  Water- 
ford  in  Saratoga  Co.,  N.  Y.,  June  19,  1814. 

Three  children  were  born  of  their  marriage : 
Lenora  died  in  infancy ;  Elsie  resides  at  home ; 
Laura  is'  the  wife  of  George  Hanson,  a  farmer  of 
Somonauk  Township. 

Wesley  W.  Morse,  the  manager  of  the  estate  of 
Mrs.  Van  Olinda,  was  born  Jan.  15,  1857,  and  was 
adopted  by  her  in  February,  1858. 


Burkhart,  furniture  dealer   at  Sandwich, 
'f  was  born  Oct.    18,  1820,  in  Bavaria,  Ger- 

fY*"*  many,  and  is  the  son  of  Adam  and  Bar- 
'  bara  (Schale)  Burkhart.  After  attending  school 
through  the  period  required  by  the  laws  of  his 
native  country,  he  served  four  years  as  an  ap- 
prentice at  cabinet-making,  after  which  he  worked  as 
journeyman  five  years,  traveling  through  the  prin- 
cipal German  cities.  He  was  at  one  tifine  a  workman 
in  the  palace  of  the  Emperor  William  at  Berlin. 

Mr.  Burkhart  was  married  in  Bavaria  in  1847,  to 
Catherine,  daughter  of  Adam  and  Elizabeth  Bradey, 
by  whom  he  has  had  four  children.  After  the  event 
of  his  marriage  he  was  in  business  for  himself  six 
months,  and  in  1852  came  to  America.  He  worked 
at  his  trade  in  Utica,  N.  Y.,  three  years,  and  in  185 


I 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


came  to  Sandwich.  After  working  at  his  business  a 
year  in  the  interest  of  an  employer,  he  opened  an 
establishment  for  himself  in  the  same  line.  In  1858 
his  works  were  destroyed  by  fire,  the  disaster  causing 
a  total  loss,  and  leaving  him  with  a  debt  of  $700  on 
his  hands,  without  insurance.  His  credit  was  good, 
and  he  again  started  his  business,  in  which  he  has 
met  with  success,  and  is  now  associated  with  his  son. 
In  the  fall  of  1874  he  erected  his  business  building, 
22  x  60  feet  in  dimensions,  two  stories  in  height  above 
the  basement,  and  built  of  brick.  His  stock  is 
generally  estimated  at  about  $8,000.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  Lodge,  No.  212, 
and  the  family  belong  to  the  Lutheran  Church. 

Two  of  the  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Burkhart 
were  born  in  Germany.  Phillipena  (deceased)  was 
married  to  Gustavus  Short,  a  farmer  in  Nebraska. 
Jacob  is  in  business  with  his  father  at  Sandwich.  He 
was  married  May  2,  1872,  to  Augusta  Turk,  of  Sand- 
wich, and  they  have  three  children — Jacob,  Edward 
and  William.  Elizabeth  married  William  Huerke,  a 
harness-maker  at  Sandwich.  Caroline  is  deceased 


id  G.  Carson  is  a  farmer  of  Victor  Town- 
ship, residing  on  sections  4  and  9.  David 
Carson,  his  father,  was  of  Scotch  descent, 
and  married  Jane  Shannon,  who  was  of  Ger- 
n  origin.  The  son  was  born  in  1830,  at  Es- 
perance,  Sr.hoharie  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  at  the  age  of 
eight  years  became  a  member  of  the  family  of  Bar- 
tholomew Keene,  in  the  village  of  Esperance.  With 
him  he  remained  six  years  and  attended  school  five 
years.  He  next  went  to  live  with  Sander  Deffen- 
dorf,  where  he  was  an  assistant  on  the  farm  six 
months  and  went  to  school.  Subsequently  he  worked 
three  years  on  the  farm  of  Thomas  Curry.  He 
passed  alternate  summers  and  winters  in  farm  lalx>r 
and  in  attendance  at  school  until  he  was  2 1  years  of 
age,  after  which  he  spent  two  years  working  farms 
on  shares.  At  the  expiration  of  this  time  he  came 
into  possession  of  his  father's  farm  by  will,  and  he 
rented  the  place  two  years.  After  giving  it  his  per- 
sonal attention  one  year,  he  sold  the  place  and  came 
to  De  Kalb  Co.,  111.  He  took  possession  of  80  acres 
of  land  on  section  4,  and  there  still  maintains  his 
residence. 

The  quality  of  his  prosperity  is  manifest    from    the 
*@^ CU± 


fact  that  he  is  now  the  possessor  of  500  acres  of 
finely  improved  farming  land.  He  is  a  Republican 
and  has  held  various  town  offices.  He  has  been 
Road  Commissioner  15  years.  He  was  once  elected 
Justice  of  the  Peace,  but  declined  to  qualify. 

He  was  married  Dec.  15,  1857,  in  Fulton  Co., 
N.  Y.,  to  Mary,  daughter  of  John  Brewer,  and  they 
have  had  five  children,  four  of  whom  are  still  living — 
John  H.,  George  L.,  Kit  C.  and  George  M. 


enjamin  Wilsey,  jeweler  at  Sandwich,  was 
born  Jan.  14,  1831,111  the  township  of 
Hamilton,  Madison  Co.,  N.  Y.  His 
parents,  Archibald  M.  and  Phebe  (Manches- 
ter) Wilsey,  belonged  to  the  farming  class, 
and  the  former  was  born  in  the  city  of  New 
York,  Jan.  18,  1800.  In  1844  they  removed  to 
Illinois,  and  the  father  died  in  Fox  Township,  Ken- 
dall County,  Oct.  4  1882.  The  mother  was  born  in 
Rhode  Island,  and  died  in  December,  1845,  in 
Newark,  Kendall  County.  Five  of  their  nine  chil- 
dren are  living  :  James  W.  is  a  farmer  near  Aurora, 
111.  ;  Margaret  married  W.  Hull,  of  Newark ;  Benja- 
min is  the  next  in  order  of  birth;  Mary  married 
Merritt  Winchell,  of  Vallejo,  Cal.  The  youngest 
living  child  is  Andrew  J. 

When  he  was  19  years  of  age  Mr.  Wilsey  bade 
farewell  to  farm  labor.  During  that  winter  he 
attended  school,  and  in  the  spring  of  1851  went  to 
Ottawa,  111.,  and  entered  upon  the  business  of  learn- 
ing his  trade  with  J.  H.  Morrill.  After  an  apprentice- 
ship of  four  years,  he  engaged  in  business  for  him- 
self in  Ottawa,  but  continued  only  a  short  time, 
going  thence  to  Newark,  where  he  remained  until 
December,  1862,  the  date  of  his  coming  to  Sand- 
wich. He  exhibits  a  fine  stock  of  watches,  clocks, 
jewelry,  silver  and  plated  ware,  Johnston's  Optical 
Company's  goods,  and  all  goods  common  to  a  first- 
class  establishment,  and  suited  to  his  patronage.  He 
is  also  engaged  in  general  repairing,  and  is  doing  a 
prosperous  business. 

Mr.  Wilsey  was  married  Feb.  25,  1858,  in  Fox 
Township,  Kendall  County,  to  Leonora,  daughter  of 
Lewis  andSabrina  Robinson.  She  was  born  Dec.  15, 
1 840,  near  Spencer,  Tioga  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  died 

— SUB*: 


COUNTY. 


Q 

I 


Sandwich,  March  2,  1875.  She  was  the  mother  of 
three  children:  Charles  B.,  born  Dec.  7,  1858,  is 
the  only  one  who  survives.  Leonora  and  Gracie,  twins, 
were  born  Feb.  23,  1875.  The  latter  died  March 
19.  following  her  birth,  and  17  days  after  the 
decease  of  her  mother.  Leonora  died  Sept.  10,  1875, 
a  little  less  than  six.  months  old.  Mr.  Wilsey  was 
again  married  Feb.  21,  1884,  in  Princeton,  Bureau 
Co.,  111.,  to  Anna  L.  Stannard.  She  was  born  at 
Dover,  111.,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Norman  and 
Almanda  Stannard. 


dward  Lewis,  a  resident  of  Sandwich,  was 
born  June    i,  1815,  in   Wales,  and   is   the 
son  of  Lewis  and  Ann  (Lumley)    Lewis. 
He  was  three  years  of  age  when  his  parents 
came  to  America  and  settled  in  Oneida  Co., 
N.   Y.,  where  his  father  bought  a  farm  in  the 
township  of  Trenton.     He  was  reared  to  the  age  of 
14  years  on  a  farm  and   passed   four  years  subse- 
quent to  that  in  obtaining  a  knowledge  of  the  tan- 
ner's business.     In  1833,  when  he  was  18  years  of 
age,  he  went  to  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was  con- 
nected with  a   construction    corps  in    building   the 
Buffalo  &  Black  Rock  Railroad,  the  first  line  of  rail- 
road that  was  built  running  into  that  city.     He  was 
engaged  a  short  time  after  the  road  was  completed 
as   a   conductor,  going   next   to  Clarence,  Erie  Co., 
N.  Y.,  where  he  passed  a  year  and  a  half  as  a  gen- 
eral laborer.     His  next  transfer  was  to  Little  Rock, 
Kendall  Co.,  111.     He  there  bought  40  acres  of  land 
•pK      and  engaged  in  farming.     To  this  he  added  by  sub- 
^      sequent    purchase    until  he   owned  upwards  of  300 
acres,  on  which  he  resided  until    1864,  when  he  sold 
the  place  and  removed  to  Sandwich.     On  the  organ- 
ization of  the  Sandwich  Manufacturing  Company  of 
that    place,   he  invested  his  means  in  its  relations, 
and  was  for  years  connected  with  the  corporation. 
He   acted    as    a   night  watchman  nearly  13    years. 
Since  September,  1880,  he  has  not  been  actively  en- 
gaged in  any  variety  of  business. 

Mr.    Lewis  was   married  at  Little  Rock,  Dec.  28, 
1839,  to  Maria  A.    Hadden.     She  was  born  May  i, 
1810,  in  Westchester  Co.,  N.  Y.     Four  of  their  five 
children    are   living:      Noel    B.    was  born  Oct.    18, 
840  ;  Mary  E.,  born  Sept.  20,  1842,  is  the  wife  of  J. 




D.  Kern,  of  Sandwich;  Caroline  was  born  Sept.  5, 
1045,  alld  is  the  wife  of  Thomas  E.  Culver,  of  Sand- 
wich. James  C.,  born  Sept.  n,  1849,  is  an  employee 
of  the  Sandwich  Manufacturing  Company  ;  Edwin, 
born  May  2,  1852,  died  six  days  after  birth.  The 
wife  and  mother  died  at  Sandwich,  April  23,  1883. 
Mr.  Lewis  was  a  second  time  married  Sept.  1 1,  1884, 
at  Yorkville,  Kendall  Co.,  111.,  to  Mary  E.  Humis- 
ton.  She  was  born  Aug.  3,  1827,  near  Littlefield, 
Grayson  Co.,  Ky.,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Anthony 
and  Susan  (McClure)  Litsey,  who  were  married  in 
Kentucky  and  came  to  Illinois  in  1829,  located  in 
Tazewell  County,  and  in  1830  came  to  Kendall 
County.  The  mother  died  in  Kentucky  when  the 
daughter  was  two  years  old.  The  father  was  mar- 
ried again,  moved  to  Iowa,  and  died  in  1859.  Mrs. 
Lewis  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church. 


/A 

,  illiam  Fraser,  farmer,  section  14,  Somo-  B 
nauk  Township,  was  born  April  29,  1816,  S> 
in  the  township  of  Hebron,  Washington  £4 
Co.,  N.  Y.  Isaac  Fraser,  his  father,  was  ^ 
born  in  North  Adams,  Mass.,  and  died  in  He- 
J_,'  bron,  aged  84  years.  The  mother,  Mary  (Mun-  /-  ^ 
son)  Fraser,  was  a  native  of  Washington  Co.,  and 
was  about  the  same  age  as  her  husband  at  the  time 
of  her  death.  Seven  of  their  ten  children  are  living. 
David  is  a  retired  farmer  of  Salem,  Washington  Co. 
N.  Y.  Lyman  is  a  retired  farmer  and  resides  at 
Sandwich.  John  is  a  retired  merchant  at  He- 
bron. Lonson  is  an  attorney  at  Salem,  N.  Y. 
Aurilla  A.  is  the  wife  of  Charles  Wilson,  a  farmer  of 
Salem,  N.  Y.  Mary  is  the  widow  of  Peter  Larkin 
and  resides  at  Salem. 

Mr.  Fraser  is  the  fourth  of  the  surviving  children 
of  his  parents.      He  was  brought  up  on  his  father's 
farm,  where    he  was  instructed  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits.    In    1843  he    came   to  Illinois  and  bought  a 
farm  of  80  acres  near  Piano,  Kendall  County.     On 
this  he  resided  until  his  removal  to  his  present  loca- 
tion, where  in   1854  he  bought   at  first  300  acres  of  * 
land.     He  is  now  the  owner  of  370  acres,  situated  on    fc'j 
sections  13,  14  and  15,  which  is  managed  by  his  son-   f\ 
in-law,  Pernett  Potter.     Mr.  Fraser  has  been  a  num-    ^ 
ber  of  years  in  retirement  from  active  life. 


fa 


He  was  married  in  Greenwich,  Washington  Co., 
N.  Y.,  to  Mary  Faxon.  Following  is  the  record  of 
their  children :  Caroline  married  John  J.  Arm- 
strong, a  farmer  of  Somanauk  Township.  Ira  M.  is 
deceased.  Horace  W.  is  a  farmer  in  Ford  Co.,  111. 
Charles  H.  resides  in  Sandwich,  and  is  a  teacher  by 
profession.  Mary  married  James  Crinklaw.  William 
is  a  farmer  of  Somonauk  Township.  Martha  mar- 
ried William  Potter,  a  farmer  in  Missouri.  Edith  is 
the  wife  of  Pernett  Potter,  and  resides  on  the  home- 
stead. Arthur  is  the  youngest.  Mrs.  Fraser  was 
born  Oct.  31,  1819. 


uke  A.  Warren,  resident  at  Sycamore,  was 
born  in  Andes,  Delaware  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Dec. 
19,  1819,  son  of  Luke  and  Mary  (Baird) 
Warren,  natives  of  "  York  State."  His  father 
moved  to  Allegany  County,  that  State,  in  1832, 
and  settled  in  Rockford  Township.  The  land 
on  which  he  settled  was  timber,  and  after  building  a 
log  house  he  set  about  to  clear  and  improve  his  land. 
In  1850  he  disposed  of  his  land  and  moved  to 
Michigan,  where  he  died  shortly  after. 

Luke  A.,  Jr.,  was  reared  on  the  farm  in  Allegany 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  alternated  his  labors  thereon  with  at- 
tending the  common  schools.  He  was 'married  in 
1841,  to  Miss  Ursula  Foster,  born  in  Clarendon, 
Orleans  Co.,  N.  Y.  Soon  after  marriage,  they  located 
on  a  farm  of  20  acres  near  Rushford,  Allegany  Co., 
which  he  increased  by  subsequent  purchases.  He 
resided  on  that  farm  until  1869,  when  he  sold  it  and 
came  to  this  State  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  White- 
side  County.  In  1866  he  moved  to  Monroe  Town- 
ship, Ogle  County,  where  he  purchased  a  farm  on 
which  he  resided  until  r87i.  In  April  of  that  year 
he  removed  to  this  county  and  two  months  later 
(June)  he  purchased  a  farm  on  sections  seven  and 
eight,  De  Kalb  Township.  In  1882  he  sold  the  farm 
and  removed  to  Sycamore,  where  he  has  since 
lived.  In  July,  1883,  he  purchased  a  farm  located 
on  section  3,  Cortland  Township,  which  he  still 
owns  and  rents. 

He  has  seven  children,  namely :  William,  in  the 
Government  employ  at  Grand  Forks,  Dak.;  Mary, 
vife  of  J.  E.  Southworth,  resident  of  Santa  Clara,  Cal.; 
Sarah,  wife  of  William  Wilber,  resident  of  Clinton, 

.Sfrgsfa *&*• — ^ 


Iowa ;  Alta,  wife  of  William  A.  Campbell,  resident  of  ^ 
Mason,  Ingham  Co.,  Mich.;  M.  F.,  jeweler  at  De  Kalb;  <|) 
John,  resident  of  Galveston,  Tex.,  and  George  O.,  *y 
jeweler  at  Sycamore.  Mr.  Warren's  grandfather,  I 
Thomas  Warren,  was  one  of  the  very  first  settlers  in  \^, 
Delaware  Co.,  N.  Y.;  was  a  shoemaker  by  trade,  a 
farmer  by  occupation,  and  died  in  Allegany  Co., 
N.  Y. 


larles  E.  Bradt,  member  of  the  firm  of 
Bradt  &  Shipman,  glove  manufacturers  at 
De  Kalb,  was  born  near  Gloversville,  Fulton 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  Jan.  27,  r852  ;  and  when  he  was 
about  two  years  of  age  his  parents,  Andrew 
and  Amy  A.  (Sweet)  Bradt  (see  sketch),  re- 
moved with  their  family  to  this  county,  where  he  grew 
up  to  manhood,  working  on  the  farm  and  attending 
the  city  schools.  Since  setting  out  in  life  for  himself 
he  has  employed  himself  in  the  manufacture  and  sale 
of  gloves,  in  which  business  he  is  doing  well.  The 
firm  of  Bradt  &  Shipman  prosecute  an  extensive 
jobbing  business,  their  goods  being  sold  by  traveling 
salesman  in  the  Northwest. 

Andrew  Bradt,  farmer,  De  Kalb  Township,  was 
born  in  the  town  of  Ephratah,  Fulton  Co.,  N.  Y., 
May  15,  1824,  and  was  the  son  of  Anthony  J.  and 
Hannah  (Peek)  Bradt,  both  natives  of  the  State  of 
New  York.  He  was  reared  on  the  farm  and  edu- 
cated at  the  district  school.  At  the  age  of  17  years 
he  commenced  teaching,  in  his  native  township. 
This  profession,  alternating  with  farming  during  the 
summer  seasons,  he  followed,  with  one  or  two  excep- 
tions, in  Fulton  County,  until  1856,  when  he  came  to 
Illinois.  Here  he  purchased  140  acres  of  land  on 
sections  23  and  24,  De  Kalb  Township,  and  settled 
down  to  agricultural  pursuits.  During  the  winter 
seasons,  however,  he  was  engaged  in  selling  gloves 
and  mittens  to  dealers  in  the  northern  portion  of  this 
State,  purchasing  his  stock  from  the  manufactories  at 
Gloversville  and  Johnstown,  N.  Y.  In  1870,  in  com- 
pany with  his  son,  he  started  the  glove  factory  in  De 
Kalb,  which  is  now  conducted  by  his  son  and  Mr. 
Shipman.  He  now  devotes  his  time  exclusively  to 
his  farming  interests. 

He  was  married  Jan.  31,  1848,  to  Amy  Ann  Sweet, 
who  was  born  in  Ephratah,  Fulton  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Jan 


v 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


I 


J 


20,  1828.  They  have  had  nine  children, — Jennie  S., 
deceased,  Luella,  Charles  E.,  deceased,  Ada  F., 
Hiram  A.,  Abraham  L.,  Samuel  E.,  deceased,  and 
Laura  Luella,  deceased. 

Mr.  Bradt  is  a  Class-leader  in  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  of  which  denomination  all  the  rest  of 
the  family  are  also  members. 


Augustus  C.  Thompson,  general  farmer  on 
section  1 1,  South  Grove  Township,  was  born 
Feb.  2-,  1830,  in   Delaware  Co.,  N.  Y.     Mat- 
thew Thompson,  his  father,  was  a  native  of  the 
Empire  State,  where  he  pursued  farming  until 
1842,  the   year  of  his   removal  to  De    Kalb 
County,  where  he  was  one  of  the  earliest  of  the  pio- 
)  neer  settlers  of  South  Grove  Township,  having  been 
.,  preceded   by  only  four  other  permanent  residents. 
/^  He  was  born  in  1800  and  died  in  1868,  on  the  home- 
si  stead.  Rebecca  O.  (Schryver)  Thompson,  the  mother, 
OX  was  born  in   Dutchess  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Oct.   25,  1805,  of 
E=I  German  parentage,  and  resided  in  her  native  State 
f?  until  her  removal  with  her  husband  and  children  to 
"^  De  Kalb  County.     She  is  living,  at  79  years  of  age, 
with  her  son,  is  still  in  possession  of  her  mental  and 
physical  faculties  to  a  surprising  degree,  being  able 
to  fulfill  a  considerable  proportion  of  the  duties  of  the 
household. 

Mr.  Thompson  was  an  inmate  of  his  father's  house 
until  his  marriage  in  February,  1852,  in  Ohio  Grove, 
Kane  Co.,  Ill  ,  to  Mary  E.  Hatch.  She  was  born  in 
*i  Delaware  Co.,  Ohio,  and  came  to  Illinois  when  very 
i  9  young.  Her  father  located  in  this  State  previous  to 
*  1840.  She  died  at  her  home,  Dec.  6,  1880,  and  left 
two  surviving  of  four  children  that  had  been  born  to 
her.  Her  death  was  the  result  of  sciatic  rheumatism, 
and  her  sufferings  from  that  terrible  disease  were 
severe  and  were  borne  with  patience  and  calmness. 
Mr.  Thompson  was  about  22  years  of  age  when  he 
^  made  his  first  purchase  of  land,  which  included  80 
acres  on  section  16.  On  this  he  lived  and  labored  in 
its  improvement  some  years,  when  he  sold  out  and 
bought  176  acres  on  section  i  i,of  this  township,  and 
has  since  made  it  his  home  and  expended  his  efforts 
and  energies  in  its  improvement,  and  has  placed  the 
entire  acreage  under  cultivation.  In  the  early  days 

-x»f  •^kJBSL^'  ^-N     V 


the  grain  was  all  cut  with  "  cradles  "  and  hauled  to  ; 
Chicago  by  teams,  that  being  the  nearest  point  of  ' 
shipment  and  market. 

Mr.  Thompson  is  a  Republican  and  has  held  all 
the  offices  of  the  township. 


Ilium  W.  Brown,  deceased,  was  a  pioneer 
of  Sycamore  Township  in  1838,  and  en- 
tered his  claim  of  about  200  acres  of  land 
on  section  14  of  Congressional  township  41, 
range  5.  On  this  he  settled  and  began  the 
usual  pioneer  improvements.  When  the  land 
n  the  State  of  Illinois  was  put  into  market  he  se- 
cured a  large  acreage  in  addition,  a  considerable  pro- 
portion of  which  he  bought  for  the  benefit  of  his  sons. 
The  nearest  markets  were  Chicago,  Milwaukee  and 
Sheboygan,  and  Mr.  Brown  drove  an  ox  team  with 
his  wheat  crop  to  the  former  place.  One  fall  he 
sent  a  load  of  dressed  beef  to  Sheboygan.  He 
improved  quite  a  considerable  portion  of  his  land, 
and  was  a  resident  upon  his  homestead  until  his 
death. 

He  was  born  on  the  North  or  Hudson  River  in  the 
State  of  New  York  in  1782,  and  grew  to  mature  life 
on  his  father's  homestead.  He  was  in  early  manhood 
when  his  parents  settled  in  the  township  of  Rock- 
land,  in  Sullivan  County,  where  they  were  pioneers. 
He  was  there  married  to  Sally  Hall,  the  first  white 
child  born  on  Mutton  Hill  in  Sullivan  County.  He 
became  a  land-holder  there  and  cleared  104  acres  of 
his  farm.  He  sold  the  place  in  1831  and  removed 
to  Cortland  County,  where  he  lived  until  1835,  in 
which  year  he  bought  a  farm  in  La  Grange,  Lorain 
Co.,  Ohio.  He  sold  it  in  1838,  and  set  out  with  his 
family  and  household  goods  in  a  wagon  with  an  ox 
team  as  a  means  of  locomotion.  They  were  on  the 
road  four  weeks,  and  during  the  trip  passed  but  four 
nights  under  the  shelter  of  a  roof.  The  remainder 
of  the  time  they  camped. 

Mr.  Brown  died  in  1850.  His  wife  survived  him 
32  years,  dying  in  1882.  Following  is  the  record  of 
their  1 1  children  :  Mary  is  deceased ;  Sally  A.  and 
Obadiah,  the  youngest  son,  live  on  the  homestead; 
Lucinda  is  dead  ;  Isaac  lives  in  O'Brien  Co.,  Iowa ; 
John  lives  in  Lac-qui-parle  Co.,  Minn.  ;  Betsey 
J.  and  Mehitable  are  deceased ;  Amy  lives  in  Bour- 


•• 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


bon  Co.,  Kan. ;  Deborah   resides  in  the  township  of 
Genoa;  Bradley  is  deceased. 

Obadiah  Brown  was  born  Nov.  27,  1834,  in 
Ohio,  came  to  Illinois  with  his  parents,  and  was  mar- 
ried in  January,  1877,  to  Lavina  Harms,  a  native 
of  Graham ville,  N.  Y.  He  is  a  Republican  in  po- 
litical faith. 


rimon  Suydam,  farmer,  section   23,  Victitf 
Township,  is  a  native-born  citizen  of  Illi- 
nois,  being  born  Aug.  8,  1839,*  in   Fulton 
Co  ,  111.     Simon  B.  and  Johannah  (Cortelyou) 
Suydam    were    natives    of  New    Jersey   (see 
sketch.)     In  1838  they  left  their  native   State 
to  make  a  permanent  home  in  Illinois. 

Mr.  Suydam  was  brought  up  under  vthe  care  and 
authority  of  his  parents,  acquiring  a  common-school 
education  and  laboring  on  the  farm.  After  attaining 
his  majority  he  spent  two  months  in  farm  labor  and 
resumed  his  former  position  on  his  father's  farm, 
where  he  remained  until  1861.  He  had  determined 
on  renting  a  farm  preparatory  to  entering  upon  an 
independent  career,  but  his  plans  were  mixed  with 
desires  to  take  a  share  of  the  risks  in  the  soldier's 
fate,  and  he  enlisted  the  same  fall  in  which  he  made 
his  arrangements  for  a  farm,  Sept.  18, 1861,  in  the  8th 
III.  Cav.,  General  Farnsworth.  The  organization  re- 
mained but  a  short  time  in  camp  and  departed  for 
Washington,  where  it  remained  until  the  next  April, 
when  it  was  sent  to  Bull  Run  in  skirmish  service. 
Five  days  afterward  it  returned  to  Alexandria,  and 
after  a  stay  there  of  two  weeks,  went  down  the  Poto- 
mac. The  first  engagement  in  which  it  participated 
took  place  at  Williamsburg,  followed  by  the  fight  at 
Mechanicsville  under  General  McClellan.  Mr. 
Suydam  was  in  22  battles  and  skirmishes,  and  after 
a  continued  service  of  three  years  was  honorably  dis- 
charged Sept.  28,  1864,  at  Chicago. 

In  1865  he  purchased  80  acres  of  land  on  section 
27,  in  Victor  Township,  on  which  he  operated  suc- 
cessfully for  20  years.  In  1885  he  bought  his  pres- 
ent homestead.  He  is  a  business  man  of  good  ability, 
and  is  justly  respected.  He  is  a  Republican  in 
politic-al  affiliation.  He  has  held  the  office  of  School 
Director  12  years,  and  been  Collector  four  years. 
Nov.  7,  1866,  he  was  married  to  Sarah  O.  Brown, 


and  they  have  eight  children — Charles  H.,  Ade 
J.,  Johannah,  Mary,  Nellie  G.,  Amy,  Lorenzo  G.  a 
Sarah  J. 


urton  E.  Pratt,  merchant  at  Sandwich, 
was  born  July  6,  1855,  in  Deep  River. 
Middlesex  Co.,  Conn.,  and  is  the  son  of 
Henry  H.  and  Mary  J.  (Comstock)  Pratt.  On 
the  removal  of  the  family  to  De  Kalb  County 
from  Connecticut,  they  located  three  miles 
northeast  of  Sandwich,  where  his  father  bought  a 
farm  of  320  acres.  They  resided  on  it  and  improved 
it  until  it  was  converted  into  a  fine  and  valuable 
farm,  which  was  afterwards  sold  and  the  family  re- 
moved to  Sandwich,  where  the  father  is  now  living; 
the  mother  died  in  1871.  They  had  seven  children, 
five  of  whom  survive.  Merritt  C.  is  a  hardware 
merchant  at  North  Loup,  Neb.;  Wilbur  and  Ashley 
W.  are  druggists  at  West  Paw  Paw,  III;  the  firm  is 
known  as  Pratt  Bros.;  and  Burton  E.  is  the  subject 
of  this  sketch.  Mr.  Pratt,  Sr.,  was  again  married  in 
Oswego,  111.,  to  Sylvia  C.  Collins. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  educated  in  Sand- 
wich, and  when  he  was  17  years  of  age  he  entered 
the  store  of  L.  Kent,  where  he  was  engaged  two 
years  as  a  salesman.  His  next  employment  was  ob- 
tained at  Paw  Paw,  where  he  was  a  clerk  in  a  store 
eight  months.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  came  to 
Sandwich  and  engaged  as  a  clerk  with  Pratt,  Good- 
man &  Gurley,  with  whom  he  operated  several 
years.  Mr.  Goodman  having  withdrawn  in  1868,  the 
firm  continued  as  Pratt  &  Gurley  until  1882,  when 
Mr.  Gurley  withdrew  from  the  firm.  Mr.  Pratt,  of 
this  sketch,  then  purchased  the  interest  of  Mr.  Gur- 
ley, since  which  date  the  firm  style  has  been  known 
as  Pratt  Brothers.  Their  business  in  Sandwich  and 
vicinity  is  prosperous  and  popular,  and  their  stock  of 
general  merchandise  is  valued  at  $20,000  on  an  aver- 
age. Mr.  Pratt  is  a  member  of  the  fraternity  of 
Masons. 

He  was  married  June  22,  1882,  to  Anna  J.,  daugh- 
ter of  William  and  Anna  Turkington,  and  she  was 
born  in  the  city  of  New  York,  Nov.  22,  1862.  He 
father  is  an  extensive  manufacturer  of  millinery 
goods  on  Wabash  Avenue,  Chicago.  Gertrude,  only 
«|^^) 


\ 

\  \ 
/ 


t 


DE  KALB    COUNTY. 


I 


J 


i 


I 

s 

i 


child  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pratt,  was  born  June  4,  1884. 
Himself  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Congregational 
Church  of  Sandwich. 


tenry  G.  Bell,  farmer,  section  9,  Sycamore 
Township,  was  born  Sept.  13,  1808,  in 
Elizabethtovvn,  St.  Lawrence  Co.,  N.  Y., 
and  is  the  son  of  Ralph  R.  arid  Desire  (Rey- 
nolds) Bell.  His  parents  were  both  natives  of 
Rutland,  Rutland  Co.,  Vt.,  his  father  being  in 
the  service  of  the  United  States  in  the  second  war 
with  Great  Britain,  during  which  he  operated  as  a 
pilot  on  the  lakes.  He  was  captured  by  the  British 
and  taken  to  Montreal,  where  he  was  held  about  six 
months  a  prisoner  of  war.  On  being  exchanged  he 
re-entered  the  service  and  continued  in  the  army 
until  the  termination  of  the  contest. 

In  1816  they  went  to  Michigan,  and  the  son,  who 
was  then  but  eight  years  of  age,  was  left  with  friends 
in  Genesee  Co.,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was  brought  up  on 
the  farm.  When  he  was  16  'years  of  age  he  joined 
his  parents  in  Michigan,  and  he  remained  at  Red- 
ford,  Wayne  County,  until  1837,  when  he  set  out 
westward  to  seek  a  location  for  a  home.  He  started 
on  horseback  and  proceeded  to  Michigan  City,  where 
he  overtook  his  wife,  who  had  started  previously  with 
her  brother-in-law.  His  means  of  locomotion  were 
there  increased  by  the  addition  of  a  yoke  of  oxen,  and 
they  pushed  on  to  Kane  Co.,  111.,  consuming  about 
two  weeks  on  the  way.  Mr.  Bell  bought  a  land 
claim  for  $170,  near  Chicken  Grove,  and  built  a  log 
house  with  a  puncheon  floor.  During  the  first  year 
he  broke  60  acres,  and  in  December  following  he 
sold  the  claim  and  came  to  Chartres'  Grove,  De  Kalb 
County,  where  he  spent  the  winter.  In  the  spring  of 
1838  he  bought  a  claim  of  land  on  Coon  Creek,  lo- 
cated on  section  29,  Hampshire  Township,  McHenry 
County.  He  built  a  log  house,  covered  it  with  shakes 
and  set  about  the  work  of  improving  the  place,  and 
as  soon  as  the  land  came  into  market  he  received  the 
claim.  He  then  put  the  place  in  the  hands  of  a 
renter  and  bought  a  claim  on  section  5,  Sycamore 
Township,  and  engaged  a  man  to  break  20  acres. 
The  claim  was  "jumped,"  but  he  succeeded  in  main- 
taining his  rights.  He  built  a  log-house  and  dug  a 


well  32  feet  deep,  finding  what  was  known   as  "float 
wood  "  on  the  bottom.     The  man  who  attempted  to 
jump  his  claim  started  at  early  morning  for  Chicago, 
and  on  Mr.  Bell's  hearing  of  his  intention  and  action 
late  in  the  afternoon,  he  at  once  started  for  the  land  v»i_ 
office,  driving  to  Chicago  in  the  night,  where  he  suc- 
ceeded in  entering   his  claim.     Soon   afterwards  he 
sold  his  title  and  returned  to  Kane  County,  where 
he  settled  on  the  land  he  owned  there.     In  1874  he 
again  rented  the  place  and  came  to  Sycamore,  sec- 
tion 9,  where  he  bought  the  farm  on  which  he  has   £ 
since  resided  and  prosecuted  his  agricultural  plans,  j? 
The  farm  in  Kane  County  which  he  still  owns  com- 
prises 320  acres  of  land,  chiefly  improved,  fenced 
and  with  good  buildings. 

Mr.  Bell  was  married  March  r6, 1837,  to  Charlotte 
DeWitt,  and  they  had  ten  children, — Martinette, 
Helen,  Prudence,  George  H.,  Charlotte,  John,  Annie 
D.,  Frank,  Charles  and  Candace.  Annie  died  when 
a  year  old.  The  mother  was  born  Feb.  28,  1815,  at 
Niagara  Falls  (Canadian  side),  and  died  Nov 
1879.  Mr.  Bell  married  Annie  Kesler,  a  native  of 
St.  Lawrence  Co.,  N.  Y. 


'0 


nton  E.  Rosette,  editor  and  one  of  the 
publishers  of  the  De  Kalb  Chronicle,  was 
born  Oct.  24,  1850,  in   Paw  Paw  Township, 
De  Kalb  Co.,  111.     He  is  the  son  of  William 
E.  and  Elizabeth  (Breese)  Rosette,  natives  of 


New  Jersey,  the  former  being  of  French  descent,  his 
parents  removing  to  this  county  but  a  short  time  be- 
fore his  birth.  They  were  among  the  early  settlers 
of  De  Kalb  County,  locating  in  Paw  Paw  Township 
in  1841. 

Clinton  was  born  on  a  farm  and  received  his  edu- 
cation at  the  academy  in  East  Paw  Paw,  at  which 
institution  he  graduated,  and  in  which  he  subse-  _^ 
quently  was  a  member  of  the  faculty  for  two  years.  ( 
With  a  view  of  becoming  a  physician,  he  studied 
medicine  for  five  years  as  the  opportunity  was  offered,  '• 
but  becoming  dissatisfied  with  it  he  abandoned  the 
study  before  receiving  a  degree.  In  the  fall  of  1875 
he  moved  to  De  Kalb  and  for  one  year  and  a  few 
months  was  engaged  as  a  teacher  in  the  public 


DE  KALE   COUNTY. 


£  schools.  In  connection  with  his  wife,  he  then  opened 
a  private  school,  which  they  continued  four  years 
with  good  success,  having  125  pupils  enrolled  at  the 
time  of  its  suspension.  The  school  was  closed  that 
^j  he  might  give  his  undivided  attention  to  the  publica- 
tion of  the  De  Kalb  Chronicle,  the  publication  of 
which  was  commenced  in  1879  with  Mr.  Rosette  as 
editor,  which  position  he  still  occupies.  A  history  of 
the  paper  may  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  volume ; 
suffice  it  to  say,  in  this  connection,  that  under  his 
management  it  has  been  an  unqualified  success.  On 
the  25 th  day  of  December,  1874,  Mr.  Rosette  was 
j  united  in  marriage  with  Alpha  C.  La  Clair,  daughter 
of  John  and  Ann  La  Clair,  of  Paw  Paw.  Mr.  Ros- 
ette is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  and  politically  is  a  Democrat,  the  principles 
of  that  party  being  instilled  in  him  in  his  youth  ;  and 
he  never  has  forsaken  the  way  of  his  fathers. 


' 


^ilas  D.  Wesson,  farmer,  section  17,  Victor 
Township,  was  born  Aug.  22,  1839,  in 
Chautauqua  Co.,  N.  Y.  His  parents, 
James  W.  and  Sybil  (Hatch)  Wesson,  were  na- 
tives of  Vermont.  Until  he  was  2 1  years  of  age 
Mr.  Wesson  was  at  home  with  his  parents  and 
accompanied  them  to  Illinois  in  1844,  when  they  lo- 
cated on  section  17,  Victor  Township.  They  re- 
mained there  until  their  deaths.  That  of  his  father 
occurred  Aug.  26,  1880;  that  of  his  mother,  March 
26,  1884. 

Mr.  Wesson  enlisted  Sept.  18,  1861,  for  three 
years  in  the  8th  111.  Cav.,  and  at  the  expiration  of 
two  years  veteranized,  receiving  a  discharge  on  con- 
dition of  re-enlisting,  which  he  did,  and  served  three 
years  and  eleven  months  longer.  He  received  a 
wound  June  9,  1863.  He  participated  in  all  the 
battles  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  except  that  at 
Gettysburg.  He  obtained  his  release  from  military 
service  Aug.  i,  1866.  In  1872  he  went  to  Kansas, 
and  there  entered  a  claim  of  160  acres  of  land  on  a 
soldier's  warrant.  He  was  a  resident  upon  it  eight 
years.  In  1880  he  returned  to  Illinois  and  effected  a 
purchase  of  his  father's  farm  by  complying  with  the 
terms  of  the  will.  He  is  a  Republican,  and  has 
been  Supervisor  two  years.  He  was  elected  Justice 
of  the  Peace  but  refused  to  qualify. 


Mr.  Wesson  was  married  Oct.  r5,  1866,  to  Mag- 
dalen Suydam.  She  is  the  daughter  of  S.  B.  and 
Johannah  Suydam.  (See  sketch.)  Ten  children 
have  been  born  to  them, — Sybil  J.,  Elvie  M.,  Mason 
D.,  Alpha  G.,  Minerva  M.,  Sarah  M.,  Jaques  W., 
Harry  W.,  Floyd  F.  and  Elon  W. 


.imon  B.  Suydam,  a  farmer  of  Victor  Town- 
ship, resident  on  section  22,  was  born  Jan. 
4,  1803,  in  Somerset  Co.,  N.  J.,  and  is  a 
son  of  John  and  Ann  (French)  Suydam,  who 
were  natives  of  Holland.  Mr.  Suydam  passed 
the  years  of  his  minority  in  attending  school 
and  in  labor  on  his  father's  farm.  When  he  was  22 
years  of  age  he  went  to  Millstone,  N.  J.,  and  was 
there  for  a  period  of  ten  years  engaged  in  farmin 
He  went  thence  to  Butler  Co.,  Ohio,  where  he  bought 
80  acres  of  land.  Three  years  later  he  sold  the 
place  and  located  in  Fairview,  Fulton  Co.,  111.,  where 
he  became  by  purchase  the  proprietor  of  1 60  acres 
of  land.  He  managed  his  agricultural  affairs  there 
13  years  when  he  sold,  preparatory  to  a  removal  to 
Victor  Township.  He  bought  a  farm  of  160  acres 
at  first  and  later  purchased  a  similar  amount.  His 
home  and  field  of  operation  has  since  been  on  the 
same  place.  At  the  date  at  which  he  became  a 
resident  in  Victor  Township,  he  drew  his  crops  to 
Chicago  and  brought  back  with  him  lumber  and  pro- 
visions. 

He  is  a  Democrat  and  has  served  several  terms  in 
official  life  in  his  township.  He  has  been  liberal  in 
his  support  of  local  religious  movements,  and  when 
the  Methodist  church  was  built  he  contributed  an 
acre  of  ground  for  the  site  of  the  edifice.  He  has 
exerted  a  broad  influence  in  the  community  to  which 
he  belongs,  and  in  1877  was  the  chief  instrument  in 
the  organization  of  a  chartered  fire-insurance  associa- 
tion in  the  township  of  Victor,  having  a  capital  of 
$60,000.  It  has  been  in  operation  eight  years,  and 
its  capital  stock  now  nets  $140,000.  It  has  been 
called  on  to  pay  but  $35  in  losses  by  fire  since  its 
organization. 

Mr.  Suydam  was  married  Feb.  16,  1825,  to  Johan- 
nah  Cortelyou.  Six  of  ten  children  born  to  them  are 
living:  Anna  M.,  Sarah,  Matilda  D.,  John  H.,  Si- 




W 


g.      (  > ; 


J 


\\ 


mon,  Jaques  C.  and  Magdalen.  Cornelius  R.  died 
in  the  military  service  of  the  United  States  Jan.  20, 
1862.  John  and  Simon  <fcre  also  soldiers  for  the 
Union.  The  former  was  wounded  in  his  ankle  and 
has  always  been  lame.  Their  beloved  mother  died 
July  7,  1881. 


4avid    Alexander    Syme,  grain    dealer  at 
Sycamore,  was  born  Sept.  15,  1841,  in  Bal- 
lymena,   Antrim  Co.,  Ireland,  and  is  the 
son  of  James   and  Ann  Young  Syme.       His 
parents  were  natives  of  Perthshire,  Scotland,  be- 
longing  to   families    long   established    in     that 
place. 

At  15  years  of  age  Mr.  Syme  entered  a  wholesale 
mercantile  house  in  the  city  of  Belfast,  where  he  re- 
mained till  he  was  20  years  of  age.  He  then  joined 
some  friends  going  to  Australia  and  New  Zealand, 
where  he  spent  a  few  years  engaged  in  mercantile 
and  oilier  pursuits.  On  March  28,  1868,  he  arrived 
in  Sycamore,  and  formed  a  partnership  with  his 
brother,  as  dealers  in  grain  and  seeds  and  agricultural 
machinery.  In  1876  he  dissolved  this  partnership, 
confining  his  attention  to  the  grain  business,  which 
he  extended  to  Kirkland  and  other  towns  in  the 
vicinity. 

Mr.  Syme  was  one  of  the  incorporators  of  the  Syca- 
more Preserve  Works,  of  which  he  is  the  general 
manager  and  treasurer. 

February  3,  1873,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Marga- 
ret E.  Morton  at  Sycamore.  Mrs.  Syme  was  born  in 
Montreal,  Canada. 


ristian  Hager,  farmer,  section  29,  Vic- 
tor Township,  was  born  Feb.  26,  1839,  in 
La  Salle  Co.,  111.     His  parents,  Oley  and 
Martha   (Anderson)    Hager,    were    born    in 
Germany  and  emigrated   thence  to  America 
in    1830.     Previous    to    his     igth    year    Mr. 
H.  was  subject  to  the  authority  of  his   parents,  and 
was  instructed  by  his  father  in  the  details  of  a  farm- 
er's vocation,  which  he  has  pursued  all  his  life.     He 
was  married  Feb.  28,  1875,  to  the  widow  of  Herman 
Suydam,  and  is  her  third   husband.     She  was   mar- 


ried Nov.  28,  1857,  to  Enoch  Talbot.  The  latter 
enlisted  Oct.  20,  i86r,  and  was  shot  and  instantly 
killed  July  12,  1863,  in  a  forced  battle  at  Jackson, 
Miss.  At  the  same  time  three  brothers  and  two 
brothers-in-law  were  in  the  military  service  of  the 
United  States,  but  all  returned  in  safely.  Herman 
Suydam,  the  second  husband  of  Mrs.  Hager,  was 
born  in  Fairview,  this  State,  and  settled  in  1848  on 
section  29,  Victor  Township,  where  he  died,  March 
7,  1872.  At  the  date  of  his  making  a  permanent 
settlement  he  could  ride  miles  without  passing  a 
house.  The  nearest  place  of  supply  for  provisions 
and  lumber  was  Aurora.  Chicago  was  the  nearest 
grain  market.  He  was  an  enterprising  citizen  and 
public-spirited  and  interested  in  all  projects  for  the 
general  well-being.  In  political  views  he  was  a  Re- 
publican and  held  various  town  offices.  Both  he  and 
his  wife  were  members  of  the  Methodist  Church. 
Their  only  child,  Hattie  M.  Suydam,  was  born  Nov. 
12,  1871.  At  the  date  of  his  death  Mr.  Suydam 
owned  320  acres  of  land. 

Two  children   have   been  born  to  Mr.    and  Mrs. 
Hager — Bertie  D.  and  Alice  R. 


athsheba  A.  Hummel,  residing  on  section 
i,  Somonauk  Township,  accompanied  her 
husband,  Peter  F.  Hummel,  to  Illinois  in 
58,  since  which  date  she  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  De  Kalb  County.  They  located  first 
at  Freeland,  where  they  kept  a  hotel  some 
years.  In  1849  Mr.  Hummel  went  to  California, 
and  died  in  the  year  following  on  his  way  home.  He 
was  born  in  1805,  and  his  death  occurred  Oct.  20, 
1850.  He  was  a  carriage-maker  by  vocation,  and 
after  he  came  to  De  Kalb  County  he  entered  the 
claim  of  land  on  a  portion  of  which  his  widow 
has  since  resided.  The  original  tract  included  640 
acres,  all  of  which  was  sold  excepting  the  80  on 
which  she  has  since  resided  and  conducted  her  farm- 
ing interests. 

Mrs.  Hummel  was  born  in  Woodstock,  Windham 
Co.,  Conn.,  Aug.  23,  1811,  and  is  the  daughter  of 
John  and  Elizabeth  (Howard)  Estabrooks.  Her 
parents  went  when  she  was  a  little  -more  than  a 
month  old  to  Orwell,  Bradford  Co.,  Pa.  Her  father 
had  previously  been  a  shoe  dealer  in  Providence,  R. 

%&m. 


' 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


""   I.     He  lost  his  property  during  the   second  Colonial 
struggle  with  Great  Britain.     He  beca.ne  a  farmer  in 
V«  Pennsylvania,  where  he  continued  to  operate  until 
f     1835,  when   he  removed  with  his   family  to  Squaw 
\j  Grove   Township,  where  he  purchased  land.      He 
was  the  second  Postmaster  at  Somonauk,  and  for  a 
time  was  Justice  of  the  Peace.     He  was  one  of  the 
earliest  pioneers  of  De   Kalb  County,   and  died  in 
Squaw  Grove  in   1850.     Mrs.  Hummel  was  married 
March  25,  1830,  in  Orwell,  Pa.     Three  of  the  chil- 
{  dren   born   to  them  are  living :     John  H.  resides  at 
j  Hyde    Park,   111.;  Miriam   is   the  wife   of  James  H. 
Harmon,  a  farmer  on  section   32,   Somo-iauk  Town- 


ship;  Julius  M.  is  a  merchant  at  Sandwich,  111. 


^alentine  Ebinger,  of  the  firm  of  Dieterich 
&  Ebinger,  manufacturers  of  drain-tile  and 
brick,  in  Somonauk  Township,  one  mile 
west  of  Sandwich,  was  born  April  24,  1847,  in 
Baden,  Germany.  He  is  the  son  of  George  and 
Margaret  Ebinger,  and  is  a  half-brother  of  his 
partner,  Lewis  Dieterich.  He  came  in  1856  with  his 
parents  to  this  country,  and  his  father  was  engaged 
in  brick-making  in  Ottawa,  La  Salle  County,  and  af- 
terward at  a  place  one  a  half  miles  north  of  Sand- 
wich. The  son  was  employed  a  number  of  years  in 
the  yard.  In  1871  he  assumed  charge  of  the  ship- 
ping department  of  the  Sandwich  Manufacturing 
Company,  and  was  occupied  in  the  duties  of  the 
position  until  August,  1882,  when  he  resigned  and 
formed  his  present  business  association.  In  that 
year  they  erected  their  buildings  and  entered  upon 
the  prosecution  of  their  business,  in  which  they  have 
met  with  gratifying  success.  Their  works  demand  a 
working  force  of  20  men  all  the  year,  and  they  man- 
facture  tile  from  three  to  twelve  inches  in  diameter. 
The  brick  which  they  supply  to  the  trade  is  of  a  fine 
quality,  and  their  business  transactions  amount  an- 
nually to  about  $20,000.  The  firm  are  the  owners 
of  the  Sandwich  Fair  Grounds  and  buildings,  and 
besides  their  own  occupancy  they  have  four  families 
as  tenants. 

Mr.  Ebinger  was  married  at   Sandwich,  April  8, 
1869,  to  Louisa,  daughter  of  Gustave  and  Elizabeth 




Miller,  a  native  of  La  Salle  Co.,  111.  They  have 
six  children:  Lydia  was  born  June  n,  1870;  Wal- 
ter, Dec.  21,  1872;  B-injftiin,  June  19,  1874;  Will- 
iam, Feb.  18,  r877  ;  George,  Feb.  14,  1881  ;  Ida,  Aug- 
19,  1883.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ebinger  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Church. 


on!  Edward  L.  Mayo,  deceased,  a  former 
resident  of  Sycamore,  was  born  April  7 , 
1807,  in  Moretown,  Washington  Co.,  Vt. 
He  was  the  son  of  Leonard  and  Thyrza  (Marcey) 
Mayo.  His  father  died  when  he  was  a  child  of 
six  years,  and  he  was  placed  in  charge  of  a  far- 
mer in  Moretown  Township  named  Ebenezer  John- 
son, and  he  was  brought  up  on  the  farm,  attending 
common  school  in  the  intervals  of  labor.  He  was 
studious  by  nature,  and  while  his  hands  performed 
the  required  duties,  his  mind  was  eager  to  explore 
the  realms  of  knowledge,  and  even  in  youth  he  was 
accustomed  to  take  his  book  to  the  field  with  him  to 
study  while  he  worked.  He  taught  winters  after  he 
reached  a  suitable  age  and  degree  of  acquisition,  and 
devoted  his  earnings  to  fitting  himself  for  college  by 
attending  an  academy  at  Montpelier. 

He  studied  law  with  Hon.  E.  Prentice  (afterward 
United  States  Senator)  at  Montpelier,  and  was  there 
admitted  to  the  Bar  in  1835,  and  initiated  his  pro- 
fessional career  at  Morrisville,  Vt.  He  came  to  De 
Kalb  County  in  1841,  and  opened  his  office  at  Syca- 
more. He  entered  at  once  upon  a  popular  and  suc- 
cessful practice.  His  genuine  traits  of  character  and 
method  of  conducting  his  business  recommended  him 
to  the  confidence  and  trust  of  the  people  of  whom  he 
was  one,  and  in  1849  he  was  elected  County  Judge. 
On  the  expiration  of  his  first  term  he  was  re-elected, 
and  served  two  terms  successively.  Subsequently  he 
was  again  elected  for  another  four  years.  In  1854 
he  was  the  Democratic  candidate  for  Congress,  and 
if  the  question  had  rested  solely  on  merit  he  would 
have  been  elected;  but  the  district  is  one  of  the  most 
strongly  Republican  in  the  State.  He  was  at  one 
time  connected  with  the  press  of  De  Kalb  County, 
and  for  some  years  edited  the  Sentinel,  at  Sycamore, 
Illinois. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  in  November,  1837,  to 

\  >»v.gisx<ini<  rcSv^VxA/g) 


: 


Lettice  A.   Holden,  who   was  born   in    Springfield, 
Windsor  Co.,  Vt.,  and  lived  but  fourteen  months  after 

••  her  marriage.  Judge  Mayo  was  again  married  Sept. 
17,  1840,  to  Emily  K.  Holden,  a  cousin  of  his  first 

)•  wife,  and  they  had  ten  children.  Four  are  now 
living:  Edward  L.,  M.  D.,  practicing  his  profession 
at  De  Kalb  (see  sketch)  ;  Lettice  A.,  wife  of  Captain 
J.  W.  Burst,  of  Sycamore;  Emily  Matilda,  and 
Kate  A. 

Judge  Mayo  died  Nov.  16,  1877,  at  De  Kalb,  111., 
aged  70  years. 


>dward  L.  Mayo,  practicing  physician,  res- 
ident at  De  Kalb,  was  born  in  Sycamore, 
this  county,  June  16,  1843.    He  lived.with 
his  parents  and  attended  the  public  schools  of 
Sycamore  until  21  years  of  age.      On  attaining 
his  majority  he  entered  upon  the  study  of  med- 
icine, first  under  the  instruction  of  Dr.  Bryant,  and 
££    later  with  Dr.  Garvin. 

=        In  1864  he  matriculated  at  Rush  Medical  College, 
^    Chicago,  and  followed  the  curriculum  of  that  institu- 


tion for  four  years,  when,  in  1868,  he  graduated  and 
received  his  diploma.  He  at  once  entered  on  the 
practice  of  his  profession  at  Malta,  this  county,  and 
continued  in  practice  at  that  place  for  seven  years, 
meeting  with  success. 

In  1875  Dr.  Mayo  changed  his  residence  to  De 
Kalb,  where  he  has  since  followed  the  practice  of  his 
profession,  and  where  he  is  meeting  with  success  in 
the  increase  of  his  business  and  the  treatment  of  his 
cases. 

Dr.  Mayo  was  married  to  Miss  Alice  L.  Ballou, 
Jan.  i,  1872.  She  was  born  at  Springville,  N.  Y., 
Oct.  18,  1853.  She  possessed  in  an  eminent  degree 
those  qualities  of  mind  and  heart  so  requisite  to  make 
a  woman  what  she  was — a  most  kind  and  loving  wife 
and  mother,  a  true  friend,  having  many  friends  and 
no  enemies.  They  lived  most  happily  until  her 
death,  Sept.  27,  1880.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mayo  were 
the  parents  of  two  children — Ross  E.  and  Alice  L. 
The  former  was  born  May  10,  1875,  arid  the  latter 
Sept.  6,  1880. 

Dr.  Mayo  was  again  married  Dec.  10,  1884,  to 
Miss  Irene  Robinson,  who  was  born  in  Malta,  111.,  in 
1862. 


• 


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! 


I) 


; 


s 


(RyVsray 
^_     A^V 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


IT* 


INTRODUCTORY. 


jlME  is  ever  moving  on.  A 
half  century  has  passed 
away  since  the  first  settle- 
ment was  effected  by  the 
white  men  in  what  is  now 
the  county  of  De  Kalb — a 
period  of  time  in  which  more 
important  events  have  transpired 
than  in  any  five  hundred  years  of 
the  world's  history.  In  the  record 
of  events  De  Kalb  County  has  per- 
formed no  inconsiderable  part,  as 
the  pages  of  this  history  will  testify. 
Within  that  time  a  wilderness  has 
been  transformed  into  a  cultivated 
region  of  thrift  and  prosperity  by 
the  untiring  zeal  and  energy  of  an 
enterprising  people.  The  trails  of 
hunters  and  the  wily  red  men  have  given  place  to  rail- 
roads and  thoroughfares  for  vehicles  of  every  de- 
scription ;  the  cabins  and  garden  patches  of  the  pion- 
eers have  been  succeeded  by  comfortable  houses  and 
broad  fields  of  waving  grain,  with  school-houses, 
churches,  mills,  postoffices,  manufactories,  and  every 
convenience  that  could  be  asked  for  by  civilized  man. 
The  record  of  this  marvelous  change  is  history, 
and  the  most  important  that  can  be  written.  For 
one  half  century  the  people  of  De  Kalb  County  have 
been  making  a  history  that  for  thrilling  interest,  grand 
practical  results,  and  lessons  that  may  be  perused 
•ith  profit  by  citizens  of  other  regions,  will  compare 
favorably  with  the  history  of  any  county  in  the  great 
Northwest.  Take,  for  instance,  the  record  of  the 
county  in  the  great  war  of  the  rebellion.  Where  were 




braver  men  than  those  forming  the  quota  of  De  Kalb  ? 
There  were  few  only  of  the  battle-fields  of  the  South 
but  what  were  moistened  by  the  life-blood  of  her  sons. 
.In  the  matter  of  useful  inventions,  few  counties  can 
boast  of  labor- saving  articles  more  universally  adopted 
than  those  that  came  from  the  brains  of  the  men  of 
De  Kalb.  The  names  of  Marsh,  Glidden,  Whitney, 
Ellwood,  Adams  and  others  will  always  be  classed 
among  the  world's  benefactors. 

The  question  is  often  asked  why  men  leave  the 
comforts  and  pleasures  of  civilized  lands  and  strike 
out  into  a  new  and  almost  unknown  country  bearing 
the  toils  and  privations  which  are  unavoidable.  Not 
more  from  choice  than  from  necessity,  did  the  old 
pioneers  bid  farewell  to  the  play-grounds  of  their 
childhood  and  the  graves  of  their  fathers.  One 
generation  after  another  had  worn  themselves  out  in 
the  service  of  avaricious  landlords,  or  to  eke  out  a 
miserable  existence  upon  barren  or  worn  out  land 
which  they  called  their  own.  From  the  first  flashes 
of  the  morning  light  until  the  last  glimmer  of  the 
setting  sun,  they  had  toiled  unceasingly  on  from 
father  to  son,  carrying  home  each  day  upon  their 
aching  shoulders  the  precious  proceeds  of  their  daily 
labor.  Money,  pride  and  power  were  handed  down 
in  the  line  of  succession  from  the  rich  father  to  his 
son,  while  unceasing  work,  continuous  poverty  and 
everlasting  obscurity  were  the  heritage  of  the  work- 
ing man  and  his  children.  For  the  sons  and  daugh- 
ters of  the  poor  man  to  remain  there  was  to  follow 
and  never  to  lead — to  be  poor  forever. 

Without  money,  prestige  or  friends  the  old  pioneer 
drifted  along  seeking  the  garden  spot,  the  place  where 
he  might  establish  a  home,  where  he  might  educate 


his  sons  and  daughters,  giving  them  privileges  never 
enjoyed  by  himself.  The  broad  prairies  and  the 
beautiful  groves  of  De  Kalb  County  in  that  early  day 
were  indeed  inviting  to  those  seeking  a  home  in  a 
more  favored  land,  and  here  planted  their  stakes, 
many  of  whom  the  present  generation  have  reason 
to  rise  up  and  call  them  blessed.  To  secure  and 
adorn  the  homes  desired  by  the  pioneers,  more  than 
ordinary  ambition  was  required,  greater  than  ordinary 
endurance  demanded.  How  well  they  have  succeed- 
ed let  the  broad  cultivated  fields  and  fruit-bearing 
orchards,  the  flocks  and  the  herds,  the  palatial  resi- 
dences, the  places  of  business,  the  spacious  halls,  the 
clattering  car-wheels  and  ponderous  engines  all  testify. 
There  was  a  time  when  pioneers  waded  through 
deep  snows,  across  bridgeless  rivers  and  through 
bottomless  sloughs,  more  than  a  score  of  miles  to 
mill  or  market,  and  when  more  time  was  required  to 
reach  and  return  from  market,  than  is  now  required 
to  cross  the  continent  or  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  These 
were  the  times  when  their  palaces  were  constructed 
of  logs  and  covered  with  "  shakes  "  riven  from  the 
forest  trees.  These  were  the  times  when  children 
'  were  stowed  away  in  the  night  in  the  low,  dark  attics, 
amongst  the  horns  of  the  elk  and  the  deer,  and 
where  through  the  chinks  in  the"  shakes  "they  could 
count  the  twinkling  stars.  These  were  the  times 
when  chairs  and  bedsteads  were  hewn  from  the  forest 
trees,  and  tables  and  bureaus  constructed  from  the 
boxes  in  which  goods  were  brought.  These  were  the 
days  when  all  were  required  to  work  six  days  in  the 
week  and  all  the  hours  in  a  day  from  sunrise  to  sun- 
set. Now  all  is  changed.  In  viewing  the  blessings 
which  now  surround  us,  we  should  reverence  those 
that  made  them  possible,  and  ever  fondly  cherish  in 
memory  the  sturdy  old  pioneer  and  his  log  cabin. 


Value  of  Local  History. 

HE  great  dread  of  man  from  remote  ages 
has  been  to  be  forgotten.     The  means  em- 
ployed to  prevent  this  and  to  perpetuate 
his    memory   has  been    in    proportion    to    the 
amount  of  intelligence  he  possessed.     It  has 
been  conceded  now  by  scientists  that  the  prin- 
cipal object  of  the  Egyptians  in  building  their  pyra- 
mids was  to  perpetuate  the  name  and  deeds  of  their 


great  leaders  and  rulers.  The  walls  in  the  extensive 
apartments  beneath  those  huge  stone  monuments  are 
covered  with  paintings  illustrating  the  deeds,  both  in 
peace  and  war,  of  her  illustrious  princes,  and  in 
chronological  order.  These  colors  are  as  bright, 
apparently,  as  when  they  were  first  laid  on,  and  the 
work  shows  great  skill  and  artistic  design.  The  ex- 
humations made  by  the  archeologist  of  Egypt  from 
buried  Memphis  indicate  a  desire  of  these  people  to 
perpetuate  the  memory  of  their  achievements.  The 
walls  of  the  palaces  found  buried  here  are  decorated 
with  historical  emblems  representing  the  lives  and 
deeds  of  these  people.  In  Memphis  they  displayed 
a  higher  art.  They  carved  out  in  marble  elegant  and 
life-like  statues  of  their  distinguished  princes,  accom- 
panied with  hieroglyphics,  illustrating  their  deeds. 
The  erection  of  those  great  obelisks  were  for  the 
same  purpose.  Coming  down  to  a  later  period  we 
find  the  Greeks  and  Romans  erecting  mausoleums 
and  monuments,  and  carving  out  statues  to  chronicle 
their  great  achievements,  and  carry  them  down  the 
ages.  It  is  evident  that  the'  mound-builders,  in 
piling  up  their  great  mounds  of  earth,  had  but  this 
idea,  to  leave  something  to  show  that  they  had  lived. 
All  these  works,  these  representations,  though  many 
of  them  costly  in  the  extreme,  give  but  a  faint  idea 
of  the  lives  and  character  of  those  whose  memory 
they  were  intended  to  perpetuate,  and  scarcely  noth- 
ing of  the  masses  of  the  people  that  then  lived.  The 
great  pyramids  and  some  of  the  obelisks  remain,  ob- 
jects only  for  scientists  or  curiosity  seekers ;  the 
mausoleums,  monuments  and  statues  are  crumbling 
into  dust.  The  monuments,  statues  and  other  relics 
are  being  gradually  conveyed  to  the  different  muse- 
ums of  the  world,  and  soon  there  will  nothing  remain 
in  these  countries  to  illustrate  the  lives  of  the  people 
who  once  dwelt  in  them. 

Generation  after  generation  come  and  go  like  the 
leaves  of  autumn.  Nations  have  been  born,  have 
had  their  rise  and  fall,  and  then  passed  away,  leav- 
ing scarcely  a  riffle  on  the  great  ocean  of  time  to 
show  that  they  ever  existed,  sj  imperfect  and  muta- 
ble has  been  their  means  to  perpetuate  their  achieve- 
ments. It  was  left  to  modern  ages  to  establish  an  in- 
telligent, undecaying,  immutable  method  of  per- 
petuating this  history;  immutable  in  that  it  is  almost 
unlimited  in  extent,  and  perpetual  in  its  action;  and 
this  is  through  the  art  of  printing.  Nations  may  be- 
come disintegrated  and  pass  away,  monuments  and 


,,,, 


DE  KALB  COUNTY, 


763 


statues  may  crumble  into  dust,  but  books  will  live,    j 
This  art  has  been  rapidly  advancing  from  its  first  in-   ! 
ception  until  now  it  would  seem  that  there  were  no   i 
longer  any  further  ground  for  improvement.     This  is 
pre-eminently  an  age  of  printing,  an  age  of  books. 

To  the  present  generation,  however,  are  we  in- 
debted for  the  introduction  of  the  admirable  system 
of  local  history  and  local  biography.  By  this  system 
every  man,  though  he  has  not  achieved  what  the 
world  calls  greatness,  has  the  means  to  perpetuate 
his  life,  his  history  through  the  coming  ages;  so  alike 
has  every  community. 

We  come  now  to  the  work  before  us :  To  our 
patrons,  we  say,  that  the  scythe  of  Time  cuts  down 
all ;  nothing  of  the  physical  man  is  left ;  the  monu- 
ment which  his  children  or  friends  may  erect  to  his 
memory  in  the  cemetery  will  crumble  into  dust  and 
pass  away;  but  his  life,  his  achievements,  the  work 
he  has  accomplished,  which  otherwise  would  be  for- 
gotten, is  perpetuated  by  this  book  through  coming 
ages.  Shakspeare  has  said  : 

The  evil  men  do  lives  after  them ; 

The  good  is  oft  interred  with  their  bones. 

Our  aim  in  this  work  has  been  only  to  preserve 
the  good.  We  sought  to  gather  from  the  best 
sources  of  information  obtainable,  the  conditions  and 
incidents  of  the  early  pioneer  life,  and  to  present 
that,  together  with  the  present  development  of  the 
county.  Many  of  the  pioneers  came  into  this  beau- 
tiful country  without  a  dollar  in  their  pockets,  but 
with  the  unflinching  determination  to  carve  out  their 
fortunes  and  build  up  a  community.  With  undaunted 
hearts,  and  a  courage  equal  to  that  of  the  great  he- 
roes of  our  history,  they  began  life. 

^ +  <>  + ^. 

How  Our  Fathers  Lived. 

rIONEER  life  at  the  present  time  is  not  to 
be  compared  with  that  of  fifty  years  ago. 
In  this  day  the  great  railway  corporations 
build  railroads  into  and  through  such  country 
as  they  may  think  in  time  will  become  profita- 
ble to  the  settlers  and  themselves,  and  the  pio- 
neers enter  palace  cars  and  are  conveyed  to  their 
destination  at  the  rate  of  thirty  miles  an  hour,  and 
from  the  beginning  have  a  market  for  their  produce 

M3$4 ^€^ @ 


at  their  very  door.  All  this  was  different  in  the 
early  days  of  De  Kalb  County.  Then,  when  one 
desired  to  remove  from  the  far  East,  it  required 
long  and  extensive  preparations,  their  conveyance 
generally  being  an  ox  team  hitched  to  a  heavy  lum- 
ber wagon.  The  route  lay  through  a  wild  and 
rough  country ;  swamps  and  marshes  were  crossed 
with  great  exertion  and  fatigue ;  rivers  were  forded 
with  difficulty  and  danger,  nights  were  passed  in  the 
dense  forests,  with  mothet  earth  for  a  couch  and  the 
trees  and  foliage  for  a  shelter;  long  weary  days  and 
weeks  of  travel  were  endured,  but  finally  their  eyes 
were  gladdened  and  their  hearts  beat  faster  when  a 
vision  of  their  future  home  burst  upon  them. 

The  first  thing  upon  their  arrival  was  to  set  about 
building  a  cabin.  While  this  was  being  done  the 
family  slept  in  the  wagons  or  upon  the  grass,  while 
the  horses  or  mules,  tethered  to  prevent  escape, 
grazed  on  the  grass  around  them.  Trees  of  a  suita- 
ble and  uniform  size  were  selected,  felled  and  pre- 
pared for  their  places.  The  day  for  the  raising  was 
announced  and  from  far  and  near  came  other  pio- 
neers to  assist  in  the  labor.  The  structure  went  up, 
a  log  at  a  time,  those  engaged  in  the  work  stopping 
now  and  then  to  "  wet  their  whistles,"  and  soon  it 
was  ready  for  the  clapboard  roof,  which  was  held  on 
by  huge  weight-poles.  A  door  and  a  window  were 
cut  where  the  good  wife  directed,  a  chimney  built, 
and  the  building  was  ready  for  its  occupants.  The 
space  between  the  logs  was  filled  with  split  sticks  of 
wood,  called  "  chinks,"  and  then  daubed  over,  both 
inside  and  out,  with  mortar  made  of  clay.  The 
floor  was  sometimes  nothing  more  than  earth  tramped 
hard  and  smooth,  but  was  commonly  made  of  "  pun- 
cheons," or  split  logs,  with  the  split  side  turned  up- 
wards. The  roof  was  made  by  gradually  drawing 
in  the  top  to  the  ridge-pole  and  on  cross-pieces 
laying  the  clapbsards,  which,  being  several  feet  in 
length,  instead  of  being  nailed  were  held  in  place  by 
weight-poles,  reaching  the  entire  length  of  the  cabin. 

For  a  fire-place,  a  space  was  cut  out  of  the  logs 
on  one  side  of  the  roDm,  usually  about  six  'feet  in 
length,  and  three  sides  were  built  up  of  logs,  making 
an  offset  in  the  wall.  This  was  lined  with  stone,  if 
convenient;  if  not,  then  earth  was  used.  The  flue, 
or  upper  part  of  the  chimney,  was  built  of  small 
split  sticks,  two  and  a  half  or  three  feet  in  length, 
carried  a  little  space  above  the  roof,  and  plastered 
over  with  clay,  and  when  finished  was  called  a  "  col 

-*£&«& 


\ 


'   and  clay  "  chimney.     The  door  space  was  also  made 
by  cutting  an  aperture  in  one  side  of  the  room  of  the 
•  required   size,  the   door    itself  being  made  of  clap- 
boards secured  by  wooden  pins  to  two  cross-pieces. 
(§.  The  hinges  were  also  of  wood,  while   the  fastenings 
consisted  of  a  wooden  latch  catching  on  a  hook  of  the 
same  material.     To  open  the  door  from  the  outside, 
a  strip  of  buckskin  was  tied  to  the  latch  and  drawn 
through  a  hole  a  few  inches  above  the  latch  bar,  so 
that  on  pulling  the  string  the  latch  was  lifted  from 
/  the  catch  or  hook,  and  the  door  was  opened  without 
further  trouble.     To  lock  the  door  it  was  only  neces- 
sary to  pull  the  string  through  the  hole  on  the  inside. 
Here  the  family  lived,  and   here  the  guest  and  way- 
farer were  made  welcome.     The  living-room  was  of 
good  size,  but   to  a  large  extent  it  was  also  kitchen, 
bed-room,  parlor  and  arsenal,  with  flitches  of  bacon 
and  rings    of  dried  pumpkins  suspended   from   the 
rafters.     These   simple  cabins  were  inhabited  by  a 
kind  and  true-hearted  people.     They  were  strangers 
to  mock  modesty,  and  the  traveler  seeking   lodgings 
'*•    for  the  night,  or  desirous  of  spending  a  few  days  in 
=*    the  community,  if  willing  to  accept  the  rude   offer- 
^    ings,  was  always  welcome,  although  how  they  were 
disposed  of  at  night  the  reader  may  not  easily  imag- 
ine. 


Character  of  the  Pioneers. 

'HE  character  of  the  pioneers  of  De  Kalb 
County  falls  properly  within  the  range  of 
the   historian.     They  lived  in  a  region  of 
exuberance  and   fertility,    where  Nature  had 
scattered  her  blessings  with  a  liberal    hand. 
I      The  forest  supply,  the  fertile,  prairie,  and  the 
many  improvements  constantly  going  forward,  with 
the   bright  prospect   for   a  glorious  future  in  every- 
thing that  renders  life  pleasant,  combined  to  deeply 
impress  their  character,  to  give  them  a  spirit  of  en- 
terprise, an   independence   of  feeling,  and  a  joyous- 
ness  of  hope.     They  were  a  thorough   admixture  of 
many  nations,  characters,  languages,  conditions  and 
opinions.     There  was  scarcely  a  State  in  the  Union 
that  was  not  represented  among  the  early  settlers. 
All  the  various  religious  sects  had  their  advocates. 
All  now  form  one  society. 

^g^ — %A^HU 


t 


Clothing. 

HE  clothing  of  the  early  pioneers  was  as 
plain  and  simple  as  their  houses.  Neces- 
sity compelled  it  to  be  in  conformity  to  the 
strictest  economy.  The  clothing  taken  to  the 
new  country  was  made  to  render  a  vast  deal  of 
service.  In  summer,  nearly  all  persons,  both 
male  and  female,  went  barefooted.  Buckskin  moc- 
casins were  worn  considerably.  Boys  twelve  and  fif- 
teen years  of  age  never  thought  of  wearing  any- 
thing on  their  feet  except  during  three  or  four  months 
of  the  coldest  weather  in  winter.  Boots  were  un- 
known until  a  later  generation. 


Wolf-Hunting. 

N  early  days  more  mischief  was  done  by 
wolves  than  by  any  other  wild  animal,  and 
no  small  part  of  their  mischief  consisted  in 
their  almost  constant  barking  at  night,  which  al- 
ways seemed  menacing  and  frightful  to  the  set- 
tlers. Like  mosquitoes,  the  noise  they  made 
appeared  about  as  dreadful  as  the  real  depreda- 
tions they  committed.  The  most  effectual,  as  well 
as  the  most  exciting  method  of  ridding  the  country 
of  these  hateful  pests,  was  that  known  as  the  circular 
wolf  hunt,  by  which  all  the  men  and  boys  would 
turn  out  on  an  appointed  day,  in  a  kind  of  circle 
comprising  many  square  miles  of  territory,  with 
horses  and  dogs,  and  then  close  up  toward  the  cen- 
ter field  of  operation,  gathering,  not  only  wolves,  but 
also  deer  and  many  smaller  "  varmint."  Five,  ten  or 
more  wolves,  by  this  means,  would  be  killed  in  a 
single  day.  The  men  would  be  organized  with  as 
much  system  as  a  small  army,  every  one  being 
posted  in  the  meaning  of  every  signal  and  the  appli- 
cation of  every  rule.  Guns  were  scarcely  ever  al- 
lowed to  be  brought  on  such  occasions,  as  their  use 
would  be  unavoidably  dangerous.  The  dogs  were 
depended  upon  for  the  final  slaughter.  The  dogs, 
by  the  way,  had  all  to  be  held  in  check  by  a  cord 


r 


.•v      *   •          - 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


765 


i 


in  the  hands  of  their  keepers  until  the  final  signal 
was  given  to  let  them  loose,  when  away  they  would 
all  go  to  the  center  of  battle,  and  a  more  exciting 
scene  would  follow  than  can  easily  be  described. 


Snakes. 

N  pioneer  times  snakes  were  numerous,  such 
as  the  rattlesnake,  adder,  milk-snakes,  gar- 
ter and  water  snakes,  and  others.  If,  on 
meeting  one  of  these,  you  would  retreat,  they 
would  chase  you  very  fiercely ;  but  if  you 
would  turn  and  give  them  battle,  they  would 
immediately  turn  and  crawl  away  with  all  possible 
speed,  hide  in  the  grass  and  weeds  and  wait  for  a 
"  greener  "  customer.  These  harmless  snakes  served 
to  put  people  on  their  guard  against  the  more  danger- 
ous and  venomous  kind. 


Bee  Hunting. 

'ECREATIONof  this  sort  was  a  peculiar  one, 
and  many  sturdy  backwoodsmen  gloried  in 
excelling  in  this  art.  He  would  carefully 
watch  a  bee  as  it  filled  itself  with  the  product  of 
some  sweet  flower  or  leaf  bud,  and  notice  par- 
ticularly the  direction  taken  by  it  as  it  struck 
a  "  bee-line"  for  its  home,  which,  when  found,  would 
generally  be  high  up  in  the  hollow  of  some  tree.  The 
tree  would  be  marked,  and  in  the  fall  a  party  would 


go  and  cut  down  the  tree  and  capture  the  honey  as 
quick  as  they  could  before  it  wasted  away  through  the 
broken  walls  in  which  it  had  been  so  carefully  stowed 
by  the  busy  little  bee.  Several  gallons  would  often 
be  taken  from  a  single  tree,  and  by  a  very  little  work, 
and  pleasant  at  that,  the  early  settlers  could  keep 
themselves  in  honey  the  year  round.  By  the  time 
the  honey  was  a  year  old  it  would  turn  white  and 
granulate,  yet  be  as  good  and  healthful  as  when 
fresh.  This  was  called  by  some  "  candied  "  honey. 


- 


Religion. 

HE  religious  element  in  the  life  of  the  pio- 
neer was  such  as  to  attract  the  attention  of 
those  living  in  more  favored  places.  The 
pioneer  was  no  hypocrite.  If  he  believed  in 
horse-racing,  whisky-drinking,  card-playing,  or 
anything  of  like  character,  he  practiced  them 
openly  and  above  board.  If  he  was  of  a  religious, 
turn  of  mind  he  was  not  ashamed  to  own  it.  He 
could  truthfully  sing 

"  I'm  not  ashamed  to  own  my  Lord, 
Or  blush  to  speak  His  name." 

But  the  pioneer  clung  to  the  faith  of  his  fathers, 
for  a  time  at  least.  If  he  was  a  Presbyterian  he 
was  not  ashamed  of  it,  but  rather  prided  himself  on 
being  one  of  the  elect.  If  a  Methodist,  he  was  one 
to  the  fullest  extent.  He  prayed  long  and  loud  if 
the  spirit  moved  him,  and  cared  nothing  for  the 
empty  form  of  religion. 


| 

•• 

• 


5N  the  pioneers  of  De  Kalb 
County  came  here  to  seek  a 
home  they  found  the  coun- 
try inhabited  by  the  once 
powerful  tribe  of  Potto- 
watomie  Indians,  though  the 
country  had  some  years  be- 
fore been  ceded  to  the  whites. 
This  tribe  came  originally  from  Canada, 
and  as  civilization  advanced  they  were  re- 
required  to  take  up  their  line  of  march  to- 
ward the  setting  sun.  While  there  has 
been  much  maudlin  sentiment  written  of 
the  "  noble  red  men,"  yet  one  cannot  help 
expressing  pity  as  they  witness  how  loth 
they  were  to  leave  the  home  of  their  fa- 
thers. Some  writer  thus  speaks  of  them  : 
"  Like  most  Indians,  they  were  in  person  rather 
above  than  below  the  average  height  of  Europeans. 
The  usual  expression  of  their  countenance,  when  in 
repose,  was  grave,  even  to  sadness.  They  had 
high  cheek-bones,  faces  uncommonly  wide  below  the 
eyes,  retiring  foreheads,  long,  sleek,  black  hair,  finer 
than  a  horse's  mane,  but  much  resembling  it,  but  no 
beards,  for  a  beard  was  considered  disgraceful,  and 
untold  tortures  were  endured  in  plucking  out  the 
first  faint  symptoms  of  one  that  sometimes  appeared. 
They  were  of  rugged  health,  straight  and  well 
limbed,  and  with  a  stoical  indifference  to  pain  that 
was  either  a  wonderful  exhibition  of  fortitude,  or 
more  probably  the  result  of  physical  insensibility. 
They  were  generally  sullen,  seldom  impatient,  or 
hurried  into  intemperate  warmth,  except  in  hatred  of 
•  ^^ *^Z £ 


their  enemies ;  generally  feigning  a  proud  indifference 
to  their  families,  yet  often  giving  evidence  of  strong 
attachment  to  them,  and  always  indolent  except  in 
the  chase  or  on  the  war  path."  To  this  general  de- 
scription a  local  writer  added  :  "  This  was  rather  the 
natural  character  of  the  Indians  than  that  which 
most  of  them  bore  at  the  period  of  the  settlement  of 
this  county.  The  use  of  intoxicating  liquors  had  at 
this  time  demoralized  them  and  destroyed  their  no- 
bility of  character.  They  had  become  more  puerile 
and  purposeless,  and  their  most  conspicuous  traits 
were  their  indolence  and  their  disgusting  personal 
habits." 

The  art  of  hunting  not  only  supplied  the  Indian 
with  food,  but,  like  that  of  war,  was  a  means  of 
gratifying  his  love  of  distinction.  The  male  chil- 
dren, as  soon  as  they  acquired  sufficient  age  and 
strength,  were  furnished  with  a  bow  and  arrow,  and 
taught  to  shoot  birds  and  other  small  game.  Suc- 
cess in  killing  large  animals  required  years  of  care- 
ful study  and  practice,  and  the  art  was  as  sedu- 
lously inculcated  in  the  minds  of  the  rising  gen- 
eration as  are  the  elements  of  reading,  writing  and 
arithmetic  in  the  common  schools  of  civilized  com- 
munities. The  mazes  of  the  forest  and  the  dense 
tall  grass  of  the  prairies  were  the  objects  of  the 
most  searching  scrutiny,  and  revealed  at  a  glance 
the  animal  that  made  any  visible  traces,  the  direc- 
tion it  was  pursuing,  and  the  time  that  had  elapsed 
since  it  had  passed.  In  a  forest  country  he  selected 
the  valleys,  because  they  were  most  frequently  the 
resort  of  game.  The  most  easily  taken,  perhaps,  of 
all  the  animals  of  the  chase  was  the  deer.  It  is  en- 

© ^^ *&i£*& 


f 


•S»SS*^ 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


767 


dovved  with  a  curiosity  which  prompts  it  to  stop  in  its 
flight  and  look  back  at  the  approaching  hunter,  who 
always  avails  himself  of  this  opportunity  to  let  fly 
the  fatal  arrow. 

Their  general  councils  were  composed  of  the 
chiefs  and  old  men.  When  in  council  they  usually 
sat  in  concentric  circles  around  the  speaker,  and 
each  individual,  notwithstanding  the  fiery  passions 
that  burned  •within,  preserved  an  exterior  as  immov- 
able as  though  cast  in  bronze.  Before  commencing 
business  a  person  appeared  with  the  sacred  pipe, 
and  another  with  fire  to  kindle  it.  After  being 
lighted  it  was  first  presented  to  heaven,  then  to  the 
earth,  then  to  the  presiding  spirit,  and  lastly  to  the 
several  councilors,  each  of  whom  took  a  whiff.  These 
formalities  were  observed  with  as  close  exactness  as 
state  etiquette  in  civilized  courts. 

The  dwellings  of  the  Indians  were  of  the  simplest 
and  rudest  character.  On  some  pleasant  spot  by 
the  bank  of  a  stream,  or  near  an  ever-running  spring, 
they  raised  their  groups  of  wigwams,  constructed  of 
the  bark  of  trees,  and  easily  taken  down  and  re- 
moved to  another  spot.  The  dwelling-places  of  the 
chiefs  were  sometimes  more  spacious,  and  con- 
structed with  greater  care,  but  of  the  same  materi- 
als. Skins  taken  in  the  chase  served  then  for  re- 
pose. 

Though  principally  dependent  upon  hunting  and 
fishing,  the  uncertain  supply  from  these  sources  led 
them  to  cultivate  small  patches  of  corn.  Every 
family  did  everything  necessary  within  itself,  com- 
merce", or  an  exchange  of  articles,  being  almost  un- 
known to  them.  In  case  of  dispute  and  dissension, 
each  Indian  relied  upon  himself  for  retaliation ; 
blood  for  blood  was  the  rule,  and  the  relatives  of  the 
slain  man  were  bound  to  obtain  bloody  revenge  for 
his  death.  This  principle  gave  rise,  as  a  matter  of 
course,  to  innumerable  and  bitter  feuds,  and  wars  of 
extermination,  when  such  were  possible.  War,  in- 
deed, rather  than  peace,  was  the  Indian's  glory  and 
delight — war,  not  conducted  as  in  civilization,  but 
where  individual  skill,  endurance,  gallantry  and 
cruelty  were  prime  requisites.  For  such  a  purpose 
as  revenge  the  Indian  would  make  great  sacrifices, 
and  display  a  patience  and  perseverance  truly  heroic  ; 
but  when  the  excitement  was  over  he  sank  back  into 
a  listless,  unoccupied,  well-nigh  useless  savage. 
During  the  intervals  of  his  more  exciting  pursuits, 


the  Indian  employed  his  time  in  decorating  his  per- 
son with  all  the  refinement  of  paint  and  feathers, 
and  in  the  manufacture  of  his  arms  and  canoes. 
These  were  constructed  of  bark,  and  so  light  that 
they  could  easily  be  carried  on  the  shoulder  from 
stream  to  stream.  His  amusements  were  the  war 
dance,  athletic  games,  the  narration  of  his  exploits 
and  listening  to  the  oratory  of  the  chiefs  ;  but  during 
long  periods  of  such  existence  he  remained  in  a 
state  of  torpor,  gazing  listlessly  upon  the  trees  of 
the  forest  and  the  clouds  that  sailed  above  them ; 
and  this  vacancy  imprinted  habitual  gravity,  and 
even  melancholy,  upon  his  general  deportment. 

The  main  labor  and  drudgery  of  Indian  communi- 
ties fell  upon  the  women.  The  planting,  tending 
and  gathering  of  the  crops,  making  mats  and  bas- 
kets, carrying  burdens, — in  fact,  all  things  of  the 
kind  were  performed  by  them,  thus  making  their 
condition  but  little  better  than  slaves.  Marriage 
was  merely  a  matter  of  bargain  and  sale,  the  hus- 
band giving  presents  to  the  father  of  the  bride.  In 
general  they  had  but  few  children.  They  were  sub- 
jected to  many  and  severe  attacks  of  sickness,  and 
at  times  famine  and  pestilence  swept  away  whole 
tribes. 

The  Indians  had  not  only  their  '* manitous"  but 
also  their  evil  spirits ;  and  the  wild  features  of  the 
lake  scenery  appears  to  have  impressed  their  savage 
minds  with  superstition.  They  believed  that  all  the 
prominent  points  of  this  wide  region  were  created 
and  guarded  by  monsters ;  and  the  images  of  these 
they  sculptured  on  stone,  painted  upon  the  rocks,  or 
carved  upon  the  trees.  Those  who  "  obeyed  "  these 
supernatural  beings  they  thought  would  after  death 
range  among  flowery  fields  filled  with  the  choicest 
game,  while  those  who  neglected  their  counsels 
would  wander  amid  dreary  solitudes,  stung  by  gnats 
as  large  as  pigeons. 

The  principal  Indian  settlements  in  this  county 
were  at  Shabbona  Grove,  where  for  many  years  the 
noted  chief,  Shabbona,  resided;  at  Squaw  Grove,  in 
what  is  now  Squaw  Grove  Township ;  at  the  point  in 
De  Kalb  Township,  where  the  village  of  Coltonville 
was  subsequently  located,  but  which  has  since  been 
vacated;  and  in  Kingston.  The  early  settlers  have 
many  interesting  incidents  to  relate  of  the  habits  of 
the  Indians  when  the  settlements  were  first  made  in 
this  county.  It  was  a  custom  of  an  Indian  when 
passing  and  desiring  a  rest  in  the  middle  of  the  day 

>?y «4>@^)6 


to  unceremoniously  open  a  door  of  a  cabin  and  throw 
in  his  blanket.  If  it  were  suffered  to  remain,  he 
would  walk  in,  lie  down  upon  it  and  take  a  nap;  if  it 
was  immediately  thrown  out,  he  would  pick  it  up  and 
go  on  his  way.  No  Indian  was  ever  known  to  knock 
at  a  door.  While  engaged  in  their  household  duties, 
the  women  would  often  be  frightened  on  looking  up 
to  find  one  who  had  noiselessly  entered,  and  who 
usually  went  in  only  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining 
something  to  eat.  When  their  wants  were  supplied 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


they  would    go    away    as    unceremoniously   as  they 
entered. 

In  September,  1835,  the  last  payment  was  made  to 
the  Indians  at  Shabbona  Grove,  and  those  who  were 
then  here,  with  the  exception  of  Shabbona  and  his 
family,  were  removed  across  the  Mississippi  River  to 
their  new  reservations.  Shabbona  remained  for  some 
years,  and  is  well  remembered  by  many  who  came  in 
even  at  a  later  day.  The  reader  is  referred  to  page 
533  for  a  lengthy  sketch  of  Shabbona. 


HE  first  permanent  settle- 
ment in  De  Kalb  County 
was  doubtless  made  by  Wil- 
liam Sebree  in  the  fall  of  r  834, 
at  Squaw  Grove.  By  some  it 
is  thought  that  Peter  Lamois 
located  north  of  the  present  city 
of  Sycamore  in  the  summer  of 
the  same  year.  The  evidence, 
we  think,  is  not  sufficient  to 
substantiate  the  claim,  Lamois' 
settlement  being  made  early  in 
1835.  A  house  for  some  years  oc- 
cupied by  Reuben  Root  in  Somo- 
I  nauk  Township  is  thought  by  some 
to  be  the  first  one  erected  in  the  county,  its  erection 
being  claimed  for  the  summer  of  1834.  A  Mr.  Rob- 
inson is  said  to  have  occupied  this  house  in  the  win- 
ter of  1834-5.  No  one  seems  to  have  any  personal 
knowledge  of  the  man ;  and  should  it  be  true  that  he 
was  there  at  the  time  stated,  his  settlement  here 
could  not  be  said  to  have  been  a  permanent  one. 

Early  in  1835  settlements  were  made  at  Paw  Paw 
by  David  A.  Towne,  Benoni  Harris,  Edward  Butter- 
field  ;  in  Somonauk,  by  Reuben  Root,  William  Poplin, 
Joseph  and  William  Sly,  Thomas  and  William  Brook, 
(Capt.  William  Davis  and  others;  in  Sycamore,  by 

(^vVg'B/gco  >"tf5!ifr'          ^ 

^T^VSTf59— 


Peter  Lamois,  Lysander  Darling  and  others ;  in  De 
Kalb,  by  John  B.  Collins,  N.  C.  Moore  and  others. 
There  were  also  settlements  made  in  Kingston,  Clin- 
ton and  Mayfield  Townships.  For  a  full  history  of 
each  of  the  settlements  the  reader's  attention  is 
directed  to  the  various  township  histories,  where  the 
settlement  of  each  is  treated  in  detail.  Suffice  it  to 
say,  in  this  connection,  that  when  it  became  known 
that  the  Indians  were  removed  settlements  were 
rapidly  formed,  and  in  1837  a  county  was  organized. 
The  first  settlers  of  De  Kalb  County,  like  those  of 
every  other  section  of  the  country,  located  in  the 
groves,  or  in  the  timbers  along  the  streams.  The 
Government  survey  had  not  then  been  made,  and 
each  man  made  claim  to  a  tract  of  timber,  covering, 
as  he  supposed,  about  80  acres,  and  generally  about 
1 60  acres  of  prairie  land.  In  order  to  protect  them- 
selves in  their  claims  when  the  land  came  into  mar- 
ket, claim  associations  were  formed  in  which  the 
members  pledged  themselves  to  defend  one  another 
in  their  rights,  and  to  deed  to  each  other  free  of  cost 
any  part  of  the  claim  made  which  might  be  part  of 
the  purchase  made  from  the  Government.  There 
were  two  associations  formed  in  this  county,  one  in 
the  northern  and  the  other  in  the  southern  part. 
That  in  the  northern  part  was  formed  in  1836,  while 
that  in  the  southern  was  formed  shortly  after. 




»«K*aft*)V*MMHK*Jl*+)INMHIIi*3l*^^ 


)UNDING  De  Kalb  County, 
we  find  on  the  east  Kendall 
and  Kane  Counties  ;  on  the 
west  Lee  and  Ogle,  on  the 
north  Boone  and  McHenry, 
and  on  the  south  La    Salle 
County.      It  is  in  the  second 
tier  of  counties    south  from 
the    Wisconsin    line.      The 
county  comprises  18  Congressional  town- 
ships, and  is  18  miles  across  from  east  to 
west  and  36  miles  from  north  to  south. 
The  surface  of  the  county  is  a  rich,  roll- 
ing prairie,  with  here  and  there  a  small 
natural  grove,  and  watered  by  a  few  small 
streams,  the  largest  of  which  is  the  Kish- 
waukee  River.      The    county  occupies 
the  elevated  ground  between  the  Fox 
and   the  Rock  Rivers,  whicli  are  noted 
for  their  purity  and  beauty. 

The  central  portion  of  the  county  contains  but 
little  timber,  and  only  a  few  running  streams.  There 
is  more  timber  and  water  in  the  northern  and  south- 
ern parts  of  the  county.  The  largest  stream  in 
the  county  is  the  Kishwaukee  River.  This  stream 
heads  in  the  town  of  Shabbona,  and  flows  through 
the  towns  of  Milan,  Afton,  De  Kalb,  Mayfleld,  Syca- 
more, Genoa,  Kingston  and  Franklin;  and  empties 
into  the  Rock  River,  in  Winnebago  County.  It  has 
several  branches,  one  of  which  heads  in  the  town  of 
Virgil,  Kane  County,  and  flows  through  Cortland  and 
Sycamore  Townships,  and  enters  the  main  branch  in 


the  town  of  Mayfield.  There  are  several  small  creeks 
that  flow  through  the  northern  part  of  the  county, 
which  are  valuable  to  the  farms  which  they  water. 
Along  the  banks  of  the  Kishwaukee,  in  the  northern 
half  of  the  county,  stretches  one  continuous  forest 
composed  principally  of  white,  red  and  burr  oak  trees, 
and  some  maple,  butternut,  black  walnut  and  hickory. 
This  grove  furnished  at  an  early  day  the  north  half  of 
the  county  with  fuel  and  fencing  timber.  The  rolling 
prairies  occupy  almost  the  entire  surface  of  the  cen- 
tral portion  of  the  county.  The  early  settlers  of  the 
county  made  their  claims  in  close  proximity  to  the 
timber  and  water,  and  could  hardly  believe  that  the 
distant  prairies  would  ever  serve  any  other  purpose 
than  that  of  a  large  range,  for  stock.  They  felt  sure 
that  no  farmer  could  live  there,  so  far  away  from  the 
timber.  They  little  thought  that  many  of  them  would 
live  to  see  it  all  settled  and  occupied  by  man.  Some 
of  the  wealthiest  farmers  and  the  most  productive 
farms  of  the  county,  are  now  found  on  the  prairies. 
The  central  portion  of  the  county  has  but  little  water. 
The  southern  portions  of  the  county,  like  the  north- 
ern, are  better  watered  and  timbered  than  those 
towns  which  occupy  the  center.  The  townships  of 
Paw  Paw  and  Shabbona  are  watered  by  the  Big  In- 
dian Creek,  while  Shabbona  Grove  and  Ross  Grove 
furnish  its  timber.  The  Little  Indian  Creek  waters 
the  townships  of  Victor,  Paw  Paw  and  Clinton;  while 
Somonauk  and  Squaw  Grove  Townships  are  watered 
by  Somonauk  Creek;  and  along  this  stream  will  be 
found  timber  enough  to  supply  the  wants  of  the  sur- 
rounding country.  Some  limestone  is  found  in 
Kingston,  Franklin  and  Afton  Townships. 


.  'I    .  'I    .  'I    .  'I    .  'i    .  'i    .  'i    .  'T    .  'i    .  'i    .  'i    .  'i    ,  'i    .  '.'.<  .    \'  .    i1  ,    i1  .    i1  .1'  .    i'  .    ]'  .    I1  .   l1  .  V  .   1'       I'  .   !"•    ' 


EGULAR  steps  were  taken 
shortly  after  the  settlement  of 
the  county  for  its  organization. 
Therefore,  on  the  first  Monday 
in  May,  1837,  in  accordance 
I  with  an  act  of  the  Legislature, 
the  election  was  held  to  deter- 
mine whether  the  county  of  De  Kalb 
should  be  set  off  from  the  county  of 
Kane,  of  which  it  then  formed  a 
part.  The  result  was  a  majority  in 
favor  of  the  division.  By  the  same 
act  calling  this  election  the  bound- 
aries of  the  new  county  to  be  created 
were  defined  as  follows  :  "  All  that 
tract  of  country  beginning  at  the  southeast  corner  of 
township  37  north,  range  2  east  of  the  third  principal 
meridian,  thence  north  to  the  northeast  corner  of 
township  42  north,  range  2  east  of  the  third  principal 
meridian,  and  thence  along  the  northern  boundary  of 
township  42,  in  ranges  3,  4  and  5  east  of  the  third 
principal  meridian,  thence  south  on  the  southeast 
corner  of  township  37  north,  range  5  east,  thence 
west  on  said  township  line,  to  the  place  of  beginning." 
By  section  8  of  the  act  determining  the  bound- 
aries of  the  county,  for  the  purpose  of  fixing  the  per- 

'  *^~ 


manent  seat  of  justice  of  the  county,  Benjamin 
Thruston,  of  La  Salle  County,  James  Walker,  of 
Cook  County,  and  Germanicus  Kent,  of  Winnebago 
County,  were  appointed  Commissioners,  and  required 
to  meet  at  the  house  of  Frederick  Love,  on  the  first 
Monday  in  June,  or  as  soon  thereafter  as  may  be,  for 
the  performance  of  their  duty. 

When  the  result  of  the  election  to  determine 
whether  De  Kalb  County  should  be  set  off  from  the 
county  of  Kane  was  officially  announced,  the  County 
Clerk  of  Kane  County  issued  a  call  for  an  election  to 
be  held  at  the  house  of  Frederick  Love,  at  which 
there  should  be  chosen  three  County  Commissioners, 
one  Sheriff,  Recorder  and  Coroner.  The  election 
was  held  July  3, 1837,  resulting  in  the  election  of  the 
following  named :  Rufus  Colton,  Robert  Sterrett, 
Levi  Lee,  County  Commissioners;  Joseph  C.  Lan- 
der, Sheriff;  Jesse  C.  Kellogg,  Recorder;  Eli  Barnes, 
Surveyor;  Lysander  Darling,  Treasurer. 
.  De  Kalb  County  was  named  in  honor  of  the  re- 
nowned Baron  De  Kalb,  who,  on  the  outbreak  of  the 
American  Revolution,  offered  his  services  to  the 
Colonies,  was  accepted,  and  after  nearly  four  years' 
fighting,  bravely  fell  in  battle,  thus  giving  his  life,  as 
he  so  aptly  expressed  it,  for  the  rights  of  man.  He 
was  born  in  a  German  province,  which,  at  the  time 
of  his  birth,  was  in  possession  of  France. 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


771 


Location  of  the  County  Seat. 

'HE  commissioners  appointed  by  the  Legis- 
lature to  locate  the  county  seat  met  at  the 
Chouse ot  Fred.  Love  sometime  during  the 
month  of  October,  1837.  There  were  three 
competing  points,  and  citizens  representing 
each  of  the  three  met  with  the  commissioners 
and  proceeded  with  them  to  view  each  separate  one. 
After  three  days  spent  in  riding  about  and  listening 
to  the  pleas  of  the  interested  persons,  the  commis- 
sioners decided  upon  the  present  site  of  Sycamore, 
and  drove  their  stake  where  the  court-house  now 
stands.  A  local  writer  thus  describes  this  scene: 
"  In  the  presence  of  quite  a  crowd  of  interested 
observers,  they  set  a  long  pole  upon  the  green 
prairie,  placed  on  it  a  streaming  flag,  and  declared  it 
to  be  the  location  of  the  county  seat  of  the  new 
county  of  De  Kalb.  Captain  Eli  Barnes  now  ad- 
vanced and  christened  the  new  town  by  the  name 
of  Orange.  No  objection  was  raised  to  this,  and  for 
some  time  thereafter  the  point  was  known  by  that 
name.  Some  objection  had  been  made  to  the  exact 
spot  selected  by  parties  who  thought  the  land  a 
half  mile  south  more  favorable.  This  was  admitted; 
but  it  was  decided  that  this  spot  was  as  far  out 
on  the  broad  prairie  as  the  center  of  the  town  ought 
to  be  placed,  and  here  it  was  put.  It  did  indeed 
seem  to  be,  in  the  phrase  of  the  country,  clear  out  of 
sight  of  land,  a  lonely,  windy,  grassy,  desolate  spot. 
The  inhabitants  of  the  rival  locations,  disappointed 
at  the  result,  ridiculed  and  denounced  the  selection, 
chiefly  for  this  reason.  It  was  argued,  however,  that 
the  great  State  road  from  Vandalia,  the  capital  of  the 
State,  north  to  Lake  Superior,  passed  through  this 
place,  that  the  State  road  from  Chicago  to  Galena 
would  cross  here,  and  that  consequently  it  would  be 
more  accessible  than  the  Coltonville  and  Brush  Point 
settlements,  which  were  further  to  the  west.  It  was 
also  held  that  there  was  a  great  deal  more  timber  on 
the  eastern  side  of  the  county  than  on  the  western 
side  ;  and  as,  of  course,  the  settlements  must  always 
be  near  the  timbered  lands,  the  center  of  population 
would  rather  be  at  the  east  than  at  the  west.  The 
gfr&fa *®^ % 


location  was  made  north  of  the  center  of  the  county, 
partly  because  it  was  thought  that  the  southern  end, 
divided  from  the  north  by  a  broad  stretch  of  bare 
prairie,  would  ultimately  be  set  off  into  some  other 
county." 


County-Seat  Contests. 

HE  selection  by  the  commissioners  of  the 
present  site  of  Sycamore  for  the  location  of 
the  county  seat,  did  not  end  the  matter. 
The  question  was  not  to  be  decided  so  easily. 
The  hopes  raised  in  the  breast  of  the  citizens 
of  Brush  Point  and  of  Coltonville  were  not  to 
be  thus  rudely  quenched  by  the  dictum  of  any  three 
men. 

During  the  session  of  the  Legislature  of  1837-8, 
Henry  Madden,  a  citizen  of  Brush  Point  in  the  pres- 
ent township  of  Mayfield,  and  a  member  of  the 
Legislature,  procured  the  passage  of  an  act  provid- 
ing that  a  vote  should  be  taken  for  or  against  the  re- 
moval of  the  county  seat  from  Orange.  The  design 
was  that  the  friends  of  Brush  Point  and  Coltonville 
should  combine  to  carry  the  measure  through,  then 
have  the  question  submitted  as  to  which  of  the  two 
should  be  the  county  seat.  Boies,  in  his  History  of 
De  Kalb  County,  thus  speaks  of  this  attempt  to 
procure  the  removal  of  the  county  seat:  "  Madden 
returned  and  made  no  public  mention  of  the  passage 
of  this  act,  but  it  was  strongly  suspected  by  the 
Orange  men  that  something  of  the  kind  had  been 
done  and  was  to  be  put  through  on  the  sly.  It  was 
finally  discovered  in  this  way :  A  certain  bachelor 
of  Genoa,  Gleason  by  name,  who  was  attached  to  the 
Orange  party,  invaded  the  Brush  Point  settlement 
one  Sunday  night  in  search  of  a  wife.  From  his  fair 
Dulcina,  he  learned  to  his  surprise  that  on  the  next 
Monday  week  an  election  was  to  be  held  in  that  set- 
tlement to  remove  the  county  seat.  Gleason  in- 
formed his  friends  of  what  he  had  learned,  and  it 
was  agreed  that  the  Orange  men  should  meet  them 
at  the  polls  and  vote  the  removal  project  down.  J. 
C.  Kellogg  and  E.  G.  Jewell  were  dispatched  south 
in  the  night  to  rouse  their  friends  in  Somonauk.  In 
due  time  the  polls  were  opened,  and,  to  the  surprise 
of  the  Brush  Pointers,  were  opened  in  those  precincts 
opposed  to  the  change  as  well  as  in  those  favor- 


able  to  it.  The  unfairness  of  the  secret  conspiracy 
was  so  apparent  that  in  Somonauk  precinct,  which 
then  included  six  townships,  45  of  the  47  votes  cast 
were  against  removal.  The  project  was  voted  down 
by  17  majority  in  the  whole  county." 

An  election  was  subsequently  held,  at  which  but 
few  votes  were  cast,  but  a  majority  in  favor  of  the  re- 
moval of  the  county  seat  to  Coltonville.  On  the  3d 
of  January,  1840,  an  act  was  passed  by  the  Legisla- 
ture to  "  permanently  locate  the  seat  of  justice  for 
the  county  of  De  Kalb."  On  the  third  Monday  in 


August  following,  an  election  was  held  in  pursuance 
of  the  act.  There  were  given  at  this  election  240 
votes  in  favor  of  the  removal  of  the  county  seat  from 
Coltonville,  and  143  votes  against  the  removal.  At 
-the  same  time  there  were  cast  207  votes  in  favor  of 
Sycamore  to  be  the  permanent  county  seat  and 
137  votes  in  favor  of  Brush  Point,  showing  a  ma- 
jority of  70  votes  in  favor  of  Sycamore. 

Other  attempts  have  been  made  from  time  to  time 
to  take  from  Sycamore  the  seat  of  justice  of  the 
county,  but  without  avail. 


A  ft  i 


HE  first  meeting  of  the  Coun- 
ty Commissioners' Court  was 
held  at  the  house  of  Rufus 
Colton,  July  3,  1837.  There 
were  present  Rufus  Colton, 
Levi  Lee  and  Robert  Sterrett. 
fter  administering  the  oath  of 
office  to  each  other  they  ap- 
pointed Jesse  C.  Kellogg  Clerk 
of  the  Court.  Mr.  Kellogg  at 
once  entered  into  bonds  with  Eli 
Barnes  as  security  in  the  sum  of 
$1,000  to  faithfully  perform  the 
duties  of  the  office.  On  the  nth 
of  July  a  special  term  of  the  Court 
was  held  at  the  house  of  Rufus  Col- 
ton and  the  county  was  divided  into 
five  election  precints,  each  precinct 
being  made  a  justice's  district.  The 
first  precinct  was  called  Kingston, 
its  boundary  being  as  follows :  Com- 
mencing at  the  northwest  corner  of 
the  county,  from  thence  south  1 2 
miles,  on  the  county  line,  from 
thence  northeast,  crossing  the  Sycamore  River,  in- 
cluding Benjamin  Stephens  in  the  precinct,  from 


thence  north  to  the  county  line,  from  thence  west  to 
the  place  of  beginning. 

The  second  precinct  was  called  Sycamore  and  was 
bounded  as  follows:  Commencing  at  the  northeast 
corner  of  Kingston  precinct,  from  thence  westerly  to 
the  line  of  Kingston  precinct  to  the  southwest  corner 
of  the  same,  thence  south  so  far  that  an  east  line 
will  cross  Sycamore  stream  between  James  and  Isaac 
McCollum's,  thence  easterly  so  as  to  include  Char- 
ires'  Grove  to  the  east  line  of  the  county,  thence 
north  to  the  place  of  beginning. 

The  third  election  precinct  was  called  Orange, 
with  the  following  boundary  line:  Commencing  at 
the  northeast  corner  of  Sycamore  precinct,  from 
thence  westerly  on  the  line  of  Sycamore  precinct,  to 
the  southwest  corner  of  the  same;  thence  south  so 
far  that  an  east  line  will  include  Lost  Grove;  from 
thence  east  to  the  county  line ;  from  thence  north  to 
the  place  of  beginning. 

Somonauk  was  the  name  given  the  fourth  precinct, 
with  boundary  lines  as  follows :  Commencing  at  the 
southeast  corner  of  Orange  precinct,  from  thence 
westerly  ten  miles,  from  thence  south  to  the  south 
line  of  the  county,  from  thence  east  to  the  southeast 
corner  of  the  county,  from  thence  north  to  the  place 
of  beginning. 

The  fifth   precinct  was  named  Paw  Paw,  and  was 


-- 
A 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


i 


! 


bounded  as  follows :  Commencing  at  the  northwest 
corner  of  Somonauk  precinct,  thence  west  to  the 
west  line  of  the  county,  from  thence  south  to  the 
southwest  corner  of  the  same,  from  thence  east  on 
the  county  line  to  the  southwest  corner  of  Somonauk 
precinct,  from  thence  north  to  the  place  of  begin- 
ning. 

Elections  were  ordered  and  judges  of  election 
appointed  for  the  several  districts  as  follows : 

Kingston  district,  at  the  house  of  Levi  Lee,  with 
George  H.  Hill,  John  Whitney  and  Jonas  Hait, 
judges  of  election. 

Sycamore  precinct,  at  the  school-house  near  Ly- 
sander  Darling's,  with  William  A.  Miller,  James  A. 
Armstrong,  and  Samuel  Cory,  judges  of  election. 

Orange  district,  at  the  house  of  Rufus  Colton, 
with  Frederick  Love,  James  Root  and  Eli  Barnes, 
judges  of  election. 

Somonauk  district,  at  the  house  of  Woodruff  and 
Lane,  with  William  Davis,  Frederick  A.  Witherspoon 
and  Samuel  Price,  judges  of  election. 

No  election  was  appointed  for  the  Paw  Paw  pre- 
cinct, and  there  probably  was  none  held,  for  on  the 
nth  day  of  August  the  Commissioners  allowed  the 
sum  of  one  dollar  each  to  the  judges  of  election  for 
each  of  the  foregoing  districts,  without  reference  to 
Paw  Paw. 

At  this  term  of  court  it  was  ordered  that  Levi  Lee, 
Benjamin  Harris  and  Richard  Hogeboom  obtain  a 
writ  of  ad  quod  damnum  for  the  purpose  of  damming 
the  Sycamore  River  for  the  erection  of  mills. 

At  this  session  the  clerk  prepared  three  tickets,  on 
the  first  of  which  was  written,  "  one  year,"  the  sec- 
ond, "  two  years,"  and  the  third,  "three  years."  The 
Commissioners  then  proceeded  to  draw,  the 
ticket  drawn  representing  the  term  of  years  each 
was  to  serve.  Levi  Lee  drew  one  year,  Rufus 
Colton  two  years,  and  Robert  Sterrett  three  years. 

In  August,  1838,  another  election  was  held  for 
three  county  commissioners,  made  necessary  by  a 
change  in  the  law.  E.  G.  Jewell,  Burrage  Hough 
and  Henry  Hicks  were  elected.  They  issued  an 
order  that  the  October  term  of  the  Circuit  Court 
should  be  held  at  the  house  of  Eli  Barnes  at  the 
proposed  county  seat.  The  house  not  being 
erected  at  the  time  mentioned,  court  was  held  at 
Coltonville. 

At  the  September  meeting  of  the  board  the  ques- 


tion of  the  erection  of  a  court-house  and  jail  was 
considered,  but  no  plan  adopted. 

Eli  G.  Jewell  was  authorized  to  secure  the  ser- 
vices of  a  surveyor  to  plat  the  new  county  seat. 

The  compensation  of  jurors  was  fixed  at  75  cents, 
but  subsequently  reduced  to  50  cents  per  day. 

Three  tavern  licenses  were  granted  this  year — one 
to  Russell  Huntly,  at  which  is  now  the  town  of  De 
Kalb ;  one  to  John  Eastabrooks,  at  Squaw  Grove, 
and  one  to  H.  N.  Perkins,  at  Genoa. 

In  1839  the  county  was  divided  into  three  assess- 
ment districts — the  election  precincts  of  Franklin, 
Kingston  and  Kishwaukee  constiluting  one,  with  H. 
F.  Page  as  assessor.  Sycamore,  Orange  and  Ohio 
precincts  were  made  the  second  district,  with  Austin 
Hayden,  assessor.  Somonauk  and  Paw  Paw  was 
the  third,  Stephen  Arnold  being  appointed  assessor. 

The  total  receipts  and  expenditures  of  the  county 
this  year  amounted  to  $452.15. 

In  1840  the  principal  duty  was  to  devise  ways  and 
means  to  run  the  county  without  money.  The 
license  for  grocery-keepers  was  raised  to  $25  per 
year. 

For  some  years  about  all  that  was  done  by  the 
County  Commissioners  was  to  lay  out  and  locate 
new  roads.  In  1848  the  increasing  population 
demanded  the  division  of  the  county  into  more 
election  precincts.  Squaw  Grove  precinct  was 
formed  out  of  what  is  now  Squaw  Grove  Township 
and  the  south  half  of  Pierce.  Somonauk  precinct 
was  changed  so  as  to  include  Somonauk  Township 
and  part  of  Victor.  The  name  of  Wooster  precinct 
was  changed  to  Genoa. 

In  March,  1849,  commissioners  were  appointed 
to  provide  for  the  building  of  a  new  court-house.  At 
the  same  time  an  order  was  passed  authorizing  the 
erection  of  a  jail. 

At  the  December  term,  1849,  William  A.  Miller, 
William  J.  Hunt  and  Robert  Sterrett  were  appointed 
to  divide  the  county  into  townships  for  a  new  organ- 
ization under  the  township  organization  law.  They 
divided  the  county  into  thirteen  townships,  to  which 
were  given  the  following  names  :  Genoa,  Kingston, 
Franklin,  Vernon,  Liberty,  Sycamore,  Richland, 
Orange,  Shabbona,  Clinton,  Squaw  Grove,  Somonauk 
and  Paw  Paw. 

The  following  comprises  the  list  of  those  who 
have  held  the  office  of  County  Commissioner :  R. 

C)      >*O^ "f^^f 


i 

I 


Colton,  Levi  Lee,  Robert  Sterrett,  Burrage  Hough, 
E.  G.  Jewell,  H.  Hicks,  M.  M.  Mack,  David  Merritt, 
Sylvanus  Holcomb,  A.  Hayden,  George  H.  Hill, 
Joseph  Newberry,  W.  Young,  A.  Hill,  John  S.  Brown. 

Board  of  Supervisors. 

CAVING   adopted   the  township  organization 
law,  a  Board  of  Supervisors  was  elected  in 
1850.     The  first  meeting  was  held  at  Syca- 
more, Oct.    7,    1850.       James    Harrington,    of 
Sycamore,  was  chosen  Chairman.     Among  the 
|      first  acts  of  the  Board  was  to  change  the  name 
of  the  townships  of  Orange  to  De  Kalb,  of  Richland 


to    Pampas,    of  Liberty  to  Mayfield,  and  of  Vernon 
to  South   Grove.       From  1850  to  the  present   time 
the  township  organization   system  has  been  in  vogue 
and   has  generally   been   acceptable  to  the'  people.      ' 
Wise  counsels  have  usually  prevailed  in  the  Board,  ^ 
and  much  has  been  accomplished   by  the  members 
to  advance  the  welfare  of  the  county.      Especially 
during  the  perilous  times  of  the  Rebellion  was  the 
Board  active  in  providing  means  and  measures  to  aid 
the  Government  and  the  people  at  home. 

For  a  list  of  Supervisors,  see  the  respective  town- 
ship histories,  where  a  full  list  of  the  Supervisors  of 
the  county,  serving  the  various  townships  in  this 
capacity,  is  given. 


JHE  County  Commissioners,  in 
1838,  when  the  seat  of  jus- 
tice for  the  county  was  deter- 
mined upon,  after  providing 
for  the  survey  and  the  plat- 
ting of  the  village,  issued  an 
order  requiring  EliG.  Jewell 
to  sell  certain  lots  at  public  auc- 
tion, the  proceeds  to  be  applied  to 
the  erection  of  a  court-house  and 
jail.  The  auction  was  held  and 
some  15  or  20  lots  were  sold  at 
prices  ranging  from  $20  to  $50  each. 
Among  the  purchasers  were  Fred- 
erick Love,  J.  C.  Kellogg,  James  S. 
Waterman,  Harvey  Maxfield,  Dan- 
iel Bannister,  Altnon  Robinson, 
Erastus  Barnes  and  Timothy  Wells. 
Steps  were  at  once  taken  to  erect  a  court-house,  and 
accordingly  a  building  20  x  30  feet  was  erected  on 
the  south  side  of  the  public  square,  in  which  the 
June  session  of  the  Circuit  Court,  in  1839,  was  held, 
although  incomplete  at  the  time.  This  building  was 


used  until  the  winter  of  1850-1  as  a  court-house, 
and  afterwards  used  for  various  purposes  until  r88i, 
when  it  was  torn  down  and  the  lumber  removed. 

In  consequence  of  increase  in  population,  and  in 
the  volume  of  business  transacted  by  the  county 
officers,  it  was  but  a  few  years  before  a  larger  and 
better  building  became  absolutely  necessary.  The 
people  throughout  the  county  felt  unwilling  to  bear 
the  expense  of  the  entire  building,  believing  that  the 
count  seat,  which  they  thought  would  be  benefited 
thereby,  should  bear  a  large  proportion.  After  much 
discussion,  at  the  March  term,  1849,  of  the  Commis- 
sioners' Court,  three  commissioners  were  appointed 
to  contract  for  building  a  new  court-house.  The 
commissioners  were  E.  P.  Koring,  Kimball  Dow  and 
J.  C.  Kellogg.  The  building  was  to  be  erected  in  the 
center  of  the  public  square,  to  be  of  brick  60  x  40 
feet,  two  stories  in  height,  and  cost  not  to  exceed 
$6,000.  Of  this  amount  individual  citizens,  presum- 
ably of  Sycamore,  were  to  contribute  $[,500,  being 
allowed  to  pay  in  notes,  two-thirds  of  which  should 
be  paid  Nov.  i,  1849,  and  the  remainder  one  year 
thereafter.  The  County  Commissioners  further  or- 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


dered  that  it  should  be  agreed  that  in  case  the 
county  seat  should  ever  be  removed  from  Sycamore 
the  county  should  return  to  the  persons  the  amount 
paid  by  each.  It  was  ordered  that  the  notes  be 
registered  on  the  court  records  and  be  evidence  of 
the  liability  of  the  county  for  the  re-payment  of  this 
advance.  An  active  canvass  was  at  once  made  to 
secure  the  required  amount  from  the  citizens  of  Syca- 
more, with  flattering  results.  Among  those  con- 
tributing, with  the  amounts  given,  are  the  following 
named:  E.  B.  Barnes,  j$roo;  Amos  Story,  $20; 
John  Mayfield,  $40;  Thomas  Woolsey,  $20;  Kim- 
ball  Dow,  $50;  E.  P.  Young,  $150;  W.  H.  Beavers, 
$37;  W.  J.  Hunt,  $50;  Ellsworth  Rose,  $25;  E. 
Hall,  $25  ;  E.  H.  Barnes,  $25  ;  Alonzo  Brown,  $20; 
O.  P.  White,  $25  ;  Z.  B.  Mayo,  $50 ;  E.  L.  Mayo, 
$50;  John  Chatfield,  $20;  J.  S.  &  J.  C.  Waterman, 
$r5b;  M.  Stark,  $50;  O.  M.  Bryan,  $30;  Thomas 
H.  Wood,  $25  ;  E.  Wharry,  $20;  E.  G.  Jewell,  $20; 
Darius  Williams,  $25;  R.  Wyman,  $20;  William 
Connell,  $20;  J.  C.  Kellogg,  $25;  R.  Hopkins  and 
W.  P.  Dutton,  $75  ;  D.  Easterbrooks,  $25  ;  A.  Jack- 
man,  $20;  Homer  Roberts,  $20 ;  Sylvanus  Holcomb, 
$25  ;  W.  Fordham,  $30;  G.  W.  Kretsinger,  $20. 

The  agents  for  building  were  also  authorized  to 
sell  the  old  court-house  and  all  town  lots  owned  by 
the  county  at  auction,  and  apply  the  proceeds  in 
payment  of  the  $4,500  in  bonds  issued  by  the  county' 
for  the  new  building.  In  the  winter  of  1850-1  the 
new  court-house  was  completed  and  occupied  by  the 
county  officers. 

No  changes  were  made  to  this  building  until  1863, 
when  a  fire-proof  addition  was  made  upon  the  west 
side  for  the  use  of  the  offices  of  of  the  circuit  and 
county  clerks,  at  a  cost  of  $4,500. 

At  the  same  time  in  which  the  order  was  passed 
appointing  agents  to  superintend  the  erection  of  the 
court-house,  one  authorizing  the  erection  of  a  jail  at 
a  cost  not  exceeding  $1,500  was  passed.  Nothing, 
however,  was  done  under  this  order. 

In  1855  another  attempt  was  made  to  secure  an 
appropriation  and  an  order  authorizing  the  erection 
of  a  county  jail.  After  much  discussion  an  order 
was  passed  appropriating  $3,500  for  this  purpose, 
provided  the  citizens  of  Sycamore  would  subscribe 
$1,500.  An  effort  was  made  by  interested  persons 
to  secure  this  amount,  but  without  avail.  At  the 
January  term  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors,  in  1856, 


the  committee  appointed  to  solicit  subscriptions  re- 
ported no  success  in  their  mission,  and  recommended 
that  the  county  proceed  to  build  the  jail  without 
their  aid.  After  considerable  discussion,  the  Board 
appropriated  $5,000  for  the  purpose,  and  appointed 
J.  S.  Brown,  James  Harrington  and  Alonzo  Ellwood 
a  building  committee.  The  work  was  at  once  begun 
and  soon  completed.  Thus  the  first  jail  in  DeKalb 
County  was  not  erected  for  19  years  after  its  organi- 
zation. 

In  1853  the  Board  of  Supervisors  appointed  W.  C. 
Tappan  and  Jesse  Tindall  a  committee  to  contract 
for  a  tract  of  land  for  a  poor-farm,  the  expense  of 
keeping  the  poor  becoming  quite  burdensome  to  the 
county.  A  loan  of  $3,000  was  called  for  with  which 
to  purchase  it.  In  September,  the  farm  of  A.  H. 
Cartwright,  between  Sycamore  and  De  Kalb,  was 
purchased  for  the  purpose.  Suitable  buildings  were 
erected  and  for  a  number  of  years  met  the  wants  of 
those  for  whom  it  was  intended. 

At  the  November  term  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors, 
in  1870,  Moses  Dean,  W.  L.  Simmons,  C.  W.  Brough- 
ton,  J.  F.  Glidden  and  Curtis  Smith  were  appointed 
a  committee  for  the  purpose  of  taking  into  consider- 
ation the  purchase  of  a  new  farm  for  the  poor  and 
the  erection  of  more  suitable  buildings.  The  com- 
mittee at  the  January,  1871,  term,  reported  against  a 
change  of  location,  but  urged  the  erection  of  new 
buildings,  according  to  certain  plans  and  specifica- 
tions filed  with  their  report.  The  report  of  the  com- 
mittee was  adopted  and  recommendations  concurred 
in.  Moses  Dean  and  J.  F.  Glidden  were  appointed 
a  committee  to  superintend  the  erection  of  new 
buildings.  An  appropriation  of  $9,500  was  made  for 
the  purpose.  At  the  September  term,  1871,  the 
committee  reported  the  cost  of  improvements  would 
amount  to  about  $14,000.  An  additional  appropriation 
of  $1,500  was  made.  The  buildings  were  completed 
before  winter.  In  that  year  there  were  33  inmates 
in  the  poor-house.  For  the  year  1884,  the  cost  of 
operating  the  farm  and  caring  for  the  poor  was 
$2,263.38.  The  average  appropriation  annually  is 
$1,800.  For  the  year  1884  it  was  reported  there 
were  26  inmates  in  the  house  ;  three  deaths  and  one 
birth  had  occurred.  The  cost  of  each  inmate  for 
the  year,  exclusive  of  farm  products  used,  was  $1.59 
per  week.  The  institution  is  well  and  economically 
managed,  all  parties  being  satisfied  with  it. 


' 


its  organization  De  Kalb 
County  was  made  part  of  the 
7th  Judicial  Circuit.  The 
first  session  of  the  Court  was 
held  at  the  house  of  Rufus 
Colton,  in  Coltonville,  on  the 
9th  day  of  October,  1838.  There 
were  present  Hon.  John  Pearson, 
Judge  of  the  Circuit,  Joseph  C.  Lan- 
der, Sheriff,  and  Rufus  Colton,  Clerk. 
The  first  suit  on  record  was  that  of 
Erasmus  D.  Walrod  vs.  Stephen 
Sherwood.  This  was  a  case  of  appeal 
from  a  justice's  court,  the  plaintiff 
having  obtained  a  judgment  for  the 
same  of  $100.  The  judgment  of  the  lower  court  was 
sustained. 

The  following  named  composed  the  first  grand 
ury:  George  H.  Hill,  Nathan  Billings,  William  A. 
Miller,  Lysander  Darling,  John  Whitney,  John  Easta- 
brooks,  William  Miles,  Henry  Madden,  Eli  Barnes, 
Phineas  Stevens,  Alpheus  Jenks,  Russell  D.  Crossett, 
John  Maxfield,  William  Davis,  Mallby  B.  Cleveland, 
D.  S.  Ballard,  Zachariah  Wood,  Ralph  Wyman,  Ben- 
jamin Stephens,  Joseph  A.  Armstrong,  Henry  B. 
Barber,  Reuben  Nichols,  Justin  Crafts. 

The  petit  jurors  for  the  same  term  were  C.  W. 
Branch,  E.  F.  White,  Abner  Jackson,  Peter  Lamois, 
Clark  Wright,  John  Elliott,  Clark  L.  Barber,  Joseph 
A.  McCollum,  Russell  Huntley,  Ora  A.  Walker,  John 
Corkins,  Solomon  Wells,  H.  N.  Perkins,  Jacob  Cox, 
Lyman  Judd,  Henry  Durham,  F.  A.  Witherspoon, 
John  Sebree,  Marshall  Stark,  Jeremiah  Burleigh,  John 
£&&&• 


Riddle,  Wm.  Russell,  W.  Y.  Pomeroy,  Ezra  Hanson. 

There  were  20  cases  on  the  docket  at  this  term. 
The  only  indictment  found  by  the  grand  jury  was 
one  against  William  Taylor  for  passing  counterfeit 
money.  Taylor  was  supposed  to  be  one  of  an  organ- 
ized gang  that  was  then  infesting  the  country  and 
swindling  honest  citizens.  Not  being  ready  for  trial 
he  was  retained  until  the  next  term  of  court.  After 
being  boarded  for  some  weeks  by  the  Barber  family 
the  County  Commissioners  ordered  him  sent  to  the 
Will  County  jail,  to  do  which  cost  the  county  $45. 
When  he  was  next  brought  out  for  trial  he  escaped 
from  the  guard  and  was  never  afterwards  heard  from. 

The  June  session  of  the  Circuit  Court  convened  at 
Coltonville  with  Hon.  Thomas  Ford,  Judge  of  the 
gth  Judicial  Circuit,  presiding.  While  in  session  the 
Board  of  County  Commissioners  ordered  its  clerk  to 
notify  the  Judge  that  a  court-house  had  been  erected 
at  the  county  seat  and  was  ready  for  occupancy,  re- 
questing that  he  direct  the  Circuit  Clerk  to  there  keep 
his  office.  Boise  thus  speaks  of  this  matter:  "  Cap- 
tain Barnes  served  the  order  upon  the  Judge,  and 
the  crowd  of  attendants,  augmented  by  a  large  body 
of  citizens,  assembled  to  see  what  action  would  be 
taken  upon  this  order,  awaited  with  great  interest  the 
argument  upon  the  proposition  to  remove  to  Sycamore. 
When  the  Judge  decided  that  the  court  must  be  re- 
moved thence  a  shout  of  triumph  went  up  from  the 
Sycamore  party,  while  the  opponents  of  removal  were 
correspondingly  depressed.  Judge  Ford  took  his 
record  under  his  arm,  State's  Attorney  Purple  bundled 
up  his  papers,  the  Sheriff,  the  lawyers,  juries,  parties- 
and  witnesses  followed  suit,  and,  led  by  Captain 

£> S5«jr: «4)@$&® 

xxr— —  ,_     |  /v 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


..• 


Barnes  on  that  well-known  spotted  horse  that  he  rode 
upon  all  public  occasions  for  more  than  20  years 
later,  all  took  up  their  line  of  march  through  the  thick 
woods  and  across  the  green  prairie,  to  the  new  seat  of 
empire  at  Sycamore.  The  assemblage  was  enter- 
tained at  a  grand  public  dinner  at  the  new  tavern, 
when  all  the  luxuries  that  the  country  afforded  were 
freely  provided  by  the  successful  party.  When  the 
Court  repaired  to  the  new  court-house,  it  was  found 
that  the  declaration  of  the  Commissioners  that  the 
court-house  was  ready  for  occupancy  was  rather  more 
than  its  condition  warranted.  It  had  a  frame,  a 
roof,  and  some  siding  upon  it,  but  there  were  no 
doors  or  windows,  and  the  only  floor  was  some  loose 
boards  covering  one  half  of  the  upper  story.  When 
the  officers  of  the  Court  had  clambered  up  to  the  seat 
of  justice  in  the  second  story,  they  found  furniture 
somewhat  scarce.  A  tilting  table  was  the  judge's 
desk,  and  a  broad,  rough  board  was  provided  for  the 
clerk's  and  attorney's  tables.  It  was  a  rough  and 
primitive  arrangement  for  the  entertainment  of  the 
blind  goddess,  and  if  she  had  had  her  eyes  about  her 
she  would  have  fled  from  the  spot  in  alarm.  A 
question  arose  whether  processes  having  been  made 
returnable  at  Coltonville,  suits  could  be  tried  at  an- 
other locality,  and  except  a  few  agreed  cases  no  liti- 
gation was  carried  on.  William  Taylor,  the  only 
criminal,  having  fortunately  run  away,  and  the  arrest 
of  all  others  carefully  avoided,  there  was  no  use  for 
a  grand  jury,  and  it  had  been  at  once  dismissed,  and 
the  court  speedily  adjourned." 

Judge  Ford  presided  at  each  session  of  the  Circuit 
Court  from  1839  to  1841,  inclusive.  The  Judge  sub- 
sequently became  Governor  of  the  State,  a  biograph- 
ical sketch  and  portrait  of  whom  will  be  found  upon 
other  pages  of  this  work. 

Hon.  J.  D.  Caton,  one  of  the  Judges  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  was  assigned  to  circuit  duties,  and  presided 
here  from  1842  to  1849  inclusive.  Judge  Caton  is 
well  known  to  be  one  of  the  ablest  judges  ever  upon 
the  bench  in  the  State  of  Illinois. 

Hon.  T.  Lyle  Dickey  was  assigned  to  the  circuit 
in  1850.  He  is  at  present  a  popular  Judge  of  the 
Supreme  Court. 

Hon.  Isaac  G.  Wilson  was  the  first  Judge  elected 

the  new  131)1  Circuit,  under  the  Constitution  of 
He  was  commissioned  in  June,  1851.  Judge 
Wilson  was  born  in  Middlebury,  N.  Y.,  April  26, 


1815.  He  received  a  good  collegiate  education,  and 
in  law  few  men  are  better  read.  Of  a  fine,  dignified, 
personal  appearance,  a  cultured  gentleman,  he  re- 
ceives the  respect  of  all.  As  a  judge,  he  ranks  among 
the  best,  and  in  his  long  career  upon  the  bench,  he 
has  never  been  accused  of  corruption  or  favoritism. 

Judge  Wilson  was  succeeded  by  Allen  C.  Fuller, 
who  is  widely  known  as  the  Adjutant  General  of  the 
State  during  the  Rebellion,  discharging  the  duties  of 
that  office  in  a  most  acceptable  manner.  Judge 
Fuller  was  and  is  a  man  of  great  force  of  character, 
with  indomitable  will  and  energy,  and,  as  a  lawyer, 
ranked  high.  He  remained  upon  the  bench  but  a 
few  months,  resigning  to  accept  the  appointment  of 
Adjutant  General.  He  has  become  immensely 
wealthy. 

Hon.  Theodore  D.  Murphy  was  elected  to  succeed 
Judge  Fuller,  his  commission  bearing  date  Sept.  i, 
1862.  He  was  re-commissioned  June  27,  1867,  and 
served  until  1879  as  Judge  of  the  i3th  and  of  the 
Second  Circuit  as  re-organized  under  the  Constitution 
of  1870,  and  again  as  one  of  the  Judges  of  the  i2th 
Circuit  created  by  the  act  of  1877,  of  which  De  Kalb 
County  forms  a  part.  Judge  Murphy  is  of  Irish  de- 
scent, born  in  Virginia.  He  was  very  popular  with 
the  people. 

By  the  act  of  1877  three  judges  were  elected  to 
to  each  circuit,  and  at  present  Judges  Clark  W.  Up- 
ton, Isaac  G.  Wilson  and  Charles  Kellum  serve  the 
circuit.  No  circuits  in  the  State  have  more  popular 
judges.  Isaac  G.  Wilson  has  already  been  men- 
tioned. He  is  now  one  of  the  Judges  of  the  Appellate 
Court  also.  Of  Clark  W.  Upton  much  could  be  said 
in  his  praise.  He  is  a  native  of  Vermont,  a  man  of 
great  and  diversified  experience,  well  read  in  litera- 
ture and  law,  an  upright  judge  and  well  liked  by  the 
Bar.  In  personal  appearance  he  is  one  to  attract  at- 
tention, having  a  smooth  face,  florid  complexion,  and, 
to  sum  it  all  up,  is  a  handsome  man. 

Of  Charles  Kellum  it  is  unnecessary  to  speak  in 
this  connection.  A  full  biographical  sketch  appears 
elsewhere  in  this  volume,  accompanied  by  a  well 
executed  portrait.  Suffice  it  to  say,  as  a  lawyer  he 
is  regarded  highly  ;  as  a  judge,  among  the  best,  hav- 
ing the  confidence  and  respect  of  the  Bar  and  peo- 
ple alike ;  as  a  citizen,  ever  ready  to  do  all  in  his 
power  to  advance  the  best  interests  of  the  commu- 
nity in  which  he  lives. 


MONG  the  learned  profes- 
sions, none  rank  higher  than 
the  legal.  Its  members  exert 
probably  a  greater  influence 
upon  a  community  than  that 
of  any  other.  The  lawyer  is 
expected  to  occupy  a  leading 
position  upon  all  questions  af- 
fecting the  well-being  of  the  peo- 
ple. In  all  public  assemblies 
he  is  expected  to  take  a  promi- 
nent part  and  his  views  are  often 
accepted  and  endorsed.  The  Bar 
of  De  Kalb  County  has  always 
ranked  high,  embracing  among  its 
members  some  of  the  brightest  legal  talent  in  North- 
ern Illinois. 

Mr.  Crothers,  a  young  attorney,  located  at  Colton- 
ville  shortly  after  the  village  was  laid  out,  in  1837, 
and  has  the  honor  of  being  the  first  lawyer  to  reside 
in  the  county.  He  was  a  man  of  great  natural  abil- 
ity and  well  read  for  one  of  his  age.  He  remained 
until  about  the  time  the  county  seat  was  removed  to 
Sycamore,  when  he  moved  to  Ottawa,  became  the  law 
partner  of  T.  Lyle  Dickey,  and  became  quite  dis- 
tinguished at  the  Bar. 

Andrew  J.  Brown,  who  is  usually  supposed  to  have 
been  the  first  lawyer  to  locate  in  the  county,  was 
doubtless  the  second.  He  remained  here  but  a 
short  time  and  then  moved  to  Chicago,  where  he 

y-s,    A. 


subsequently  became  quite  distinguished.  He  is  now 
dead. 

Mr.  Masters  is  said  to  have  been  the  next  attorney 
to  locate  here.  He  did  but  little  if  any  business, 
and  has  been  forgotten  by  most  of  the  older  resi- 
dents. 

E.  L.  Mayo  and  W.  J.  Hunt  were  next  in  order. 
The  latter  did  little  or  no  business  at  the  Bar,  but 
the  former  became  quite  distinguished. 

Among  those  who  have  lived  and  practiced  here 
at  the  Bar,  whose  names  are  readily  recalled,  and 
who  now  reside  elsewhere,  have  quit  practice,  or 
who  have  since  died,  are  John  L.  Beveridge,  a  man 
of  sterling  worth,  who  has  been  Governor  of  the 
State  of  Illinois ;  Mr.  Favor,  J.  A.  Simons,  A.  C. 
Allen,  D.  B.  James,  Z.  B.  Mayo,  A.  C.  Babcock,  R. 
L.  Divine,  John  J.  McKinnon,  William  Fordham,  O. 
S.  Webster,  A.  C.  Bryant,  Gilbert  Winters,  Volney 
Owen,  Charles  Balliette,  H.  D.  Willis,  F.  W.  Part- 
ridge, Mr.  McBroom,  George  Kretsinger,  J.  H.  Sedg- 
wick,  L.  E.  Hay  and  Frank  Stevens. 

D.  B.  James  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  his  native 
State  of  Vermont  about  1847.  In  1849  he  dropped 
his  law  books  and  went  to  California,  where  he  re- 
mained some  two  years  engaged  in  mining,  but  with 
poor  success.  Returning  to  Vermont,  he  made  his 
arrangements  to  come  to  Illinois,  arriving  in  De  Kalb 
County  in  1852,  where  he  at  once  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  E.  L.  Mayo,  which  continued  until  1858. 
He  then  formed  a  partnership  with  Luther  Lowell 


- 


and  Chauncey  Ellwood,  under  the  firm  name  of 
James,  Lowell  &  Ellwood,  which  continued  some 
months,  when  Mr.  Ellwood  withdrew.  The  follow- 
ing four  years  the  firm  of  James  &  Lowell  had  an 
existence.  In  1864  the  partnership  of  James  & 
Lowell  was  dissolved  and  that  of  James  &  Jones 
formed.  In  the  fall  of  this  year  Mr.  James  was 
elected  County  Judge.  Taking  the  office  Jan.  i, 
1865,  he  served  four  years.  Some  time  in  1866  he 
received  a  stroke  of  paralysis,  from  which  he  never 
entirely  recovered,  but  notwithstanding  he  continued 
to  discharge  the  duties  of  his  office.  On  the  expira- 
tion of  his  term  he  was  appointed  Postmaster  and 
served  one  term.  Judge  James  was  a  man  of  good, 
native  ability  and  a  very  popular  man.  According 
to  his  ability  he  did  as  much  to  advance  the  inter- 
ests of  Sycamore  as  any  man  that  ever  resided  here. 
He  did  too  much  for  his  own  good,  financially  speak- 
ing. As  a  lawyer  he  ranked  high  during  the  first 
ten  years  of  his  life  in  Sycamore.  He  was  not  a 
close  student,  but  was  a  man  of  quick  perception,  a 
fluent  speaker,  and  as  an  advocate  before  a  jury  met 
with  great  success.  Like  many  other  lawyers  he 
devoted  much  of  his  time  to  politics.  During  the 
war  he  was  very  active  in  promoting  enlistments, 
and  was  appointed  upon  the  staff  of  Gov.  Oglesby, 
with  rank  of  Colonel.  His  wife  was  Ann  George. 
Col.  James  died  Jan.  29,  1877. 

George  Kretsinger  was  a  brilliant,  though  not  a 
profound  lawyer.  His  best  work  was  as  an  advocate 
before  a  jury.  He  served  the  county  one  term  in 
the  Legislature.  Many  years  ago  he  removed  to 
California,  where  he  has  since  died. 

J.  A.  Simons  was  a  good  chancery  lawyer.  He 
removed  to  Missouri  Junction,  Iowa,  and  has  since 
died. 

A.  C.  Allen  was  from  Bradford  Co.,  Pa.  As  a  law- 
yer he  ranked  high  during  the  second  decade  of  the 
county's  existence.  He  died  here. 

John  J.  McKinnon  was  a  native  of  Canada,  but 
came  here  from  Chicago.  He  was  a  man  of  fine 
ability,  well  read  in  literature  and  law. 

A.  C.  Babcock  was  a  stirring  fellow,  a  fine  advo- 
cate, but  while  here  devoted  himself  more  to  the  ab- 
stract business  than  the  law. 

R.   L.   Divine  was  from  Sullivan  Co.,  N.  Y.     He 
was  a  man  of  great  ability,  surpassed  by  few  in  the 
State  as  a  criminal  lawyer.     A  good  sketch  of  hi 
will  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 


Volney  Owen  was  from  Herkimer  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and 
was  here  a  portion  of  the  time  during  the   second    c? 
nd   third    decades   of  the   county's   history.      He 
"ormed  a  partnership  with  Chauncey  Ellwood  after 
the  withdrawal  of  the  latter  from  the  firm  of  James,    v 
Lowell   &    Ellwood.     He   was   a  well  read  lawyer. 
After  remaining  in  this  State  a  few  years,  he  returned 
to  New  York,  was  subsequently  elected  County  Judge 
of  Herkimer  County,  and  has  since  died. 

William    Fordham   was    from    Montrose,   Susque- 
hannah  Co.,  Pa.     He  was  here  in  the  second  decade. 
Mr.  Fordham  was  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary  abil-    < 
ity,  a  little  erratic,  but  well  read  in  law.     He  now 
resides  in  Morgan  Co.,  Tenn. 

O.  S.  Webster  settled  at  Cortland  shortly  after  the 
completion    of    the    railroad    through    that   place, 
where  he  remained  a  short  time  and  then  moved  to 
Sycamore.     He  was  regarded  as  a  promising  young 
man.     On  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  he  enlisted,    ( 
served  his  time,  and  then  located  in  Sagamon  Co., 
111.,  where  he  now  resides.     He  served  as  County 
Superintendent  of  Public  Schools  of  that  county  for  i= 
some  time. 

A.    C.   Bryant   was  from  Vermont.     He    was    a  ^ 
bright  young  man,  but  ill  health  prevented  his  doing 
much  business  in  this  county.     He  removed  tempo- 
rarily to  Minnesota,  but  returned  and  died  here. 

Gilbert  Winters  was  a  lawyer  of  considerable  ability, 
a  fine  special  pleader.  He  went  into  the  army,  and  at 
the  close  of  his  term  of  service  returned  to  Mans- 
field, Ohio,  from  whence  he  came. 

Charles  Balliette  was  a  young  man,  but  one  who 
was  not  content  to  remain  unknown.     As  a  lawyer  y 
he  was  painstaking,  with  a  steadfast  determination  g 
to  succeed.     He  now  resides  in  Nevada,  Story  Co., 
Iowa,  where  he  has  attained  a  fine  reputation  as  a 
lawyer. 

H.  D.  Willis  was  a  young  man  of  much  ability. 
He  remained  but  a  short  time,  moving  to  Elgin, 
where  he  has  since  obtained  prominence,  being 
State's  Attorney  for  Kane  County. 

F.  W.  Partridge  was  from  New  York.     He  located 
here  in  1858,  read  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  Bar 
shortly  before   the    war.     He  opened    an  office  in 
Sandwich,  and   was   building   up   a   good   practice  j 
when  the  President  issued  his  call  for  the  first  300,-  * 
ooo  men.     He  dropped  his  law  books,  raised  a  com-    ' 
pany,  was  commissioned   Captain,  and   before  the 


.... 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


close  of  the  war  rose  to  the  rank  of  Colonel  and  was 
brevetted  Brigadier-General.  Returning  home,  he 
was  elected  to  the  office  of  Circuit  Clerk,  was  subse- 
quently appointed  Consul  to  Siara,  and  now  has  a 
clerkship  in  one  of  the  departments  at  Washington. 
J.  H.  Sedgwick  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  in 
Hartford,  Licking  County.  With  his  parents  he 
moved  to  Little  Rock,  Kendall  Co,  111.,  in  1844, 
where  he  remained  until  1856,  when  he  removed 
to  Sandwich.  He  read  law  with  F.  W.  Part- 
ridge, attended  a  law  school  in  Chicago,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  Bar  about  1860.  Serving  his  time 
in  the  war,  he  returned  to  Sandwich,  purchased  an 
interest  in  the  Gazette,  and  for  a  few  months  engaged 
in  editorial  work.  Disposing  of  his  interest  in  that 
paper,  he  removed  to  Sycamore,  and  for  a  time  was  a 
partner  of  Judge  Lowell.  Again  returning  to  Sand- 
wich, he  became  a  partner  of  his  brother,  W.  W. 
Sedgwick,  which  partnership  continued  till  the  fall 
of  1879,  after  which  time  he  practiced  alone  for  two 
years.  He  then  went  to  Chicago,  where  he  remained 
one  year  and  then  went  to  Peoria,  where  he  yet  re- 
sides, and  is  numbered  with  the  best  legal  men  of  that 
city. 

L.  E.  rlay  came  to  Sandwich  with  his  parents  in 
1854.  He  subsequently  read  law  with  S.  B.  Stinson, 
attended  the  law  department  of  Ann  Arbor  Univer- 


sity, and  was  admitted  to  the  Bar.  Remaining  in 
Sandwich  some  eight  or  ten  years,  he  attended  to 
active  practice  in  connection  with  other  business. 
He  moved  West  some  years  ago. 

Frank  E.  Stevens  was  born  in  Dixon,  111.,  in  1855, 
and  is  the  son  of  Capt.  John  Stevens,  also  a  lawyer, 
and  who  was  a  soldier  in  the  late  war  and  killed  in 
battle.  Frank  was  educated  at  Dixon,  studying  law 
with  Mr.  Treusdale,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Bar'in 
in  1877.  He  is  now  a  banker  at  Huron,  Dakota. 

The  Bar  at  present  (1885),  will  compare  favorably 
with  that  of  any  other  period. 

In  Sycamore  there  are  C.  A.  Bishop,  Geo.  Brown, 
D.  J.  Games,  G.  H.  Denton,  G.  W.  Dunton,  J.  J. 
Flannery,  L.  S.  Hodge,  H.  A.  Jones,  W.  C.  Kellum, 
J.  H.  Kenyon,  Chauncey  Ellwood,  J.  L.  Pratt,  C.  D. 
Rogers,  G.  S.  Robinson,  T.  B.  Stephens,  Luther 
Lowell. 

In  De  Kalb,  E.  B.  Gilbert,  Thos.  M.  Hopkins, 
W.  L.  Pond,  Wm.  W.  Rathbun,!.  V,  Randall,  D.  E. 
Reed. 

Sandwich  is  represented  by  E.  G.  Coe,  C.  G. 
Faxon,  W.  W.  Sedgwick,  S.  B.  Stinson,  J.  I.  Mont- 
gomery. 

Kirkland  is  represented  by  Wm.  B.  McDowell. 

Sketches  of  the  greater  number  of  these  men  will 
be  found  in  this  work. 


I 


•• 


1R  e  c  o  r  6 


INCE  the  days  of  Cain  crime 
has  existed  in  the  world.  While 
the  county  of  De  Kalb  will 
rank  with  any  other  in  the  State 
as  a  law-abiding  community, 
yet  there  have  been  some  law- 
less characters  among  the  greater 
number  of  law-abiding  men  and  wo- 
men. In  the  early  day  of  the  coun- 
ty's existence  it  was  cursed  with  a 
gang  of  horse-thieves  whose  presence 
was  very  undesirable.  Possessors  of 
valuable  horses  never  felt  secure  in 
•possession  of  their  property.  For 
some  years  it  was  necessary  either  to 
employ  faithful  watchmen  or  to  keep 
horses  under  a  strong  lock.  Horses  once  stolen 
were  seldom  recovered,  the  organization  of  the 
thieves  being  so  perfect  that  stolen  animals  were 
quickly  taken  long  distances. 

Following  we  give  an  account  of  all  ihe  murders 
committed  in  the  county,  with  the  final  disposition 
of  the  murderers  so  far  as  the  court  records  show. 

The  Driscolls. — Brodie's  Grove,  in  Ogle  County, 
was  a  resort  of  the  gang,  and  doubtless  headquar- 
ters, Brodie  being  regarded  as  one  of  the  chiefs  of 
the  gang.  South  Grove  was  generally  considered 
another  rendezvous  of  the  gang,  David  and  John 
Driscoll  being  thought  to  be  engaged  in  the  nefari- 
ous business.  Gleason's  house,  in  Genoa,  was  also 
thought  to  be  a  safe  place  for  the  thieves.  Lynch- 
ing parties  'were  formed  in  this  and  adjoining  coun- 

Z^Z Q. 


ties,  and  suspected  parlies  were  ordered  to  leave  the 
country  within  a  specified  time. 

Among  those  ordered  to  leave  by  the  Lynching 
Club,  were  the  Driscolls  at  South  Grove.  John 
Long,  of  Srillman's  Run,  was  Captain  of  several 
combined  companies  of  lynchers,  and  was  proprietor 
of  a  large  saw-mill.  The  banditti  sent  him  a  threat- 
ening letter  defying  the  society  to  combat  them,  and 
threatening  him  with  personal  violence.  Being  intim- 
idated by  these  threats,  Mr.  Long  resigned,  and  John 
Campbell,  of  White  Rock  Grove,  Ogle  County,  was 
elected  Captain.  The  Club,  headed  by  Campbell, 
visited  the  Driscolls  and  ordered  them  to  leave 
within  twenty  days.  To  David  Driscoll  it  is  reported 
Campbell  said  :  "  If  after  that  time  you  are  found 
east  of  the  Mississippi  River,  we  will  brand  your 
cheeks  with  R.  S.,  and  crop  your  ears,  so  that  none 
shall  fail  to  know  your  character  as  a  rogue  and  a 
scoundrel  wherever  you  may  be  saen." 

This  threat  aroused  the  passions  of  the  banditti 
and  they  determined  to  resist.  They  held  a  meeting 
at  which  this  was  resolved.  Says  Boies,  in  his  history 
of  the  occurrence:  "  On  the  Sunday  morning  follow- 
ing this  meeting,  old  man  Driscoll  was  seen  about 
the  premises  of  Campbell.  He  walked  around  the 
grounds,  passed  up  to  a  clump  of  bushes,  closely 
observed  the  location  and  then  went  away.  He 
might  that  night  have  easily  gone  home,  but  he  did 
not.  He  stayed  at  a  neighbor's  without  any  apparent 
reason,  and  slept  there.  Was  it  because  he  knew  a 
foul  crime  was  about  to  be  committed  and  wanted  to 
prove  an  alibi  ?  It  was  so  supposed.  That  evening, 


.-•?, 


just  at  dusk,  Captain  Campbell,  who  had  returned 
from  attending  church  at  Rockford,  was  passing  from 
his  dwelling  to  his  stable,  when  he  was  accosted  by 
two  men  who  enquired  the  road  to  Oregon.  His  wife 
heard  him  call  out  "  Driscoll,"  and  immediately  after 
there  was  the  report  of  a  gun,  and  as  she  rushed 
toward  him  he  fell  lifeless  in  her  arms,  shot  through 
the  heart.  The  two  men  immediately  and  delib- 
erately walked  off  in  the  direction  of  Driscoll's 
Grove.  The  brave  son  of  Campbell,  a  lad  of  thir- 
teen years,  seized  his  father's  gun  and  rushed  toward 
the  retreating  murderers  and  snapped  it  at  them 
three  times;  but  the  effort  to  avenge  the  murder  was 
unavailing  :  the  gun  would  not  go  off.  The  murder- 
ers disappeared  in  the  distance,  and  the  grief-stricken 
family  was  left  alone  with  its  honored  dead." 

Great  excitement  was  aroused  and  detachments 
were  sent  out  to  scour  the  country  and  capture  the 
guilty  pair.  John  Driscoll,  the  father,  was  captured, 
and  the  house  of  David  Driscoll  burned  and  his 
family  left  shelterless  upon  the  prairie.  Afterwards 
William  Driscoll  and  his  young  brother,  Pierce,  were 
taken  into  custody.  William  Driscoll  had  been  the 
first  to  tell  the  story  of  the  murder  to  the  settlers  at 
the  grove.  Conscious  of  his  own  innocence,  he  felt 
sure  of  acquittal.  He  was  told  by  the  party  taking 
him  into  custody  that  they  only  wanted  him  to  go 
before  Mrs.  Campbell,  that  she  might  see  if  he  was 
the  man  who  killed  her  husband.  Toward  evening 
they  arrived  at  the  residence  of  the  late  Captain  of 
the  lynchers,  when  Mrs.  Campbell  unhesitatingly 
stated  that  neither  one  was  present  at  the  murder. 
The  party  having  the  prisoners  in  charge  were 
excited  and  determined  to  avenge  the  death  of  their 
leader  upon  some  one. 

The  next  day  the  Driscolls  were  taken  to  White 
Rock  Grove,  in  Ogle  County,  which  had  been  selected 
as  a  place  of  rendezvous  by  the  lynchers.  The  three 
Driscolls  were  carried  in  one  wagon  with  ropes 
around  their  necks.  A  form  of  trial  was  gone  through 
with  and  Pierce  Driscoll  was  discharged,  but  John 
and  William  Driscoll  were  sentenced  to  death,  not 
because  they  were  thought  to  be  guilty  of  murder,  but 
because  they  were  believed  to  be  of  the  gang  of 
horse-thieves.  Efforts  were  made  to  have  the  sen- 
tence changed  to  banishment  from  the  country,  but 

thout  avail.  The  old  man  was  first  led  out,  blind- 
folded, and  made  to  kneel  upon  the  grass.  The 


lynchers  then  drew  up  in  a  long  line,  with  guns  in 
their  hands.  The  fatal  one,  two,  three  was  called  '• 
and  a  hundred  guns  were  discharged,  and  the  lifeless 
body  of  the  old  man  fell  over.  William  Driscoll  was 
then  led  out  by  the  side  of  the  old  man  and  he,  too, 
shared  the  same  fate.  Only  a  portion  of  the  guns  of 
the  lynchers  were  loaded  with  balls,  the  remainder 
being  with  powder  only,  that  no  one  might  know  who 
fired  the  fatal  shot. 

It  is  due  to  the  relatives  of  William  Driscoll  to 
say  that  few  people  ever  believed  him  to  be  one  of 
the  gang  of  horse-thieves,  but  he  was  a  Driscoll,  and 
the  community  had  a  prejudice  against  the  name. 

Asa  Baldwin  lived  in  Belvidere,  Boone  County, 
but  owned  a  farm  in  the  northern  part  of  De  Xalb 
County.  Early  in  1862  he  went  to  the  farm  to  inter- 
view his  tenant  in  regard  to  some  matters  in  dispute. 
He  failed  to  see  him,  but  met  a  young  .man  named 
McGinnis,  who  was  working  for  his  tenant.  With 
him  he  had  some  words,  which  so  angered  Baldwin 
that  he  shot  him.  He  was  arrested,  an  indictment 
was  found  against  him  and  he  was  brought  before  the  -^ 
court  for  trial.  A  change  of  venue  was  asked  for, 
granted,  and  the  case  was  removed  to  Boone  County. 
After  a  trial,  in  which  he  was  prosecuted  by  A.  B. 
Coon,  assisted  by  William  Brown,  now  a  Circuit 
Judge,  and  defended  by  Gen.  Hurlbut  and  Mr. 
Thompson,  he  was  acquitted. 

Robert  Moles. — On  the  night  of  August  29,  1864, 
Robert  Moles,  living  in  the  north  part  of  the  county, 
was  killed  by  being  thrown  into  a  well,  and  with 
sticks  and  clubs  kept  under  the  water  till  death 
ensued  from  drowning.  Pat.  Whalen  and  Ann 
Moles  were  indicted  by  the  grand  jury  for  the  com- 
mission of  the  crime.  No  record  was  ever  made  as 
to  the  disposition  of  the  case,  but  it  is  asserted  they 
were  taken  before  the  Judge  of  the  Circuit  Court  on 
a  writ  of  habeas  corpus  and  discharged. 

Henry  C.  Atwood  was  a  young  man,  residing  in 
the  village  of  De  Kalb.  He  had  been  married  but 
a  short  time  to  a  woman  of  whom  it  was  said  that  he 
was  somewhat  jealous.  On  the  i8th  day  of  December, 
1865, he  was  at  home  engaged  in  cleaning  a  revolver, 
while  his  wife  was  engaged  in  her  household  duties. 
In  some  way  the  revolver  was  discharged,  the  ball 
penetrating  the  abdomen  of  his  wife,  causing  her 
death.  Atwood  was  arrested,  indicted,  tried,  found 
guilty  and  sentenced  to  five  years  in  the  penitentiary. 


I 


— 


4  i. 


= 


After  the  expiration  of  two  years,  he  was  pardoned 
by  the  Governor.  He  claimed  that  the  killing  was 
accidental. 

Sylvester  P.  Taylor—  Sylvester  P.  Taylor  and 
Amos  H.  Chase  had  a  dispute  in  regard  to  the 
possession  of  certain  lands  near  the  village  of  De 
Kalb.  Taylor,  who  was  in  possession,  loaded  a  horse 
pistol  and  ordered  Chase  not  to  come  upon  the 
premises.  Regardless  of  the  threats  of  Taylor,  the 
latter  attempted  to  enter  the  premises,  when  he  was 
shot  by  the  former.  This  was  June  2,  1869.  Taylor 
was  arrested,  indicted,  tried,  and  the  jury  disagreed. 
Pending  a  new  trial,  he  was  admitted  to  bail.  When 
the  case  was  next  called,  a  continuance  was  had  on 
the  ground  of  absence  of  material  witnesses.  A 
continuance  was  had  from  time  to  time  on  the  same 
ground,  until  the  patience  of  the  court  was  exhausted 
and  the  case  was  stricken  from  the  docket. 

George  Shaw,  a  constable,  in  company  with  E. 
Stone  Abbott,  went  into  Shabbona  Township,  for  the 
purpose  of  serving,  for  the  latter,  a  writ  upon  William 
Unwin,  on  the  24th  day  of  August,  1871.  Unwin, 
becoming  enraged,  attacked  Shaw  with  a  pitch-fork, 
when  the  latter  shot  him.  Shaw  and  Abbott  were 
jointly  indicted,  tried  and  acquitted  upon  the  ground 
of  self-defense. 

Horace  Graver. — There  was  a  young  man  living 
near  the  village  of  Shabbona  named  Horace  Grover. 
He  was  a  student  of  the  military  school  at  Fulton, 
111.,  and  was  home  on  a  visit  in  1870.  Hearing  that 
William  Stimpson  had  made  remarks  derogatory  to 
one  near  and  dear  to  him,  he  visited  the  latter  in  his 
blacksmith  shop  at  Shabbona,  and  after  talking  with 

m  a  while  shot  him  through  the  head  and  heart, 
and  also  split  his  skull  with  a  blacksmith's  chisel. 
After  committing  the  deed,  Grover  fled,  was  cap- 
tured, and  tried  at  the  following  term  of  the  circuit 
court  at  Sycamore.  Pleading  guilty,  and  the  exten- 
uating circumstances  being  made  known,  he  was 
sentenced  to  three  years  in  the  penitentiary.  He  re- 
mained in  prison  but  a  few  days  before  receiving  a 
pardon  from  the  Governor. 

John  Reed,  a  young  Irishman,  was  in  love  with 
Johanna  McCormick,  and  sought  her  hand  in  mar- 
riage. He  was  refused  with  scorn,  and  determined 
that  he  would  have  revenge  upon  the  young  lady  for 
the  slight  offered  him.  About  the  ist  of  July,  1871, 
he  asked  her  company  to  attend  a  Fourth-of-July 


.... 


celebration  at  De  Kalb,  and  was  refused.  On  the 
3d  of  July,  he  went  to  a  neighbor  and  borrowed  a  gun, 
on  the  pretense  of  wanting  it  to  shoot  some  wolves 
that  had  been  committing  some  depredations  in  the 
neighborhood.  On  the  evening  of  that  day,  while 
the  McCormick  family  were  at  supper,  he  slipped  up 
to  the  house  and  discharged  the  gun  twice  through  a 
window,  the  first  charge  passing  into  the  brain  of 
Johanna,  killing  her  instantly.  The  second  charge 
passed  over  the  head  of  a  younger  sister'  and  was 
buried  in  the  wall.  A  few  days  subsequently  he  was 
arrested  and  made  a  full  confession,  saying  that  he 
had  contemplated  the  deed  for  one  year,  and  only 
awaited  a  good  opportunity  to  do  the  act.  He  said 
that  the  second  discharge  of  the  gun  was  for  the  pur- 
pose of  ending  his  own  life,  and  failing  in  this  he 
returned  the  gun  and  obtained  some  poison  from  the 
family,  which  he  ate,  but  the  dose  was  too  large  and 
he  threw  it  up.  He  then  tried  to  escape.  An  in- 
dictment was  found  against  him,  but  before  a  trial 
could  be  had  he  broke  jail  and  made  good  his  es- 
cape. No  clue  has  ever  been  obtained  as  to  his 
whereabouts. 

Mrs.  Bowler.— Timothy  Bowler,  his  wife  Mary 
and  their  family  lived  a  miserable  life.  The  par- 
ents were  addicted  to  liquor.  On  the  night  of  July 
31,  1872,  the  old  man  was  killed,  his  head  being  al- 
most severed  from  his  body,  which  had  many  wounds 
upon  it,  inflicted  with  an  ax.  Mrs.  Bowler  was  ar- 
rested, charged  with  the  commission  of  the  crime. 
On  her  trial  it  was  proven  that  the  couple  had  had 
anything  but  a  pleasant  time  for  weeks  previously, 
the  old  man  sleeping  much  of  the  time  out-doors  to 
escape  the  wrath  of  his  wife.  She  was  found  guilty 
and  sentenced  to  five  years  in  the  penitentiary. 

George  Alexander,  a  colored  man,  living  at  Syca- 
more, married  a  white  woman,  of  whom  he  was  ex- 
ceedingly jealous,  so  much  so  that  finally  the  woman 
could  no  longer  live  with  him,  and,  leaving  him,  went 
to  reside  in  De  Kalb.  Sometime  in  1878,  Alexan- 
der borrowed  a  shot-gun,  went  to  De  Kalb,  visited 
the  house  where  his  wife  was  stopping,  and,  calling 
her  out,  shot  her  through  the  neck,  killing  her  in- 
stantly. He  claimed  that  the  discharge  of  the  gun 
was  accidental;  that  in  some  way  it  got  caught  in 
a  hedge  fence,  and  in  pulling  it  away  it  discharged, 
the  gun  bursting  and  throwing  him  several  feet.  He 
was  arrested,  and  at  the  June  term,  1879,  was  tried, 

« — ^€»^ 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


convicted  and  sentenced  to  death.  The  scaffojd  was 
erected  and  every  preparation  made  for  his  execu- 
tion, when  the  Supreme  Court  interfered  and  granted 
him  a  new  trial.  The  second  trial  was  held  in  June, 
i88r,  when  he  was  sentenced  to  the  penitentiary  for 
a  term  of  25  years. 

Floyd  Givens  lived  at  Malta  with  his  parents. 
Some  time  in  the  fall  of  1879,  he  met  a  cousin  on  the 
streets  of  that  city,  charged  him  with  the  commis- 
sion of  a  certain  crime,  and  then  shot  him.  He  was 
arrested,  indicted,  a  change  of  venue  was  had  to 
Kane  County,  where  he  was  tried  and  acquitted. 

Walter  Upstone  was  a  native  of  England,  and  of  a 
family  of  12  children.  He  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade 
and  had  resided  in  or  near  the  village  of  Fielding 
for  about  15  years.  He  was  a  married  man,  and 
had  a  family  of  three  children,  one  daughter  being 
married.  His  mother  was  insane  at  the  time  of  his 
birth,  and  he  had  two  or  three  brothers  and  one  sis- 
who  were  said  to  be  insane ;  also  two  aunts  on  his 
mother's  side.  Walter  had  been  intemperate  for  some 
years,  and  when  under  the  influence  of  liquor  was  ex- 
ceedingly violent.  Peter  Melson  was  a  boon  com- 
panion of  Upstone,  and  the  two  were  often  together. 
About  the  first  of  February,  1882,  the  two  went  to 
Monroe,  a  small  village  west  of  Fielding,  where  they 
procured  some  liquor  and  became  intoxicated.  Re- 
turning to  Fielding,  on  Sunday  morning,  February  5, 
the  two  went  into  Upstone's  blacksmith  shop,  shut 
the  door,  and  it  is  supposed  drained  a  bottle  of  alco- 
hol. About  noon  Willard  Grill  went  to  the  shop, 
when  Upstone  offered  him  a  drink,  but  the  alcohol 
was  so  strong  that  Grill  refused  to  drink  it.  Upstone 
then  tried  to  get  Melson  to  drink ;  but  the  latter  was 
too  drunk  to  take  any  more.  Upstone  raised  his 
head  from  the  floor  on  which  he  was  lying  and 
placed  a  coat  under  it.  Grill  left  the  shop.  The 
next  thin^  known  was  between  one  and  two  o'clock. 
George  Clark,  a  young  lad,  was  riding  by  the  shop, 
when  Upstone  came  to  the  door,  singing  and  wav- 
ing back  and  forth  a  small  hammer  which  he  held  in 
his  hand.  Seeing  him,  he  called  out,  "George,  look 
here."  Upstone  turned  and  struck  the  body  two  or 
three  blows  with  a  sledge  hammer,  then  told  George 
to  go  and  tell  some  one  that  a  dead  man  was  there. 
The  boy  went  down  the  street  and  gave  the  alarm. 
Several  men  hastened  to  the  shop  and  found  Up- 
stone  striking  the  body  with  a  scoop-shovel.  Up- 

^€^ — %* 


stone  stopped  beating  the  IxxJy  and  then  commenced 
talking  in  a  maudlin  manner :  "  Pete,  come  home 
with  me;"  "Pete;  this  don't  look  like  Pete,  but 
them's  his  boots ; "  "  this  looks  like  Pete,  but  them 
ain't  his  boots." 

Melson's  body  was  removed  from  the  shop  to  a 
hotel  near  by,  and  Upstone  was  placed  under  arrest. 
He  was  taken  to  Sycamore  and  placed  in  jail.  A  true 
bill  of  indictment  was  found  against  him,  and  when 
the  case  was  called  a  change  of  venue  to  Winnebago 
County  was  granted.  At  the  February  term,  1883, 
of  the  Circuit  Court  of  Winnebago  County,  he  was 
tried,  convicted,  and  sentenced  to  the  penitentiary 
for  17  years.  The  case  was  prosecuted  by  J.  B. 
Stephens,  Prosecuting  Attorney  of  De  Kalb  County, 
assisted  by  G.  A.  Works,  Prosecutor  of  Winnebago; 
Charles  E.  Fuller,  of  Belvidere,  and  D.  J.  Games,  of 
Sycamore.  Upstone  was'defended  by  John  L.  Pratt, 
of  Sycamore,  William  Lathrop,  of  Rockford,  and 
A.  J.  Hopkins,  of  Aurora.  The  defense  was  based 
upon  insanity, — that  if  the  deed  was  committed  by 
Upstone  he  was  insane,  caused  probably  from  liquor! 
it  being  proved  that  liquor  acted  differently  upon  him 
from  ordinary  persons.  His  actions  both  before  and 
subsequent  to  the  deed  were  those  of  an  insane  man. 
The  prosecution,  admitting  that  insanity  existed  in 
the  family,  and  that  Upstone,  under  the  influence  of 
liquor,  became  frenzied',  averred  that  Upstone  was 
aware  of  the  fact  that  liquor  had  that  effect  upon 
him,  and  therefore  should  have  abstained  from  its 
use ;  that  he  had  the  power  to  refrain,  having  for  one 
whole  year  gone  without  tasting  it,  and  was  then  a 
law-abiding  and  respected  citizen. 

The  defense  appealed  to  the  Supreme  Court,  which 
sustained  the  decision  of  the  lower  court,  and  Up- 
stone  received  his  sentence  and  was  taken  to  Joliet. 
From  the  State's  prison  he  has  since  been  removed 
to  the  Insane  Asylum  at  Elgin,  the  authorities  con- 
sidering him  a  fit  subject  for  the  latter  institution. 

Hiram  P.  Allen.— On  the  night  of  Feb.  15,  1880, 
Hiram  P.  Allen,  of  Sandwich,  was  murdered  by  some 
one  who  was  attempting  to  burglarize  his  residence. 
Will  Thomas  and  three  others  were  arrested,  charged 
with  the  commission  of  the  crime.  Thomas  obtained 
a  change  of  venue  to  Kane  County,  where  he  was 
tried  and  sentenced  to  prison  for  a  term  of  years. 

James  M.  Brogan,  Oct.  28,  1881,  shot  and  killed 

William  Henry  in  his  room  at  Sandwich.  He  claimed. 

A   r^  -^jsa^*f  «*fj^^f@ 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


& 


that  Henry  made  an  attack  upon  him  and  the  shoot- 
ing was  in  self-defense.  He  was  arrested,  an  indict- 
ment was  found  against  him,  and  he  was  brought 
before  the  Circuit  Court  at  Sycamore  for  trial.  A 
change  of  venue  to  Du  Page  County  was  granted, 
and  he  was  there  acquitted.  Brogan  himself  was 
mysteriously  murdered  in  the  winter  of  1883-4. 

Nicholas  Kittle. — Nelson  Hinkston  rented  a  farm 
of  Nicholas  Kittle,  near  the  village  of  Shabbona. 
While  in  a  saloon  in  that  village  one  day  in  August, 
1884,  the  two  got  into  a  quarrel  about  the  division 
of  some  oats  raised  upon  the  land,  when  Kittle 
stabbed  Hinkston,  causing  his  death.  Liquor  was 
doubtless  the  cause  of  the  crime.  Before  his  death, 
Hinkston  asked  that  Kittle  should  not  be  prosecuted. 

Lewis  Taylor  was  a  young  man  in  the  employ  of 
H.  H.  Mitchell,  in  Mayfield  Township.  On  the  i3th 
of  August,  1884,  the  family  of  Mr.  Mitchell,  with  the 
exception  of  his  daughter  Florence,  went  to  Syca- 
more. Florence  was  left  in  charge  of  the  house,  and 
Alice  Dennis,  a  young  lady  neighbor,  was  sent  to 
keep  her  company.  Taylor  that  morning  was  engaged 
in  work  near  the  house.  From  surrounding  circum- 
stances, it  is  surmised  that  Florence  went  out  to  the 
barn  to  obtain  some  eggs,  when  she  was  discovered 


by  Taylor,  who  held  a  grudge  against  her  for  her  re- 
fusal to  accept  his  attentions,  and  was  immediately 
fired  upon  with  a  revolver  by  the  latter.  The  ball 
not  taking  effect  the  girl  ran  into  the  house,  pursued 
by  the  villain,  who  stopped  not  until  his  deadly  ob- 
ject was  accomplished  and  the  lifeless  body  of  Flor- 
ence lay  in  the  cellar.  He  then  sat  fire  to  her 
clothes,  and  also  attempted  to  fire  the  house,  and 
then  escaped.  All  this  occurred  within  the  space  of 
a  half-hour  and  before  Alice  Dennis  reached  the 
house.  When  she  arrived  she  went  into  the  sitting- 
rpom  and  kitchen,  calling  for  Florence.  Not  finding 
her,  she  went  to  the  cellar  and  discovered  the  smoke 
and  Florence's  body  lying  cold  in  death.  She  rushed 
out  and  gave  the  alarm.  Fortunately  two  men  were 
passing  the  house,  who  rescued  the  body  of  the  girl, 
and  then  hurried  to  Sycamore  and  spread  the  sad 
intelligence.  No  words  can  describe  the  agony  of  the 
parents.  A  large  crowd  soon  gathered  and  hastened 
to  the  scene  of  the  tragedy  and  to  capture  the  mur- 
derer. After  committing  the  horrible  crime,  Taylor 
fled  to  the  river,  and,  first  taking  off  his  watch  and 
tying  it  to  a  barbed-wire  fence,  waded  into  the  water, 
placed  the  revolver  to  his  heart,  pulled  the  trigger 
and  thus  ended  his  miserable  life. 


(& 


•• 


ANY  of  the  earlier  elections 
were  held  without  party 
lines  being  very  closely 
drawn,  at  least  so  far  as 
the  Democratic  and  Whig 
parties  were  concerned. 
Up  to  the  time  of  the  or- 
ganization of  the  Republican  party 
the  county  almost  invariably  went 
Democratic.  Many  of  the  Demo- 
crats, however,  were  of  Free-soil  pro- 
clivities, and  when  the  Republican 
party  was  organized  embraced  its 
principles.  Early  in  1854  the  scat- 
tered Free-soil  forces,  or  more  prop- 
erly those  opposed  to  the  Anti-Ne- 
braska bill,  and  opposed  to  the  further  extension  of 
slavery,  began  to  crystallize.  On  the  14111  day  of 
September,  1854,  a  mass  convention  of  those  holding 
these  views  was  held  at  Sycamore  to  appoint  dele- 
gates to  a  Republican  convention  to  be  held  at  Au- 
rora. There  were  three  parties  represented  in  this 
county — Democrats,  Whigs  and  Free-Soilers.  In 
choosing  delegates,  representatives  of  each  of  these 
old  parties  were  elected  as  follows : 

Democratic:  Horace  W.  Fay,  G.  A.  Colton,  Jo- 
seph Sixbury,  James  Harrington  and  Royal  Crossett. 
Free-Soilers:  Pierpont   Edwards,  Stephen  Town- 
send,  Thurston  Carr,  David  West,  James  H.  Bever- 
idge,  E.  S.  Gregory. 

Whigs:  Reuben  Pritchard,  W.  J.  Hunt,  H.  A. 
Joslyn,  William  Byers,  Dr.  E.  Rose  and  John  N. 
Braddock. 

From  the  organization  of  the  party  to  the  present 


time  De  Kalb  County  could  always  be  relied  upon 
to  give  a  large  majority  for  the  Republican  party. 
In  a  political  view,  therefore,  there  is  nothing  excit- 
ing for  the  historian  to  relate. 

Among  those  who  have  served  the  Nation,  State  or 
county  during  the  period  of  its  existence  are  the  fol- 
lowing : 

GOVERNOR. 

John  L.  Beveridge  was  elected  to  the  office  of 
Lieutenant  Governor  on  the  ticket  with  Gov.  Oglesby 
in  1872.  He  served  in  that  capacity  but  about  ten 
days,  when  he  succeeded  Oglesby  as  Governor,  the 
latter  being  elected  to  the  United  States  Senate.  He 
served  four  years  with  marked  ability.  Gov.  Bev- 
eridge was  for  many  years  a  citizen  of  this  county. 
He  now  resides  in  Evanston,  111. 

STATE  TREASURER. 

James  H.  Beveridge,  brother  of  the  above,  now  re- 
siding near  Sandwich,  was  State  Treasurer  from  Jan. 
9,  1865,  to  Jan.  10,  1867. 

CONSTITUTIONAL   CONVENTION,    1847. 

A  convention  to  amend  the  Constitution  of  the 
State  convened  at  Springfield  June  7,  1847,  and  ad- 
journed Aug.  31,  1847.  George  H.  Hill  represented 
De  Kalb  County. 

CONSTITUTIONAL  CONVENTION,   1862. 

In  this  convention  De  Kalb,  together  with  Kane 
County,  was  represented  by  Stephen  B.  Stinson  and 
Adoniram  J.  Joslyn. 

CONSTITUTIONAL  CONVENTION,   1870, 

De  Kalb  and  Boone  Counties  were  represented  i 
this  convention  by    Westel  W.  Sedgwick  and  Jesse 
S.  Hildrup. 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


787 


GENERAL  ASSEMBLY. 

On  the  organization  of  the  county,  De  Kalb  was 
part  of  a  district  comprising  the  counties  of  La  Salle, 
Kane  and  Iroquois.  In  the  Tenth  General  Assembly 
(1836-8)  the  county  was  represented  by  William 
Stadden,  of  La  Salle,  in  the  Senate,  and  Henry  Mad- 
den, of  De  Kalb. 

In  the  Eleventh  Assembly,  William  Stadden  still 
represented  the  county  in  the  Senate,  while  Joseph 
W.  Churchill  was  in  the  House. 

William  Stadden,  in  the  Senate,  in  the  Twelfth  As- 
sembly. The  Legislative  Directory  omits  the  De 
Kalb  Representative  in  the  House. 

In  the  Thirteenth  Assembly,  Ira  Minard  was  in 
the  Senate  and  Henry  Madden  in '.the  House,  repre- 
senting this  county. 

Ira  Minard,  in  the  Senate,  and  William  M.  Jack- 
son, E.  G.  Jewell  and  James  L.  Loop  were  in  the 
House,  representing  this  county  together  with  the 
the  counties  of  Kane,  McHenry  and  Boone. 

In  the  Fifteenth  Assembly,  Elijah  Wilcox  was  in 
the  Senate,  and  James  Harrington,  George  W.  Kret- 
singer  and  James  T.  Pierson  represented  the  same 
counties. 

Under  the  constitution  of  1848,  an  apportionment 
was  made,  and  the  counties  of  De  Kalb,  Ogle,  Lee 
and  Kane  formed  the  Twenty-second  Senatorial 
District,  and  were  represented  by  William  B.  Plato, 
of  Kane,  in  the  Sixteenth  General  Assembly.  De 
Kalb  and  Kane  were  made  the  Fifty-first  Repre- 
sentative District,  and  were  represented  in  the  same 
Assembly  by  H.  W.  Fay,  of  De  Kalb,  and  E.  W. 
Austin,  of  Kane. 

In  the  Seventeenth  General  Assembly,  William  B. 
Plato  was  still  in  the  Senate,  but  the  Fifty-first  Rep- 
resentative District  was  represented  by  Benjamin  F. 
Hall,  of  De'Kalb,  and  Augustus  Adams,  of  Kane. 

In  the  Eighteenth  General  Assembly,  in  the  Sen- 
ate was  William  B.  Plato,  while  in  the  House  were 
William  Shepherdson,  of  De  Kalb,  and  John  Ransted, 
of  Kane. 

In  1854  another  apportionment  was  made,  with 
De  Kalb,  Kane,  Lee  and  Whiteside  forming  the  Fifth 
Senatorial  District,  and  the  counties  of  De  Kalb  and 
Kane  the  Forty-sixth  Representative  District.  In 
the  Nineteenth  General  Assembly,  Augustus  Adams, 
of  Kane,  was  in  the  Senate,  while  William  Patten 
and  Benjamin  Hackney  were  in  the  House. 


In  the  Twentieth  General  Assembly,  Augustus 
Adams  was  still  in  the  Senate,  but  the  Forty-sixth 
Representative  District  was  represented  by  David  M. 
Kelsey,  of  De  Kalb,  and  William  R.  Parker,  of  Kane. 

In  the  Twenty-first  General  Assembly,  Richard  F. 
Adams,  of  Lee,  was  in  the  Senate,  and  William  Pat- 
ten, of  De  Kalb,  and  William  B.  Plato,  of  Kane  were 
in  the  House. 

In  the  Twenty-second  General  Assembly,  Richard 
F.  Adams  was  Senator,  and  Edward  R.  Allen,  of  De 
Kalb,  and  Thomas  S.  Terry,  of  Kane,  were  in  the 
House. 

A  new  apportionment  was  made  in  i86r,  and  De 
Kalb,  Du  Page  and  K  ane  formed  the  Nineteenth 
Senatorial  District,  and  De  Kalb  and  Boone  the 
Fifty-first  Representative.  In  the  Twenty-third  Gen- 
eral Assembly,  Edward  R.'  Allen,  of  Kane,  repre- 
sented the  district  in  the  Senate,  and  Westel  W. 
Sedgwick,  of  De  Kalb,  and  Luther  W.  Lawrence,  of 
Boone,  were  in  the  House. 

In  the  Twenty-fourth  General  Assembly,  Edward 
R.  Allen  was  in  the  Senate  and  Ira  V.  Randall,  of 
De  Kalb,  and  Allen  C.  Fuller,  of  Boone,  were  in  the 
House. 

In  the  Twenty-fifth  General  Assembly,  William 
Patten,  of  De  Kalb,  was  in  the  Senate,  while  in  the 
House  the  district  was  represented  by  Robert  Hamp- 
ton, of  De  Kalb,  and  Stephen  A.  Hurlbut,  of  Boone. 

In  the  Twenty-sixth  General  Assembly,  William 
Patten  was  in  the  Senate,  and  Charles  W.  Marsh,  of 
De  Kalb,  and  Elisha  H.  Talbott,  of  Boone,  were  in 
the  House. 

In  1870  an  apportionment  was  made  in  which  De 
Kalb,  Du  Page  and  Kane  became  the  Nineteenth 
Senatorial  District,  and  De  Kalb  the  Eighty-fourth 
Representative  District,  with  two  Representatives. 
In  the  Twenty-seventh  General  Assembly,  Charles 
W.  Marsh,  of  De  Kalb,  and  James  W.  Eddy,  of 
Kane  County,  represented  the  district  in  the  Senate, 
and  Reuben  M.  Pritchard,  of  Shabbona,  and  Lewis 
M.  McEwen,  of  De  Kalb,  in  the  House. 

In  1872  another  apportionment  was  made,  the 
State  being  divided  into  Senatorial  Districts  as  pro- 
vided by  the  constitution  of  1870,  each  district  being 
entitled  to  one  Senator  and  three  Representatives. 
De  Kalb,  Kendall  and  Grundy  became  the  Thirteenth 
District.  In  the  Twenty-eighth  General  Assembly 
Miles  B.  Castle,  of  Sandwich,  De  Kalb  County,  was 


COUNTY. 


in  the  Senate,  while  Lyman  B.  Ray,  George  M. 
Hollenbeck  and  Perry  A.  Armstrong  represented  the 
district  in  the  House. 

In  the  Twenty-ninth  General  Assembly,  Miles  B. 
Castle,  of  Sandwich,  was  still  in  the  Senate,  the  dis- 
trict being  represented  in  the  House  by  Philip  Col- 
lins, Joshua  McGrath  and  D.  B.  Bailey. 

In  the  Thirtieth  General  Assembly,  Miles  B.  Castle 
was  Senator,  and  Peter  S.  Lott,  William  M.  Byers 
and  Amos  D.  Glover  were  Representatives. 

In  the  Thirty-first  General  Assembly,  John  R. 
Marshall  represented  the  district  in  the  Senate. 
William  M.  Byers,  Robert  M.  Brigham  and  Alonzo 
B.  Smith  were  in  the  House'. 

In  the  Thirty-second  General  Assembly,  J.  R. 
Marshall  was  Senator,  with  Henry  Wood, '  Hiram 
Loucks  and  John  Clark,  Representatives. 

In  the  Thirty-third  General  Assembly,  Lyman  B. 
Ray  was  Senator,  and  Henry  Wood,  H.'M.  Board- 
man  and  Andrew  Welch  were  in  the  House. 

In  the  Thirty-fourth  General  Assembly,  Lyman  B. 
Ray  still  represented  the  district  in  the  Senate,  with 
H.  C.  Whittemore,  Mr.  Hanna  and  Andrew  Welch 
in  the  House. 

STATE  BOARD  OF  EQUALIZATION. 

Washington  L.  Simmons,  of  Sandwich,  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  Board  Nov.  3,  1868,  and  held  the 
office  until  June  29,  1872,  when  he  resigned. 

James  H.  Furman,  of  Sandwich,  was  appointed 
June  29,  1872,  and  filled  out  the  unexpired  term  of 
Mr.  Simmons. 

Samuel  Alden  was  elected  in  1882  and  served  one 
term. 

CONGRESS. 

When  organized,  De  Kalb  County  formed  part  of 
the  Third  Congressional  District,  represented  by 
William  L.  May,  of  Springfield,  in  the  25th  Congress. 

In  the  26th  Congress  it  was  represented  by  John 
T.  Stuart,  of  Springfield,  who  likewise  served  in  the 
271)1  Congress. 

Under  the  apportionment  of  1843,  De  Kalb  be- 
came part  of  the  Fourth  District,  with  John  Went- 
worth  as  Representative  in  the  28th  Congress.  Mr. 
Wentworth  represented  the  district  in  the  291,1,  301)1 
and  3 1 st  Congresses.  In  the  32d  Congress,  Richard 
S.  Molony  was  the  Representative. 

Under  the  apportionment  of  1852,  De  Kalb  County 
was  thrown  into  the  Second  District.  John  Went- 
worth represented  the  district  in  the  33d  Congress  ; 

gfr&fr ^€^^ — & 


James  H.  Woodworth  in  the  34th ;  John  F.  Farns- 
worth  in  the  35th  and  36th  ;  and  Isaac  N.  Arnold  in 
the  37th  Congress. 

De  Kalb  was  again  placed  in  the  Second  District 
under  the  new  apportionment  made  in  1862.  John 
F.  Farnsworth  was  elected  and  re-elected,  serving  in 
the  38th,  391!!,  4oth,  4131  and  42d  Congresses. 

In  1872  another  apportionment  was  made,  De 
Kalb  County  being  then  placed  in  the  Fourth  Dis- 
trict. Stephen  A.  Hurlbut  represented  it  in  the  43d 
and  44th  Congresses.  William  Lathrop  in  the  45th, 
John  C.  Sherwin  in  the  461)1,  and  Reuben  Ellwood 
in  the  47th  Congress.  The  latter  was  re-elected  to 
the  481)1  Congress,  De  Kalb  now  being  a  part  of  the 
Fifth  District. 

UNITED   STATES   ASSESSOR. 

Alonzo  Ellwood  from  1862  to  1866. 
Reuben   Ellwood   from    1866   till  the   office   was 
abolished. 

UNITED  STATES    CONSUL. 

J.  M.  Hood,  of  Sycamore,  was  appointed  Consul 
to  Siam  in  1864. 

Frederick  Partridge  was  appointed  to  succeed 
Hood. 

COUNTY   CLERKS. 
J.  C.  Kellogg. 


..1839-4* 
•-1843 
..1844-48 
..i 849-52 


Danlefe:::-  ::-:'$%& 
c^-fc::: 


CIRCUIT  CLERKS  AND  RECORDERS. 


j.  c.  kdlogg.' '.'.'.'.'. 

M.   M.  Mack 


533 


George  C .  °Co'x  .'.'""I!!! 
Daniel 


» 


COUNTY  TREASURERS. 


John  Waterman.... 
"Ciirlos  l.attin 

loin,  i. Waterman. 
WiiK  101  Shepardson 

K.    T.  Miller 

Otepfe  Sixbury.... 
).  l.illlc 


{f"^o^d".:: 
M-.^:ng:::::::: 

II.  (•urness 

I.  1  .  (Hidden 

William  Phelps 

?,!alaSr  y.Y:::. 
gife-Ssr.-.".-.-. 

K.  ]..  Mayo 


E$ 

1847- 


-838-39 

:::•.:« 

1848-49 

1850-51 

-85^-53 

,854-55 

-856.57 

....,858-59 


H.    Ellwood 

R.  A.  Smith 

Daniel  Dustin... 
Robert  Hampton 


-873-74 
.1875-76 
.,877-83 


COUNTY  JUDGES. 

,849-52     I     Luther  Lowell .. 

1853-60     I     G.  S.  Robinson 

....,861-64  S.    li.    Slinsoi,. 

-^^ 


-  .    - 


£)E  KALB  COUNTY. 


789 


SUPERINTENDEI> 
Frederick  Love  1838-42 
Marshall  Stark  ,843-44 

TS  OF    SCHOOLS. 
D.Crossett  
H.C.  Heard  

..   ,861-62 
.  .  .  1863-64 

1).  W.   Lamb  
H.W.Kay  

..,842-52 
...,853-58 

V.  D.  Miller  
S.  T.  Armstrong  

..1866-8, 
1882-84 
..,884-85 

• 

59    o 

James  Harrington... 

....,845-46 
,847-50 

M.  V.  Allen  
H.P.  Hall  

.  -.1865-68 

:::isr| 

Samuel   Thompson... 

CORO 

...1838-39 

>JEKS. 

I..  Wliitlemorc  
T.  11.   Russell  

..,864-69 

N.S    Greenwood  .'.'.'. 

Charles  Preston  
M.  R.  Hnbbell  

SURVEYORS. 

K.'.  Wharry....';  

...,846-49 

Sanies  M.  Sivwri«ht.. 

Eli   Rarnes  
C.  Churchill  

::::,8843™ 

Orange  Potter  
D.  W".  Lamb  

...1861-62 
...,863.65 

L.  \Vhittemore  
J.R.  Crossett  

...1850-53 
...1854-6, 
...,862-63 

oscph  C.  Pierce  

::,'&r3 

-«-*- 


ROM  the  formation  of  the 
Government  for  a  period  of 
over  three-fourths  of  a  cen- 
tury the  institution  of  slavery 
was  a  source  of  trouble  be- 
ween  the  free  and  slave- 


holding  States.  Bitter  feelings 
were  engendered,  threats  often 
indulged  in,  and  compromise 
measures  passed  to  avert  what 
many  had  believed  would  ulti- 
mately come  to  pass — a  bloody 
civil  war.  Increase  in  power, 
with  a  strong  following  in  the 
free  States,  had  made  the  slave-holders  bold  and  ar- 
rogant in  their  demands.  The  Missouri  compromise, 
which  limited  the  spread  of  slavery  in  the  terri- 
tories south  of  an  imaginary  line,  was  repealed  by 
the  passage  of  the  Kansas-Nebraska  bill,  and  the 
friends  of  freedom  were  aroused.  The  Republi- 
can party  rapidly  gained  in  numbers  and  in 
strength,  and  in  1860,  in  consequence  of  the  divis- 
ion existing  in  the  Democratic  party,  succeeded  in 
electing  their  candidate  for  the  Presidency — Abra- 
ham Lincoln.  Threats  of  secession  were  made  by 
the  Southern  States  in  the  event  of  Lincoln's  elec- 

-^y ^A 


tion,  and  almost  as  soon  as  the  result  was  known, 
State  after  State  in  the  South,  by  their  respective 
conventions,  passed  articles  of  secession.  Lincoln 
was  inaugurated  on  the  4th  of  March,  1861,  and  is- 
sued an  inaugural  address  full  of  kindly  feelings  and 
assurance  that  the  rights  of  no  State  would  be  inter- 
fered with,  but  it  was  without  avail  to  allay  the  fan- 
cied fears  of  the  Southern  people.  Preparations 
were  made  for  war  by  the  so-called  Southern  Confed- 
eracy, which  had  been  organized,  and  on  the  i2th 
day  of  April,  1861,  the  first  gun  was  fired  upon  Fort 
Sumter,  which,  on  the  Hth,  was  compelled  to  sur- 
render to  the  rebel  forces. 

The  first  gun  that  was  fired  echoed  and  re-echoed 
through  the  North,  and  was  as  much  the  signal  for  a 
call  to  arms  as  the  proclamation  of  President  Lin- 
coln for  75,000  men  which  immediately  followed. 
No  call  by  any  government  that  ever  existed  upon 
the  face  of  the  earth  was  more  speedily  answered. 
De  Kalb  County  was  behind  no  other  section  of  the 
country.  "  In  nine  days  after  the  fall  of  Fort  Sum- 
ter," says  a  local  chronicler,  "  a  company  of  troops 
from  Sandwich,  under  Captain  Carr,  was  garrisoning 
the  fortifications  erected  at  Cairo,  and  on  the  loth  of 
May,  a  company  of  which  Z.  B.  Mayo  was  Captain, 
and  E.  F.  Dutton  and  R.  A.  Smith  were  Lieutenants, 
left  Sycamore  to  join  the  famous  i3th  Illinois  at  Dixon 


Patriotic  citizens  raised  subscriptions  amounting  to 
over  $30,000,  which  they  pledged  themselves  to  pay, 
if  required,  to  maintain  the  families  of  volunteers 
while  they  were  absent  in  the  service.  The  Board  of 
Supervisors  subsequently  met  and  passed  liberal  ap- 
propriations for  this  purpose.  In  October  nine  com- 
panies of  De  Kalb  County  men  had  gone  into  the 
service.  Two  were  in  the  13th  regiment  under  com- 
mand of  Captains  Partridge  and  Button,  one  under 
Captain  Carr  in  the  loth,  one  under  Captain  Stoll- 
brand  in  the  2d  Artillery,  one  under  Captain  Butts 
in  the  42d,  one  under  Capt.  Fox,  two  in  the  8th  Cav- 
alry under  Captains  Dustin  and  Whitney,  and  one  in 
the  szd  under  Captain  Stark." 

The  year  1862  will  be  remembered  as  one  of  gen- 
eral gloom.  The  Union  armies  had  met  with  a  num- 
ber of  reverses  and  great  apprehensions  existed  on 
every  hand.  All  thought  of  a  speedy  triumph  in  the 
suppression  of  the  rebellion  was  at*  an  end.  In  its 
place  was  a  fixed  determination  to  maintain  the  su- 
premacy of  the  Union  at  whatever  cost.  Several 
calls  had  been  made  by  the  President  for  more  troops 
to  fill  up  the  depleted  ranks  of  our  defeated  armies, 
and  most  nobly  did  the  men  of  De  Kalb  respond  to 
the  call.  In  every  portion  of  the  county  the  ladies 
united  to  form  Soldiers'  Aid  Societies,  laboring  with 
zeal  and  energy  to  supply  the  boys  in  the  field  with 
such  delicacies  as  the  general  Government  did  not 
supply. 

Call  after  call  was  made  and  responded  to  willingly, 
cheerfully,  by  the  citizens  of  De  Kalb,  but  in  1864 
the  supply  was  exhausted.  In  the  fall  of  that  year 
the  quota  of  the  county  had  reached  2,133  men,  and 
1,888  had  responded,  leaving  a  deficit  of  273.  In 
severaHowns  a  draft  became  necessary,  and  where  it 
was  possible  the  drafted  man  went  into  the  service 
and  fought  as  bravely  as  the  man  who  volunteered. 
A  number  of  the  townships  paid  bounties,  and  drafted 
men  who  could  not  go  were  required  to  hire  substi- 
tutes, at  a  large  figure. 

But  the  war  was  drawing  to  a  close.  The  brave, 
grand  armies,  under  command  of  Grant,  Sherman, 
Sheridan,  Logan,  and  others  whose  names  have  been 
rendered  immortal,  were  fast  drawing  in  on  the 
rebels,  capturing  their  fortifications,  taking  prisoners 
corps  and  divisions  of  half-starved  rebel  soldiers,  and 


soon  the  news  flashed  over  the  wires  that  Lee  had 
surrendered,  that  Richmond  had  fallen  and  the 
rebellion  was  virtually  at  an  end. 

Boise  thus  speaks  of  the  close  of  the  war :  "  About 
3,000  men  had  been  furnished  by  the  county  for  the 
great  war  now  gloriously  ended.  The  official  records 
of  the  State  credit  the  various  towns  the  following 
numbers,  probably  reducing  the  number  by  estimat- 
ing and  averaging  them  as  if  furnished  for  three 
years' service:  Paw  Paw,  136;  Shabbona,  137;  Milan, 
38;  Malta,  94;  South  Grove,  103;  Franklin,  99; 
Kingston,  98;  Mayfield,  103;  De  Kalb,  223;  Afton, 
89;  Clinton,  in;  Victor,  103;  Somonauk,  311; 
Squaw  Grove,  93;  Pierce,  100;  Pampas,  134;  Syca- 
more, 307  ;  Genoa,  109.  Total,  2,388." 

A  glorious  record  truly  ! 

The  happy  termination  of  the  war  was  made 
gloomy  by  the  sad  death  of  the  President  of  the 
United  States,  that  great  and  good  man,  one  whom 
the  Nation  was  beginning  to  love  as  its  Savior, 
Abraham  Lincoln.  Struck  down  by  the  hand  of  an 
assassin  on  the  night  of  the  i4th  of  April,  1865,  on 
the  morning  of  the  isth  he  breathed  his  last,  all  the 
nations  of  the  earth  mourning  his  loss.  In  every  vil- 
lage and  hamlet  where  the  church  spires  pointed 
heavenward,  services  in  commemoration  of  the  noble 
dead  were  held. 

The  war  is  over,  but  it  is  not  forgotten  by  the  loyal 
citizens  of  De  Kalb  County.  In  too  many  homes 
exist  the  vacant  chair ;  too  many  mourn  the  loss  of  a 
kind  father,  a  loving  brother  or  an  affectionate  hus- 
band. In  our  graveyards  lie  the  remains  of  many 
who  lost  their  lives  during  that  fearful  rebellion,  or 
have  wasted  away  from  disease  contracted  in  that 
gloomy  period.  In  the  sunny  South  were  left  others 
of  the  brave  men  of  De  Kalb,  where  they  will  remain 
till  the  resurrection  day.  On  our  streets  are  daily  to 
be  seen  the  empty  sleeve  and  the  wooden  limb  of 
those  who  fought  that  the  nation  might  be  saved. 
No,  the  war  is  not  forgotten,  nor  are  the  brave  men 
who  perished.  Once  each  year  the  old  soldiers  and 
their  friends  meet  at  the  graves  of  the  departed, 
strewing  them  with  beautiful  flowers,  shedding  the 
regretful  tear,  but  happy  in  the  consciousness  that 
they  are  at  rest  and  have  exemplified  the  thought, 
"  How  noble  it  is  to  die  for  one's  country!" 


...      - 


> 


|  ! 
| 

I 


: 


lOTICING  the  article  on  the  phy- 
sical features  of  the  county, 
it  will  be  seen  that  its  soil  is 
adapted  to  all  the  cereals 
peculiar  to  this  climate.  In 
the  early  day  much  wheat 
^  was  raised,  but  latterly  this 
lias  given  place  to  corn,  the 
great  staple  product  of  the  North- 
west. In  1884  there  were  but  843 
acres  of  wheat  reported  to  the  vari- 
ous township  assessors,  while  of  corn 
there  was  112,546  acres.  Among 
the  other  products  there  were  in 
oats,  61,976  acres;  meadow,  80,- 
05 1 ;  field  products,  5,606  ;  inclosed 
pasture,  119,116;  orchard,  4,503; 
wood  land,  13,131.  In  the  past  few 
years  much  attention  has  been  given 
by  the  farmers  to  stock-raising,  which  has  proven 
more  productive  than  general  farming.  The  dairy 
interest  has  also  been  rapidly  increasing,  many 
farmers  devoting  their  time  to  this  branch  of  their 
business,  which  yields  a  satisfactory  profit;  hence  the 
large  amount  of  meadow  land.  For  the  general 
farmer,  De  Kalb  County  affords  extraordinary  induce- 
ments to  make  money  easily  and  rapidly. 

Agricultural  Societies. 


N  the  fall  of  1852  the  first  exhibition  of  the 
De  Kalb  County  Agricultural   Society  was 
held  at  Sycamore.     Of  this  exhibition  Boies 
says:    "It  was  in  marked  contrast  with  the  ex- 
tensive collections  of  the  present  era.     One  old 
white  bull  was  chained  to  a  stake  in  the  center 
cant  open  lot,  and  two  or  three  stallions,  with 


as  many  cows  and  colts,  and  a  few  beets  and  pump- 
kins completed  the  amusing  exhibition.'  The  same 
authority  says  of  the  third  annual  exhibition:  "The 
third  annual  fair  of  De  Kalb  County  was  held  on  the 
nth  and  i2th  days  of  October,  1854.  It  was  a  very 
tame  and  spiritless  affair,  only  26  premiums  being 
awarded  in  all,  and  these  being  divided  among  18 
persons.  Those  of  our  citizens  who  participated  in 
the  demonstration  were  mortified  at  the  poor  display 
of  the  industry  of  the  country,  and  at  the  close  of  the 
fair  a  meeting  of  the  County  Agricultural  Society  was 
held,  at  which  it  was  resolved  to  put  forth  every  effort 
to  enlist  a  deeper  interest  in  the  annual  fairs  among 
the  farmers  of  the  county." 

On  the  loth  day  of  December,  1856,  S.  W.  Arnold 
wrote  the  Secretary  of  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture, 
stating  that  no  fairs  had  been  helfl  for  two  years,  but 
that  efforts  were  being  made  to  revive  the  society  and 
hold  other  exhibitions.  A  meeting  was  held  at  which 
the  following  named  officers  were  elected  for  1857: 
John  S.  Brown,  President;  D.  B.  James,  Correspond- 
ing Secretary;  A.  K.  Stiles,  Recording  Secretary;  A. 
Elhvood,  Treasurer.  A  fair  was  held  in  the  fall  of 
that  year,  which  must  have  been  successful,  the 
Secretary  reporting  that  after  all  expenses  had  been 
paid  there  was  $12  remaining  in  the  treasury. 

In  1858  a  fine  exhibition  was  held,  which  greatly 
encouraged  the  society,  and  at  its  regular  meeting  it 
decided  to  locate  a  permanent  fair  ground  adjoining 
the  Kishwaukee  River,  directly  north  of  the  village 
of  Sycamore,  on  grounds  belonging  to  Clark  Wright. 
Here  about  fifteen  acres  of  land  were  secured  and 
some  improvements  made.  Not  being  able  to  ob- 
tain a  perfect  title  to  the  land,  at  a  meeting  of  the 
society  in  1861,  Moses  Dean  secured  the  appoint- 
ment of  a  committee  to  locate  new  grounds.  At  this 
time  the  citizens  of  De  Kalb  were  very  anxious  to 

« ^€3^ 


secure  the  location  of  the  fair  at  their  place  and 
offered  such  inducements  that  the  committee  decided 
to  accept  the  proposal. 

In  reference  to  the  proposition  to  remove  to  De 
Kalb,  the  Secretary,  in  his  report  to  the  State  Board 
of  Agriculture,  said  :  "The  annual  meeting  of  1861 
was  very  fully  attended.  A  proposition  came  up  for 
a  change  of  location  of  the  society  to  some  grounds 
at  the  village  of  De  Kalb,  which  after  a  long  and 
spirit  discussion  was  voted  down.  Secession  being 
about  this  time  in  fashion,  and  some  members  feeling 
themselves  aggrieved  at  this  action,  they  publicly 
seceded  from  the  society  with  a  view  of  forming  a 
society  at  De  Kalb." 

The  members  of  the  committee  to  secure  a  per- 
manent location,  and  who  had  reported  recommend- 
ing the  society  to  accept  the  proposition  of  the 
citizens  of  De  Kalb,  were  among  the  members  re- 
ferred to  by  the  Secretary.  A  new  committee  was 
appointed  to  select  grounds  at  Sycamore.  They 
reported  shortly  after  in  favor  of  securing  some  land 
of  J.  C.  Waterman,  west  of  the  city.  Subsequently 
about  fifteen  acres  were  purchased  of  Erasmus  D. 
Walrod,  the  ground  now  occupied  by  the  present 
society.  The  land  purchased  from  Mr.  Walrod  was 
fitted  up  and  for  some  years  after  fairs  were  held 
therein.  In  1864  no  fair  appears  to  have  been  held, 
and  no  reports  were*  made  to  the  State  Board  until 
1866.  Misfortune  seemed  to  have  overtaken  the 
fair  and  exhibitions  were  finally  abandoned,  a  new 
organization  taking  its  place. 

The  officers  for  the  years  185810  1861  inclusive 
were  as  follows: 

1858 — Daniel  Wait,  Pres.;  P.  Waterman,  Vice 
Pres,;  W.  H.  Beavers,  Rec.  Sec. ;  D.  B.  James,  Cor. 
Sec. ;  A.  Ellwood,  Treas. 

1859— Daniel  Wait,  Pres.;  W.  T.  Kirk,  Vice 
Pres.;  William  H.  Beavers,  Rec.  Sec.  ,  W.  J.  Hunt, 
Cor.  Sec.;  A.  Ellwood,  Treas. 

1860 — John  S.  Brown,  Pres. ;  James  S.  Glidden, 
Vice  Pres. ;  T.  C.  Wetmore,  Rec.  Sec.  ;  A.  K.  Stiles, 
Cor.  Sec. ;  William  A.  Nickerson,  Treas. 

1861 — John  S.  Brown,  Pres.;  J.  R.  Crossett,  Vice 
Pres.;  H.  L.  Boies,  Rec.  Sec.;  William  H.  Beavers, 
Cor.  Sec.;  William  A.  Nickerson,  Treas. 

The  fair  for  1859  was  reported  by  the  Secretary  as 
"  by  far  the  most  prosperous  fair  ever  held  in  the 
county." 

(gyVA^Ia- 


Union  Agricultural  Institute. 

.PON  the  nth  of  February,  1860,  pursuant 
to  notice,  a  meeting  was  held  at  Sandwich, 
for  the  purpose  of  organizing  an  agricul- 
tural society.  William  L.  F.  Jones  was 
called  to  the  chair  and  J.  A.  Dickson  was  made 
Secretary.  William  Patten,  S.  Lay,  J.  A.  Dick- 
son  and  S.  Guernsey  were  appointed  a  committee  to 
draft  constitution  and  by-laws.  At  a  meeting  held 
February  18,  the  committee  reported,  and  the  name 
"  Sandwich  Agricultural  Institute  "  was  adopted.  At 
a  meeting  held  on  the  25 th,  the  following  named 
officers  were  elected :  William  L.  F.  Jones,  Presi- 
dent ;  A.  Adams,  J.  S.  Fuller,  Vice  Pres.  ;  J.  H. 
Cam  Treas. ;  N.  E.  Ballou,  Cor.  Sec.  The  first  fair 
was  held  Oct.  16  to  18,  1860,  the  receipts  of  which 
were  $400.65,  the  expenses  $290.95.  This  being  the 
day  of  "wild-cat"  money,  the  Treasurer  reported 
that  a  part  of  the  balance  remaining  in  his  hand  was 
uncurrent. 

In  January,  1861,  the  Institute  voted  to  purchase 
20  acres  of  land  of  J.  A.  Dickson,  lying  three-fourths 
of  a  mile  west  of  the  village.  In  March,  1861,  the  In- 
stitute was  incorporated,  or,  it  might  be  said,  a  new 
society  was  formed  under  the  name  of  "  Union  Agri- 
cultural Institute."  Its  incorporators  were  William  L. 
F.  Jones,  H.  F.  Winchester,  Hubbard  Latham,  A. 
H.  Palmer,  A.  R.  Patten  and  N.  E.  Ballou.  Its 
officers  for  that  year  were  William  L.  F.  Jones,  Pres. ; 
J.  H.  Furman,  Vice  Pres. ;  N.  E.  Ballou,  Sec. ;  Jon- 
athan Able,  Cor.  Sec. ;  G.  W.  Culver,  Treas.  From 
1862  to  1883  the  following  named  have  held  the 
offices  mentioned  in  this  society: 

Presidents:  William  L.  F.  Jones,  1862-7;  wil1- 
iam  Patten,  1868;  C.  A.  Reed,  1869;  William  L.  F. 
Jones,  1870-3;  Hubbard  Latham,  1874-6;  David 
Harmon,  1877  ;  F.  Baldwin,  1877-82  ;  J.  P.  Adams, 
1883. 

Vice  Presidents:  J.  H.  Furman,  1862;  S.  B.  Stin- 
son,  1863-6;  F.  Baldwin,  1867:  C.  A.  Reed,  1868; 
H.  W.  Sweetland,  1869;  S.  D.  Colman,  1870;  David 
E.  Harmon,  1871-6;  W.  H.  Sweetland,  1877; 
William  Patten  and  J.  P.  Adams,  1877  ;  J.  P. 
Adams,  1878-82  ;  F.  Baldwin,  1883. 

Secretaries:  N.  E.  Ballou,  1862;  S.  B.  Stinson, 
1863-6;  Joseph  A.  Dickson,  1867;  N.  E.  Ballou 


COUNTY. 


868-76;    Amos    Shepard,    1877;    J.    M.    Hummel, 
1877-81  ;  H   C.  Graves,  1882-3. 

Treasurers:    G.     W.    Culver,    1862-76;    M.    B. 
Castle,  1877-83. 

From  the  Secretary's  record  it  is  judged  that  no 
fairs  were  held  in  1861  and  1862,  though  in  the 
meantime  ground  had  been  bought  for  the  purpose, 
H.  F.  Winchester  fencing  the  same  for  its  use.  In 
1863  a  fair  was  held,  the  receipts  being  $549.  Fairs 
were  held  without  intermission  from  1863  to  1874. 
/  In  February,  1877,  a  re-organization  was  effected,  the 
stock  of  the  institute  being  divided  into  20  shares. 
Ten  men  took  all  the  stock,  paying  therefor  $2,000. 
A  fair  was  held  in  1877  under  the  auspices  of  the 
new  association,  at  which  their  receipts  were  $2,154. 
In  1878  and  until  1882  successful  fairs  were  annually 
held,  the  association  paying  its  premiums  in  full  and 
having  a  good  surplus  each  year.  In  March,  1883, 
the  grounds  were  sold  to  Dieterich  &  Ebinger,  since 
which  time  no  fairs  have  been  held. 


(•_/    De  Kalb  County  Agricultural  and  Mechanical 
Society. 

ARCH,  1861,  a  meeting  was  held  at  De 
Kalb  for  the  purpose  of  forming  an 
organization  to  advance  the  interests  of 
agriculture  and  mechanics.  A  joint  stock 
company  was  formed  with  capital  stock  of 
$2,500,  and  a  motion  was  made  to  purchase  the 
grounds  selected  by  the  committee  appointed  by  the 
\  old  society.  The  foregoing  name  was  adopted  by 
which  the  society  was  to  be  known.  The  following 
named  were  selected  as  officers  for  1861 :  J.  F.  Glid- 
den,  Pres. ;  N.  Saum,  Vice  Pres.;  J.  W.  Smull,  Sec. ; 
Harvey  Thompson,  Treas.  The  finest  exhibition 
was  held  in  September  following,  and  was  reported 
as  being  very  successful.  The  grounds  purchased 
from  Mr.  Glidden  were  fitted  up  in  a  satisfactory 
manner  and  for  some  years  very  successful  exhibi- 
tions were  held.  This  society  generally  secured  the 
aid  voted  by  the  State,  amounting  to  $100  annually. 
• )  Three  fairs  in  the  county  were  too  much,  and  the  De 
Kalb  fair  some  time  since  suspended. 


De  Kalb  County  Agricultural  Association. 

N  the  i2th  day  of  March,  1870,  the  De  Kalb 
County  Agricultural  Association  was  formed 
at  Sycamore.  One  hundred  and  thirty  two 
persons  subscribed  for  from  one  to  five  shares 
each  of  the  stock  of  the  association.  The 
capital  slock  was  placed  at  $2,500.  The  fol- 
lowing named  were  elected  as  officers  for  the  year 
1870:  Henry  Wood,  President;  S.  C.  Hale,  Vice- 
President;  T.  K.  Waite,  Rec.  Sec.;  Samuel  Alden, 
Cor.  Sec.;  Roswell  Dow,  Treasurer ;  Alonzo  Ellwood, 
A.  H.  Pond,  Nicholas  Saum,  John  M.  Schoonmaker, 
James  M.  Byers,  Directors. 

The  first  annual  fair  of  the  association  was  held 
at  the  old  fair  grounds,  which  had  been  purchased 
and  several  hundred  dollars  in  improvements  made 
thereto,  commencing  on  the  6th  day  of  October,  1870, 
and  continuing  four  days.  The  fair  Was  considered 
a  success,  the  award  of  premiums  being  made  from 
the  judges'  stand  at  2  p.  M.  on  the  gth  day  of  Octo- 
ber. 

Annual  fairs  have  since  been  held,  which  have 
grown  in  interest  year  by  year,  the  increase  in  re- 
ceipts being  about  $100  each  year  over  the  previous 
one.  The  fair  grounds  have  been  paid  for,  many  im- 
provements, made  and  premiums  paid  in  full  each 
year.  The  society  is  now,  in  January,  1885,  out  of 
debt,  with  money  in  the  treasury.  Much  of  the  suc- 
cess is  due  to  the  earnest  work  of  the  officers. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  officers  from  1871  to 
1885,  inclusive: 

1871 — Henry  Wood,  President ;  Stephen  Town- 
send,  Vice-President;  T.  K.  Waite,  Secretary;  Ros- 
well Dow,  Treasurer. 

1872— Samuel  Alden,  President;  A.  H.  Pond, 
Vice-President ;  H.  C.  Whittemore,  Secretary  ;  Rich- 
ard A.  Smith,  Treasurer. 

1873—8.  C.  Hale,  President;  A.  H.  Pond,  Vice- 
President;  H.  C.  Whittemore,  Secretary;  E.  P.  Saf- 
ford,  Treasurer. 

1874—8.  C.  Hale,  President;  R.  A.  Smith,  Vice- 
President  ;  Edwin  Waite,  Secretary ;  E.  P.  Safford, 
Treasurer. 

1875 — R.  A.  Smith,  President;  L.  D.  Evans,  Vice- 
President  ;  Edwin  Waite,  Secretary ;  William  Town- 
send,  Treasurer. 

i **^ "t^£@ 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


1876 — Damon  Decker,  President;  Elias  C.  West, 
Vice-President ;  Edwin  Waite,  Secretary ;  Hiram 
Holcomb,  Treasurer. 

1877— Elias  C.  West,  President;  John  G.  Smith, 
Vice-President ;  Edwin  Waite,  Secretary;  Hiram 
Holcomb,  Treasurer. 

1878 — No  record. 

1879— Hiram  Holcomb,  President;  E.  P.  Safford, 
Vice-President;  Edwin  Waite,  Secretary;  B.  F. 
Wyman,  Treasurer. 

1880— Hiram   Holcomb,  President:  A.  P.   Stone, 


Vice-President;  B.  F.  Wyman,  Secretary;  Amos  W. 
Townsend,  Treasurer. 

1 88 1 — Hiram  Holcomb,  President;  E.  P.  Safford, 
Vice-President;  B.  F.  Wyman,  Secretary;  A.  W. 
Townsend,  Treasurer. 

1882 — All  the  officers  re-elected. 

1883— Hiram  Holcomb,  President;  C.  Elhvood, 
Vice-President;  B.  F.  Wyman,  Secretary;  A.  W. 
Townsend,  Treasurer. 

1884 — All  the  officers  re-elected. 

1885 — All  the  officers  re-elected. 


IEbe  2)e1Ralb  Count? 


..USTLY  has  the  printing  press  been 
said  to  be  the  Archimedean 
lever  that  moves  the  world.  By 
it  the  thoughts  of  the  wise  men 
of  every  age  are  reproduced  over 
and  over  again,  circulated  broad- 
cast, and  find  their  way  into  al- 
most every  home,  exerting  an  in- 
fluence as  lasting  as  time.  While 
the  great  dailies  of  our  metropoli- 
tan cities  supply  the  general 
news  of  the  world  almost  as  soon 
as  the  events  occur,  the  local 
press  of  each  town  and  county  is 
expected  to  chronicle  items  of 
interest  transpiring  in  the  community  in  which  it  is 
established.  While  the  great  dailies  are  of  special  in- 
terest to  those  who  desire  to  be  posted  in  the  affairs 
of  the  whole  world,  the  home  paper  is  indispensable 
to  those  who  feel  a  more  than  ordinary  interest  in 
the  local  happenings  of  the  day,  and  in  events  of 
which  they  are  cognizant  ai.d  an  active  participant. 


In  comparison  with  its  circulation,  the  home  paper 
exerts  even  a  greater  influence  than  the  so-called 
great  papers  of  the  metropolitan  cities.  At  the  pres- 
ent time  De  Kalb  County  is  well  supplied  with  home 
papers.  In  the  list  are  the  following  :  True  Republi- 
can and  City  Weekly,  Sycamore;  Chronicle  and  Re- 
view, De  Kalb;  Index,  Genoa;  Mail,  Malta;  Re- 
view, Hinckley;  Gazette,  Free  Press  and  Argus, 
Sandwich ;  Reveille,  Somonauk ;  Express,  Shabbona. 


The  Eepublican-Sentinel. 

'EPUBLICAN-SENTINEL,  edited  and  pub- 
lished by  H.  A.  Hough,  at  Sycamore,  was 
the  first  paper  printed  in  De  Kalb  County. 
The  first  issue  made  its  appearance  May  31 
r854.  The  Sentinel  gave  a  vigorous  and  en- 
thusiastic support  to  the  prohibitory  liquor  law 
presented  to  the  people  of  the  State  for  its  adoption. 
In  1858,  the  Republican- Sentinel  was  purchased  by 

^^ 


-  ..  - 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


795 


the  friends  of  Senator  Douglas,  its  name  changed  to 
the  Sycamore  Sentinel,  and  it  became,  under  the  edi- 
torial management  of  E.  L.  and  Z.  B.  Mayo  and 
Jacob  A.  Simons,  an  earnest  supporter  of  Senator 
<-)  Douglas  for  re-election.  This  was  the  year  in  which 
the  great  debate  was  held  between  Douglas  and 
Lincoln,  which,  as  Lincoln  subsequently  remarked, 
elected  Douglas  to  the  Senate  and  Lincoln  to  the 
Presidency.  The  paper  was  continued  until  May  29, 
1861,  when  it  was  consolidated  with  the  True  Re- 
/  publican. 

'• 


I 


; 


& 


The  True  Republican. 

N  the! fall  of  1857  the  True  Republican  was 
started  by  C.  W.  Waite,  editor  and  proprie- 
tor. It  was  a  seven-column  folio,  and  pre- 
sented a  very  neat  and  attractive  appearance. 
On  the  30th  day  of  March,  1858,  the  material 
and  good  will  of  the  office  was  purchased  by 
James  H.  Beveridge,  D.  B.  James  and  C.  M.  Brown, 
and  the  paper  was  continued  under  the  firm  name 
of  J.  H.  Beveridge  &  Co.,  proprietors ;  O.  P.  Bassett, 
publisher  ;  C.  W.  Waite  was  retained  as  editor.  On 
the  sth  day  of  April,  1859,  O.  P.  Bassett  purchased 
the  material  of  the  office  and  became  publisher  and 
proprietor,  retaining  Mr.  Waite  as  editor.  On  the 
zgth  day  of  May,  1861,  Mr.  Bassett  bought  out  the 
Sycamore  Sentinel,  consolidating  the  papers  under 
the  name  of  the  Republican  ami  Sentinel.  Mr. 
Bassett  remained  as  sole  publisher  until  May  14, 
1862,  when  he  disposed  of  one-half  of  the  office  to 
H.  L.  Boies,  and  the  paper  was  continued  under  the 
firm  name  of  Bassett  &  Boies,  with  Mr.  Boies  in  the 
editorial  chair.  The  paper  had  some  time  previous 
been  changed  to  an  eight-column  folio  About  the 
close  of  the  war  John  Norris  purchased  Mr.  Bassett's 
interest,  and,  under  the  firm  name  of  John  Norris  & 
Co.,  the  paper  was  published,  Mr.  Boies  still  attend- 
ing to  the  duties  of  editor.  The  name  was  now 
changed  to  Sycamore  True  Republican.  In  Janu- 
ary, 1868,  Mr.  Boies  became  sole  proprietor.  On 
the  i ^th  day  of  December,  1869,  the  paper  was 
changed  to  a  semi-weekly,  seven-column  folio,  con- 
tinuing as  such  to  the  present  time.  In  September, 
[874,  George  P.  Taylor  purchased  a  half  interest 


and  the  firm  became  Boies  &  Taylor.  This  arrange- 
ment continued  until  1875,  when  Taylor  sold  his 
interest  to  George  O.  Armstrong,  and  the  firm  then 
became  Boies  &  Armstrong.  On  the  i3th  of  March, 
1878,  David  L.  Peck  purchased  Armstrong's  interest, 
the  firm  name  being  changed  to  Boies  &  Peck.  On 
the  Sth  day  of  September,  1880,  D.  W.  Hartman 
purchased  the  interest  of  Mr.  Peck,  and  the  firm 
was  then  known  as  Boies  &  Hartman.  In  July, 
1884,  Mr.  Hartman  retired  and  the  paper  now  is  pub- 
lished by  H.  L.  Boies  &  Co.  The  True  Republican 
is  now  in  its  28th  year.  It  has  had  its  ups  and 
downs,  but  has  held  steadfastly  on  its  way,  always 
being  a  consistent  advocate  of  the  principles  implied 
in  its  name.  Mr.  Boies  has  been  connected  with  it 
almost  a  quarter  of  a  century,  devoting  the  best  part 
of  his  life  to  its  success  and  in  the  advocacy  of  true 
Republican  doctrine. 


The  People's  Press. 

HE  loth  day  of  September,  1857,  the 
People's  Press  made  its  first  appearance. 
It  was  the  first  paper  published  in  Sand- 
wich, and  was  a  neat  six-column  folio, 
"  devoted  to  literature,  science,  agriculture, 
local  and  general  news,"  and  independent  on 
all  subjects.  W.  L.  Dempster  was  editor  and  pub- 
lisher. He  was  a  practical  newspaper  man  and 
made  an  interesting  paper.  Notwithstanding  the 
business  men  of  the  place  patronized  it  liberally,  at 
the  expiration  of  about  six  months  it  ceased  to  exist. 
Its  editor  and  publisher,  having  got  deeply  in  debt, 
left  the  country,  without  bidding  his  friends  and 
patrons  an  affectionate  good-bye. 


The  Prairie  Home  and  Advertiser. 

HE  second  paper  established  in  Sandwich 
had   the    foregoing  title.      Its    publication 
was  commenced  Oct.   13,  1859,  by  Matti- 
son  &  Higbee.     The  paper  was  a  four-column 
folio,   with   a  border   around  each  page.      Its 
nee  was  brief. 


f® 


. 


The  Sandwich.  ISews 

AS  the  third  paper  started   in    Sandwich. 
James  M.   Higbee   was  editor  and   pub- 
lisher.     It  was    issued    bi-monthly,  and 
vas  a  four-column  folio,  with  border.     The 
News   was    continued    about  five   months, 
at  which  time  it  shared  the  fate  of  many  news- 
paper enterprises.     It  is  a  most  difficult  undertaking 
to  establish  a   newspaper  upon  a  paying  and  profit- 
able basis. 


The    Sandwich  Gazette. 

AMES  HIGBEE,  in  May,  1865,  began  the 
publication  of  a  five-column  folio  sheet 
under  the  above  name,  which  he  issued 
weekly.  A  short  time  afterwards  he  associated 
with  him  in  its  publication  James  H.  Sedg- 
wick, and,  under  the  firm  name  of  Higbee  & 
Sedgwick,  the  paper  was  continued,  being  enlarged 
to  a  seven-column  folio.  On  the  I4th  of  April, 
1866,  James  H.  Furman  purchased  the  interest  of 
Mr.  Sedgwick,  and  subsequently  the  firm  of  Higbee 
&  Furman  enlarged  the  paper  to  an  eight-column 
folio.  On  the  3d  day  of  October,  1868,  Mr.  Fur- 
man became  sole  proprietor,  and  continued  as  such 
until  the  291)1  day  of  May,  1874,  when  he  sold  the 
office  and  good  will  of  the  paper  to  G.  H.  Robertson. 
Mr.  Robertson  continued  its  publication  weekly  as 
an  eight-column  folio  but  a  short  time,  when  he 
changed  its  form  to  a  six-column  quarto.  As  such 
it  was  continued  until  1877,  when  it  was  changed  to 
a  seven-column  folio,  and  its  publication  continued 
semi-weekly.  For  six  years  Mr.  Robertson  con- 
tinued to  publish  a  semi-weekly  paper,  and  then  he 
returned  to  the  weekly  issue,  and  resumed  the  old 
form  of  an  eight-column  folio,  its  present  size.  The 
Gazette  has  had  a  prosperous  career  of  20  years,  and 
in  that  time  has  always  held  aloft  the  Republican 
banner,  advocating  the  principles  of  that  party  with 
signal  ability.  As  a  local  paper,  it  has  endeavored 
to  advocate  in  a  consistent  manner  everything  that 
has  tended  to  build  up  the  city  in  which  it  has  been 




printed.  Mr.  Robertson,  its  editor,  is  a  well  educated 
man,  with  large  experience  in  public  life,  and  wields 
a  ready  pen. 


De  Kalb  County  Farmer. 

URING  September,  1871,  the  first  number 
of  the  Ee  Kalb  County  Farmer  made  its 
appearance,  with  V.  Hix  as  editor  and  pro- 
prietor. It  was  a  four-column  quarto,  the 
subscription  price  being  $i  per  year.  For 
tome  time  previous  Mr.  Hix  had  been  con- 
tributing a  series  of  articles  to  the  True  Republican, 
descriptive  of  farming  and  stock-raising  in  De  Kalb 
County,  with  practical  hints  derived  from  experience. 
The  articles  meeting  with  favor  by  the  farming  com- 
munity, it  was  thought  advisable  to  establish  a  paper 
in  which  subjects  of  interest  to  farmers  could  be 
treated  more  in  detail  than  in  the  columns  of  a  lo- 
cal paper.  The  experiment  was  not  a  success  finan- 
cially, and  the  paper  was  discontinued  at  the  end  of 
one  year. 


The  City  Weekly. 

MONG  the  leading  papers  of  the  county  is 
the  Sycamore  City  Weekly.  It  may  be  said 
to  be  the  outgrowth  of  .  the  De  Kalb 
County  Farmer,  the  experience  in  the  latter 
giving  Mr.  Hix  a  taste  for  the  profession.  The 
first  number  of  the  Weekly  made  its  appear- 
ance in  September,  1872.  It  was  a  six-column 
quarto,  independent  in  politics,  devoted  mainly  to 
local  news  and  miscellany.  Mr.  Hix  continued 
as  sole  proprietor  for  six  years,  when  he  admitted 
into  partnership  F.  O.  Van  Galder,  a  practical  prin- 
ter and  an  excellent  workman.  In  1876  the 
Weekly  became  the  supporter  of  Republican  princi- 
ples, for  which  it  has  continued  to  battle  to  the 
present  time.  In  1877  the  form  of  the  paper  was 
changed  to  an  eight-column  folio,  which  it  main- 
tained until  August,  1879,  when  it  was  made  a  nine- 
column  folio.  In  March,  1882,  it  resumed  its  orit 
nal  form  of  a  six-column  quarto.  The  City  Weekly 

a_Q____Sfcp%jE: V&XS&SJL® 

myK^Jci\(^^, 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


model  local  paper,  keeping  abreast  with  the 
times.  Few  items  of  any  importance  escape  the 
watchful  eyes  of  its  editors.  Its  circulation  is  large 
and  it  is  a  No.  i  advertising  medium. 


Sandwich  Free  Press. 

'ULY  16,  1873,  was  the  date  the  first  issue 
|?  of  this  paper  bore.  Its  motto  was,  "Home 
first, — the  world  afterward."  H.  F.  Blood- 
good,  a  young  printer,  who  had  just  entered 
upon  his  majority,  and  who  had  for  several 
years  been  an  employee  on  the  Gazette,  con- 
ceived the  idea  there  was  room  for  one  more  paper, 
and  proposed  to  fill  the  vacancy.  In  his  salutatory 
he  said  that  witli  "  malice  toward  none  and  charity 
for  all,"  he  would  endeavor  to  give  the  people  a  paper 
devoted  specially  to  home  interests ;  that  he  be- 
lieved in  speaking  a  good  word  for  his  town,  when  it 
could  be  done,  and  he  would  doit.  He  said  further : 
'"  Sandwich  will  not  be  able  to  support  the  second 
paper.'"  some  say;  but  we  believe  she  will,  and  shall 
test  her  thoroughly  before  we  give  it  up.  If  we  do 
not  succeed,  we  can,  with  a  little  practice,  hoe  corn, 
quench  potato  bugs,  draw  water  from  Fox  River  (when 
the  season  is  dry)  for  .the  neighbors  to  wash  with, 
and  in  the  fall  go  to  plowing  for  John  Keene,  of  Af- 
ton,  who  assures  us  we  can  have  a  job.  We  print 
advertisements,  local  notices,  etc.,  and  our  charges 
are  not  very  high.  We  have  worked  at  the  trade  for 
the  past  five  years,  but  never  acquired  the  knack  of 
placing  every  person's  advertisement  at  the  head  of 
the  first  column,  nor  do  we  expect  to.  We  will  give 
them  all  a  fair  show,  however.  Our  'better  half,' 
like  Josiah  Allen,  despairingly  says,  '  Who'll  read  the 
paper  after  it  is  printed,  Bloodgood?'  We  replied 
that  we  knew  of  three  already  who  had  promised  to 
do  so,  and  if  the  people  would  [follow  suit  we  would 
soon  have  a  list." 

It  was  soon  found  out  that  Sandwich  would  sup- 
port a  second  paper,  so  Mr.  Bloodgood  was  not  com- 
pelled to  "  quench  potato  bugs "  to  support  his 
family.  The  paper,  under  his  administration,  soon 
became  quite  popular,  and  its  popularity  continued 
until  his  death.  On  the  5th  day  of  October,  1881, 
Mr.  Bloodgood  was  caught  in  a  revolving  shaft  and 


crushed  in  a  horrible  manner.  He  lingered  along 
until  April  4,  1882,  when  he  died  from  the  effects  of 
the  injuries  received.  From  a  sermon  by  Rev.  G. 
W.  Crofts  is  gleaned  the  following: 

"Henry  Francis  Bloodgood  was  born  in  Rochester, 
N.  Y.,  Feb.  6,  1852.  He  came  to  Sandwich  when  16 
years  of  age  and  entered  the  office  of  the  Gasette, 
where  he  worked  five  years.  He  commenced  the 
publication  of  the  Free  Press  in  July,  1872.  Small 
was  its  beginning,  like  the  grain  of  mustard  seed,  but 
during  the  years  as  they  passed  it  continued  To  grow 
in  popular  favor,  until  it  ranked  in  point  of  circulation 
and  editorial  ability  with  the  very  best  local  papers 
in  the  State.  This  fact  was  acknowledged  by  all  the 
editorial  brotherhood  throughout  the  State.  The 
Free  Press  had  not  a  single  exchange  that  did  not 
again  and  again  speak  in  the  highest  terms  of  its 
rank,  of  the  marked  ability  and  taste  with  which  it 
was  conducted,  and  of  the  genial  and  generous  char- 
acter of  the  man  who  stood  at  its  helm.  A  still 
higher  acknowledgment  was  the  fact  of  other  jour- 
nals copying  many  of  his  sparkling  and  piquant 
sayings.  Few  men  possessed  the  faculty  of  putting 
things  in  a  more  condensed,  telling  and  charming 
way.  Some  of  his  efforts  in  prose  and  verse  would 
have  secured  favorable  comment  in  more  pretentious 
publications.  He  was  original,  witty  and  versatile." 

The  Free  Press  was  continued  as  a  six-column 
folio  for  about  two  years,  then  changed  to  a  six-col- 
umn quarto  and  subsequently  to  a  nine-column  folio. 
On  the  death  of  Mr.  Bloodgood  the  office  was  pur- 
chased by  C.  B.  Taylor,  who  changed  the  form  to  a 
five-column  quarto,  running  it  as  such  for  a  few 
months,  then  changed  it  to  a  six-column  quarto. 
Mr.  Taylor  was  a  man  of  fine  ability,  coming  here 
from  Urban  a,  111.,  where  he  had  been  engaged  in 
newspaper  work  as  a  partner  in  the  Herald.  On  re- 
tiring from  the  Free  Press,  he  went  to  Danville,  and 
for  a  time  was  on  the  News.  He  is  now  a  Metho- 
dist minister,  and  is  located  at  Lerna,  Coles  Co.,  111. 
Barnes  &  Douglas  purchased  the  office  and  good- 
will of  the  paper  and  issued  their  first  number  Oct. 
17,  1883.  They  are  still  the  publishers,  and  print 
one  of  the  best  local '  papers  in  Northern  Illinois. 
They  are  both  practical  printers,  and,  like  the  first 
editor  of  the  paper,  they  believe  in  doing  all  they 
can  to  build  up  their  town,  while  at  the  same  time 
trying  to  observe  well  the  motto  at  the  head  of  their 
paper  to  "  Fear  God,  tell  the  truth,  andimake  money." 


.. 


COUNTY. 


Somonauk  Reveille. 

;OMONAUK  REVEILLE  first  made  its 
appearance  Dec.  18, 1875.  It  was  a  seven- 
column  folio,  independent  in  politics,  with 
C.  A.  West  as  editor  and  proprietor.  After 
the  expiration  of  the  first  year  the  paper  was 
changed  to  a  five-column  quarto,  its  present 
size.  Mr.  West  continued  the  publication  of 
the  paper  for  three  years,  when  he  sold  to  S.  D.  New- 
ton, who  since  continued  in  its  charge.  The  Re- 
veille under  the  administration  of  Mr.  Newton  has 
been  a  success  in  every  particular.  Having  but  a 
limited  field  for  circulation,  it  has  made  the  best  use 
of  its  opportunities  and  has  worked  the  field  thor- 
oughly, and  but  few  families  in  the  vicinity  of  Somo- 
nauk are  without  the  Reveille.  The  merchants  of 
the  place  have  been  very  liberal  in  advertising,  show- 
ing a  proper  appreciation  of  the  local  press.  Mr. 
Newton  advocates  the  principles  of  none  of  the  politi- 
cal parties  now  in  existence,  while  at  the  same  time 
he  is  free  to  support  such  men  and  measures  as  he 
may  think  best.  A  good  local  paper  is  what  he  pro- 
poses and  does  furnish  his  patrons. 


® 


Shabbona  Express. 

CURING  the  month  of  May,  1876,  the  Shab- 
bona Express  was  commenced  by  Blood- 
good  &  Hunt,  of  the  Sandwich  Free  Press. 

%     4^"     Mr'  Hunt  was  tlie  resident  or  local  editor  at 
\s(S      ^    Shabbona,  the  paper  being  printed  at  Sandwich. 
It  was  a  six-column  folio.     At  the  expiration  of 
six  months  Mr.     Hunt  sold  out  to    W.   H.   Ray,  of 
Shabbona,  the   publication   of  the  paper  being  con- 
tinued by  Bloodgood  &  Ray.     This  arrangement  con- 
tinued for  two  years,  when  Mr.  Ray  became  sole  pro- 
prietor.    For  some  months  he  had  the  paper  printed 
S>    at  Paw  Paw,   and  then  at   Hinckley  for  two  years, 
when  he  purchased  a  press  and  has  since  printed  it 
at  home.     In  May,  1880,  the  paper  was  enlarged  to 
a  seven-column  folio,  and  six  months  laterto  an  eight- 
column  folio.     It  was  thus  continued  till  the  expira- 
tion of  the  current  year,  when  it  was  changed  to  a 
five-column  quarto,  its  present  form.    In  June,  1882, 


a  Fair  Haven  power  press  was  introduced,  on  which 
it  is  now  worked.  The  paper  is  Republican  in  poli- 
tics, and,  as  a  local  newspaper,  has  done  much  to- 
wards building  up  the  town  and  influencing  public 
opinion.  A  biographical  sketch  of  its  editor  is  found 
elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

---HIMIH^ 

The  Malta  Mail. 

C.  NEEDHAM,  as  editor  and  proprietor, 
issued  the  first  number  of  the  Malta  Mail 
in  February,  1877.  It  was  a  five-column 
folio.  Mr.  Needham  continued  its  publica- 
tion until  November  of  the  same  year,  when  he 
sold  to  G.  W.  Morris,  who  for  one  year  and  a 
half  continued  as  sole  proprietor,  when  he  took  in 
one  of  his  sons  as  a  partner.  Subsequently  another 
son  was  admitted  as  a  partner,  the  firm  then  being 
G.  W.  Morris  &  Sons.  In  1881  one  of  the  sons  re- 
tired, leaving  the  father  and  one  son  as  publishers, 
under  the  firm  name  of  G.  W.  Morris  &  Son.  The 
paper  has  changed  its  size  a  number  of  times,  being 
enlarged  each  time.  In  1881  it  was  changed  to  a 
seven-column  quarto,  which  size  it  yet  remains.  In 
politics,  the  Mail  is  Republican,  though  liberal  in  its 
views.  It  is  a  neat  and  well-printed  sheet,  and  ed- 
ited with  considerable  ability. 


The  Hinckley  Review. 

'AY,  1878,  M.  N.  Tomblin  commenced  the 
publication  of  the  Review,  the  first  paper 
published  at  Hinckley.  It  was  a  five- 
column  quarto,  six  pages,  patent.  He  occu- 
pied small  rooms  over  the  present  barber  shop. 
In  about  six  months  his  brother,  L.  E.  Tomb- 
'  lin,  became  a  partner  and  changed  their  paper 
to  a  six-column  folio,  half  patent.  With  a  Washing- 
ton hand  press,  a  limited  outfit  of  type,  small  quar- 
ters, and  a  steadfast  aim  for  success,  these  two  hard- 
working and  enterprising  young  men  struggled  on  for 
two  years.  On  May  i,  1880,  they  associated  with 
them  Herbert  W.  Fay.  and  commenced  operating  un- 
der the  firm  name  of  Tomblin  Bros.  &  Fay.  The  old 


4«g*@, 


-  ..  - 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


press  was  exchanged  to  a  rotary  Nonpareil,  a  large 
amount  of  new  type  was  added  and  the  office  was 
moved  down  on  the  ground  floor  of  the  same  build- 
ing, on  an  equal  footing  with  other  business  places  of 
Hinckley.  The  paper  was  doubled  in  size,  and  the 
subscription  price  increased  to  $1.25  per  year.  In 
June,  1882,  Herbert  W.  Fay  bought  out  the  interests 
of  his  partners.  On  Nov.  4,  1882,  he  purchased  the 
next  building  east  of  the  one  in  which  the  paper  was 
started. 

On  March  i,  1883,  the  office  was  moved  into  the 
new  and  larger  quarters.  During  all  this  time  the 
proprietors  have  published  a  branch  paper  for  Water- 
man, 111.,  called  the  Leader.  During  the  last  two 
years  the  Review  has  adopted  the  plan  of  rejecting 
nearly  all  foreign  advertising,  especially  patent-med- 
icine contracts.  The  plan  has  gre  itly  increased  its 
subscription  and  materially  added  to  its  home  adver- 
tising patronage.  At  present  no  paper  in  the  county 
has  a  better  advertising  patronage,  and  its  circulation 
is  not  surpassed  by  many. 


The  Argus. 

NOVEMBER  9,  1878,  M.  B.  Castie&Son 

commenced  the  publication  of  the  Argus, 
a  seven-column  folio.  The  salutatory  was 
to  the  point.  Among  other  things,  the  editor 
lid  :  "  The  Argus  starts  with  a  clean  record 
in  all  particulars,  especially  in  the  subscriptions, 
having  but  'five ;  but,  like  the  mustard  seed  the 
woman  put  in  a  lump  of  dough,  these  will  leaven  the 
whole  lump  (we  quote  from  memory),  forming  a 
nucleus  for  the  1,500  we  are  going  to  have.  We  will 
make  but  few  promises,  but  will  endeavor  to  do  bet- 
.  ter  in  performance.  There  is  one  thing,  however,  we 
are  quite  sure  of,  and  that  is,  that  the  Argus  has 
come  to  stay,  as  we  heard  a  young  lady  say  the  other 
day  '  you  bet,'  which  we  suppose  to  be  the  elegant 
method  of  strong  assertion.  We  have  always  done 
our  '  level  best '  to  please  everybody,  and  we  have 
been  remarkably  successful  therein.  We  have  no 
doubt  we  shall  succeed  equally  well  in  this  enter- 
prise. But  if  by  any  chance  we  should  not,  it  would 
grieve  us  sadly;  and  we  at  this  early  date,  and  in  ad- 
vance, beg  to  offer  apologies  and  be  forgiven.  .  .  . 
They  do  not  expect  to  make  a  better  paper  than  all 


others,  and  do  not  expect  to  have  it  free  from  faults 
or  above  criticism,  but  they  do  expect  to  have  a  wide- 
awake paper.  .  .  .  The  proprietors  of  the  Argus 
are  both  young.  J.  B.  Castle  is  young  in  years,  and 
M.  B.  Castle  is  young  in  heart ;  so  they  may  be  ex- 
pected to  say  and  do  some  foolish  things ;  but  they 
are  ready  to  promise  faithfully  not  to  repeat  them, 
when  once  they  see  the  error,  and  that  should  be  a 
merit  in  this  world  of  obstinate  wrong." 

On  commencing  its  publication,  the  publishers 
used  one-half  foreign  print,  but  on  the  22d  of  March, 
1879,  began  the  printing  of  the  entire  sheet  at  home. 
The  second  volume  of  the  paper  was  enlarged  to  an 
eight-column  folio,  which  size  is  still  maintained,  at 
the  same  time  it  being  all  home  print.  During  the 
first  year,  a  series  of  personal  sketches  of  old  settlers 
was  published,  which  were  of  much  interest  to  its 
readers.  The  paper  has  been  very  successful,  having 
a  large  circulation,  and  fine  advertising  patronge. 


De  Kalb  County  Chronicle. 

ARCH  8,  1879,  the  first  issue  of  the  De 
Kalb  County  Chronicle  made  appearance. 
For  some  time  the  Democracy  of  the 
county  were  without  an  organ,  and  it  was 
thought  a  favorable  opportunity  presented  itself 
for  starting  and  sustaining  a  paper  that  would 
advocate  the  principles  of  Jefferson  and  Jackson. 
The  first  number  had  at  the  head  of  its  columns,  D. 
W.  Tyrrell  &  Co.,  publishers,  and  Clinton  Rosette, 
editor.  In  his  salutatory,  the  editor  said  :  "It  (the 
Chronicle}  will  advocate  free  trade,  a  uniform  cur- 
rency, State  rights  and  personal  liberty,  as  being  not 
only  the  ancient  Democratic  faith  and  sound  consti- 
tutional doctrine,  but  as  best  calculated  to  preserve 
the  liberties  of  individuals,  to  conduce  to  the  pros- 
perity of  the  people,  and  to  the  Union  and  the  Con- 
stitution." When  first  established  the  Chronicle  was 
a  five-column  quarto.  In  July,  following,  J.  F.  Glid- 
den  became  sole  proprietor  and  the  paper  was  en- 
larged to  a  six-column  quarto.  Mr.  Rosette  was 
continued  as  editor  and  remains  as  such  to  the 
present  time.  Under  his  able  management  it  has 
taken  rank  as  one  of  the  leading  Democratic  organs 
of  Northern  Illinois,  and  is  a  credit  to  its  proprietors 
and  to  the  city  and  county  in  which  it  is  published. 


, 


i 


DE  KALB  COiTSTT, 


Mr.  Rosette  is  mow  < 

name  being  J.  E.  Gladden  &  Co.    Tl>e  joper  is  *H 

printed  at  home.  The  office  of  the  CJirmdck  is  -cnw 
of  the  largest  m  the  State  ontside-of  Chicago,  having 
foul  large  cylinder  power  presses  and  several  job 
presses.  A  large  amount  of  job  printing  is  jtnnnjIBy 
done,  tie  greater  part  of  -which  is  ibr  the  maoa- 
factarrng  £rms  of  De  Kalh.  * 


The  De  Kalb  Beview. 


118%,  ti»e  feist  issae  *tf  afre 
De  KaTb  Rnneai  appeared.  Its  publica- 
tion was  began  by  H.  L.  Boies  &  G»^  of 
Sj'camore,  with  S.  L.  Graharo  as  editor,  After 
being  issued  abont  three  months,  dw  food  •wffl 
of  the  paper  and  subscription  list  wjs  pur- 
chased by  Tyrrell  &  Tomblin.  The  latter  w.ss  tben 
publishing  a  newsjiaper  at  Genoa,  whici  he  then 
suspended  and  removed  the  material  of  the  office 
toDeKalb.  The  Review  is  an  eighi-column  folio 
and  presenls  a  neal  and  creditable  appearaDce. 
While  its  motto  from  the  beginning  has  been  '"Inde- 
pendent in  all  things,"  it  is  yet  an  advocate  of  the 
principles  and  policy  of  the  Republican  party,  D.. 


PAPER, 
started  as  iS£4- JA  Gkaw.,  ike 
ui^  d«te  Oct.  ai,  mil,  U  W, 

:v    ,..        - 


inw  are,  WaMarm  H&rMxal  De  EaJto  **-   = 
ted  •  De  Kalb  M  i^S,  bj  Mr.  A»-  f 
by    L«   p 

.      .     ~        /:-.-,         v.:cv    ;: 


.,,    v 


• 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


I 


NLY   a  few,   if  any,   counties 
in   the   State   can  at  all  be 
compared  with  De  Kalb  in 
the  number  of  useful  inven- 
tions.    Among  the   number 
"tj-vjo*  worthy  of  special  mention  in 
this  volume  are  the  Marsh  Harvesters, 
Whitney  Self-Binder,  Glidden  Barbed 
Wire,  "  S  "  Barbed  Wire,  the  Ellwood 
Cultivators,  the  Powers,  Corn-Shellers 
and  Cultivators  of  the  Sandwich  Man- 
ufacturing Company.     Among  the  in- 
ventions made  by  citizens  of  De  Kalb 
County,  that  of  barbed  wire  for  fenc- 
ing has  probably  given  the  county  its 
greatest  reputation.     While   wire   for  fencing  pur- 
poses  was   used   as  early  as   1821,  when  the  first 
patent  was  granted,  it  was  not  until  1874  that  any- 
thing practical  was  invented.     As  early  as  1873,  J. 
F.  Glidden  began  to  experiment  with  barbed  wire. 
Having  upon  his   farm  a  large  quantity  of  smooth 
wire  fence,  the  thought  occurred  to  him  that  he  could 
place  barbs    upon   the  wire  in  a  more  satisfactory 
manner  than  had  yet  been  done.     With  very  simple 
instruments  he  twisted  the  barb  around  the  wire  and 

imade  the  first  practical  test  upon  his  own  farm.   En- 
listing the  interest  of  I.  L.  Ellwood,  the  two  formed 
._  a  partnership   and  made  application  for  a   patent, 
^  which  was  granted  in  May,  1874,  the  essential  fea- 
.    tures  being  that  of  "coiling  a  short  piece  of  wire 
between  its  ends  around  the  fence  wire,"  a  device 


. 


which  has  never  been  deviated  from  in  the  slightest 
particular  in  the  construction  of  the  now  world- 
famous  Glidden  Steel  Barb  Fence  Wire. 

At  the  time  Mr.  Glidden  was  making  his  practical 
tests,  Jacob  Haish,  of  De  Kalb,  was  also  experiment- 
ing in  the  same  line.  The  first  patent  secured  by 
him  was  Jan.  20,  1874.  The  specification  read  as 
follows  :  "  Two  strands  of  wire  twisted  together, 
said  wires  cut  into  lengths  of  about  one-sixth  of  a 
panel,  their  ends  lapping  so  far  as  to  permit  hooking 
by  turning  each  end  back  and  then  projecting  them 
laterally  upward  and  downward  to  serve  as  barbs." 
Other  patents  followed  and  improvements  were  made 
until  the  efforts  of  the  inventor  were  crowned  by  the 
invention  and  introduction  of  the  justly  celebrated 
"  S  "  Barb  Wire. 

Reuben  Ellwood  has  led  a  busy,  active  life.  His 
mind  seems  never  at  rest.  As  an  idventor  he  has 
presented  to  the  world  many  useful  articles,  some  of 
which  are  here  enumerated : 

1.  The  Ellwood  Riding  Cultivator  was  first  pat- 
ented July  i,  1873.    Machines  of  this  kind  are  made, 
either  four  or  six  blades,  from  which,  together  with 
the  attachments,  four  complete  cultivators  are  made, 

— four,  five,  six  or  nine  blade  cultivators.    This  style     *& 
has  more  good  points  with  less  complication  than 
any  other  cultivator  made. 

2.  The  Ellwood  Walking  Cultivator  is  the  out- 
growth of  a  demand  for  a  first-class  implement  of 
that  kind.     It  was  patented  by   Mr.  Ellwood  Aug. 
21,  1883. 

3.  The  Ellwood  4Oo-Pound  Sulky  Plow  was  pat- 

•p ^*g&z -l^if^/43 


DE  KALB    COUNTY. 


ented  Aug.  22,  1879.     Its  weight  is  much  less  than 
any  other,  while  the  strongest. 

4.  The  Ellwood  Self-Discharging  Sulky  Rake  was 
patented  April  22,   1879.     It  is  simple,  strong  and 
durable. 

5.  Ell  wood's  Barrel  Cart  is  one  of  the  most  con- 
venient things  about  a  farm.     It  was  invented  by  a 
practical  farmer  to  lighten  the  labor  of  carrying  slops 
and  milk  from  the  house  and  dairy.    It  was  patented 
April  3,  1877. 

6.  Ellwood's  Barn  Door  Hanger  is  simple  and  sub- 
stantial in  construction.     The  patent  was  issued  July 
4,  1876. 

7.  The  Little  Giant  Wire  Stretcher,  for  stretching 
barb-wire  fences,  was  patented  in  1882.     Two  hun- 
dred thousand  made  and  sold. 

Among  other  inventions  of  Mr.  Ellwood  are  the 
Hinge  Harrow,  One-Horse  Power,  Revolving  Box 
Churn,  Iron  Fence  Picket  and  Rolling  Coulters,  all 
practical  inventions  and  in  use  throughout  the  coun- 
try. 

C.  W.  &  W.  W.  Marsh  have  a  national  reputa- 
tion. Their  inventions  are  in  use  throughout  the 
Union  and  even  in  foreign  lands.  The  following 
comprises  a  part  of  what  has  been  invented  by  them : 

Harvester,  patented  by  C.  W.  &  W.  W.  Marsh, 
Feb.  T4,  1865,  consists  of  an  open  inside  divider. 
This  has  generally  been  adopted  by  all  harvester 
companies. 

Harvester,  patented  by  C.  W.  &  W.  W.  Marsh, 
June  7,  1865.  A  re-issue  to  cover  the  binding  table 
and  receptacle  and  the  position  of  the  binder.  Vir- 
tually used  by  all  harvester  companies. 

Harvester,  patented  June  18,  1872,  by  C.  W.  & 
W.  W.  Marsh,  a  simple  device  for  hurrying  forward 
the  butts  of  the  grain. 

Harvester,  re-issue  patented  by  C.  W.  &  W.  W. 
Marsh,  Jan.  12,  1875.  Consists  of  an  elevating 
mechanism  reaching  forward  of  the  sickle  bar.  This 
invention  has  been  adopted  by  all  manufacturers  of 
harvesters. 

Harvester,  patent  re-issued  Jan.  12,  1875,  by  C. 
W.  &  W.  W.  Marsh.  Patent  consists  of  folding  or  re- 
moving the  hand-binder  table,  in  order  to  narrow  up 
the  machine  in  passing  through  narrow  places.  This 
is  virtually  used  by  all  the  harvester  companies. 

Harvester,  patent  re-issued  March  9,  1875.  Claim, 
the  hand-binding  tables  on  the  outside  of  the  drive- 


.:-  •>•-'„ 





wheel,  in  order  to  balance  the  machine.  This  inven- 
tion was  practically  adopted  by  all  the  hand-binding 
harvesters  manufactured  in  this  country. 

Harvester,  patent  re-issued  March  9,  1875,  by  C. 
W.  &  W.  W.  Marsh.  This  patent  consists  of  a  cover 
for  holding  the  grain  down  on  the  lower  elevator  can- 
vass. This  virtually  has  been  adopted  by  all  manu- 
facturers of  harvesters,  the  only  difference  being,  they 
use  a  canvass  revolving  cover. 

Harvester,  patented  by  C.  W.  &  W.  W.  Marsh, 
Feb.  21,  1876.  A  devise  for  protecting  the  finger- 
bar. 

Harvester,  patented  by  C.  W.  &  W.  W.  Marsh, 
June  13,  1876.  This  consists  of  a  device  for  level- 
ing the  hand-binder's  foot-board  table  while  the  ma- 
chine is  in  motion.  A  useful  invention. 

Harvester,  patented  by  C.  W.  &  W.  W.  Marsh, 
June  13,  1876.  Consists  of  a  raising  and  lowering 
device. 

Harvester,  patented  by  C.  W.  and  W.  W.  Marsh, 
Feb.  20,  1877.  Consists  of  an  adjustable  reel. 

Harvester  Reel,  patented  by  C.  W.  &  W.  W. 
Marsh,  April  17,  1877.  The  claim  consists  of  an  ad- 
justable reel. 

Grain-Binding  Harvester,  patented  by  W.  W. 
Marsh  and  M.  E.  Blood,  April  ro,  1883.  Claim,  a  re- 
volting adjuster  wheel  for  straightening  and  working 
grain  back  to  the  binder  in  proper  position  for  bind- 
ing. 

Grain-Binding  Harvester,  patented  Feb.  10,  1885, 
by  W.  W.  Marsh  and  M.  E.  Blood.  Claim,  a  vertical 
canvass  placed  over  the  drum  of  the  platform  can- 
vass, in  order  to  force  grain  to  the  binder,  thereby 
straightening  the  same.  The  vertical  canvass  is  in 
a  frame  which  is  held  down  by  a  spring  to  accommo- 
date itself  to  the  different  thickness  of  the  grain. 
Claim,  also  a  vibrating  butter  used  to  square  up  the 
butts  of  the  grain,  together  with  a  raised  wall  for  re- 
sisting the  flow  of  the  grain  in  order  to  straighten  it. 

These  patents  virtually  cover  the  Marsh-Blood 
machine. 

Harvester  and  Binder,  patented  March  18,  1884, 
by  Charles  Whitney  &  W.  W.  Marsh.  This  patent 
covers  rotating  butts ;  combination  of  the  trip  and 
compresser;  rotating  bundle-discharging  fingers; 
straight-sliding  cord  guide  and  knife. 

Grain-Binding  Harvester,  patented  by  C.  Whitney 

£ ^^^ 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


803 


7. 


! 


&  W.  W.  Marsh,  Jan.  i,  1884.  Claim,  combination 
of  the  binder  arm  and  packer  fingers  by  connecting 
link,  so  that  as  the  binding  arm  goes  into  the  grain 
the  packer  fingers  are  raised  out  of  the  grain. 

The  two  last  patents  cover  virtually  the  Marsh- 
Whitney  Platform  Machine. 

Back  Belt,  patented  Nov.  12,  1869,  by  C.  W.  & 
W.  W.  Marsh.  This  invention  is  used  by  almost  all 
the  harvester  companies  and  was  very  profitable  to 
the  inventors. 

Painting  Machine,  patented  by  W.  W.  Marsh  in 
1876.  For  painting  straight  work  by  the  use  of  rub- 
ber rollers. 

Wheel  Cultivator,  patented  by  W.  W.  Marsh  and 
H.  Mclntyre,  July  16,  1872.  This  patent  consists 
of  an  adjustable  seat  and  foot  rest  for  high  and  low 
corn. 

Corn-Husker,  patented  by  W.  W.  Marsh  in  1870. 
Consists  of  rubber  rollers  for  husking  corn  out  of  the 
shock. 

Wind-Mill,  patented  by  W.  W.  Marsh  and  O.  E. 
Miles,  July  15,  1873.  This  patent  consists  of  a  mov- 
able shaft  giving  a  graduating  stroke  to  the  piston. 

Wind-Mill,  patented  by  W.  W.   Marsh,  May  25, 

1875.  A  shifting  device  in  combination  with  a  mov- 
able shaft. 

These- patents  cover  the  Marsh  mill. 

Wind-Mill,  patented    by  W.  W.   Marsh,  Aug.   15, 

1876.  Consists  of  a  mechanism  for  folding  the  wheel 
in  combination  with  an  adjustable  shaft. 

Sulky  Plow,  patented  by  W.  W.  Marsh,  Dec.  17, 
1878.  Claim,  an  improved  mechanism. 

Wire-Stretcher,  patented  by  W.  W.  Marsh  and 
Charles  Burquist,  in  1877. 

The  Sandwich  Manufacturing  Co.,  at  Sandwich, 
are  owners  of  a  large  number  of  valuable  patents,  the 
inventions  principally  of  some  member  of  the  com- 
pany. Augustus  Adams  and  H.  A.  Adams  deserve 
honorable  mention  in  the  list  of  De  Kalb  County  in- 
ventors. Their  inventions  are  of  a  practical  charac- 
ter and  for  practical  use,  and  have  been  brought  out 
in  the  shops  of  the  Sandwich  Manufacturing  Co.  The 
following  is  a  partial  list : 

Horse-Powers,  patented  July  2,  1861,  by  A.  Adams, 
No.  32,637. 

Corn-Shellers,  patented  by  A.  Adams,  Aug.  6, 1861, 


No.  32,971.  Re-issued  March  20,  1866,  No.  2,205. 
Another  patent  on  same  issued  May  15,  1866,  No. 
54,659- 

On  the  isthof  October,  1872,  H.  A.  Adams  re- 
ceived a  patent  on  corn-shellers,  No.  132,128. 

The  foregoing  were  the  inventions  making  the 
foundation  of  the  great  corn-sheller  manufacture 
which  made  A.  Adams  &  Sons,  and  their  success- 
ors, the  Sandwich  Manufacturing  Company,  known 
throughout  the  whole  country  and  many  parts  of 
Europe  and  South  America. 

Other  shelter  patents  were  granted  to  A.  Adams, 
No.  123,758,  Feb.  20,  1872;  No.  135,306,  Jan.  28, 
1873.  H.  A.  Adams  also  secured  one,  No.  252,594, 
Jan.  24,  1882. 

Of  harvester  patents  the  following  have  been 
issued : 

To  Adams  &  Low,  No.  99,  451,  Feb.  i,  1870. 

To  H.  A.  Adams,  No.  144,179,  Nov.  4,  1873;  No. 
191,217,  May  29,  1877  ;  No.  191,631,  June  5,  1877; 
Nov.  191,632,  June  5,  1877;  No.  256,812,  April  25, 
1882;  No.  306,891,  Oct.  21,  1884. 

To  Shogren  &  Adams,  No.  187,159,  Feb.  6,  1877. 

On  grain-binders,  several  patents  have  been  se- 
cured : 

To  H.  A.  Adams,  No.  214,980,  May  6,  1879. 

To  W.  H.  Payne  No.  191,776,  June  2,  1877  ;  No. 
234,372,  Nov.  9,  1880;  No.  214,790,  April  29,  1879; 
No.  219,304,  Sept.  2,  1879. 

To  Shufelt  &  Adams,  Nc.  265,159,  Oct.  17,  1882; 
No.  306,184,  Oct.  7,  1884. 

On  cultivators,  A.  Adams  secured  a  patent,  No. 
139,752,  June  10,  1873,  and  H.  A.  Adams,  No.  103,- 
537,  May  21,  1870. 

On  key-making  machine,  A.  Shogren  received  a 
patent,  No.  186,437,  Jan-  23,  '877- 

The  company  has  also  bought  rights  and  interests 
in  a  large  number  of  other  valuable  patents.  There 
has  also  been  produced  by  them  from  time  to  time 
many  improvements  and  inventions  not  patented, 
such  as  the  circling  side  gears  now  so  much  used  in 
threshing  and  shelling  machinery  and  the  like,  and 
flexible  iron  cob  spines  for  corn  shelters.  Nearly  all 
the  popular  forms  of  hand  shelters  and  many  of  the 
best  devices  used  in  both  hancf  and  power  corn- 
shellers  originated  in  this  establishment. 

The  feed-grinders,  manufactured  by  the  Enterprise 


Company  of  Sandwich,  are  the  invention  of  T.  W. 
Beal  and  patented  in  1883.  The  frame  is  of  iron 
and  can  be  bolted  to  the  floor  at  any  convenient 
place,  the  legs  being  provided  with  lugs  and  holes 
tf).  for  that  purpose. 

The  climax  cultivators  are  the  invention  of  Harvey 
Packer,  and  were  patented  in  1876.    They  are  manu- 
factured by  the  Enterprise  Company,  Sandwich,  111. 
The   Climax   Spring   Walking   Cultivator  has  an 
equalizer,  the  invention  of  T.  R.  Polglase,  the  fore- 
/    man  of  the  Enterprise  Company,  of  Sandwich.     The 
object  of  this  equalizer  is  to  require  each  horse  to  do 
^   its   own   share   of  the  work,  as    well  when  one   is 
slightly  in  advance  of  the  other  as  when  they  are 
even.     It  works  like  a  charm". 

Wind  Mill. — The  invention  of  Harvey  Packer, 
patented  in  1876,  and  manufactured  by  the  Enter- 
prise Company,  of  Sandwich,  111.  The  claim  made 
for  this  invention  is  a  solid  wheel,  made  without  joint 
or  pivot,  with  hard-wood  arms  bolted  into  a  strong 
^S  cast-iron  hub,  hard-wood  circles,  into  which  the  fan 
3  slats  are  securely  fastened,  the  whole  firmly  bolted 

§    together,  and  forming  a  strong  and   durable  wheel ; 
the  vane  is  large  and  strong,  made  so  as  to  hold  the 

g£  wheel  at  aH  times  steadily  and  firmly  in  the  wind, 
and  when  folded  keeps  the  wheel  with  its  edge  to 
the  wind,  enabling  it  to  withstand  the  fiercest  gale. 
A  revolving  post  and  multiplying  governor  are  also 
strong  features. 

In  1870  Richard  Emerson,  of  De  Kalb,  a  practical 
machinist,  bega«  experimenting  with  a  view  of  con- 
structing a  reaping  machine  that  would  be  an  im- 
provement upon  all  then  in  use.  In  1871  he  had  a 

^  complete  machine  manufactured  and  gave  it  a  thor- 
ough test  in  the  harvest  field.  The  result  was  not 
satisfactory.  In  1872  he  constructed  another,  which 
likewise  proved  a  failure.  He  did  not  yet  despair, 
but  believed  that  he  would  still  succeed.  Being  a 
poor  man,  he  could  not  pursue  his  investigations  as 
he  desired,  and  three  years  passed  before  he  could 
build  his  third  machine.  Unfortunately,  this  too  was 
condemned  as  being  impracticable.  In  1876116  in- 


vented  and  patented  an  adjustable  binding  table,  to 
be  used  on  any  of  the  machines  then  made.  This 
invention  was  adopted  by  the  Marsh  Harvester  Com- 
pany and  by  McCormick,  and  used  until  displaced  by 
the  self-binder.  In  1877  Mr.  Emerson  turned  his 
attention  to  and  invented  and  patented  a  wire  self- 
binder.  For  some  years  past  Mr.  Emerson  has  had 
the  active  co-operation  of  H.  H.  Mason,  who  has 
furnished  him  the  means  to  continue  his  experiments, 
investing  several  thousand  dollars  for  that  purpose. 
For  the  confidence  reposed  in  him  by  Mr.  Mason 
and  for  the  kindly  aid  furnished,  Mr.  Emerson  is  in- 
deed grateful,  realizing  his  inability  to  continue  with- 
out it.  Wire  binders  being  found  objectionhble,  Mr. 
Emerson,  as  well  as  other  inventors,  turned  his  at- 
tention to  the  construction  of  a  binder  using  twine 
instead  of  wire.  In  1884  he  constructed  another 
machine  almost  entirely  different  from  any  others, 
which  he  gave  a  thorough  test  in  the  field,  with 
the  best  satisfaction.  A  patent  for  this  was  ob- 
tained. For  this  machine,  which  he  terms  the 
Emerson  &  Mason  Harvester  and  Table  Rake 
Spring  Binder,  Mr.  Emerson  makes  the  following 
claims  :  A  reaper  with  a  table  rake  to  a  diagonal  ele- 
vation. By  a  swinging  apron  the  grain  is  greatly 
compressed  before  reaching  the  elevator,  which  is 
comparatively  short  and  from  which  the  grain  is  de- 
livered into  the  packer.  By  a  new  and  simple  device 
a  knot  is  formed  after  the  twine  has  been  made  to 
encircle  the  grain,  which  by  a  swinging  binder  is  dis- 
charged from  the  rear  of  the  drive  wheel.  A  further 
claim  is  made  that  the  machine  is  lighter  by  300 
pounds  than  the  ordinary  harvesters,  at  the  same 
time  equal  in  strength  and  more  durable,  in  conse- 
quence of  its  principal  part  being  of  iron. 

In  1883  William  C.  Watkins  secured  a  patent  on 
an  invention  for  stretching  wire  upon  the  posts. 
The  stretcher  is  so  constructed  that  it  will  stretch 
from  either  or  both  ends,  while  being  unwound  from 
the  spool. 

In  1880  Watkins  &  Ellwood  secured  a  patent  for 
a  wire-stretcher.  The  R.  Ellwood  Manufactur- 
ing Co.  now  own  the  patent. 


^ 


• 


'-    -.'--.  '.    ..'...  '-        .-      -    '.   '--     '•..'.   '•..••.••..••..•'..• 


)WNSHIP  history  is  an  es- 
sential and  prominent  part 
of  the  county  history.  The 
various  parts  of  De  Kalb 
County  were  settled  by  men 
most  of  whom  have  repre- 
sentatives now  living  in  the 
county,  or  are  still  living  here 
themselves.  A  careful  reading  of 
the  incidents  relating  to  the  early 
settlement  of  the  several  town- 
ships will  repay  the  reader,  as  each 
one  contains  the  names  of  the 
first  settlers,  and  many  other  items 
which  are  required  to  make  the 
history  complete.  The  township 
histories  are  given  in  their  alpha- 
betical order,  and  the  sketches  of 
the  villages  are  included  in  their  respective  town- 
ships. The  cities  of  Sycamore,  De  Kalb  and  Sand- 
wich follow  the  townships. 


AFTON  TOWNSHIP. 

FTON  Township  lies  in  the  third  tier  from 
the  south,  and  is  bounded  on  the  east  by 
Pierce,  on   the  north  by   De  Kalb,  on  the 
south  by  Clinton,  and  on  the  west  by  Milan. 
The  land  is  a  beautiful  rolling  prairie,  well 
adapted  to  all  the  cereals  peculiar  to  this  lati- 
tude.    The  head-waters  of  Little  Rock  Creek  are  on 

.®*g»t- ::S^^ % 


section  14.  It  is  said  that  John  A.  Hayden,  one  of 
the  early  settlers  of  the  township,  was  a  great 
admirer  of  the  song,  "  Flow  gently,  sweet  Afton," 
and  persisted  in  calling  this  stream  "  Sweet  Afton," 
from  which  the  township  derived  its  name. 

W.  R.  Campbell  is  given  the  honor  of  being  the 
first  settler  and  John. A.  Hayden  the  next.  Among 
other  early  settlers  were  Daniel  Washburn,  Timothy 
Pierson,  John  McGirr,  Benjamin  Muzzy,  Charles 
Ward,  Francis  Bemis  and  Alexander  Folger. 

Afton  was  one  of  the  last  townships  in  the  county 
to  be  settled,  on  account  of  there  being  no  timber 
in  proximity  to  it.  While  having  no  village  within 
its  boundaries  it  is  considered  one  of  the  best  town- 
ships in  the  county. 

On  the  adoption  of  the  township  organization  law, 
in  1850,  and  the  creation  of  civil  townships,  the 
northern  half  of  Afton  was  attached  to  De  Kalb  and 
the  southern  half  to  Clinton.  The  township  was  organ- 
ized in  1855.  The  first  election  was  held  at  the 
house  of  Sanford  A.  Tyler,  on  section  14.  Timothy 
Pierson  and  Orson  Pearl  were  elected  Justices  ;  San- 
ford  A.  Tyler,  Town  Clerk  ;  Clark  Glidden,  Assessor 
and  Collector.  Since  that  time  the  following  named 
have  served  the  township  as  members  of  the  Board 
of  Supervisors : 


•' 


E.  Noble 

C.  W.  Broughton 
Henry  Kingslcy. 
JohnA.Ryon... 


Sylvester  W.  Pa 
John  A.  Ryon.. 
David  B.  Stryke 


In  1855  the  first  school  was  held  in  a  house  belbng- 
ig  to  Mr.  Goodell.     Mr.  Lord  was  the  teacher.     In 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


1856  the  school  section  was  sold,  the  township  was 
divided  into  two  school  districts  and  a  good  school- 
house  was  built  on  the  northwest  corner  of  section 
24,  in  district  No.  i,  which  comprised  the  east  half 
of  the  township.  The  township  was  subsequently 
divided  into  nine  school  districts. 

The  following  items  in  regard  to  educational  mat- 
ters in  the  township  are  gleaned  from  the  report  of 
the  county  superintendent  of  public  schools  for  the 
year  ending  June  30,  1884:  There  were  387  per- 
sons under  21  years  of  age,  of  whom  307  were  over 
six  and  under  21,  of  which  number  269  were 
enrolled  in  the  public  schools.  In  each  of  the  nine 
districts  lying  within  the  township  was  a  good  frame 
school-house,  the  total  value  of  which  was  $5,850. 
During  the  year  16  teachers  were  employed,  at  an 
average  salary  of  $35.75  per  month,  the  highest 
being  $45  and  the  lowest  $25.  A  tax  was  levied  for 
school  purposes  amounting  to  $2,529. 

In  1867  the  Second  Adventists  built  a  church  at 
Afton  Center. 

In  reference  to  the  part  performed  by  this  town- 
ship in  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  Boies  remarks  : 
"  Afton  manfully  did  its  part  in  the  war.  Eighty- 
one  men  went  from  that  thinly  populated  township 
to  fill  the  ranks  of  the  Union  Army.  Its  total  popu- 
lation by  the  census  of  1860  was  but  516.  Fifty- 
nine  men  had  volunteered  when  the  necessity  of 
the  Government  called  for  more  men,  and  seven 
more,  were  procured.  In  the  summer  of  1864  an 
additional  tax.was  voted  upon  the  township,  amount- 
ing in  all  to  $14,000,  and  15  .more  recruits  were 
enlisted.  Among  those  who  gave  their  lives  in 
defense  of  their  country  were  Charles  Elliott,  Demp- 
ster Wheeler,  Alexander  Campbell,  Emerson  T. 
Knight,  Lewis  Olverson  and  L.  De  Forest." 

Afton  Township  has  22,363  acres  of  improved 
land,  assessed  in  1884  at  $315,412.  The  personal 
property  was  assessed  the  same  time  at  $68,386.  A 
total  of  $383,798.  The  State  Board  of  Equalization 
reduced  this  to  $339,603.  Among  the  items  of 
personal  property  enumerated  were  the  following : 
Horses,  666;  cattle,  2,738;  mules  and  asses,  23 ; 
sheep,  204;  hogs,  2,931;  steam  engines,  3;  car- 
riages and  wagons,  193;  watches  and  clocks,  101  ; 
sewing  and  knitting  machines,  75 ;  organs  and 
melodeons,  23. 


CLINTON  TOWNSHIP. 

NGRESSIONAL  Township  38  north, 
range  4  east,  comprises  the  civil  township 
%  of  Clinton.  It  is  one  of  the  most  prosperous 
in  the  country.  There  is  one  small  grove  in 

]l  the  southwestern  portion  of  the  township,  the 
remainder  being  a  beautiful  rolling  prairie.  Hon.  R. 
M.  Pritchard  thus  speaks  of  the  first  settlement : 

"  The  territory  comprising  the  town  of  Clinton  to 
the  year  1835,  was  a  part  of  the  vast  undisturbed, 
unbroken,  and  unsettled  wilderness  of  the  great  North- 
west. It  is  only  the  haunt  of  the  red  man,  and  the 
home  of  the  wild  beast.  The  little  grove  in  this 
town,  covering  about  100  acres,  was  up  to  this  year 
only  occasionally  seen  by  the  white  manas  he  passed 
it  on  his  way  to  some  other  part  of  the  State.  The 
capture  of  the  old  Indian  Chief  Black  Hawk  in  1832, 
and  the  disposition  of  his  tribe,  opened  up  this  wild 
region  to  settlement  by  the  white  man.  On  the  22d 
day  of  April,  1835,  Oliver  P.  Johnson,  a  daring  young 
man  about  23  years  of  age,  with  his  young  wife 
Elizabeth  and  a  babe  a  few  weeks  old,  settled  at  this 
grove  and  gave  it  the  name  of  Johnson's  Grove.  Mr. 
Johnson  found  at  the  south  end  of  the  grove  three 
Indian  houses  or  wigwams  made  of  elm  bark,  each  in 
size  about  12x16  feet.  These  houses  we're  built  by 
the  Indians  and  occupied  by  them  from  time  to  time 
as  they  passed  over  the  country  in  quest  of  game  and 
during  the  summer  months  while  cultivating  their 
corn-fields  which  they  had  at  this  grove.  Into  one 
of  these  bouses  Mr.  Johnson  moved  and  stayed  until 
he  could  build  him  a  log  house,  which  he  commenced 
at  once ;  he  soon  had  a  fine,  strong  double  log  house 
erected,  into  which  he  moved  and  where  he  lived  for 
three  years  with  the  Indians  alone  for  neighbors,  who 
occasionally  got  up  their  drunken  pow-wows  or  ca- 
rousals, sometimes  to  the  great  annoyance  of  the 
young  wife,  who,  in  the  absence  of  her  husband,  would 
become  so  frightened  she  would  bar  the  heavy  oaken 
door  to  her  house,  and  pile  all  her  furniture  against 
it,  and  then  brace  herself  again U  the  whole  to  keep 
the  saucy,  impudent  red-skins  out.  In  this  way  Mr. 
Johnson  lived  for  three  years,  without  a  white  man 
for  a  neighbor  for  many  miles,  and  no  prospect  of  any 
for  many  years  to  come.  Awhile  traveler  would  call 
upon  him  occasionally,  and  for  a  few  weeks  a  young 

®. 


^ 


c 


• 


^ 


COUNTY. 


807 


Englishman  by  the  name  of  C.  H.  Duck  stayed  with 
him,  with  the  intention  of  making  this  grove  his 
home.  He  made  an  excavation  into  the  bank,  at  the 
northwest  end  of  the  grove,  lined  it  up  with  split 
logs  (the  remains  of  which  can  be  seen  by  the 
visitor  to-day)  ;  this  hut  constituted  the  second  habita- 
tion built  by  white  men  in  this  town.  Dr.  C.  H. 
Duck,  as  he  was  called,  soon  got  tired  of  his  claim, 
deserted  it  and  went  to  Chicago,  where  he  now  re- 
sides. 

Among  the  earliest  settlers  after  Mr.  Johnson,  were 
W.  B.  Fields,  Parker  Thomas,  Alexander  McNish, 
Silas  Mines,  John  and  James  Walker,  Preston  Curtiss, 
William  Robertson,  C.  B.  Whitford,  Shelburne  J.  and 
Tracy  Scott,  Felix  and  Baldwin  Woodruff,  Sylvester 
Hall,  N.  S.  and  Thomas  J.  Greenwood,  Benjamin 
Matteson,  William  Sherman,  Sylvester  and  Elbert 
Hall,  J.  L.  Bailey,  J.  L.  Mighell,  Aruney  Hill,  John 
Secor. 

Clinton,  as  a  civil  township,  was  organized  in 
1850.  At  that  time  it  included  much  more  territory, 
bat  was  reduced  to  its  present  dimensions  in  1853. 
The  name  was  applied  to  the  township  from  the  fact 
a  number  of  the  settlers  were  from  Clinton,  New 
York,  and  were  attached  to  the  name. 

The  following  named  have  served  the  township  as 
members  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  : 


Reuben  Pritchard. 


Arunah  Hill; 

Reuben  Pritchard. 

O.  A.  Tubbs 

X.  S.  Greenwood  . 

K.  M.  Pritchard.. 

\V.  C.Macey 

R.  M.  Pritchard.. 


J.L.  Mighell 

Robert  Humphrey. 
R.M.  Pri 

William  C 
George  G 
K.iwin  Fr 
Charles  F 

F.luin  Fr 


R.  M.  Pritchard  . 
William  C.Macey.... 
George  Greenwood  .. 

Edwin  Fraser 

i  F.  Greenwoo 


1866 
.867-69 

%° 
1872.74 
1875-76 
.877-79 

,88°-83 


The  first  school  is  said  to  have  been  taught  by  H. 
C.  Beard,  in  1847.  In  1885  the  educational  advan- 
tages of  the  township  were  of  a  superior  character. 
According  to  the  report  of  the  County  Superinten- 
dent of  Public  Schools  there  were  nine  school 
districts  in  this  township,  with  one  graded  and  eight 
ungraded  schools.  There  were  512  persons  under 
the  age  of  2 1 ,  of  whom  35  3  are  of  school  age.  Of 
that  number  297  were  enrolled  in  the  public  schools 
for  the  year  ending  June  30,  1884.  Eighteen 
teachers  were  employed.  The  highest  monthly 
salary  paid  was  $50,  and  the  lowest  $27.50.  Each 
district  is  supplied  with  a  good  frame  school-house, 
the  total  value  of  which  is  estimated  at  $9,050.  The 


levy  for  the  support  of  the  schools  in   1883-4  was 

$4,022. 

The  Methodists  and  Baptists  were  pioneers  in 
matters  pertaining  to  the  religious  welfare  of  the 
people.  Societies  were  formed  by  the  Methodists 
north  of  the  present  village  of  Waterman,  and  by  the 
Baptists  southeast  of  the  same  village.  The  people 
now  worship  in  the  neighboring  villages. 

Clinton  township  furnished  1 1 1  men  for  the  war, 
and  raised  for  war  purposes  $13,746.  The  names  of 
those  who  lost  their  lives  in  the  service  were,  Jona- 
than Morris,  Egbert  Matteson,  M.  C.  Kirkpatrick, 
Seeley  Simpson,  Henry  Kellogg,  James  Low,  Asahel 
Childs,  C.  Rose,  jr.,  Corydon  Heath,  Alfred  Hodgkin, 
Charles  Nears  and  E.  A.  Pritchard. 

From  the  abstract  of  assessments  in  the  office  of 
the  County  Clerk,  the  following  facts  were  obtained : 

Clinton  Township  in  1884  had  22,231  acres  of  im- 
proved land,  valued  at  $331,551.  Town  lots  were 
assessed  at  $25,480;  personal  property,  $91,295; 
total  $448,326.  This  amount  was  reduced  by  the 
State  Board  of  Equalization  to  $396,809.  Among 
the  items  of  personal  property,  reported  by  the  Asses- 
sor for  that  year,  were  the  following :  Horses,  632  ; 
cattle,  2,856;  mules  and  asses,  26;  sheep,  160; 
hogs,  3,501;  steam  engines,  3;  safes,  4  ;  carriages 
and  wagons,  250;  watches  and  clocks,  71;  sewing 
and  knitting  machines,  138 ;  pianos,  9  ;  organs  and 
melodeons,  50.  Of  hogs  Clinton  reports  a  larger 
number  than  any  other  township  in  the  county,  and 
of  cattle,  the  largest  number  save  South  Grove, 
which  reports  2,897,  and  Corlland,  2,857. 


Waterman. 

HE  village  of  Waterman  was  surveyed  and 
platt;d  by  S.  T.  Armstrong,  County  Sur- 
veyor, in  March,  1872.  It  comprised  a 
portion  of  the  north  half  of  the  northeast  quar- 
ter of  the  southeast  quarter;  and  the  south 
half  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  the  northeast 
quarter  of  section  16,  the  property  of  Humphrey  Rob- 
erts. Three  additions  have  since  been  made.  The 
village  at  the  present  writing  presents  a  neat  appear- 
ance, and  has  about  400  inhabitants. 

A  station  was  established  here  on  the  completion 


' 


,.. 


of  the  railroad,  and  a  temporary  depot  building  erec- 
ted. The  village  was  named  in  honor  of  D.  B.  Wa- 
terman, of  Aurora,  general  solicitor  of  the  road. 

In  the  spring  of  1872  David  Chapman  erected  a 
dwelling-house,  the  first  in  the  village.  Soon  after, 
Martin  Fancher  erected  a  small  building  just  above 
where  the  depot  is  now  located,  and  opened  a  stock 
of  groceries.  Mr.  Fancher  was  soon  followed  by  A. 
Bradbury,  who  also  opened  a  grocery  and  provision 
store ;  Coy  &  Giles,  who  carried  a  miscellaneous 
stock;  Hill  &  Fancher,  with  groceries.  Humphrey 
&  Samson  commenced  retailing  lumber  in  the  winter 
of  1871-2.  They  also  brought  in  the  first  coal  dur- 
ing the  same  season.  They  put  up  the  first  scales, 
the  same  which  are  now  in  use  at  the  stock-yards. 
With  the  foregoing  in  business,  and  the  erection  of  a 
number  of  dwelling-houses,  Waterman  had  a  fair 
start  in  1871.  For  some  time  it  had  a  good,  steady 
growth. 

The  first  grocery  store  was  by  Martin  Fancher  in 
the  spring  of  1872.  The  present  representatives  in 
that  line  are  A.  Bradbury  and  F.  Schrader.  The 
latter  has  a  restaurant  in  connection. 

Coy  &  Giles,  the  first  general  merchants.  S.  H. 
Perry  and  James  Fulton,  present  representatives. 

Coy  &  Giles  were  the  first  to  keep  drugs  in  stock, 
while  Giles^  Bros,  were  the  first  exclusive  druggists. 
E.  Dean  is  now  engaged  in  the  trade,  and  is  the  sole 
representative  in  that  line.  "^ 

David  Orr  was  the  first  to  engage  in  the  hardware 
trade  exclusively,  in  1872-3.  In  connection  with 
his  sons,  he  still  continues  in  the  business. 

In  1873  Alex.  Wallace  engaged  in  the  furniture 
trade,  being  the  pioneer  in  that  line.  F.  Wirts  now 
represents  that  trade. 

J.  R.  Griffith  is  the  first  and  last  to  engage  in  the 
harness  trade. 

In  the  spring  of  1873  Mrs.  Austin  opened  the  first 
millinery  store  in  the  village.  The  present  dealers 
are  Mrs.  J.  R.  Griffith,  Mrs.  R.  Ostrander. 

Humphrey  &  Samson  were  the  first  to  deal  in  lum- 
ber and  coal.  In  January,  1885,  the  Minnesota  Lum- 
ber Company,  with  G.  G.  Kopp,  manager,  conducted 
the  business. 

George  W.  Wakefield  was  dealer  in  grain  and  coal 
in  January,  1885. 

H.  Roberts,  Jr.,  at  the  same  time  was  a  grain 
dealer. 

The  stock  dealers  early  in  1885   were  H.  L.  Ful- 


ler  &  Co.,  Roberts  Bros,  and  E.  H.  Baie.  The  first 
buyer  was  Robert  Humphrey,  of  the  firm  of  Hum- 
phrey &  McCleery. 

The  first  hotel  was  erected  in  1872,  by  John  Ful- 
le,  now  known  as  the  Clinton  House,  standing  just 
opposite  the  depot.  H.  Leifheit  is  the  present  pro- 
prietor. The  Irving  House  is  run  by  Robert  Irving. 

John  M.  St.  John  was  the  first  barber.  William 
Marion  now  represents  that  trade. 

Newell  &  Persons  in  1872  were  the  first  wagon- 
makers.  George  W.  Place  is  now  iii  the  business. 

Richard  Anderson  for  some  years  had  worked  near 
the  present  village  at  his  trade  of  blacksmithing. 
When  the  village  was  started  he  moved  into  it  with 
his  shop,  and  became  the  pioneer  in  that  line. 
Charles  Tompkins  and  Isaac  Edwards  are  the  pres- 
ent blacksmiths. 

David  Chapman  and  G.  G.  Kopp  were  the  first 
carpenters.  Henry  Baie  now  carries  on  the  trade. 

Mr.  Schrader  is  the  jeweler. 

E.  Dean  opened  a  meat  market  in  the  spring  of 
1873.  He  is  still  in  the  business. 

D.  Horton  was  the  first  painter  to  locate  here. 
The  trade  is  now  represented  by  D.  Horton,  James 
Barmore,  Henry  Hudgen. 

Drs.  G.  M.  Macklin  and  S.  C.  White  attend  to  the 
physical  well-being  of  the  place. 

George  Hutes  is  the  shoemaker. 

The  manufacturing  interests  are  represented  by 
M.  Daly,  in  the  manufacture  of  adjustable  harrows 
and  swill  carts. 

Kirkpatrick  &  Andrews  have  a  feed  mill  in  success- 
ful operation. 

Robert  Telford  and  Charles  Tompkins  are  livery- 
men. 

The  village  of  Waterman  was  incorporated  under 
the  general  act  in  March,  1877.  The  following-named 
comprise  the  Board  of  Trustees  since  that  date  : 

1877— A.  Little,  David  Orr,  C.  F.  Mighell,  E. 
Dean,  C.  Taft,  Martin  Fancher. 

1878— A  Little,  C.  Taft,  G.  G.  Kopp,  E.  Dean,  D. 
Orr,  C.  F.  Mighell. 

1879— C.  F.  Mighell,  D.  Orr,  G.  G.  Kopp,  E.  Dean, 
John  Abbey,  A.  L.  McCaskey. 

1880 — C.  F.  Mighell,  David  Orr,  George  G.  Cong- 
don,  E.  Dean,  A.  L.  McCaskey,  John  Abbey. 

1 88 1—  J.  Abbey,  A.  L.  McCaskey,  G.  G.  Congdon, 
J.  J.  A.  Zellar,  W.  H.  Moremus,  George  W.  Place. 


2— W.  H.  Moremus,  D.  Orr,  L.  E.  Phelps,  H. 
Roberts,  Jr.,  James  W.  Porter,  G.  G.  Congdon. 

1883— J.  R.  Griffith,  G.  W.  Place,  A.  L.  McCas- 
key,  W.  H.  Moremus,  H.  Roberts,  Jr.,  G.  G.  Cong- 
don. 

i884-^,A.  L.  McCaskey,  G.  W.  Place,  J.  R.  Grif- 
fith, R.  P.  Rowley,  G.  G.  Congdon,  C.  G.  Kopp. 

The  village  is  provided  with  a  council-room  and 
calaboose  combined.  It  has  a  well  55  feet  deep  by 
6  feet  in  diameter.  The  well  is  a  never-failing  one, 
and,  doubtless,  lies  over  a  subterranean  lake.  Within 
two  minutes  after  striking  water  it  filled  up.  For  the 
extinguishment  of  fires  the  village  has  300  feet  of 
hose,  with  a  lever  force-pump  at  which  ten  men  can 
work. 


Religious. 

T  Waterman  the  Christian  religion  is  repre- 
sented by  the  Methodist  Episcopals,  Baptists 
and  Presbyterians.  In  1855  a  Methodist 
Episcopal  class  was  organized  north  of  the 
present  village,  to  which  was  given  the  name 
of  Malugin  and  Twin  Grove  class.  It  com- 
prised the  following  named  :  Hiram  Greeley,  Leader ; 
Ora  Greeley,  O.  G.  Greeley,  Ezra  Samson,  Catharine 
Samson,  W.  W." Fuller,  Evaline  Fuller,  Lydia  Fuller, 
M.  S.  Fuller,  H.  L.  Fuller,  L.  K.  Fuller,  and  Eber 
Greeley.  In  1859  a  class  was  organized  known  as 
the  North  Clinton  class,  of  which  Eber  Greeley  was 
Class-leader.  For  some  time  meetings  were  held  at 
private  residences  and  then  in  the  school-house.  Be- 
coming strong,  numerically  and  financially,  it  was 
determined  to  erect  a  house  of  worship,  in  which 
both  classes  might  unite.  Accordingly,  in  1867,  a 
beautiful  structure  was  erected  and  dedicated  to 
the  service  of  Almighty  God.  In  the  winter  of  1873- 
4,  the  building  was  removed  from  the  farm  of  Robert 
Humphrey  to  the  village.  In  1884  the  house  was 
newly  furnished  and  now  presents  a  very  attractive 
appearance.  The  Church  is  known  as  the  North 
Clinton  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  The  present 
membership  of  the  Church  is  no.  The  pastors  since 
871  are  as  follows:  Revs.  N.  O.  Freeman,  1871  ;  J. 
R.  Allen,  1872;  Joseph  Wardle,  1873;  J.  J.  Tobias, 
1874;  J.  Hartman,  1875;  W.  R.  Beans,  1876-7;  C. 


A.  Bucks,  1878-9-80;  N.  M.  Stokes,  1881;  John  O. 
Foster,  1882;  John  Adams,  1883-4. 

The  N.  Clinton  Center  Baptist  Church  was  organ- 
ized in  1856.  A  preliminary  meeting  was  held  in 
Tuttle's  school-house,  two  and  a  half  miles  south- 
east of  the  present  village,  Sept.  27,  at  which  the  fol- 
lowing named  expressed  a  willingness  to  enter  into 
mutual  covenant  for  the  formation  of  a  Baptist 
Church  in  that  neighborhood  :  E.  Mighell,  John 
Curtice,  Alexander  Henderson,  J.  C.  Miles,  Mrs. 
Julia  A.  I.  Henderson,  Mrs.  Ellen  Miles,  Mrs. 
Harriet  Swift,  Mrs.  Benevolence  Maple,  Mrs.  Eliza 
Mighell,  Mrs.  Delana  Mighell.  On  the  nth  of  Oc- 
tober a  meeting  was  held  for  the  purpose  of  perfect- 
ing the  organization  by  adopting  articles  of  faith  and 
covenant.  J.  C.  Miles  first  served  the  Church  as  its 
minister,  while  E.  Mighell  was  its  deacon.  On  the 
igth  of  May,  1858,  a  meeting  was  held  at  the  Swift 
school-house,  at  which  the  organization  was  recog- 
nized as  a  Baptist  Church.  Among  those  serving 
the  Church  as  pastor  or  supply,  were :  Elders  Per- 
sons, H.  R.  Hicks,  Paul  Kinney,  D.  T.  Richards, 
M.  J.  Martin,  E.  W.  Hicks,  S.  P.  Davis,  P.  Reynolds, 
Nelson  Crandall  and  A.  S.  Orcutt,  the  present  pas- 
tor. The  present  membership  is  30.  The  President 
*ofthe  C.  &  I.  Railroad,  soon  after  the  village  of 
Waterman  was  projected,  offered  to  transport  material 
for  the  erection  of  a  church  edifice  free  of  charge,  if 
the  congregation  would  remove  here.  The  offer  was 
accepted  and  work  was  commenced  on  the  building 
in  July,  1872,  and  completed  in  January,  1873. 

The  Presbyterian  Church  of  Waterman  is  in  good 
condition,  with  a  neat  church  edifice. 


G 


Schools. 

;HE  school  district  of  which  the  village  of 
Waterman  forms  a  part  was  organized  about 
1856.  The  first  school  remembered  by 
those  consulted  was  in  that  year,  Miss  Rey- 
nolds being  the  teacher.  The  school  was  held 
in  a  small  frame  building  that  had  been  used 
as  a  dwelling.  The  first  school-house  was  erected  in 
1858,  Tilda  Kirkpatrick  first  occupying  it  as  teacher. 
This  house,  which  was  a  frame  structure,  stood 
about  one-fourth  mile  south  of  the  present  one.  In 
1875,  a  new  building  was  erected  within  the  corpor- 
vSft&gA® 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


ate  limits  of  the  village,  and  the  school  became  a 
graded  one.  Charles  W.  Rolph  was  the  first  princi- 
pal in  this  new  house,  with  Sarah  Anderson  as  assist- 
ant. Ella  York  succeeded  Rolph,  Miss  Anderson 
r  remaining  as  assistant.  The  following  year  C.  W. 
Curtis  was  made  principal  and  Miss  York  was  given 
the  primary  department.  Hattie  L.  Norton  was  the 
successor  of  Mr.  Curtis,  with  Finette  Norton  as  the 
primary  teacher.  The  latter  is  now  in  her  fourth 
year  as  teacher  in  this  department.  Miss  Frank 
Hutchinson  succeeded  Hattie  L.  Norton,  and  in 
turn  was  succeeded  by  Wirt  F.  Weston,  the  incum- 
bent. The  school  is  in  a  flourishing  condition,  with 
an  enrollment  in  January,  1885,  of  109. 


Societies. 

N  1873  members  of  the  Masonic  fraternity 
living  in  the  neighborhood,  desiring  to  or- 
ganize a  lodge,  and  there  being  no  place  in 
which  they  could  meet,  organized  the  Masonic 
Building  Association,  and  erected  a  two-story 
frame  building,  26  x6o,  with  24-foot  posts.  The 
lower  room  was  destined  for  mercantile  purposes, 
while  the  upper  was  to  be  used  as  a  lodge- room. 
The  building  was  completed;  in  1874,  and  a  dispen- 
sation was  secured,  under  which  they  acted  until  Oc- 
tober 5,  1875,  when  a  charter  was  granted  to  Water- 
man Lodge,  No.  628,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  The  following- 
named  were  the  charter  members:  Nathan  S.  Green- 
wood, W.  M.;  Irving  W.  Pritchard,  S.  W.;  Richard 
P.  Rowley,  J.  W.;  E.  P.  Rowley,  I.  J.  Reynolds, 
Joseph  Gilchrist,  O.  F.  Matteson,  E.  Dean,.  George 
Hall,  D.  Horton,  Milton  Kain,  George  Greenwood, 
R.  Humphrey,  R.  Telford,  C.  P.  Sage,  J.  W.  Giles, 
Martin  McCleery,  Edwin  Reynolds,  Kirk  Anderson, 
John  Deacon,  R.  M.  Pritchard,  C.  F.  Greenwood,  H. 
N.  Rose  and  J.  H.  Phillips.  The  following  named 
have  since  served  as  W.  M.:  I.  W.  Pritchard,  E.  F. 
Greenwood,  E.  P.  Rowley,  J.  M.  St.  John  and,  Enoch 
Rowley.  The  latter  is  the  present  W.  M.,with  Rob- 
ert Humphrey,  S.  W.;  A.  J.  Kirkpatrick,  J.  W.; 
George  W.  Wakefield,  Sec.;  R.  P.  Rowley,  Treas. 
The  lodge  has  lost  the  following  named  by  death  : 
N.  S.  Greenwood,  J.  W.  Porter  and  J.  W.  Giles.  The 
present  membership  is  45. 


CORTLAND  TOWNSHIP. 

CORTLAND  comprises  one  of  the  six 
townships  lying  upon  the  eastern  border 
of  the  county.  It  is  bounded  on  the  east  by 
Kane  County,  on  the  north,  by  Sycamore,  on 
the  south  by  Pierce,  and  on  the  west  by  De 
Kalb  Townships.  It  is  well  watered  by  the 
Kishwaukee  River  and  its  tributaries,  and  has  a  large 
body  of  timber  land  in  the  eastern  part,  the  remainder 
being  a  rolling  prairie.  The  Chicago  &  Northwestern 
Railroad  passes  through  the  southern  part  of  the 
township,  while  the  Sycamore  branch  of  the  same 
road  runs  due  north  from  the  village  of  Cortland  to 
Sycamore,  a  distance  of  four  miles. 

The  first  settlement  was  made  in  1835  at  what 
was  subsequently  termed  Ohio  Grove,  from  the  fact 
that  the  greater  number  of  the  first  settlers  in  that 
neighborhood  were  from  the  State  of  Ohio.  Among 
the  pioneers  of  the  township  were  George  W.  and 
Isaac  Gandy,  John  and  Perry  Ellet,  David  Wood, 
Henry  Smith,  Hale  Perry,  Alvin  Dayton,  Ralph 
Wyman,  John  Champlin,  Peter  Young,  Elias  Hart- 
man,  the  Crossetts,  Springs,  Norcutts,  Kites,  Lowries 
and  Osgoods.  There  may  be  others.  All  these  it  is 
believed  settled  in  1835  and  1836.  They  all  settled 
as  near  as  possible  to  the  borders  of  Ohio  Grove. 

About  the  same  time  James  and  Joseph  Roberts 
settled  at  a  small  grove  in  the  center  of  the  town- 
ship, to  which  was  given  the  name  of  Lost  Grove, 
from  the  fact  that  it  was  separated  from  the  main 
body  of  timber.  These  brothers  for  many  years  en- 
tertained travelers. 

The  township  settled  slowly  until  the  completion 
of  the  railroad,  much  of  the  land  even  at  that  time 
being  owned  by  the  Government.  The  early  settlers 
could  not  bear  the  thought  of  locating  upon  the 
prairie. 

A  postoffice  was  established  at  Ohio  Grove  as  early 
as  1841,  Samuel  Spring,  at  that  time  being  Postmas- 
ter, the  receipts  of  his  office  for  the  year  amounting 
to  $2.22  Mr.  Spring  was  succeeded  by  Homer 
Roberts,  who  held  the  office  for  many  years. 

At  Luce's  Corners,  one-half  mile  south  of  the  pres- 
ent village  of  Cortland,  a  number  of  houses  had  been 
erected,  a  tavern  and  store  opened  and  a  postoffice 
was  established  there  about  1850,  with  Chauncey 


! 


.} 


! 


a 


Luce  as-  Postmaster.  The  office  was  continued  until 
the  completion  of  the  railroad,  when  it  was  moved  to 
the  station  which  had  been  established  by  the  rail- 
road company,  and  is  now  the  Cortland  postoffice. 

The  first  name  given  the  township  was  Richland. 
This  was  soori  after  changed  to  Pampas,  a  name 
suggested  by  J.  R.  Crossett,  from  the  resemblance  of 
its  prairies  to  the  pampas  or  plains  of  South  America. 
In  1864  the  name  was  changed  to  Cortland,  the  name 
of  its  village. 

The  first  school  in  the  township  was  at  Ohio  Grove 
and  held  in  a  log  house  erected  for  the  purpose. 
The  first  teacher  was  Rev.  Castle  Churchill.  He 
was  succeeded  by  Mary  Ann  Hamlin. 

In  his  report  for  the  year  ending  June  30,  1884, 
George  I.  Talbott,  County  Superintendent  of  Schools, 
gives  the  following  interesting  items  in  regard  to  the 
schools  of  the  township :  There  were  eight  school 
districts,  each  having  a  frame  school-house,  the  total 
value  of  which  was  estimated  at  $9,980.  Of  the 
schools  one  was  graded  and  seven  ungraded.  There 
were  589  persons  under  21  years  of  age,  299  being 
males  and  290  females,  of  whom  421  were  of  school 
age,  and  of  which  number  341  were  enrolled  in  the 
public  schools.  During  the  year  18  teachers  were 
employed,  the  average  salary  paid  begins-  $31  per 
month,  the  highest  being  $68  and  the  lowest  $15. 
The  tax  levy  was  $3,240. 

The  record  of  Cortland  in  the  war  for  the  Union  is 
honorable  in  the  extreme,  134  having  enlisted  from 
the  township.  Of  that  number  16  lost  their  lives  in 
the  service:  Ruthven  Russell,  Alonzo  Russell,  Rob- 
ert Close,  W.  Stark,  Charles  Flapper,  Spafford  De- 
ford,  John  Young,  Charles  F.  Bannister,  Charles  V. 
Peck,  Oliver  Wilson,  Emory  Marshall,  George  H. 
Gould,  T.  D.  Packard,  W.  H.  Rose  and  Morris  R. 
Wilson.  For  war  purposes  the  township  raised 
$12,103. 

There  are  two  mills  in  the  township — one  at  Cort- 
land and  the  other  at  Maple  Park.  The  latter  was 
built  in  1882  by  Nathaniel  A.  Hail.  The  building  is 
60x24,  with  i6-foot  posts.  There  is  one  run  of 
buhrs  and  a  corn-sheller.  It  is  a  feed  mill,  run  by 
steam,  with  a  3o-horse  power  engine.  A  good  busi- 
is  done  here. 

Porter  S.  Coolidge  has  the  credit  of  being  the  first 
to  bring  Norman  horses  into  the  township,  and  prob- 
ably the  first  in  the  county.  Mr.  Coolidge  was  also 


one  of  the  first  to  engage  in  the  dairy  business,  hav- 
ing at  one  time  too  cows. 

'Oatman  Bros.,  of  Dundee,  111.,  built  a  cheese  fac- 
tory near  Maple  Park,  in  the  spring  of  1884.  It  is  a 
commodious  frame  building,  with  a  stone  basement. 
The  factory  is  run  on  the  dividend  plan,  though 
some  milk  is  bought.  Alfred  Hall  is  cheese-maker, 
and  William  Morrison  butter-maker. 

In  1884,  according  to  the  local  assessor,  there  were 
22,068  acres  of  improved  land  in  the  township,  val- 
ued at  $326,061,  an  average  of  $14.77  Per  acre.  The 
town  lots  ware  valued  at  $24,773;  personal  prop- 
erty, $100,515;  a  total  of  $451,349.  The  State 
Board  of  Equalization  reduced  this  amount  to  $400,- 
727.  There  were  many  articles  of  personal  property 
listed,  among  the  items  the  following:  Horses,  800; 
cattle,  2,857  ;  mules  and  asses',  9  ;  sheep,  198  ;  hogs, 
1,646;  steam  engines,  4;  safes,  i ;  carriages  and 
wagons,  454;  watches  and  clocks,  327  ;  sewing  and 
knitting  machines,  178;  pianos,  23;  melodeons  and 
organs,  60. 

SUPERVISORS. 

David  F.   Finley.- 1850-52  Edwin  Gilson 1866 

Austin    Hayden 1853  John  Wright 1867-68 

David  F.   Finley 18^4  A.V.    L. 'Smith 1871-72 

Horace  S.  Champlin i8s=-58  Dwight  Crossett 1873-74 

Alonzo   L .  Lovell 1859-61  William  Raymond 1875-77 

P.  S.   Coolidge 1862  Dwight  Crossett 1878-81 

Jacob  R.  Crossett 1863-65  Theodere  Balis 1882-84 


Village  of  Cortland. 

CURING  the  month  of  January,  1855,  the 
village  of  Cortland  was  laid  out  by  Ezra 
and  Maria  Croft.  The  plat  is  located  on 
the  northwest  quarter  of  section  29,  township 
40,  range  5.  In  April,  1855,  Samuel  L.  Parker 
and  J.  T.  Tubby  platted  the  northwest  quarter 
of  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  29,  in  connection 
with  that  laid  out  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Croft,  the  whole 
forming  the  original  plat  of  the  town.  Two  addi- 
tions have  since  been  made. 

Previous  to  the  building  of  the  railroad,  which  was 
completed  quite  a  year  before  the  platting  of  the  vil- 
lage, some  half-dozen  or  more  houses  had  been 
erected  at  Luce's  Corners.  Some  of  these  were 
moved  to  the  station  and  a  village  soon  sprang  up, 
which  for  a  time  bid  fair  to  be  one  of  the  most  impor- 
tant in  the  county.  From  the  beginning  for  a  num- 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


ber  of  years  it  was  one  of  the  best  points  on  the 
railroad  for  grain.  H.  S.  Champlin  and  John  M. 
Lawrence  were  the^first  to  engage  in  the  grain  trade. 
They  were  not  partners,  but  each  commenced  about 
the  same  time  in  1854.  Other  dealers  soon  estab- 
lished business  here,  among'whom  were  Mr.  Arnold, 
George  and  Jerome  Champlin,  and  I'ierce  &  Jewell. 
At  one  time  it  is  said  there  were  17  local  buyers, 
representing,  probably,  some  half-dozen  firms.  The 
trade  continued  to  be  good  until  the  completion  of 
the  Sycamore  &  Cortland  Railroad,  when  it  began  to 
decrease,  much  of  its  trade  from  the  north  going  to 
Sycamore.  Pressed  hay  for  a  time  was  quite  largely 
dealt  in  by  Pierce  &  Jewell. 

Horace  S.  Champlin  and  James  S.  Waterman,  un- 
der the  firm  name  of  Champlin  &  Waterman,  were 
the  pioneers  in  the  trade  of  general  merchandise. 
They  commenced  business  in  1854,  and  while  they 
had  the  monopoly  had  a  very  large  and  lucrative 
trade. 

Smith  &  Brown  were  the  next  dealers.  After  run- 
ning about  two  years  they  failed,  as  the  local  rhyme- 
ster put  it,  "Smith  &  Brown,  they  broke  down." 

Jabez  Gwinup  was  the  first  to  engage  in  the  man- 
ufacture and  repair  of  wagons. 

Marcenus  Hall  and  Charles  Smith  were  the  first 
blacksmiths.  Albert  Havens  opened  the  second 
shop,  Hall  &  Smith  being  partners. 

Lawrence  &  Washburn  and  Mr.  Woodworth  might 
also  be  classed  among  the  pioneer  merchants  of  the 
place,  commencing  business  but  a  short  time  after 
those  already  mentioned. 

As  stated  in  the  township  history,  the  postoffice 
known  as  Lost  Grove  was  removed  to  the  station 
in  1854.  The  following  named  have  since  held  the 
position  of  postmaster:  A.  D.  Brown,  John  Cadwal- 
lader,  R.  O.  Joslyn,  Theodore  Loring,  Marcus  Wash- 
burn,  I.  Carpenter,  Mrs.  C.  Sackett  and  Joseph 
Adams.  The  latter  now  holds  the  commission,  but 
the  business  of  the  office  is  transacted  by  Mrs. 
Adams. 

The  school  district  in  which  the  village  is  located 
was  organized  at  an  early  day.  There  was  a  school- 
house  near  the  present  site  in  1841,  the  first  teachers 
being  E.  Eaton  and  Maiden  Jones. 

There  is  but  one  religious  organization  in  the  vil- 
lage— the  Methodist  Episcopal.  It  was  organized 
before  the  village  came  into  existence.  A  neat  church 

sS^SWfr- *^* & 


edifice  was  subsequently  erected  here.  The  present 
membership  is  54.'  Among  those  who  have  served 
as  pastors  since  1862  have  been  Revs.  C.  M.  Web- 
ster, F.  D.  Corvvin,  E.  Smith,  O.  E.  Burch,  R.  H. 
Wilkinson,  N.  O.  Freeman,  Frick,  Swift,  Samuel 
Hewes,  Isaac  Whitcomb  and  F.  B.  Hardin.  The 
latter  is  the  present  pastor.  In  the  winter  of  1884-5 
a  revival  was  held  in  the  church  in  which  there  were 
40  conversions,  and  the  Church  greatly  strengthened. 

Alxnit  1855  a  frame  building  was  erected  for 
school  purposes  on  the  north  side  of  the  railroad. 
The  village  growing  quite  rapidly,  it  soon  became 
too  small  to  accommodate  the  pupils  in  the  district, 
and  one  was  erected  on  the  south  side.  It  being 
impossible  to  properly  grade  the  schools  using  two 
school  buildings,  the  district,  in  1867,  voted  to  erect 
another  building,  larger  and  more  centrally  located. 
Accordingly  the  present  building  was  erected  the 
same  year.  On  its  occupancy  the  school  was  divided 
into  three  grades.  Dwight  Crossett  was  the  first 
principal.  Since  that  time  the  following  named  have 
served  in  that  office:  Mr.  Watson,  J.  M.  Whitson, 
C.  W.  Curtis,  J.  A.  Vroman,  J.  L.  Calland  and  L.  S. 
Parsons,  the  latter  being  principal  in  1884-5. 

The  village  was  incorporated  in  1866.  The  Pres- 
ident of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  by  virtue  of  his  office, 
is  also  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors.  The 
following  named  have  served  : 


John  King 1874-76 


Nath 
l.ihn 
George  W.  Saveiy. 

Mm  T.  Woodley. 
John   King 


Peck 

.  Woodley... 
W.  Sa 


The  Cortland  flouring  mills  are  owned  by  Goodall 
&  Holdridge,  who  purchased  the  same  in  the  fall  of 
1884.  The  mill  was  built  about  1870  by  Lovell, 
Smith  &  Craft,  the  village  giving  a  bonus  of  $2,000. 
Lovell  subsequently  became  sole  proprietor,  and  sold 
to  the  present  owners  as  stated.  The  mill  has  four 
run  of  buhrs,  and  is  run  by  a  4o-horse  power  engine. 

The  butter  and  cheese  factory  of  Wood  &  Delaney 
is  one  of  the  institutions  of  Coriland.  It  is  consid- 
ered one  of  the  best  in  this  region  of  country. 

The  best  days  of  Cortland  were  previous  to  the 
building  of  the  Sycamore  &  Cortland  Railroad,  still 
a  fair  business  has  always  been  transacted  here.  It 
is  surrounded  by  a  fine  country,  and  only  its  prox- 
imity to  Sycamore  and  De  Kalb  is  in  the  way  of 
great  prosperity.  In  the  beginning  of  1885  the  fol- 
lowing business  was  represented  in  the  place : 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


General  merchants — Henry  Martin,  E.  Jordan  & 
Co.,  James  Murphy. 

Agricultural  implements — W.  J.  Bates. 

Blacksmiths  —  Benjamin  Champlin,  Wheeler  & 
Havens. 

Wagon-maker — James  Cheasebro. 

Hotel— C.  A.  Talbot. 

Grist-mill— Holdridge  &  Goodall. 

Lumber  and  coal— J.  T.  Woodley. 

Meat  market — Snyder  &  Ramer. 

Harness  shop— C.  A.  Talbot. 

Livery— C.  A.  Talbot. 

Barber — Carl  Mattice. 

Cheese  factory — Wood  &  Delaney. 


DE  KALB  TOWNSHIP. 

^E  KALB  is  one  of  the  best  townships  in  the 
county.  It  is  mostly  rolling  prairie,  while 
yet  abundantly  supplied  with  timber.  The 
Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad  passes 
through  the  township  from  east  fo  west,  afford- 
its  citizens  an  outlet  for  all  their  produce 
and  stock.  The  township  is  bounded  on  the  east  by 
Cortland,  on  the  north  by  Mayfield,  on  th»  south  by 
Afton,  and  on  the  west  by  Malta. 

The  first  settlement  made  in  the  township  was  in 
1835.  Among  the  number  locating  that  year  were 
John  B.  Collins,  Mr.  McCrellan,  N.  C.  Moore,  Phineas 
Stevens,  Mr.  Root,  S.  Jenks,  James  Cox,  James 
Paisley,  Levi  Barber  and  sons.  There  may  have 
been  some  others,  whose  names  have  been  forgotten. 
Mr.  McClellan  is  thought  by  Clark  Barber,  now 
the  oldest  living  settler  in  the  township,  to  have  pre- 
ceded the  others.  He  was  from  Indiana,  and  located 
on  section  23,  where  he  remained  until  in  the 
winter  of  1836-7,  or  early  in  the  spring  of  1837.  On 
one  occasion  during  the  winter,  while  away  for  the 
purpose  of  securing  food  for  his  family,  they  ate  up 
everything  in  the  house  and  were  two  days  without 
food.  Calling  upon  Levi  C.  Barber,  they  made 
known  their  wants,  but  Mr.  Barber's  family  were  in 
almost  the  same  condition.  He  gave  them  a  few 
ears  of  corn,  which  he  had  been  saving  for  seed,  and 
which  they  hulled  and  ate.  Clark  Barber  hastened 
off  to  soin-;  neighbors  and  succeeded  in  getting  some 


frozen  potatoes  and  a  few  other  articles  of  food,  which 
lasted  until  the  return  of  the  husband  and  father. 
Mr.  McClellan  sold  his  claim  to  Mr.  Powers.  Whether 
now  living  is  not  known. 

John  B.  Collins  was  from  New  York.  He  made  a 
claim  upon  sections  13  and  14,  where  he  remained 
about  three  years,  when  he  sold  out  and  moved  to 
Fox  River.  His  present  whereabouts  is  unknown. 

N.  C.  Moore  was  also  from  New  York.  With  his 
family  he  settled  on  section  12  of  this  township 
where  he  remained  about  four  years  and  left  for 
parts  unknown. 

James  Cox  was  from  Indiana.  He  had  a  large 
family  and  located  upon  sections  13  and  14.  He 
sold  to  Joseph  Hiland  a  few  years  after  and  dis- 
appeared. 

James  Paisley  came  with  Cox  and  settled  upon 
the  same  sections.  He  died  here  some  years  ago, 
leaving  a  family,  some  of  whom  reside  upon  the  old 
homestead. 

Among  the  number  who  came  in  during  the  year 
1836  were  Frederick  Love,  C.  Morey,  Joel,  Jacob 
and  Alpheus  Jenks,  David  Walrod,  Samuel  Thomp- 
son, Solomon  Hollister. 

Samuel  Thompson  bought  out  S.  Jenks,  on  section 
t.  The  latter  removed  to  Winnebago  County  and 
died  near  Roscoe.  Mr.  Thompson  remained  here 
till  his  death. 

Frederick  Love  settled  on  section  12,  and  became 
noted  in  the  early  history  of  the  county.  He  was 
the  first  School  Commissioner  of  the  county  and  held 
other  local  offices.  He  was  considered  a  man  of 
more  than  ordinary  ability.  Mr.  Love  is  now  dead. . 

Levi  C.  Barber  was  a  native  of  that  portion  of 
Allegany  Co.,  N.  Y.,  that  has  since  been  set  off  as 
Wyoming.  He  settled  on  sections  14  and  15,  where 
he  remained  until  his  death.  The  Barber  family 
were  quite  musical  in  their  tastes.  It  is  said  that 
even  in  sleep  they  would  sing  some  old  familiar 
song,  which  would  be  commenced  by  one  and  joined 
in  by  the  rest  of  the  family!  When  awakened,  not 
one  of  them  would  know  anything  about  what  had 
transpired.  Clark  Barber  played  for  all  the  dances 
held  for  miles  around. 

C.  Morey  settled  on  section  2,  his  claim  being  sub- 
sequently purchased  by  Rufus  Colton,  the  founder 
of  Collonville. 

Joel,  Jacob  and   Alpheus  Jenks  were  three  broth- 


-       '•     " 


^ 


DE  KALB    COUNTY. 


' 


ers  who  came  from  Ohio  and  settled  on  section  n. 
Jacob  Jenks  was  a  local  preacher  in  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  The  first  revival  of  religion  in 
this  county  was  held  in  the  barn  of  the  brothers  and 
conducted  by  Jacob  in  the  summer  of  1837.  The 
first  saw-mill  in  the  county,  as  well  as  in  the  town- 
ship, was  put  up  by  the  Jenks  brothers,  run  by  water 
power.  An  upright  saw  was  used.  The  mill  was  on 
section  u.  Misfortune  overtaking  the  brothers,  the 
mill,  together  with  all  their  property,  was  sold  at 
sheriff's  sale  some  years  after.  Clark  Barber  became 
the  purchaser.  He  sold  it  to  John  Cleghorn  in  1851, 
and  it  was  run  by  him  until  1855.  The  Jenkses  re- 
moved to  Wisconsin. 

Russell  Huntley  was  from  New  York  and  un- 
married when  he  came  to  the  county.  He  laid  claim 
to  a  large  tract  of  land  and  during  the  first  year  broke 
300  acres  and  made  four  miles  of  rail  fence.  He 
was  an  enterprising  man,  reliable  in  his  business  af- 
fairs and  had  many  friends  while  he  remained  in  the 
county. 

Henry  B.  Barber  and  Rachel  Spring  were  united 
in  marriage  Oct.  5,  1837,  by  Rufus  Colton,  J. 
P.  This  was  the  first  marriage  in  the  township. 
The  fact  of  their  marriage  is  the  first  on  record  in 
this  county. 

A  child  was  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  N.  C.  Moore  in 
the  fall  of  1836,  who  is  supposed  to  have  been  the 
first  born  in  the  township. 

The  first  Justice  of  the  Peace  in  the  township,  as 
well  as  in  the  county,  was  C.  Morey,  who  was  elected 
at  the  regular  election  in  1836. 

The  first  death  was  that  of  a  young  son  of  Ora  A. 
Walker,  who  died  in  August,  1837.  His  remains 
were  interred  on  land  donated  by  Shubal  Jenks  for  a 
burying  ground.  The  second  death  was  that  of  Mrs. 
Ruth  Cartwright,  who  died  three  weeks  after  the 
death  of  the  Walker  child. 

Dr.  Bassett  was  the  first  physician.  He  subse- 
quently moved  to  Sycamore  township  and  is  believed 
to  be  the  first  in  that  township. 

The  first  religious  services  seems  to  be  in  doubt. 
Services  were  held  at  David  Walrod's  house,  con- 
ducted by  one  of  his  sons,  early  in  1836.  Jacob 
Jenks  held  services,  and  continued  a  meeting  some 
days  in  the  summer  of  1837.  Dr.  Arnold  also  held 
services  about  the  same  time.  There  were  services 
at  Coltonville  in  1837-8. 


Eli  Barnes  put  out  the  first  orchard,  on  his  farm 
on  section  i,  in  1839.  This  was  probably  the  first 
in  the  county.  He  brought  seed  from  Vermont.  W. 
R.  Thompson  put  out  the  second  orchard. 

In  1837  a  mail  route  was  established  between 
Coltonville  and  Oregon,  Ogle  County.  Clark  Barber 
was  the  first  mail-carrier.  The  oath  was  adminis- 
tered to  him  by  Judge,  afterward  Gov.,  Ford. 

The  first  school  in  the  township  was  held  at  Col- 
tonville in  the  summer  of  1838,  with%  Miss  Barber  as 
teacher.  The  school  was  held  in  a  log  house  erected 
for  that  purpose.  The  first  winter  term  was  taught 
by  Mr.  Lawrence.  Many  changes  have  since  been 
made  and  the  pioneer  school-houses  have  long  since 
been  displaced  by  the  more  modern  structures.  De 
Kalb  Township  has  no  reason  to-day  to  be  ashamed 
of  her  position  in  reference  to  the  public  schools. 

From  the  County  Superintendent's  report  for  the 
year  ending  June  30,  1884,  the  following  interesting 
facts  are  gleaned:  There  were  1,450  persons  under 
21  years  of  age,  of  whom  983  were  between  6  and  2 1 1 
in  the  ten  districts  composing  the  township.  Of  this 
number  765  were  enrolled  in  the  public  schools.  In 
the  township  were  two  graded  and  nine  ungraded 
schools,  in  which  had  been  employed  during  the  year 
27  teachers.  The  highest  monthly  wages  received 
by  any  teacher  was  $122.22  and  the  lowest  $25. 
There  was  one  brick  and  ten  frame  school-houses, 
the  total  value  of  which  was  estimated  at  $24,250. 
The  tax  levy  was  $9,335. 

In  the  early  history  of  De  Kalb  County,  no  place 
was  more  noted  than  that  of  Coltonville.  Rufus  Col- 
ton,  in  the  winter  of  1836-7,  or  in  the  spring  of  the 
latter  year,  purchased  the  claim  of  C.  Morey,  on  sec- 
tion 2,  erected  a  log  house  and  soon  after  commenced 
the  sale  of  merchandise,  having  a  fond  hope  that 
around  him  would  spring  up  a  thriving  village  bear- 
ing and  commemorating  his  name,  and  that  would 
also  be  the  shire  town  of  the  county.  Having  a  por- 
tion of  his  land  surveyed  and  a  village  plat  made,  he 
invited  all  who  would  to  make  this  their  home. 

Lyman  Levings  was  the  first  to  avail  himself  of 
the  privilege  of  settling  here.  He  built  a  house  in 
which  the  first  term  of  the  circuit  court  was  subse- 
quently held. 

Jeremiah  Burley  was  the  next  man  to  build.  Eight 
buildings  in  all  were  erected  before  the  bubble  burs 

Stephen  Sherwood  opened  a  blacksmith  'shop  here 


in  1838,  and  in  the  same  year  a  young  lawyer,  named 
Crothers,  commenced  the  practice  of  law.  The  latter 
remained  but  one  year,  when  he  removed  to  Ottawa. 

A  distillery  was  erected  by  Rufus  Colton  and 
Phineas  Stevens,  which  proved  a  financial  failure, 
whether  from  mismanagement  of  the  proprietors,  the 
poor  quality  of  whisky  manufactured,  or  the  want  of 
a  general  market,  the  old  settlers  refuse  to  testify. 

Rufus  Colton  was  a  man  of  considerable  enter- 
prise, probably  a  little  visionary,  yet  worked  hard  to 
secure  for  the  place  the  location  of  the  county  seat, 
but  without  avail ;  consequently,  the  few  inhabitants 
living  here  when  the  county-seat  contest  was  set- 
tled, moved  away,  and  Coltonville  was  numbered 
among  the  things  that  "  might  have  been." 

De  Kalb  Township  in  1884  had  21,539  acres  of 
improved  land,  valued  by  the  assessor  at  $343,265. 
Its  town  lots  were  valued  at  $322,775  ;  personal 
property,  $248,678.  A  total  valuation  of  $914,718. 
The  State  Board  of  Equalization  cut  this  down  to 
$802,104,  on  which  valuation  the  assessment  was 
made.  Among  the  items  of  personal  property  listed 
are  found  the  following:  Horses,  1,084;  cattle, 
2,597  ;  mules  and  asses,  7  ;  sheep,  24;  hogs,  2,802  ; 
steam  engines,  n;  safes,  21;  billiard  tables,  6; 
carriages  and  wagons,  343 ;  watches  and  clocks, 
448;  sewing  and  knitting  machines,  262;  pianos, 
46  ;  organs  and  melodeons,  95.  This  township  has  a 
greater  number  of  horses  than  any  other  in  the  county. 
SUPERVISORS. 


Thomas  M.  Hopkins.. 

}.  ¥.  Glidden 

Thomas  M.Hopkins... 


&ti 


mpson 

s   M.  Ho 


FRANKLIN  TOWNSHIP. 

RANKLIN  Township  lies  in  the  extreme 
northwestern  portion  of  the  county,  and  is 
bounded  on  the  east  by  Kingston  Town- 
hip,  on  the  south  by  South  Grove,  on  the  west 
by  Ogle  County,  and  on  the  north  by  Boone 
County.  The  township  contains  more  running 
streams,  and  has  a  larger  body  of  timber,  than  any 
township  in  the  county.  The  Kishwaukee  River  is 


the  main  stream,  numerous  tributaries  flowing  into  it. 

The  first  settlement  of  this  township  seems  to  be 
a  matter  of  doubt,  but  was  probably  about  the  same 
time  with  the  settlement  of  groves  in  other  sections 
of  the  northern  part  of  the  county. 

Among  the  persons  living  here  in  1838  were  D. 
M.  Gilchrist,  T.  H.  Humphreys,  Theophilus  Wat- 
kins,  Samuel,  Charles  and  Henry  Hicks,  Andrew 
Brown,  Henry  Holmes,  Allen  Gardner,  John  Barrett, 
Wm.  T.  Kirk,  Mr.  Owen,  B.  N.  Dean,  John  Mc- 
Dowell, Alvah  and  James  Bennett,  Job  Trindle,  Zal 
Young,  Daniel  Cronkhite,  Martin  M.  Mack,  Samuel 
Cronkhite,  Robert  Hoover,  Spencer  M.  Myers,  Irill 
Dibble,  Mr.  Parsons,  William  Miles,  Andrew  Miles 
and  John  M.  Riddle. 

In  1837  Henry  Hicks  erected  a  saw-mill,  deriving 
his  power  from  the  Kishwaukee  River.  He  ran  it 
until  1842,  when  it  passed  into  the  hands  of  Dr. 
Hobart,  who  also  continued  to  run  it  for  some  years. 
Hicks'  mill  was  known  far  and  near  and  was  quite  a 
place  of  resort.  A  postoffice  was  established  here 
at  a  very  early  day,  called  Hicks'  Mill  P.  O.  Henry 
Hicks  was  the  first  postmaster,  and  held  the  office 
until  about  1842,  when  D.  M.  Gilchrist  received  the 
appointment.  In  1841  the  receipts  of  the  office  were 
reported  at  $7.72.  In  1843,  under  Mr.  Gilchrist's 
administration,  it  was  increased  to  $9.93.  Martin 
M.  Mack  was  Gilchrist's  successor  and  was  suc- 
ceeded in  1847  by  Morgan  Losee,  who  in  turn  gave 
way  to  S.  P.  Harrington,  Mr.  Gilchrist  and  J.  W. 
Elithorpe.  The  office  was  discontinued  on  the 
advent  of  the  railroad. 

Lacey  postoffice  and  Blood's  Point  postoffice  were 
each  established  during  the  first  decade  of  the 
county's  existence.  Lacey  postoffice  was  on  the 
line  between  Kingston  and  Franklin,  and  around  it 
sprung  up  a  little  village,  which  is  now  a  thing  of 
the  past.  Blood's  Point  was  on  section  2,  Franklin 
Township. 

Jones  Abernethy  and  Betsey  Rand,  Miles  Aber- 
nethy and  Lucy  Hatch,  Daniel  Rand  and  Miss 
Abernethy,  were  among  the  first  married  in  the 
township. 

The  first  school  was  taught  by  Betsey  Rand,  in  a 
log  school-house  on  section  20,  about  1842.  The 
old  log  school-houses  have  long  since  been  displaced 
by  mere  pretentious  buildings.  From  the  report  of 
the  County  Superintendent  of  public  schools  for  the 
year  ending  June  30,  1884,  the  following  items  are 


DE  KALB    COUNTY. 


gleaned  in  relation  to  the  schools  of  the  township  at 
that  time  :  There  were  522  persons  under  21  years  of 
age,  of  whom  335  were  of  school  age,  324  of  that  num- 
ber being  enrolled  in  the  public  schools.  There  were 
ii  school  districts,  with  one  graded  and  10  ungraded 
schools.  Each  district  had  a  good  frame  school- 
house,  the  total  value  being  estimated  at  $10,000.  A 
tax  was  levied  of  $4,357  for  school  purposes.  Dur- 
ing the  year  27  teachers  had  been  employed.  The 
highest  wages  received  by  any  teacher  per  month 
was  $60,  and  the  lowest  $25,  the  average  being 
$30.58. 

The  war  record  of  Franklin  Township  is  com- 
mendable. Among  the  number  who  distinguished 
themselves  was  Thomas  W.  Humphrey,  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  of  the  95111  Illinois  Infantry.  At  the  storm- 
ing of  Vicksliurg,  he  was  wounded  the  first  day,  but 
continued  at  the  head  of  his  regiment.  On  the 
22d  of  May,  1863,  he  was  stunned  by  an  explosion 
of  a  shell  and  reported  killed,  but  crawled  back  to 
camp  in  the  night.  At  the  battle  of  Guntown  he 
lost  his  life.  A  younger  brother,  James  Humphrey, 
enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  8th  Cavalry  and  wrought 
his  way  up  to  a  Captaincy.  There  were  99  men 
enlisted  from  the  township. 

One  Sunday  in  May,  1853,  a  terrible  tornado 
passed  through  the  northern  portion  of  the  township. 
It  prostrated  buildings,  fences,  trees,  and  everything 
that  stood  in  its  way.  John  Young's  house  was  the 
first  one  struck.  It  was  lifted  up,  shattered,  and 
portions  of  it  carried  off  so  far  they  were  never  found. 
Mrs.  Young  was  instantly  killed.  The  residence  of 
Ira  Dean  was  next  struck,  and  a  lady  relative  visit- 
ing there  had  her  back  broken  and  died  soon  after. 
Two  boys  in  the  house  were  blown  out  of  a  window, 
but  were  not  seriously  hurt.  Several  other  houses 
were  unroofed  and  barns  destroyed. 

In  1860  another  similar  storm  passed  through  the 
township,  by  which  great  damage  was  done. 

The  township  of  Franklin  has  22,816  acres  of  im- 
proved land,  on  which  valuation  as  placed  by  the 
local  assessor  of  $323,606.  The  town  lots  are  as- 
sessed at  $42,517  ;  personal  property,  $98,359;  total, 
$464,482.  The  State  Board  of  Equalization  reduced 
the  amount  to  $410,668.  Among  the  items  of  per- 
sonal property  are  the  following  as  reported  by  the 
assessor  in  1884:  horses,  853;  cattle,  2,215  ;  mules 
ind  asses,  19;  sheep,  976;  hogs,  1,742;  steam  en- 

gfrj&fr — ^^ @: 


gines,  4  ;  billiard  tables,  9  ;  carriages  and  wagons, 
282  ;  watches  and  clocks,  159  ;  sewing  and  knitting 
machines,  166;  pianos,  3;  melodeons  and  organs,  41. 


SUPERVISORS. 


V.  T.  Kirk 


Stephen  G.  Rowcn. 
I.  W.  Klithorpe.... 
St<-plii-n  G.  Row,:,,. 
Daniel  H.  Kiir^bnr 
Warn:,,  GilchrM  .  . .' 

B.  N.  Dean 

Charlrs  !•'.  Mi-ycr.. 
Klisha  A.  Kirk 


•: 


Kirkland. 

IRKLAND  village  was  platted  in  May, 
1876,  by  Nicholas  Saum,  though  improve- 
ments had  been  made  and  quite  a  start 
given  it  the  previous  year.  In  July,  1875, 
Mr.  Putney  built  a  store-room  in  which  he 
opened  out  a  stock  of  groceries.  H.  H.  Stow 
soon  after  opened  a  stock  of  general  merchandise. 
A  portion  of  his  room  was  rented  by  Dr.  Spiers  and 
E.  H.  Gardner,  who  opened  up  a  stock  of  drugs. 

During  the  same  year  John  Dritzbaugh  com- 
menced work  at  the  shoemaker  trade  in  the  village, 
and  Connelly  &  Delevan  began  blacksmithing. 

In  1876  Charles  Miner  started  an  exclusive  hard- 
ware store,  the  first  in  the  village,  though  Mr.  Stow 
carried  a  line  of  such  goods. 

The  first  harness-maker  was  Arthur  Bassett. 

The  first  furniture  dealer  was  James  Hathaway. 

The  first  grain-buyer  was  G.  W.  Wood,  who  pur- 
chased grain  which  was  stored  in  a  ware-house  erected 
by  William  T.  Kirk  in  1876.  After  using  the  ware- 
house some  1 8  months  Mr.  Wood  put  in  an  elevator. 

The  first  hotel  was  run  by  George  Delevan,  in 
1875.  The  village  has  a  good  hotel  known  as  the 
Rowen  House,  erected  in  1879.  George  W.  Wood 
leased  and  ran  the  house  for  three  years.  Until 
dining  cars  were  placed  upon  the  railroad,  trains 
stopped  at  this  house  for  meals. 

The  first  lumber  dealer  was  Fred  Edlar. 

As  the  village  increased  in  population  new  busi- 
ness enterprises  were  engaged  in  and  changes  were 
made  in  the  firms  originating  various  lines  of  trade. 
In  the  spring  of  1885  the  business  of  the  place  was 
represented  by  the  following  named  : 

— >Nffihr<  n?^>if^ 

••    •  '\   , 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


t\ 


General  merchandise — J.  W.  Lyons  &  Co.,  Har- 
rington &  Griggs. 

Groceries — Harley  Rowen,  Ira  Brooks. 

Notions — Black  Brothers. 

Drugs — A.  D.  Blagden. 

Shoemakers — Peter  Anderson,  William  Smith. 

Blacksmiths— Roberts  &  Gardner,  Franklin  Poust. 

Lumber— W.  C.  Tuttle. 

Grain  and  coal — D.  A.  Syme. 

Skating  Rink— E.  A.  Kirk. 

Harness-maker — I.  N.  Miner. 

Hardware—  Charles  Miner. 

Bank — Dean  &  Rowen. 

Furniture — M.  P.  Perry. 

Meat  market— George  W.  Kirk. 

Livery — Jacob  Stenner. 

Attorney — William  B.  McDowell. 

Physician — R.  B.  Spiers. 

The  Kirkland  Creamery  is  one  of  the  institutions 
of  the  place.  It  was  erected  in  1878  by  W.  H. 
Hintz,  of  Elgin.  It  is  a  frame,  with  stone  basement. 
About  12,000  pounds  of  milk  is  used  per  day.  An 
average  of  $2,500  per  month  is  paid  out.  C.  E. 
Feakins  has  been  in  charge  of  the  factory  for  five 
years. 

Kirkl-and  comprises  a  part  of  School  District  No.  4. 
A  small  brick  school-house  which  stood  just  south  of 
the  village  was  used  for  school  purposes  until  1879, 
when  the  present  two-story  frame  structure  was 
erected.  The  building  is  40x60  in.  size,  with  four 
school  rooms.  It  was  opened  in  the  fall  of  1879, 
with  Mrs.  E.  A.  Hatch,  Principal.  S.  G.  Mason  is 
the  present  principal,  with  Richard  Haywood  and 
Jennie  Dick,  assistants. 

There  are  at  present  no  church  edifices  in  the  vil- 
lage, though  the  Methodist  Episcopals  have  an  or- 
ganization and  hold  regular  services  in  the  school- 
house.  Rev.  Mr.  Edmundson  is  the  Pastor. 

The  village  of  Kirkland  was  incorporated  under 
the  general  act  in  1882.  An  election  was  ordered 
held  Aug.  10,  1882,  at  which  the  question  was  to  be 
voted  on  as  to  whether  it  should  incorporate.  There 
were  42  votes  casl  for  and  one  against  incorporation. 
The  first  election  for  village  officers  was  held  Sept.  i, 
1882,  at  which  the  following  named  were  elected  : 
H.  P.  Grout,  Pres. ;  Chas.  Miner,  Elias  H.  Gardner, 
Dr.  R.  B.  Pierce,  R.  W.  Fox,  G.  W.  Wood,  Trustees ; 
W.  M.  Burroughs,  Clerk;  W.  B.  McDowell,  Treas. 

The  officers  for  1883  and  1884  were  as  follows  : 


1883— W.  B.  McDowell,  Pres.;  E.  H.Gardner, 
O.  W.  Rice,  H.  P.  Grout,  R.  W,  Fox.  E.  A.  Kirk,. 
W.  M.  Burroughs,  Ttustees  ;  G.  W.  Kirk,  Treas.;  W 
B.  McDowell,  resigning,  B.  N.  Dean  was  elected 
President  of  the  Board. 

1884— F.  W.  Brock,  Pres.;  H.  P.  Grout,  J.  D. 
Morris,  O.  W.  Rice,  E.  H.  Gardner.  E.  A.  Kirk, 
Trustees;  W.  M.  Burroughs,  Clerk;  G.  W.  Kirk, 
Treas. ;  John  Trude,  Marshal ;  Wm.  B.  McDowell, 
Attorney. 

Since  its  incorporation,  two  miles  of  sidewalk  have 
been  built  and  an  expenditure  of  $3,000  made  on  the 
streets,  about  two  miles  being  graveled.  No  direct 
tax  has  ever  been  made,  the  income  derived  from 
saloons  being  sufficient  to  meet  the  running  expenses 
of  the  village  government.  A  council  room  and 
calaboose  is  also  numbered  among  the  improvements 
made. 

The  village  has  now  about  400  inhabitants.  About 
75  buildirrgs  have  been  erected  since  incorporation. 
The  credit  for  progress  made  is  due  in  a  great 
measure  to  W.  B.  McDowell. 


Fielding. 

NOTHER   pleasant  little    village    of    this 
township  is  Fielding.      It   was  laid  out  in 
July,  1875,  by  Henry  and  Julia  A.   Kock, 
on  the  southwest  quarter  of  section   19,  town- 
ship 42,  range  3.     One  addition  has  since  been 
made. 

Louis  Keith  erected  the  first  building  and  opened 
the  first  stock  of  goods  in  August,  1875.  He  carried 
a  line  of  general  merchandise. 

L.  W.  King  started  the  first  drug-store  in  Sep- 
tember, 1875. 

Henry  O'Roke  built  the  first  dwelling. 
Patten  Bros,  commenced  business  in  the  fall  of 
1875  in  the  hardware  line. 
The  first  shoemaker  was  Andrew  Cristman: 
Henry    Peake   in    1876    started  the  first  harness 
shop. 

Philip  Upstone,  in  the  summer  of  1875,  started  the 
first  blacksmith  shop. 

In  the  summer  of  1875  Fred  Elder  commenced 
the  lumber  trade. 


I 

I 


Chas.  Peake  opened  the  first   hotel  in   the   fall  of 


' 


, 


Eugene  Ridell  was  the  first  grain-buyer,  in  October. 

i875- 

The  first  wagon-maker  was  Louis  Poole  in  the 
fall  of  1875. 

Philip  Van  Voorhis  was  the  first  physician. 

For  the  first  three  years  the  village  was  quite 
prosperous,  more  so  than  at  any  period  since  that 
time. 

In  1878  a  frame  school-house  was  erected,  30  x  40 
feet,  at  a  cost  of  $r,2oo.  Mr.  Royal  was  the  first 
teacher.  The  teacher  in  the  spring  of  1885  was 
James  Davis,  at  which  time  there  was  an  enrollment 
of  45. 

The  religious  interests  of  the  place  are  represented 
by  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Rev.  Mr. 
Schoonmaker  is  the  present  pastor. 

A  postoffice  was  established  at  this  point  in  1875. 
B.  B.  Blace  was  the  first  postmaster.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded by  John  Ball.  The  incumbent  is  E.  N.  Post. 

The  most  important  industry  of  the  place  in  the 
spring  of  1885  was  its  creamery,  which  was  started 
in  1882.  Lovejoy  Johnson,  Jeremiah  Davis  and 
Joseph  Goodrich  were  the  proprietors,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Davis  &  Co.  About  500  pounds  of  butter 
is  manufactured  per  day.  In  the  summer  four  teams 
are  engaged  in  gathering  cream. 

The  business  of  Fielding  is  now  represented  by 
the  following  named  : 

General  merchants  —  Craig  &  Romney. 

Drugs—  L.  W.  King. 

Harness—  E.  N.  Post. 

Bakery  —  M.  C.  Johnson. 

Shoe  shop  —  Robert  Brown. 

Blacksmiths  —  Philip  Upstone,  Smith  Wyllys. 

Wagon-maker  —  Joseph  Mason. 

Boarding-house  —  Horace  Johnson. 

Hardware  —  Miller  Bros. 

Grain-buyers—  H.  O.  Leet  &  Co. 

Lumber  —  Frederick  Edler. 

Coal  dealer  —  Philip  Upstone. 

Meat  market  —  Mr.  Thompson. 

Jeweler—  Frank  Ball. 

Physician—  F.  J.  Weld. 


GENOA  TOWNSHIP. 

ENOA  Township  lies  in  the  extreme  north- 
eastern part  of  the  county,  with  Kane 
County  formng  its  eastern  boundary,  Mc- 
Henry  County  its  northern,  and  the  townships 
of  Sycamore  and  Kingston  upon  its  south 
and  west  respectively.  The  township  is  a 
beautiful  rolling  prairie,  diversified  by  several 
natural  groves,  and  watered  by  the  Kishwaukee 
River  and  Raccoon  Creek.  It  is  one  of  the  best  im- 
proved townships  in  the  county. 

The  finest  settlement  in  Genoa  was  made  by 
Thomas  Madison,  a  native  of  Ohio.  He  was  quite 
an  intelligent  man,  but  a  regular  frontiersman, 
preferring  the  life  of  the  pioneer,  with  all  its  priva- 
tions, to  the  comforts  secured  in  a  well  settled  country. 
In  1837  he  sold  his  claim,  which  consisted  of  about 
two  sections  of  land,  to  Horatio  N.  Perkins,  Samuel 
Corey,  Thomas  Monahan  and  Henry  Durham.  Upon 
part  of  this  claim  is  now  located  the  pleasant  village 
of  Genoa. 

Henry  Durham  moved  into  a  portion  of  the  cabin 
erected  by  Madison  when  the  purchase  was  made,  and 
soon  opened  a  stock  of  general  merchandise.  He 
was  a  man  of  energy,  possessed  of  a  determination 
to  succeed,  and  success  crowned  his  efforts.  He 
died  here  many  years  ago. 

Daniel  T.  Whittemore  was  here  in  1836.  He  was 
from  Rhode  Island,  and  remained  here  but  a  few 
years,  disposing  of  his  claim  to  E.  P.  Gleason  and 
removing  to  California. 

Samuel  Corey  was  from  Ohio.  Soon  after  his  set- 
tlement he  sold  out,  moved  into  Franklin  township, 
and  there  died. 

Thomas  Monahan  was  from  Indiana,  to  which 
State  he  returned  after  a  residence  here  of  a  few 
months. 

Genoa  settled  quite  rapidly  for  two  or  three  years. 
Among  those  who  came  in  1837  and  1838,  or  soon 
after,  were  Henry  Preston,  E.  P.  Gleason,  Samuel 
Stephens,  J.  L.  Brown,  Putney  Brown,  E.  S.  Gregory, 
Jesse  Preston,  Ephraim  Hall,  A.  N.  Hollembeak, 
Dr.  H.  F.  Page. 

When  Madison  settled  here  he  erected  a  block- 
house, 62  x  1 6  feet,  one  story  in  height.  This  house 
came  into  possession  of  Mr.  Perkins,  who  raised  it 
another  story,  and  for  several  years  used  it  as  a  hotel. 


— 


-•  -:_ 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


819 


In  1843,  on  the  same  site,  he  erected  a  frame  build- 
ing, which  has  since  been  used  uninterruptedly  as  a 
hotel. 

The  purchasers  of  the  Madison  claim  each  set  off 
six  acres  of  land  on  which  to  locate  'a  village,  but>  no 
regular  plat  was  made.  As  stated,  during  the  same 
year  the  purchase  was  made,  Henry  Durham  opened 
the  first  store.  He  continued  in  the  business  about 
eighteen  years.  James  S.  Waterman  was  the  second 
to  embark  in  trade  at  this  point.  Daniel  Ball  opened 
the  third  store,  Mr.  Amsden  the  fourth  and  Robert 
Waterman  the  fifth.  These  were  not  all  in  business 
at  once,  but  covered  a  period  of  several  years.  A 
very  large  business  was  transacted  by  some  of  these 
dealers,  Robert  Waterman  reporting  his  sales  one 
year  at  $90,000. 

Joseph  Maltby  was  the  first  blacksmith,  locating 
here  about  1840. 

Mr.  Preston  was  the  first  wagon-maker  and  A.  N. 
Hollembeak  the  second. 

Mr.  Gregory  and  Jerry  Brown  were  the  first  shoe- 
makers. 

The  first  religious  services  were  held  at  the  house 
of  H.  N.  Perkins,  in  the  winter  of  1837-8.  Rev.  Ora 
Walker  preached  the  sermon.  Rev.  Mr.  Geddes  was 
the  second  preacher  in  the  township. 

The  first  school  was  in  1838.  A  school-house  was 
erected  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  south  of  the 
present  village  of  Genoa.  Mary  Ann  Hill  was  the 
teacher.  Improvements  in  educational  facilities  have 
been  constantly  going  on. 

S.  O.  Pike  claims  to  have  built  the  first  wagon  in 
the  county,  at  his  home  in  this  township,  in  1845. 

From  the  report  of  the  County  Superintendent  of 
Schools  for  the  year  ending  June  30,  1884,  the  fol- 
lowing items  are  gleaned  in  relation  to  educational 
matters  in  this  township:  There  were  510  persons 
under  twenty-one  years  of  age,  of  whom  358  were  of 
school  age.  Of  this  number  300  were  enrolled  in  the 
public  schools.  One  district  had  no  school  during 
the  year,  while  seven  had  more  than  1 10  days  each. 
One  school  was  graded.  Twenty  teachers  were  em- 
ployed during  the  year,  receiving  an  average  salary 
of  $28.41  per  month,  the  highest  being  $90  and  the 
lowest  $22.  The  school  property  was  valued  at 
$7,000.  A  tax  was  levied  for  school  purposes  amount- 
ing to  $3, 87 9. 

The  first  celebration  of  Independence  Day  was  in 


1838,  when  Mr.  Perkins  provided  entertainment  for 
hundreds  who  assembled.  Geo.  H.  Hill  delivered 
the  oration.  There  were  people  present  from  Aurora, 
St.  Charles,  Rockford  and  other  places. 

A  postoffice  was  established  here  in  the  fall  of 
1837,  with  Horatio  N.  Perkins  as  postmaster.  Mr. 
Madison  had  been  endeavoring  to  get  an  office  before 
Mr.  Perkins'  arrival,  and  had  secured  the  promise  of 
one.  On  selling,  he  recommended  Mr.  Perkins  for 
the  position.  With  the  exception  of  a  few  months, 
Mr.  Perkins  held  the  office  47  years,  resigning  No- 
vember n,  1884,  when  his  grandson,  H.  A.  Perkins, 
received  the  appointment. 

Balls  were  quite  common  in  the  early  days,  and 
Perkins'  Hotel,  at  Genoa,  was  a  popular  place  for 
them  to  be  held.  The  young  men  and  young  ladies 
would  come  for  miles  around,  and  dance  till  the  "  wee 
sma"  hours  o'  morn."  Mr.  Perkins  has  taken  in  as" 
much  as  $225  in  one  night. 

Some  of  the  early  settlers  of  Genoa  were  no  credit 
to  the  community  in  which  they  lived,  and  brought 
upon  it  an  unsavory  name.  Whittemore  had  the 
reputation  of  being  a  leading  member  of  the  gang  of 
horse-thieves, counterfeiters  and  burglars  who  infested 
the  country.  In  1838  Mr.  Perkins  had  his  house 
broken  open,  and  was  robbed  of  $300.  While  he 
felt  morally  certain  as  to  who  were  the  guilty  parties, 
he  could  not  prove  it,  and  never  recovered  his  money 
or  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  robbers  punished. 

Gleason  was  thought  to  be  one  of  the  gang  of  coun- 
terfeiters. He  was  known  to  have  counterfeit  money 
in  his  possession,  but  never  used  it  in  the  commu- 
nity in  which  he  lived.  He  was  arrested  once,  his 
case  called  in  court,  but  no  witnesses  could  be  had 
to  testify  against  him,  and  he  was  set  at  liberty.  He 
was  again  arrested,  but  made  his  escape  from  the 
officers.  Returning,  after  the  evidence  of  his  guilt 
was  thought  unattainable,  he  started  in  business 
again.  He  married  here.  A  few  years  after,  he  be- 
came ill,  and  a  traveling  doctor,  who  was  said  to  be 
attached  to  his  wife,  attended  him,  but  he  soon  died. 
Soon  after,  the  doctor  and  Mrs.  Gleason  were  arrested 
for  causing  his  death,  but  no  evidence  was  directly 
obtainable,  and  they  were  discharged.  Not  long  af- 
ter, they  were  married  and  moved  to  La  Salle  County, 
where  the  doctor  died  under  circumstances  that  led 
people  to  believe  that  he,  too,  was  poisoned.  His 
wife  soon  after  died  very  suddenly. 


; 


••  - 


'•  v';  • 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


Genoa  furnished  109  men  to  aid  in  suppressing 
the  Rebellion. 

On  its  organization,  in  1850,  Henry  Durham  was 
elected  to  represent  the  township  as  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Supervisors.  He  was  succeeded  by  G.  F. 
King  in  1851  ;  Isaac  W.  Garvin,  1852;  A.  N.  Hol- 
lembeak  1853-4;  Isaac  W.  Garvin,  1855;  Jesse 
Doud,  1856;  D.  Buck,  1857;  John  Heath,  1858-9; 
J.  L.  Brown,  1860;  John  Heath,  1861-2;  J.  L. 
Brown,  1863;  D.  Buck,  1864-5;  H.  N.  Perkins, 
1866-9;  A.  H.  Pond,  1870-3;  John  Heath,  1874; 
Jeremiah  L.  Brown,  1875  ;  John  Heath,  1876;  Henry 
N.  Perkins,  1877-80;  A.  H.  Pond,  1881-3;  Kendall 
Jackman,  1884. 

Genoa  Township,  according  to  the  report  of  the 
local  assessor,  in  1884,  had  22.862  acres  of  improved 
land,  valued  at  $336,998.  The  town  lots  were  valued 
at  $48,5  1 6  ;  personal  property,  $r  15,45  i .  A  total  of 
$500,965.  The  State  Board  of  Equalization  reduced 
this  amount  to  $444,080.  Among  the  items  of  per- 
sonal property  assessed  were  the  following:  Horses, 
899;  cattle,  3,121;  sheep,  75;  hogs,  2,107;  steam 
engines,  3;  safes,  2;  carriages  and  wagons,  324; 
watches  and  clocks,  311  ;  sewing  and  knitting  ma- 
chines, 176;  pianos,  6;  melodeons  and  organs,  59. 
With  the  exception  of  Paw  Paw,  Genoa  had  a  larger 
number  of  cattle  than  any  township  in  the  county. 

L.  P.  Kellogg  contributes  the  following  as  his  ex- 
perience of  pioneer  life :  He  came  to  Illinois  in  the 
fall  of  1844  and  spent  the  first  winter  in  the  town  of 
Harmony,  McHenry  County,  moving  on  his  farm  in 
Genoa  Township  in  the  spring  of  1845,  where  he 
broke  enough  land  for  temporary  use,  spending  the 
remainder  of  his  time  in  teaming.  He  used  to  make 
the  trip  to  Chicago  with'  anything  he  could  procure, 
returning  with  merchandise  and  immigrants.  His 
hotel  was  where  night  overtook  him  on  the  way.  He 
generally  did  his  teaming  with  horses,  but  at  times 
drove  from  three  to  five  yoke  of  oxen.  He  was  mar- 
ried Jan.  20,  1847.  The  week  after  his  marriage  he 
went  to  move  a  family  from  near  Belvidere  to  Ottawa 
and  came  near  losing  his  life.  He  started  with  four 
horses  but  only  got  home  with  two.  After  reaching 
Ottawa,  he  concluded  to  take  back  with  him  a  load 
of  coal.  There  was  no  well-defined  wagon  road,  but 
only  an  Indian  trail  to  follow.  In  crossing  a  slough 
on  his  return,  the  wagon  broke  through  the  ice  and 
settled  in  the  water  and  earth  up  to  the  hub.  He 
could  not  get  out  without  unloading,  and  had  to  carry 


the  entire  load  by  hand  a  distance  of  ten  rods.  His 
fingers  were  all  bleeding  and  he  suffered  intensely 
from  the  cold,  but  there  was  no  help  for  it :  the  work 
had  to  be  done,  and  there  was  no  house  within  twenty 
miles.  He  left  the  coal  and  drove  hard  to  make 
some  house  to  shelter  himself  and  team,  but  too  late. 
One  of  those  winter  blizzards  came  on,  with  hail 
and  rain.  His  team  could  not  follow  the  trail  and  it 
was  soon  so  dark  that  it  was  impossible  to  see  any- 
thing. There  was  no  cover  on  his  wagon  to  shelter 
himself,  nothing  for  his  team  to  eat,  the  winds  howl- 
ing like  demons  and  he  lost  in  the  wilderness.  He 
concluded  his  best  course  was  to  unhitch  his  team,  tie 
each  horse  to  a  wagon-wheel  and  wait  till  the  com- 
ing of  the  morn.  His  team  was  tired  out,  the  trail 
was  lost,  and  it  would  have  been  folly  to  attempt 
traveling  any  more  that  night.  Covering  the  horses 
as  best  he  could,  he  then  took  the  end  gate  out  of  his 
wagon,  and  holding  it  before  him  to  break  the  force 
of  the  wind  he  walked  around  the  wagon  the  entire 
night.  The  night  was  a  long  and  hard  one,  but  hope 
was  kept  alive  within  him  by  thinking  of  his  newly- 
wedded  wife  at  home.  Two  of  his  horses -died  be- 
fore morning,  chilled  to  death. 

On  this  trip  he  passed  near  the  old  log  house  on 
Indian  Creek  where  2 1  white  women  and  children 
were  massacred  by  the  Indians.  This  trip  was  only 
one  out  of  many  hard  ones  that  he  experienced  while 
following  teaming.  He  lost  five  horses  in  the  first 
four  years.  Once,  when  the  thermometer  registered 
40  degrees  below  zero,  he  lay  out,  wandering  on  the 
open  prairie  the  entire  night,  having  lost  his  way  in 
one  of  those  blizzards.  He  did  not  dare  to  stop 
walking,  nor  give  way  to  the  desire  for  sleep,  for  he 
well  knew  that  death  would  follow. 

Thinking  a  good  dog  would  be  some  comfort  to  his 
wife  when  he  was  away,  he  bought  a  young  pup,  took 
him  home ;  but  one  night  the  wolves  came  up  to  his 
house,  carried  him  off  and  killed  him. 

Mr.  Kellogg  took  up  his  claim  on  section  3,  Genoa 
Township,  in  1845,  where  he  still  lives.  He  says 
that  although  he  has  had  a  hard  time  in  life,  he  has 
the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  he  was  never  sued 
nor  ever  sued  a  man  in  his  life.  He  has  tried  to  live 
in  peace  with  his  neighbors,  enjoying  their  respect 
and  esteem.  In  1855  he  experienced  religion,  since 
which  time  he  has  tried  to  live  a  consistent  Christian 
life,  although  connected  with  no  religious  society 


• 


£ 
§ 

^ 


- 


f 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


The  Bible  is  his  daily  study,  and  daily  he  gathers  his 
household  around  him  and  offers  up  prayer  and  praise 
to  God. 


Village  of  Genoa. 

:  OTWITHSTANDING  a  small  village  had 
sprung  up  at  this  point  many  years  before, 
fll^S^'  "*  '*•  was  no^  unt'l  '853  triat  a  plat  was  made 
^g)?'  and  filed.  In  March,  1853,  E.  P.  Gleason, 
who  had  purchased  the  interest  of  Whittemore 
&  Corey  in  the  claim  made  by  Madison, 
platted  the  east  half  of  the  southwest  quarter  of 
section  19.  For  a  time  the  village  flourished,  but 
the  building  of  railroads  in  proximity  to  it  cut  off  its 
trade,  and,  for  a  time,  it  seemed  that  one  more  vil- 
lage was  to  be  a  thing  of  the  past.  The  building  of 
the  railroad  through  the  county,  in  1875,  revived  the 
place.  At  that  time  there  were  here  one  hotel ;  a 
general  store,  by  Henry  N.  Perkins ;  a  grocery  store, 
by  R.  S.  V.  Burrington  ;  a  postoffice ;  two  blacksmith 
shops,  owned  by  J.  A.  Risden  and  William  H.  Laird; 
shoe  shop,  by  L.  Williams.  There  were  about  20 
dwelling-houses  within  the  present  village  limits. 

The  railroad  reached  this  place  Jan.  2,  1875,  and 
in  honor  of  the  event  the  ladies  of  the  village  pro- 
vided the  railroad  employees  with  a  grand  free  din- 
ner. During  the  year  1875  but  little  improvement 
was  made,  though  a  building  was  erected  by  J.  E. 
Stott,  who,  in  connection  with  a  brother,  opened  a 
general  merchandise  store,  and  one  by  Walter  Dick- 
erman,  for  a  grocery  store.  The  three  following  years 
many  improvements  were  made,  more  than  at  any 
other  like  period  of  time. 

In  1880  a  destructive  fire  occurred  in  which 
several  buildings  were  burned,  involving  a  loss  of 
$co,ooo. 

The  Genoa  Creamery  is  owned  by  Crawford  & 
Hill.  In  1884  a  business  of  $40,000  was  transacted. 

The  following  comprises  the  business  firms  in 
Genoa  in  the  spring  of  1885  : 

General  merchants — H.  H.  Slater,  Alex.  Crawford, 
Charles  Stott,  Mann  Brothers. 

Groceries — H.  A.  Perkins. 

Drugs— W.  P.  Van  Alstine,  H.  H.  Slater. 

Hardware— William  Sayer,  S.  M.  Davies. 


Furniture— A.  Tyler,  Charles  Stott. 

Boot  and  shoe  dealer — John  Lembka. 

Harness — D.  W.  Schwartz. 

Millinery— Mrs.  Carrie  Wilson. 

Restaurant — James  Allen. 

Blacksmith— Risdon  &  Downing,  A.  Tyler,  Tichler 
&  Smith,  G.  W.  Baldwin. 

Meat  market — W.  Hix. 

Merchant  tailor — F.  O.  Holtgren. 

Jeweler— W.  H.  Matthews. 

Bank — Brown  &  Brown. 

Lumber — -K.  Jackman  &  Son,  also  dealer  in  agri- 
cultural implements  and  coal. 

Grain — M.  G.  Leonard  &  Co. 

Stock  dealers— Frank  Jackman,  H.  H.  Yonken, 
Charles  Whipple. 

Physicians— A.  M.  Hill,  C.  H.  Mordoff. 

Veterinary  surgeons — G.  J.  Mordoff,  D.  S.  Brown. 

Hotels — L.  V.  Corson,  Mrs.  C.  S.  Bailey. 

Creamery— Crawford  &  Hill. 

Attorney — A.  S.  Hollembeak. 

The  village  was  incorporated  under  the  general 
law  in  1876,  and  the  first  meeting  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees  was  held  April  24.  The  following  named 
comprises  the  Trustees  and  Clerks  since  that  date: 

1876 — Henry  N.  Perkins,  President;  James  Mer- 
riman,  George  H.  Ide,  L.  P.  Whitney,  A.  M.  Hill, 
Henry  H.  Slater,  Trustees ;  J.  B.  Stephens,  Clerk. 

1877 — Henry  N.  Perkins,  President:  Alex.  Craw- 
ford, J.  B.  Stephens,  C.  S.  Bailey,  James  Stott,  Henry 
Patterson,  Trustees  ;  Oscar  Jones,  Clerk. 

1878 — Henry  N.  Perkins,  President;  Alex.  Craw- 
ford, William  H.  Matthews,  E.  Sumner,  George  E. 
Wood,  John  Patterson,  Trustees ;  Oscar  Jones,  Clerk. 

1879— Horatio  N.  Perkins,  A.  M.  Hill,  W.  H. 
Mathews,  Alex.  Crawford,  Daniel  Stephens,  John 
Patterson,  Trustees ;  A.  D.  Blagden,  Clerk. 

1880— Alex.  Crawford,  President;  E.  S.  Wilcox, 
Charles  Stott,  D.  W.  Schwartz,  John  Flint,  Samuel 
Slater,  Trustees ;  J.  B.  Lee,  Clerk. 

1881— Alex.  Crawford,  President;  A.  M.  Hill, 
John  McLean,  George  H.  Ide,  E.  S.  Wilcox,  Charles 
Stott,  Trustees  ;  M.  E.  Sandall,  Clerk. 

1882— A.  M.  Hill,  President;  John  McLean,  Geo. 
H.  Ide,  John  Patterson,  A.  C.  Senska,  Gurdin  Rowen, 
Trustees ;  F.  M.  Worcester,  Clerk. 

1883 — A.  C.  Senska,  President ;  John  Patterson, 
Gurdin' Rowen,  D,  S.  Brown,  James  E.  Stott,  William 
E.  Hill,  Trustees ;  H.  A.  Perkins,  Clerk. 


' 


1884—0.  S.  Brown,  President;  James  E.  Stott, 
William  E.  Hill,  R.  Blanchard,  Samuel  Slater,  John 
Lembka,  Trustees ;  H.  A.  Perkins,  Clerk. 

Saloons  have  been  licensed  but  one  year  since  the 
village  was  incorporated,  in  1880. 

Genoa  is  in  School  District  No.  i,  which  was  or- 
ganized at  an  early  day.  The  present  large  and 
convenient  school-house  was  erected  in  r877,  at 
which  time  the  school  was  thoroughly  graded  and 
placed  in  charge  of  Professor  D.  M.  Gibbs.  The 
building  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $4,000,  and  has  four 
rooms,  in  addition  to  cloak  rooms  and  halls.  Since 
1877  Professor  Gibbs  has  been  in  charge  of  the 
schools,  with  Mrs.  J.  A.  Gibbs,  his  wife,  as  first 
assistant.  Under  his  administration  the  school  has 
taken  rank  with  the  best  in  the  county.  One  class 
of  seven  were  graduated  in  1881.  The  graduates 
were  M.  E.  Sanvall,  Herman  Patterson,  Charles 
Brown,  W.  L.  Pond,  M.  Harned,  Allie  Cole,  Mary 
Gwinup.  Of  these  graduates,  M.  E.  Sanvall  is  now 
book-keeper  in  a  large  establishment  in  Chicago; 
Herman  Patterson  is  an  engineer  in  Humboldt,  Iowa, 
and  married  to  Mary  Gwinup ;  Charles  Brown  is  a 
banker  in  Genoa ;  William  L.  Pond  is  a  lawyer  in 
De  Kalb;  M.  Harned  is  a  dentist  in  Oregon,  111.; 
Allie  Cole  is  a  teacher  at  Kingston.  A  second  class 
graduated  in  1883.  The  graduates  were  Mary  Pat- 
terson and  Belle  Holroyd,  both  of  whom  have  been 
teaching  since  graduation.  The  teachers  in  the 
school  here  since  1877,  in  addition  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Gibbs,  are  Lottie  Brown,  Allie  Cole,  Addie  White, 
Myra  Smith,  Lydia  Richardson  and  Mary  Silvious. 
In  the  past  year  there  were  enrolled  142  pupils,  42 
of  whom  were  from  outside  the  district. 

Resaca  Post,  No.  478,  G.  A.  R.,  was  organized 
Aug.  22, 1884,  with  the  following  named  charter  mem- 
bers :  Almon  M.  Hill,  Com.  ;  Alex.  B.  Ross,  S.  V. 
C. ;  George  W.  Johnson,  J.  V.  C.  ;  A.  S.  Hollem- 
beak,  Adj. ;  James  M.  Allen,  Chap. ;  W.  E.  Hill, 
Serg. ;  George  H.  Ide,  O.  D. ;  Henry  W.  Slater,  Q. ; 
George  G.  DeWolf,  O.  G. ;  John  F.  Graver,  S.  M.  ; 
Frank  McQuarie,  G. ;  Geo.  W.  Baldwin,  Q.  S. ; 
Ezra  G.  Pike,  Francis  D.  Bridge,  Wm.  R.  White. 
The  first  officers  continue.  The  present  membership 
is  24. 

Genoa  Lodge,  No.  288,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  received 
ts  charter  Oct.  16,  1858.  The  charter  members 
were  Thurston  Carr,  W.  M. ;  M.  D.  Reyman,  S.  W. ; 


A.  B.  Green,  J.  W. ;  M.  Carr,  Wm.  Peters,  P.  Carr, 
A.  E.  Carr,  J.  Chase.  The  P.  W.  M.'s  are  Thurston 
Carr,  Thomas  E.  Lawrence,  L.  P.  Wood,  A.  C. 
Senska,  Geo.  E.  Wood,  A.  N.  Hollembeak,  E.  S. 
Wilcox,  Dr.  John  McLean.  The  lodge  is  in  a  flour- 
ishing condition. 


KINGSTON  TOWNSHIP. 

ITH  the  exception  of  Franklin  Township, 
Kingston  has  the  largest  body  of  timber 
land  in  the  county.  The  southern  por- 
tion is  prairie,  and  also  the  northeastern. 
The  township  is  well  watered  by  the  Kish- 
waukee  River  and  its  tributaries.  Kingston 
comprises  township  42,  range  4  east,  and  lies 
upon  the  north  border  of  the  county,  adjoining 
Boone  County,  with  Genoa  Township  upon  the  east, 
Mayfield  upon  the  south,  and  Franklin  upon  the 
west. 

The  first  settlement  in  Kingston  was  made  in 
1835.  Thomas  Robb  is  thought  to  have  been  the 
first  to  make  a  claim.  Among  those  who  came  in 
that  year  were  John  Judd,  Isaiah  Fairclo,  Lyman 
Judd,  Joseph  Collier,  Nathan  Billings,  John  Friel, 
Louis  Driggs,  George  H.  Hill,  James  Green,  Benja- 
min Schoonover,  Harmon  and  Wm.  Miller,  George 
Hill  and  Levi  Lee. 

Thomas  Robb  was  from  Indiana.  He  located 
on  section  22.  Mr.  Robb  was  about  65  years  old 
when  he  came  to  this  county.  He  died  on  the 
homestead  that  he  claimed  in  1835. 

John  Judd,  Isaiah  Fairclo,  Lyman  Judd,  Nathan 
Billings,  John  Friel  and  Louis  Driggs  were  also 
from  Indiana.  John  Judd  lived  in  the  township 
about  12  years  and  died  here;  Isaiah  Fairclo  died 
here  also ;  Lyman  Judd  moved  away  and  has  since 
died;  Joseph  Collier  was  one  of  the  first  Justices 
of  the  Peace ;  was  elected  while  the  county  was 
attached  to  La  Salle ;  he  died  here.  Nathan  Billings 
and  John  Friel  returned  to  Indiana.  Louis  Driggs, 
after  a  few  years'  residence,  moved  to  Iowa. 

Harmon  and  Wm.  Miller  were  from  New  York. 
Harmon  subsequently  moved  to  Prairie  du  Chien, 
where  he  since  died.  William,  in  1873,  moved  into 
De  Kalb,  where  he  now  resides. 

Levi  Lee  was  from  New  York.     He  was  a  man  of 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


x^x  good  natural  and  acquired  ability,  a  Methodist 
•  Episcopal  minister,  for  some  years  a  Justice  of  the 
-,  Peace,  and  one  of  the  first  County  Commissioners. 
Before  the  war  he  removed  to  Elkhorn,  Wis.  He  is 
now  dead. 

Other  settlers  came  in  soon  after,  and  it  was  but 
a  few  years  before  all  the  valuable  land  in  the  town- 
ship was  claimed. 

Zalmon  Young  and   Sarah  Brown  were  united  in 
marriage  Oct.  5,  1837,  by  Geo.  H.  Hill,  J.  P.     The 
license    granted    to  these  persons  was  the   second 
,«*     obtained  in  De  Kalb  County. 

'•^f  A  child  was  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Louis  Driggs 
early  in  1836.  This  child  was  probably  the  first 
born  in  the  township.  Wm.  W.  Hill,  son  of  George 
H.  Hill,  was  born  Oct.  23,  1836,  and  was  probably 
the  second  born. 

The  first  death  was  that  of  the  wife  of  Peyton 
Russell,  in  1837.  Her  body  was  buried  on  section 
23,  in  what  is  now  the  Kingston  Cemetery. 

The  Kingston  postoffice  was  established  about 
1838,  with  Levi  Lee  as  postmaster.  In  1841  the 
receipts  of  the  office  were  $4.31.  Jonas  Haight  suc- 
ceeded Lee  and  was  in  turn  succeeded  by  George 
H.  Hill,  who  had  charge  of  the  office  for  many 
years.  The  following  named  have  since  served  as 
postmasters :  Charles  O'Connor,  Dr.  James  Mc- 
)  Allister,  L.  J.  Bliss  and  James  Stuart.  The  office 
was  removed  to  the  village  of  Kingston  on' the  ad- 
vent of  the  railroad. 

North  Kingston  postoffice  was  established  about 
1852.  Charles  W.  Branch  was  postmaster  for  some 
years. 

^        Dr.    James    McAllister   was    the  first    physician, 
$b    locating  here  about  1848. 

I  The  first  religious  services  were  held  in  private 
houses  in  1836.  Revs.  Woolsey,  Arnold  and  Lee 
were  the  first  to  preach  the  word  in  this  region  of 
the  country.  A  house  of  worship  was  some  years 
after  erected  on  the  south  line  of  the  township,  but 
has  since  been  removed. 

The  first  school  now  remembered  by  some  of  the 
old  settlers  was  in  in  a  log  house  on  section  22,  and 
was  held  in  1840.  Harriet  Russell  was  the  first 
teacher.  It  was  a  subscription  school.  Public 
schools  were  introduced  some  years  afterwards. 
From  the  report  of  George  I.  Talbott,  County 
Superintendent  of  Public  Schools,  for  the  year  end- 


ing  June  30,  1884,  the  following  items  are  gleaned: 
There  were  526  persons  under  21  years  of  age,  of 
whom  342  were  of  school  age.  Each  of  the  10 
districts  had  a  frame  school-house,  the  total  value 
being  $9,800.  School  was  held  in  each  of  the  dis- 
tricts, and  there  was  a  total  enrollment  of  311.  Dur- 
ing the  year  18  teachers  were  employed,  receiving  as 
wages  an  average  salary  of  $29.48  per  month,  the 
highest  receiving  $75  and  the  lowest  $25.  The  tax 
levied  for  school  purposes  amounted  to  $4,575. 

The  first  store  in  the  township  was  owned  by  Levi 
Lee,  who,  in  1836,  commenced  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness at  his  house. 

George  H.  Hill  had  his  dwelling-house  and  its  con- 
tents burned  in  1836,  the  first  destruction  of  a 
dwelling  by  fire  in  the  township. 

In  1853,  and  also  in  1860,  a  fearful  tornado  swept 
through  the  township,  destroying  everything  in  its 
path.  In  1860  Isaac  McCoy  had  his  house  destroyed, 
not  a  single  piece  of  timber  being  left  to  mark  its  lo- 
cation. 

The  first  dwelling-house  was  erected  by  Lyman 
Stuart,  who  rented  the  same  for  a  hotel. 

John  Uplinger  started  a  hardware  store  in  the  fall 
of  1875. 

In  the  spring  of  1876,  Mr.  Uplinger  erected  an- 
other building,  which  he  rented  to  Dunbar  Bros., 
who  opened  a  stock  of  general  merchandise.  They 
are  still  in  the  trade. 

A.  H.  Clark  commenced  in  the  drug  business  in 
1876,  moving  a  building  into  the  village  for  the  pur- 
pose. 

Among  others  who  began  business  during  the  first 
two  or  three  years  of  the  village's  existence  were : 
William  Straub,  who  commenced  the  hardware  busi- 
ness, now  continued  by  Heckman  &  Cole;  Orson 
Rogers,  who  opened  a  stock  of  general  merchandise ; 
S.  P.  Hancock  and  Mr.  Gritzbaugh,  in  shoe-making; 
I.  C.  Sherman,  blacksmith ;  Louis  Lyon,  harness- 
maker. 

Kingston  Township,  in  1884,  had  22,053  acfes  of 
land,  which  was  assessed  at  $331,503.  The  lots  were 
listed  at  $23,941;  personal  property,  $83,995  ;  total, 
$448,419.  The  State  Board  of  Equalization  reduced 
this  to  $395,967.  In  the  list  of  personal  property  as- 
sessed may  be  found  the  following  items :  Horses, 
875;  cattle,  2,394;  mules  and  asses,  20;  sheep, 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


,   1,978;    steam   engines,  4;    safes,   4;   billiard 
tables,  i;  carriages  and  wagons,  '397;  watches  and 
%  clocks,   214;    sewing   and  knitting   machines,    144; 

pianos,  3;  organs  and  melodeons,  37. 
,•2).      The  following  named  have  served  the  township  as 
members  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors : 

..-863 


John  Sheeley. 
C.W.  Br 
William  ,' 
George  H 
GeorBe  L 
James  Me  A: 
P.  Heckman 


William  A.  Miller. 
George  H.  Hill.... 
George  L.  Wood... 


.1853 

•.'jr7 

.1859-60 


George  H.  Hill. 

Charles  W.  Branch 1864-70 

JohnL.  Hoag 1871-73 

Sylvester   Mead 1874-75 

Leroy  E.  Benson 1876-77 

Aaron  H.  Clark 1878-81 


: 


Kingston. 

This  village  is  located  on  the  line  of  the  C.,  M.  & 
St.  P.  Railroad,  in  this  township.  It  is  a  pleasant 
little  village;  was  platted  in  May,  1876,  by  Lyman 
and  James  Stuart.  In  November,  1875,  the  first 
house  was  erected  by  James  Stuart,  who  opened  up 
a  stock  of  groceries. 

The  village  comprises  a  part  of  School  District, 
No.  6.  A  school-house  which  stood  about  a  half 
mile  east  of  the  village,  was  used  until  1881,  when 
the  present  two-story  frame  building  was  erected,  at 
a  cost  of  $3,304.  J.  G.  Lucas  was  the  first  principal 
in  the  new  house  and  yet  occupies  the  position.  Mrs. 
H.  Hatch  was  his  assistant  in  1881 ;  Maggie  Lucas 
in  the  spring  and  Grace  Harris  in  the  fall  of  1882; 
Allie  Cole  in  1883  and  1884-5. 

There  is  one  church  edifice  in  the  village,  the 
property  of  the  Methodist  Episcopals.  The  building 
was  erected  in  1860,  on  the  south  line  of  the  town- 
ship and  moved  here  in  1876.  Rev.  J.  B.  G.  Shad- 
ford  is  the  present  pastor. 

The  Masons  have  a  lodge,  and  the  G.  A.  R.  a  post 
in  this  place. 

Kishwaukee  Lodge,  No.  402,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  was 
organized  Oct.  5,  1864,  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile 
west  of  the  present  village.  In  1877  the  place  of 
meeting  was  removed  here.  The  officers  for  1885 
were :  J.  H.  Fellows,  W.  M.;  A.  N.  Wyllys,  S.  W.; 
A.  H.  Clark,  J.  W.;  Sylvester  Mead,  Treas.;  J.  H.  G. 
Lucas,  Sec.  The  present  membership  is  35. 

Gilbert  Barnes  Post,  No.  395,  G.  A.  R.,  was  or- 
ganized Jan.  19,  1884,  with  12  charter  members. 
For  the  first  year  meetings  were  held  every  two  weeks, 


but  now  are  held  once  a  month.  The  present  officers 
are :  J.  W.  Foster,  Com.;  S.  S.  Russell,  S.  V.  C.; 
J.  Mackey,  J.  V.  C.;  S.  D.  Whitney,  Q.;  B.  P. 
Penney,  Chap.;  H.  M.  Bacon,  Surg.;  O.  H.  Taplin, 
O.  G.;  A.  J.  Miller,  S. ;  A.  H.  Clark,  Adj.  The 
post  is  in  good  working  condition,  with  a  membership 
of  20. 

The  first  grain-buyer  was  Lyman  Stuart,  in  1876. 
He  erected  a  warehouse  that  year.  J.  H.  Uplinger 
erected  a  warehouse  in  1877  and  also  engaged  in  the 
trade. 

Among  the  present  industries,  the  creamery  of 
Julius  Chapman  should  be  mentioned.  It  stands 
one-half  mile  east  of  the  village,  and  does  a  good 
business.  He  has  also  a  steam  grist-mill,  with 
four  run  of  buhrs.  James  Stuart  has  a  good  steam 
saw-mill,  erected  in  1876.  A  planing-mill  and  a  feed 
mill  have  since  been  added. 

The  business  of  the  place  is  now  represented  as 
follows : 

General  merchants — Dunbar  Bros.,  O.  Rogers. 

Groceries — J.  Russell  &  Co.,  James  Stuart  &  Co. 

Hardware — Heckman  &  Cole,  J.  H.  Uplinger. 

Shoe-shop— C.  A.  Arison. 

Millinery — Mrs.  Jennings,  Mrs.  Thurston. 

Restaurant — Isaac  McCollum. 

Meat  market — C.  Uplinger. 

Stock-buyers — Mead  and  Witt  Bros. 

Drugs — A.  H.  Clark. 


MALTA  TOWNSHIP. 

ALTA  Township  is  bounded  on  the  north 
by  South  Grove,  on  the  east  by  De  Kalb, 
on  the  south  by  Milan  and  on  the  west 
by  Ogle  County.  The  Chicago  &  North- 
western Railroad  enters  the  township  on  sec- 
tion 24,  and  running  almost  due  west  enters 
Ogle  County  from  section  19.  There  is  no  natural 
timber  in  the  township,  and  it  was  not  therefore  set- 
tled until  a  late  day,  the  first  settlement  being  made 
in  i8sr  by  Ezekiel  Whitehead.  But  little  of  the  land 
had  been  taken  up  at  the  time,  but  was  soon  after- 
wards entered  by  various  persons  more  for  specula- 
tive purposes  than  with  a  design  of  making  for 


•-:•  x 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


themselves  homes  upon  its  broad  but  beautiful 
prairies. 

Previous  to  1856  the  township  had  been  a  part  of 
De  Kalb.  At  this  time  there  was  a  sufficient  popu- 
lation to  entitle  it  to  a  separate  government,  and  the 
Board  of  Supervisors  accordingly  organized  it  under 
the  name  of  Milton.  When  organized  it  embraced 
the  north  half  of  the  present  township  of  Milan. 
Subsequently  its  name  was  changed  to  Etna,  and 
soon  after  to  Malta,  the  name  of  the  village  that  had 
sprung  up  on  the  line  of  the  railroad. 

Since  its  first  settlement  the  town  has  increased 
materially  in  wealth  and  general  prosperity,  and  is 
now  considered  one  of  the  best  in  the  county. 

During  the  war  of  the  Rebellion  it  sent  out  94 
of  the  best  men  to  help  sustain  the  general  Govern- 
ment. 

The  schools  in  the  township  are  in  good  condition. 
From,  the  County  Superintendent's  report  for  the 
year  ending  June  30,  1884,  the  following  facts  are 
gleaned:  There  were  in  the  township  eight  school 
districts,  each  having  a  good  frame  school-house, 
the  total  value  of  which  was  estimated  at  $10,700. 
One  of  the  districts  had  a  graded  school,  the  remain- 
der being  ungraded.  There  were  496  persons  under 
21,  of  whom  364  were  over  six.  Of  this  number 
303  were  enrolled  in  the  public  schools.  During  the 
year  15  teachers  had  been  employed,  receiving  an 
average  of  $34.43  per  month, — the  highest  being 
$66.67  and  the  lowest  $25.  The  tax.  levy  for  school 
purposes  was  $33.88. 

Malta  Township  reported  a  total  of  21,967  acres 
of  improved  land  in  1884,  on  which  the  local  asses- 
sor placed  a  valuation  of  $309,410.  On  lots  there 
was  an  assessment  of  $39,143  ;  on  personal  property, 
$77,318.  Among  the  items  of  personal  property 
listed  were  the  following:  Horses,  763;  cattle, 
2,119;  mules  and  asses,  12  ;  sheep,  448;  hogs,  2,390; 
carriages  and  wagons,  276;  watches  and  clocks,  261 ; 
sewing  and  knitting  machines,  114;  pianos,  n; 
melodeons  and  organs,  38. 

The  following  named  have  served  the  township  as 
members  of  the  Board  of 


SUPERVISORS  : 


K.  Whitrhead 
T.  C.  Wetmore 
H.  Ma.lden 
M.C.  Dcdrick 
G.  W.  Smiley 
Daniel  K.  Pease 


CI,:,rI,:sW.  Haish.. 
\V.  II.  \V,,oIsl,,n..: 
Martin  f.  D.-,l,i,k. 
George  W.  Smiky  .  . 
M.min  C  D,-,l,-i,:l:. 


...,, 


Village  of  Malta. 

HE  village  of  Malta  was  surveyed  and  plat- 
ted by  Horace  W.  Fay,  County  Surveyor, 
in  August,  1856.  The  land  was  then  owned 
by  Charles  C.  Sheppard  and  T.  C.  Wetmore. 
It  was  located  on  the  northwest  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 23,  township  40  north,  range  3  east.  There 
have  since  been  two  additions  made  and  recorded. 

The  first  house  was  erected  in  the  fall  of  1856  by 
J.  M.  Orput.  It  was  a  story  and  a  half  frame  and 
used  by  him  as  a  dwelling  house  and  for  mercantile 
purposes.  In  this  house  Mr.  Orput  opened  a  stock 
of  staple  and  fancy  groceries,  and  therefore  has  the 
honor  of  being  the  first  merchant  in  the  place.  He 
also  dealt  in  lumber,  coal  and  grain,  buying  the  first 
grain  shipped  from  this  station.  In  the  spring  of 
1857  Mr.  Orput  formed  a  partnership  with  John  At- 
wood,  and  under  the  firm  name  of  Orput  &  Atwood 
the  business  was  continued,  dry-goods  being  added 
to  the  grocery  stock.  In  the  fall  of  1857  Dwight 
Booth  purchased  the  stock. 

Shortly  after  Mr.  Orput  began  business,  Shedd  & 
Fuller  erected  a  warehouse  and  began  purchasing 
grain.  A  portion  of  this  warehouse  was  subsequently 
converted  into  a  hotel  and  was  the  first  in  the  village. 
Frank  Graves  was  the  first  landlord. 

The  present  Orient  House  was  erected  in  the  fall 
of  1858  by  Daniel  Sprague,  but  opened  by  D.  E. 
Fennell.  It  was  the  first  house  erected  exclusively 
for  hotel  purposes,  and  has  been  used  constantly  as 
such  to  the  present  time. 

The  first  hardware  store  was  started  by  J.  R. 
Evans  in  1838. 

Henry  Madden  was  the  first  druggist.  He  com- 
menced business  in  1857. 

The  first  blacksmith  was  John  Schultz,  in  1857. 

The  first  wagon-maker  was  Walter  Tuiett. 

The  first  furniture  dealer  was  William  LeBrant. 

The  first  shoemaker  was  John  Swanson,  in  1858. 

The  first  harness-maker  was  J.  O.  Westgate. 

The  postorfice  was  established  here  in  the  winter 
of  1856-7.  W.  F.  Shedd  was  the  first  postmaster. 
He  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  Wicks,  ar.d  he,  in  turn,  by 
Henry  Madden,  Alfred  Ball,  F.  H.  Brundage,  and  A. 
S.  Kinsloe,  the  incumbent.  A  money  order  depart- 
ment was  connected  with  the  office  in  July,  1872. 
David  Campbell  drew  the  first  order,  in  favor  of 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


Chase,  Hanford  &  Co.,  of  Chicago,  for  the  sum  of  $5. 
The  average  amount  drawn  per  year  has  been  about 
$10,000. 

In  1857  a  school-house  was  erected  in  the  village. 
It  jwas  a  frame  structure,  about  24  x  40,  and  was 
used  until  1873,  when  the  present  two-story  frame 
building  was  erected ,  at  a  cost  of  $6,000.  This  build- 
ing has  four  rooms,  and  four  teachers  are  regularly 
employed.  In  the  spring  of  1885  the  corps  of  teachers 
was  as  follows  :  D.  G.  Hays,  principal ;  Bertha  Bei- 
tel,  Edna  Mettlar,  Josie  Morse. 

The  religious  well  being  of  the  people  is  cared  for 
by  the  Baptists,  Congregationalists  and  Methodist 
Episcopals,  each  of  which  have  church  edifices. 

The  secret  and  benevolent  societies  in  1885  were 
the  Masons,  Odd-Fellows  and  G.  A.  R. 

Malta  Lodge,  No.  320,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  was  organ- 
ized in  1859.  A  dispensation  was  granted  June  9, 
under  which  the  lodge  acted  until  October  5,  when 
the  charter  was  granted  by  the  Grand  Lodge.  Its 
charter  members  were  T.  C.  Wetmore,  John  E.  At- 
wood,  Jacob  M.  Moon,  John  B.  Orput,  Edmund 
Badger,  T.  H.  Hecox,  J.  H.  Clark,  J.  A.  Patterson. 
Its  first  officers  were  Titus  C.  Wetmore,  W.  M.;  John 
E.  Atwood,  S.  W.;  J.  M.  Moon,  J.  W.;  J.  R.  Evans, 
S.  D.;  T.  H.  Hecox,  J.  D.;  C.  B.  Safford,  Secretary ; 
A.  Wetmore,  Treasurer  ;  J.  A.  Patterson,  Tyler.  The 
officers  were  installed  by  S.  O.  Vaughan,  of  DeKalb. 
The  present  membership,  in  January,  1885,  is  19, 
with  the  following  named  officers  :  Caleb  Peters,  W. 
M.;  R.  M.  Hevenor,  S.  W.;  George  Spickerman,  J. 
W.;  David  Claxton,  Treasurer ;  J.  C.  Pierce,  Secre- 
tary ;  Horace  Claxton,  S.  D.;  C.  W.  Haish,  J.  D.;  J. 
P.  Newhall,  C.  F.  Meyers,  Stewards ;  James  Homan, 
Tyler.  The  P.  M.  W.'s  are  T.  C.  Wetmore,  J.  R. 
Evans,  J.  M.  Moon,  S.  C.  Hapgood,  John  Sargent, 
R.  M.  Hevenor  and  S.  S.  Coe. 

Malta  Lodge,  No.  606,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  was  instituted 
February  18,  1876,  with  the  following  named  charter 
members :  J.  V.  Willett,  D.  S.  Holderness,  J.  V.  Cor- 
nish, P.  Barnes,  R.  Pendergrass,  J.  Conlin.  The 
lodge  has  been  quite  successful,  and  numbers  38 
members,  with  a  well-furnished  lodge  room.  It  has 
lost  by  death  four  of  its  members  during  the  nine 
years  of  its  existence — J.  Lamb,  A.  McCrea,  I.  H. 
Claxton  and  John  Fanson.  Its  present  officers  are 
M.  Quincer,  N.  G.;  I.  P.  Hoyt,  V.  G.;  R.  Pender- 
grass, Sec.;  J.  V.  Willett,  Treas.  The  P.  N.  G.'s  are 

£%&& ^^ ^ 


J.  V.  Willett,  R.  Pendergrass,  A.  McCrea,  J.  V.  Cor- 
nish, Henry  Shaver,  William  H.  Haish,  P.  Barnes,  R. 
Fox,  A.  S.  Kinsloe,  William  M.  Kempson,  F.  Rist, 
M.  L.  Dedrick  and  William  Spickerman. 

Edward  Bridge  Post,  No.  124,6.  A.  R.,was  organ- 
ized March  16,  1882.  Its  first  officers  and  charter 
members  were  J.  C.  Pierce,  Com.;  R.  M.  Hevenor, 
S.  V.  C.;  R.  Fox,  J.  V.  C.;  A.  S.  Kinsloe,  Adjt.;  A. 
Van  Patten,  Q.  M.;  T.  S.  Warren,  O.  D.;  B.  Cart- 
wright,  Chap.;  A.  A.  Spickerman,  Surg.;  S.  P.  Sher- 
wood, O.  G.;  S.  Palquest,  S.;  W.  H.  Cheatham,  D. 
A.  Smith,  A.  Allenburg.  The  Post  has  now  a  mem- 
bership of  33,  and  meets  the  third  Monday  in  each 
month  in  Haish's  Hall.  Its  present  officers  are  A. 
S.  Kinsloe,  Com.;  A.  Van  Patten,  S.  V.  C.;  W.  H. 
Scofield,  J.  V.  C.;  R.  M.  Hevenor,  Adjt.;  J.  C. 
Pierce,  Q.  M.;  B.  F.  Hurt,  O.  D.;  S.  Sherwood,  O. 
G.;  S.  Lloyd,  Chap.;  A.  A.  Spickerman,  Surg.;  J. 
Tomassen,  Q.  S.;  C.  Tomassen,  S.  M.;  S.  Palquest, 
Sent.  The  only  P.  Com.  is  S.  C.  Pierce. 

One  of  the  first  industries  of  the  place  was  the 
grist-mill  erected  by  Clement  &  Dodge  in  1857.  It 
was  a  two-story  frame  structure,  about  40  x  60  feet, 
with  two  run  of  buhrs.  The  owners  ran  it  until 
about  1859,  when  they  leased  it  to  Booth  &  Sprague, 
who  ran  it  for  a  time,  at  a  loss,  and  then  sub-let  it  to 
Caleb  Peters.  In  1861,  while  being  run  by  the  lat- 
ter, it  was  totally  destroyed  by  fire.  Clement  & 
Dodge  sued  Mr.  Sprague  for  the  value  of  the  mill, 
and  for  several  years  the  case  was  before  the  courts 
of  the  State.  Judgment  was  finally  rendered  against 
Sprague  in  the  Circuit  Court;  the  case  was  appealed 
and  the  verdict  sustained  by  the  Supreme  Court.  It 
is  said  to  have  cost  Mr.  Sprague  about  $18,000. 

In  1867  a  second  mill  was  erected  by  Caleb  Peters, 
assisted  to  some  extent  by  the  citizens  of  Malta.  It 
was  also  a  two-story  frame,  a  little  smaller  than  the 
first,  but  with  two  run  of  buhrs.  It  is  yet  running, 
and  is  the  property  of  C.  W.  Haish. 

Malta  was  incorporated  by  special  charter  in  1869, 
its  first  election  being  held  April  5,  resulting  in  the 
election  of  G.  W.  Smiley,  President  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees;  C.  Anderson,  J.  V.  Willett,  James  Welch, 
S.  T.  Wright,  Trustees ;  C.  W.  Haish,  Treasurer ;  S. 
E.  Powers,  Clerk;  J.  C.  Westgate,  Police  Justice; 
W.  H.  Scofield,  Constable.  The  trustees  and  clerks 
since  that  date  have  been  as  follows  : 

1870—0.  W.  Smiley,  President;  A.  S.  Kinsloe,  J. 
Q S^C g*!}^^ 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


5 


M.  Orput,  W.  D.  Cook,  S.  T.  Wright,  Trustees;  J. 
W.  McClure,  Clerk. 

1871—0.  W.  Smiley,  President ;  R.  F.  Lintleman, 
A.  S.  Kinsloe,  D.  F.  Pease,  J.  M.  Orput,  Trustees ; 
J.  W.  McClure,  Clerk. 

1872—0.  A.  Ingersoll,  President;  J.  C.  Pierce,  A. 
McCrea,  Wm.  Le  Brant,  A.  S.  Kinsloe,  Trustees;  J. 
W.  McClure,  Clerk. 

1873—0.  F.  Peas,  President;  P.  Deane,  Wm. 
Le  Brant,  J.  S.  Endstrom,  Phineas  Barnes,  Trustees; 
Millard  Spoor,  Clerk. 

1874— A.  McCrea,  President;  G.  W.  Smiley,  S.  T. 
Wright,  A.  Ball,  R.  Pendergrass,  Trustees ;  John 
Murphy,  Clerk. 

1875 — A.  McCrea,  President;  G.  A.  Ingersoll,  R. 
Pendergrass,  S.  T.  Wright,  A.  Ball,  Trustees;  W.  H. 
Cory,  Clerk. 

1876— A.  Ball,  President;  E.  A.  Watkins,  S  T. 
Wright,  R.  F.  Lintleman,  J.  C.  Pierce,  Trustees;  A. 
S.  Kinsloe,  Clerk. 

1877— A.  Ball,  President;  J.  C.  Pierce,  R.  F.  Lin- 
tleman, H.  Claxlon,  S.  T.  Wright,  Trustees ;  A.  S. 
Kinsloe,  Clerk. 

1878— A.  Ball,  President;  C.  F.  Pease,  C.  A.  Tin- 
dall,  R.  M.  Hevenor,  Caleb  Peters,  Trustees;  M. 
Fitzgerald,  Clejk. 

1879— J.  V.  Willett,  President;  J.  C.  Pierce,  W. 
F.  Phelps,  P.  Barnes,  H.  Claxton,  Trustees ;  J.  M. 
Smith,  Clerk. 

1880— C.  W.  Haish,  President ;  J.  C.  Pierce,  W. 
F.  Phelps,  S.  T.  Wright,  R.  F.  Lintleman,  Trustees; 
M.  J.  Cunningham,  Clerk. 

1881 — J.  C.  Pierce,  President;  R.  F.  Lintleman, 
W.  F.  Phelps,  B.  B.  Smiley,  J.  M.  Orput,  Trustees  ; 
M.  Fitzgerald,  Clerk. 

1882— J.  C.  Pierce,  President;  J.  V.  Willett,  S.  T. 
Wright,  W.  F.  Phelps,  J.  M.  Orput,  Trustees ;  B.  B. 
Smiley,  Clerk. 

1883—0  W.  Haish,  President;  A.  S.  Kinsloe,  A. 
F.  Engstrom,  A.  Van  Patten,  Caleb  Peters,  Trustees ; 
M.  Fitzgerald,  Clerk. 

1884—0.  W.  Smiley,  President;  A.  S.  Kinsloe,  A. 
Van  Patten,  David  Claxton,  J.  V.  Willett,  Trustees; 
M.  Fitzgerald,  Clerk. 

On  the  I7th  of  March,  1884,  the  question  was  sub- 
mitted to  a  vote  as  to  whether  the  town  should  in- 
corporate as  a  village  under  the  general  act.  There 
were  31  votes  cast  for  incorporation,  and  53  against. 

£&&&• *&* % 


The  issue  in  all  charter  elections  has  usually  been 
that  of  license  or  no  license.  About  one  year  in  five 
the  anti-license  people  have  a  majority. 

SUPERVISORS. 


geW.  Smiley. 

i-'1^":::: 


v§) 


1871 


MAYFIELD  TOWNSHIP. 

AYFIELD  Township  was  one  of  the 
first  settled  in  the  county.  The  valuable 
timber  lands  that  lie  along  the  Kish- 
waukee  River,  which  courses  through  the 
eastern  part,  attracted  the  attention  of  the  pio- 
neers of  De  Kalb  County,  and  it  was  but  a  short 
time  before  every  rod  was  claimed.  Mayfield  is 
bounded/on  the  east  by  Sycamore  Township,  on  the 
north  by  Kingston,  on  the  south  by  De  Kalb  and  on 
the  west  by  South  Grove.  As  stated,  along  the  Kish- 
waukee  River  are  valuable  timber  lands,  but  west  of 
this  is  a  beautiful  prairie,  which  is  now  dotted  over 
with  fine  farm  houses,  and  which  has  been  placed 
under  an  excellent  state  of  cultivation. 

In  the  early  day  deer,  wolves  and  game  of  all  kinds 
abounded.  Prairie  chickens  were  in  great  numbers. 
Mrs.  E.  D.  Walrod  states  that  she  has  slipped  up  and 
caught  them  unawares,  they  being  quite  tame. 

Who  has  the  honor  to  be  the  first  to  locate  in  the 
township  is  unknown,  but  it  is  supposed  that  John 
Tower  preceded  all  others.  Among  those  who  came 
in  during  the  first  two  or  three  years — from  1835  to 
1838 — were  John  Thorn,  Morris  and  Erasmus  D. 
Walrod,  James  and  Samuel  Gilbert,  Ira  Douglas, 
John  Nichols,  Lyman  Judd,  John  Tifft,  Robert  Gra- 
ham, James  McCollum  and  Henry  Madden.  The 
latter  was  the  first  Representative  in  the  Legislature, 
being  elected  while  the  county  was  part  of  La  Salle, 
even  before  Kane  was  organized.  Dr.  Madden,  as 
he  was  always  called,  was  a  well  known  man  in  the 
early  history  of  the  county,  and  is  deserving  of  more 
than  a  passing  notice.  He  was  a  man  of  more  than 
ordinary  ability,  and  was  held  in  high  esteem  by  the 
pioneers.  In  the  county-seat  contests  he  favored 
Brush  Point,  near  where  he  was  located,  and  in  secur- 
ing the  appointment  of  commissioners  to  locate  the 


. 


county  seat,  he  selected,  it  is  said,  those  whom  he 
thought  he  could  influence  favorable  to  Brush  Point. 
Dr.  Madden  died  at  Malta,  in  this  county. 

Morris  Walrod  was  Sheriff  of  the  county  several 
terms.  He  is  now  dead. 

Erasmus  D.  Walrod  is  an  old  and  highly  respected 
citizen  of  Sycamore,  at  present  owning  a  farm  ad- 
joining the  city  on  the  west.  He  served  as  Deputy 
Sheriff  for  eight  years. 

John  Tifft  was  a  native  of  New  Hampshire.  He 
located  on  section  i,  where  he  remained  many  years. 
He  is  now  a  resident  of  Sycamore. 

James  McCollum  was  an  eastern  man,  but  came 
here  fromAidiana  in  1835,  locating  on  section  15. 
About  1843^16  sold  out  and  removed  to  Round  Prai- 
rie, Boone  County,  where  he  has  since  died. 

Robert  Graham  was  a  native  of  Kentucky.  He 
made  claim  to  a  tract  of  land  in  the  northeast  part 
of  the  township  and  died  there  about  1850.  A  son 
yet  resides  on  the  old  homestead. 

Lyman  Judd  settled  on  section  i.  He  was  a  na- 
tive of  York  State,  but  came  from  Indiana  in  June, 
1835.  About  1858  he  moved  to  Minnesota  and  set- 
tled in  Rice  County,  where  he  has  since  died. 

Ira  Douglas  was  also  a  native  of  New  York.  He 
came  to  the  county  in  1835  and  stopped  about  one 
year  at  Paw  Paw  Grove,  and  then  came  to  Mayfield 
where  he  now  lives. 

Much  trouble  was  had  with  claim  jumpers  by  the 
early  settlers,  and  it  was  some  years  after  the  land 
came  into  market  before  all  claims  were  settled. 

The  first  religious  services  in  the  township  were 
conducted  by  the  Methodists,  and  for  some  time  ser- 
vices were  held  at  the  house  of  Ira  Douglas.  Being 
convenient  to  Sycamore  and  De  Kalb,  the  citizens  of 
the  township  generally  worship  in  those  places. 

The  first  school  is  said  by  some  to  have  been  held 
in  1839,  the  teacher  being  Fanny  Clark.  Others 
claim  Lucy  Stewart  was  the  first  teacher,  the  school 
being  held  in  a  log  cabin  belonging  to  David  Hodge 
on  section  n.  This  was  also  in  1839. 

The  County  Superintendent  of  Public  Schools  in 
his  report  for  the  year  ending  June  30,  1884,  gives 
the  following  items  in  relation  to  educational  matters 
in  the  township  :  Number  of  persons  under  21  years 
of  age,  365  ;  number  of  school  age,  270;  enrollment, 
>38.  There  were  nine  districts,  each  having  a 
frame  school-house. 

Mayfield  sent  103  men  to  the  front  during  the 
^JMI^  ^  * 


rebellion,  of  whom  the  following  named  gave  their 
lives  to  the  country  :  Marvin  Smith  died  at  Smith- 
land,  Mo.,  Dec.  31,  1861;  W.  H.  Decker,  at  Farm- 
ington,  May  16,  1862;  G.  G.  Farwell,  at  Shiloh, 
April  6,  1862:  Turner  Wing,  at  Mayfield,  May, 
1862;  Joseph  Piper,  at  Quincy,  111.,  April  23,  1862! 
Elias  Goble,  at  Gallatin,  Tenn.,  Dec.  21,  1862; 
William  Kerr,  on  steamer  City  of  Memphis,  Jan.  5, 
t863;  J.  Patterson,  at  Camp  Sherman,  Miss.,  Aug. 
25,  1863;  Samuel  Piper,  at  Young's  Point,  La., 
April  i,  1863;  J.  P.  Young,  at  Camp  Nelson,  March' 
5,1864;  Alonzo  Houghton,  in  rebel  prison,  Cahaba 
Ala.,  September,  1864;  William  Stevenson,  at  Kene- 
saw  Mountain,  Ga.,  June  27,1864;  Edward  iiowe, 
at  Chattanooga,  Tenn.,  Aug.  15,  1864. 

Mayfield  Township,  in  1884,  had  of  improved 
land  22,270  acres,  valued  by  the  local  assessor  at 
$316,570.  The  personal  property  listed  the  same 
year  amounted  to  $89,094  ;  a  total  of  $405,664.  This 
was  reduced  by  the  State  Board  of  Equalization  to 
$361,319,  on  which  the  assessment  was  made.  The 
personal  property  included  at  that  time  the  following 
items:  Horses,  781;  cattle,  2,348;  mules  and  asses, 
4;  sheep,  152;  hogs,  2,049;  steam  engines,  2;  safes, 
i  ;  carriages  and  wagons,  274;  watches  and  clocks, 
189;  sewing  and  knitting  machines,  115  ;  pianos,  6  ; 
organs  and  melodeons,  35 . 


SUPERVISORS. 


W.  A.  Nil 
A.  B.Cri 
Fames  Sh 


T.  Wynkoop 1861-64 

Curtis  Smith ,865^2 

Edward  1'.  Safford 1873-76 

Edward  ~PW  Safford '. '.'.'.'. '. '.  IssT'9 

Ni-lson  Sivwrinht 1881 

Edward  P.  Safford 1882 

Henry  O.  Whiuemore  ...1883-84 


MILAN  TOWNSHIP. 

, ^.r^t &»- 

*^s        or 

ILAN  is  an  exclusively  prairie  township, 
there  being  no  natural  grove  within  its 
borders.  It  is  bounded  on  the  south  by 
Shabbona  Township,  on  the  east  by  Afton, 
on  the  north  by  Malta,  and  on  the  west  by  Lee 
County.  The  township  was  organized  in  1857, 
and  was  taken  off  of  Malta  and  Shabbona.  It  being 
so  far  from  timber,  the  land  was  not  taken  up  until 
quite  late.  The  township  comprises  township  39 
north,  range  3  east,  and  was  organized  in  1857, 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


829 


! 


s 


previous  to  which  time  the  southern  half  had  been 
attached  toShabbona  and  the  northern  half  to  Malta. 

Lewis  McEwen,  now  of  the  city  of  De  Kalb,  was 
the  first  white  man  to  locate  in  the  township.  In 
1852  he  made  claim  to  a  tract  of  land,  built  a  cabin 
and  was  for  a  ti;ne,  like  Robinson  Crusoe,  "  monarch 
of  all  he  surveyed."  Benjamin  Banfield  and  Reuben 
Dodd  soon  after  moved  into  the  township  and  Mr. 
McEwen  then  had  company.  In  1852,  when  he 
located  here,  not  an  acre  of  the  land  had  been 
entered  from  the  Government,  but  much  of  it  was 
taken  up  the  following  year.  Gurdon  Hewitt  en- 
tered nine  sections  in  one  day,  with  land  warrants, 
worth  eighty' cents  per  acre. 

In  the  winter  of  1853-4  more  than  100  deer  were 
seen  from  McEwen's  cabin  door,  and  wolves  were 
extremely  troublesome.  The  deer  disappeared  with 
the  advent  of  the  locomotive. 

After  the  first  settlement  was  made  it  was  but  a 
few  years  before  every  acre  of  land  was  taken  up  or 
purchased  from  speculators  by  actual  settlers,  and  to- 
day the  township  of  Milan  is  one  of  the  most  pros- 
perous in  the  county.  In  the  southern  portion  of 
the  township  a  large  colony  from  Norway  located. 

In  the  summer  of  1868  a  large  two-story  building 
was  erected  in  the  center  of  the  township  for  school 
and  town  purposes.  The  lower  part  was  used  for 
school  purposes,  while  the  upper  served  as  a  tower 
hall  and  place  of  public  worship. 

In  1860  the  population  of  Milan  was  but  262,  yet 
it  furnished  38  men  for  the  suppression  of  the 
rebellion. 

The  school  section  was  sold  in  1865  and  produced 
a  township  school  fund  of  over  $8,000.  The  first 
school-house  was  built  in  the  center  of  the  township 
in  1855. 

From  the  report  of  the  County  Superintendent  for 
the  year  ending  June  30,  1884,  the  following  items 
are  gleaned  as  to  the  schools  of  this  township : 
Number  of  persons  under  21  years  of  age,  450;  num- 
ber between  the  ages  of  6  and  21,330;  number  en- 
rolled, 263 ;  number  of  districts,  9.  In  each  district 
was  a  frame  school-house,  the  total  value  being  esti- 
mated at  $6,000.  There  was  a  tax  levied  of  $1,944 
for  school  purposes.  During  the  year  18  teachers 
were  employed,  receiving  an  average  salary  of  $31.46, 
the  highest  being  $42.50,  and  the  lowest  $25. 

Milan  Township   has    22,295    acres  of  improved 

\fSf^j&  •^fcJML^ 

ivCv®(S"  ^Sixir 


land,  according  to  the-assessment  of  1 884.  This  was 
valued  by  the  local  assessor  at  $309,410.  Of  per- 
sonal property  there  was  assessed  $52,715.  Total, 
$362,125!  This  was  reduced  by  the  State  Board  of 
equalization  to  $3 1 5, 36 1.  Among  the  items  of  per- 
sonal property  assessed  there  were  the  following: 
Horses,  670;  cattle  1,880;  mules  and  asses,  4; 
sheep,  131  ;  hogs,  2,208  ;  melodeons  and  organs,  35  ; 
carriages  and  wagons,  203;  watches  and  clocks,  123; 
sewing  and  knitting  machines,  86. 

The  following  have  served  the  township  as  mem- 
bers of  the  Board  o'f  Supervisors  :  Lewis  McEwen, 
1857-60;  John  Banfield,  1861  ;  Lewis  McEwen, 
1862-8;  A.  L.  Wells,  1869-72;  Edwin  R.  Colby, 
1873-84. 


PAW  PAW    TOWNSHIP. 

jf  AW  PAW  Township  lies  in  the  southwest 
corner  of  the  county.  It  is  bounded  on  the 
east  by  Victor  Township,  on  the  north  by 

Shabbona    Township,    on    the   west   by    Lee 

County  and  on  the  south  by  La  Salle  County. 

It  comprises  36  sections  of  land  known  as 
Congressional  township  37  north,  range  3  east  of  the 
third  principal  meridian. 

Paw  Paw  Township  is  a  fine  body  of  land,  princi- 
pally rolling  prairie.  There  are  within  its  borders 
three  groves, — Paw  Paw,  Ross  and  Coon  Grove, — 
the  first  named  extending  into  Lee  County.  The 
township  is  well  watered  by  the  Big  Indian  Creek 
and  its  numerous  tributaries. 

The  natural  advantages  of  timber  and  water  at- 
tracted settlers  here  at  an  early  day.  David  A. 
Towne  was  'doubtless  the  first,  locating  here  in  the 
spring  of  1835,  and  erecting  his  log  cabin  on  the 
southwest  quarter  of  section  19,  on  what  is  now 
known  as  the  Pierpont  Edwards  place.  Mr.  Towne 
broke  a  few  acres  and  made  his  home  here  till  the 
following  year,  when  he  transferred  his  claim  to  his 
brother,  Russell  Towne,  and  removed  to  the  adjoining 
township  on  the  west,  now  Wyoming,  Lee  County, 
where  he  resided  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

The  next  to  locate  here  was  the  Harris  and  But- 
terfield  party,  who  came  from  Cayuga  Co.,  N.  Y.,  in 
July,  1835.  The  party  was  composed  of  Rev.  Benoni 

•f^*f@. 


DE  KALB   COUNTY 


Harris,  a  Methodist  Episcopal -minister,  and  family; 
Benjamin  Harris,  son  of  Benoni,  and  family ;  Ed- 
ward Butterfield  and  family ;  John  Plass  and  family  ; 
and  L.  D.  McDowell  and  Joseph  Harris,  two  single 
men. 

Benoni  and  Benjamin  Harris,  with  their  families, 
settled  on  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  14.  Rev. 
Benoni  Harris  was  the  pioneer  preacher  of  this  re- 
gion, and  labored  faithfully  in  his  holy  calling,  both 
as  a  mission  and  circuit  preacher.  His  wife,  Thank- 
ful Harris,  was  the  first  to  die  in  the  new  settlement. 
Her  death  occurred  in  the  spring  of  1836.  She  was 
buried  in  the  grove  on  the  west  side  of  the  road  on 
section  19.  The  venerable  pastor  died  in  1845  and 
was  buried  beside  her.  Benjamin  Harris  moved  to 
Iowa  in  1854,  entered  the  army  in  the  late  war,  and 
died  some  years  later. 

Edward  Butterfield  made  his  first  claim  on  the 
west  side  of  the  county  line,  but  the  following  year 
he  moved  into  Paw  Paw  Township,  making  his  claim 
on  the  west  side  of  section  19.  He  continued  to  re- 
side in  Paw  Paw  until  1852,  when  he  removed  to 
Iowa.  He  returned  in  1864  and  died  two  years 
later.  Solomon  V.  Butterfield,  his  son,  is  the  only 
representative  of  the  first  colony  now  residing  in  the 
township,  and  from  whom  the  historian  obtained 
much  valuable  information. 

Joseph  Harris  moved  to  Kansas  in  an  early  day. 

John  Plass  remained  in  the  township  only  one 
year,  and  removed  to  Wyoming  Township,  Lee 
County. 

S.  1).  McDowell,  who  came  here  a  single  man, 
married  Delilah  Harris,  July  4,  1836.  Miss  Harris 
was  the  youngest  daughter  of  Rev.  Benoni  Harris. 
This  was  the  first  marriage  in  the  township.  Their 
daughter,  Mary  E.,  born  in  the  summer  of  1837,  is 
believed  to  have  been  the  first  white  child  born  in 
the  township.  The  honor  is  also  claimed  for  Caro- 
line Towne,  daughter  of  David  A.  Towne,  who  is 
said  to  have  been  born  in  the  spring  of  that  year. 
Mr.  McDowell  and  family  continued  residents  of  the 
township  for  several  years,  and  then  moved  West. 

William  Rogers,  Asahel  Baldwin,  Joseph  Ross, 
Russell  Towne,  J.  Alcott,  Job  Morgan  and  Mr.  Ban- 
nigan  are  numbered  among  the  pioneers  of  1836. 

Asahel  Baldwin  kept  the  stage  house  and  was  the 
first  Postmaster  at  Paw  Paw  Grove.  He  remained 
but  a  few  years  and  then  removed  towards  the  set- 
ting sun. 


William  Rogers  located  at  what  is  now  East  Paw 
Paw,  where  he  kept  a  tavern  until  1842,  when  he 
sold  to  Jacob  Wirick.  He  built  the  first  house  on 
the  site  of  the  village.  Of  this  man,  Boies  thus 
speaks: 

"  Bill  Rogers  was  a  marked  character.  He  was 
bold  as  a  lion,  tall  and  straight  as  an  Indian.  He 
sometimes  acted  as  detective  of  criminals,  and  some- 
times, it  is  said,  in  the  character  of  principal.  An 
exciting  story  is  told  of  his  arrest  of  a  huge,  power- 
ful negro,  who  had  hitherto  defied  all  efforts  to  cap- 
ture him.  Rogers  met  him  on  the  prairie  when  both 
were  unarmed,  and,  after  a  fight  lasting  over  an  hour, 
succeeded  in  pinioning  his  arms,  handing  him  over 
to  the  officers,  and  securing  the  large  reward  offered 
for  his  capture.  Rogers  was  the  contractor  to  remove 
the  Indians  from  this  country  to  their  new  homes 
west  of  the  Mississippi.  Five  or  six  years  ago  [Boies 
wrote  in  1868]  an  early  citizen  of  this  county,  cross- 
ing the  plains  to  California,  was  astonished  to  meet 
him  far  beyond  civilization,  dressed  in  Indian  cos- 
tume, and  mounted  on  a  wild  mustang,  with  long 
hair  and  beard  as  white  as  snow,  still  hale  and  hearty, 
and^lill  a  pioneer." 

Joseph  Ross  was  from  the  South.  He  located  at 
the  grove  which  bears  his  name — Ross'  Grove. 

Russell  Towne  settled  on  section  19,  and  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  life  in  this  township. 

Mr.  Bannigan  was  an  Irishman,  and  located  in  a 
grove  to  which  he  gave  his  name,  but  has  long  been 
known  as  Coon's  grove. 

But  few  settlements  were  made  in  the  township 
until  1841,  when  settlers  began  to  come  in  quite  rap- 
idly. Among  those  who  came  between  1841  and 
1846  were  Matthew  Nisbitt,  Jacob  Wirick,  Moses, 
Marcus  A.  and  Eli  Bartlett,  Alonzo  M.  La  Port,  Den- 
nis Connell,  Thomas,  William,  James  and  Robert 
Harper,  James  McFarland,  Vincent  Breese,  Robert 
Hampton  and  A.  W.  Lake. 

Some  of  the  earliest  settlers  at  Paw  Paw  were  no 
credit  to  the  community,  and  from  suspicious  circum- 
stances surrounding  them  were  supposed  to  be  mem- 
bers of  the  horse-thieving  and  counterfeiting  frater- 
nity. But  they  were  not  allowed  to  remain  long,  the 
better  elements  buying  and  forcing  them  out. 

Rev.  Benoni  Harris  was,  without  doubt,  the  first 
to  preach  the  gospel  of  Christ  in  this  region  of  coun- 
try. He  was  an  old  man  when  he  came  to  the 
county,  but  lived  some  years  to  do  good  as  he  had 


-^-~- 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


opportunity.  He  died  at  the  grove,  at  the  age  of  84. 
Meetings  were  held  at  private  houses  until  the  erec- 
tion of  school-houses,  wheu  services  were  held  therein. 
Services  were  held  at  the  house  of  Marcus  Bartlett 
in  the  summer  of  1845,  Rev.  Win.  Atkinson,  a  young 
Congregational  minister,  officiating.  He  traveled  a 
circuit  of  forty  miles  on  foot  for  several  months. 

A  society  of  United  Presbyterians  was  organized 
at  Ross' Grove  in  1854,  Rev.  Mr.  Freetly,  Pastor. 
The  first  church  in  the  township  was  built  by  this 
society,  assisted  by  the  Presbytery,  and  by  liberal  do- 
nations from  New  York  State  and  from  neighboring 
people.  The  idea  of  building  a  church  at  that  time 
is  said  to  have  originated  with  Daniel  McFarland,  a 
visitor  from  the  East.  He  proposed  the  building, 
and  offered  to  give  $100  toward  it,  which  he  subse- 
quently did.  Among  those  who  took  an  active  part 
in  building  were  the  Harper  Brothers,  Matthew  Nis- 
bitt,  Moses  Bartlett  James  McFarland,  Alexander 
Lyons.  John  Dennis  and  O.  D.  Miller.  The  church, 
a  large  wooden  structure,  was  erected  in  1861,  and 
dedicated  in  the  spring  of  1862,  Rev.  Samuel  F. 
Thompson  officiating.  The  membership  numbered 
about  45.  The  church  is  located  on  section  1 1,  and 
has  for  some  years  not  been  used. 

A  union  church  was  built  in  1867  at  East  Paw 
Paw,  and  dedicated  in  February,  1868.  It  is  still  in 
use. 

A  church  was  built  by  the  Congregationalists  on 
section  22,  and  is  still  in  use. 

The  first  school  in  the  township  was  held  at  the 
house  of  Benjamin  Harris  in  the  summer  of  1836, 
Rev.  Benoni  Harris  being  the  teacher.  It  was  a  pri- 
vate school.  The  first  school-house  was  erected  in 
the  north  end  of  Ross' Grove  in  1846,  and  the  first 
.term  of  school  bjgan  December  i,  Thomas  Burns  be- 
ing the  teacher.  The  house  was  of  logs,  split  and 
set  upon  end,  chinked  and  plastered  with  mud.  The 
first  frame  school-house  was  built  on  the  present  site 
of  the  house  in  District  No.  2,  and  erected  in  1850. 

A  joint  stock-company  was  organized  at  East  Paw 
Paw  for  the  purpose  of  building  and  conducting  a 
seminary  at  that  point.  The  building  was  completed 
and  opened  in  1855,  with  Elder  Jessup  as  principal. 
The  venture  did  not  prove  a  success,  and  the  build- 
ing was  sold  to  the  school  district  for  a  public  school, 

th  the  understanding  that  the  higher  branches 
should  be  taught.  This  not  proving  satisfactory 


either  to  the  district  or  people,  a  company  was 
formed,  another  building  erected,  and  the  East  Paw 
Paw  Classical  Seminary  began  operations,  with  D.  D. 
McGibbony  as  principal.  The  building  burning  down 
December,  1870,  the  district  turned  over  to  the  com- 
pany the  building  first  erected.  Mr.  Frazer  suc- 
ceeded Mr.  McGibbony,  and  in  turn  was  succeeded 
by  J.  H.  Beitel,  the  principal  now  in  charge.  The 
school  has  always  maintained  a  high  reputation,  but, 
owing  to  many  villages  springing  up  within  a  radius 
of  a  few  miles,  it  has  not  met  with  the  financial  suc- 
cess it  deserves.  The  present  Trustees  are  Robert 
Hampton,  C.  H.  Card,  Henry  Dickinson,  Henry 
Boardman,  O.  D.  Edwards.  William  Patrick,  J.  B. 
Hyde,  Robert  Boston  and  William  Weddell.  The 
institution  is  now  known  as  the  Teachers'  Institute 
and  Classical  Seminary. 

George  I.  Talbot,  County  Superintendent,  in  his 
annual  report  for  the  year  ending  June  30,  1884, 
gives  the  following  interesting  facts  in  relation  to  the 
public  schools:  There  were  ten  school  districts, 
three  of  which  had  school  less  than  no  days  during 
the  year.  In  each  of  the  districts  was  a  frame  school- 
house,  the  total  value  of  all  being  $4,800.  There 
were  340  persons  under  21  years  of  age,  of  whom  231 
were  between  the  ages  of  6  and  21.  Of  this  number 
182  were  enrolled  in  the  schools.  Twenty-two  teach- 
ers had  been  employed,  receiving  a  salary  on  an 
average  of  $29.30  per  month,  the  highest  being  $40 
and  the  lowest  $20.  The  tax  levy  was  $2,220. 

A  postoffice  was  established  at  Ross  Grove  at  an 
early  day.  In  1849  Wheeler  Hedges  was  Postmas- 
ter. His  receipts  for  the  year  were  $1.09.  It  is  not 
probable  the  office  was  established  before  1848.  Ac- 
cording to  John  Wentworth,  Moses  Bartlett  was  Post- 
master in  1851,  George  V.  Miner  in  1853,  Charles 
Davis  in  1855.  Daring  that  year  H.  H.  Clark  was 
appointed  and  removed  to  its  present  site  at  the  cross 
roads.  Matthew  Nisbit  succeeded  Clark,  and  the 
office  was  then  successively  held  by  J.  L.  Holmes, 
John  Freetly  and  Charles  Davis.  Others  held  it  for 
short  intervals  until  18^7,  when  the  incumbent,  Asa 
Demming,  was  appointed. 

A  postoffice  was  established  under  the  name  of 
Paw  Paw  Grove  in  1837,  with  Asahel  Baldwin  as 
Postmaster.  Mr.  Baldwin  was  succeeded  the  fol- 
lowing year  by  William  Rogers,  who  held  it  until 
1840,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Charles  Morgan 


In  1842  Hiram  Wood  was  appointed  and  held  it  for 
several  years,  being  succeeded  by  A.  B.  Breese.  Suc- 
ceeding him,  in  turn,  the  office  was  held  by  Walter 
Hyde,  George  Brownlow,  H.  A.  Van  Riper  and 
Benjamin  Lobdell,  the  latter  being  appointed  in  1884. 
The  receipts  of  the  office  in  1837  were  $2.87. 

The  village  of  East  Paw  Paw  is  situated  on  the 
west  line  of  the  county  on  section  7,  on  the  old  Chi- 
cago and  Galena  stage  road.  The  village  lies  partly 
in  De  Kalb  and  partly  in  Lee  County,  and  contains 
one  general  store  and  postoffice,  conducted  by  Ben- 
jamin Lobdell,  a  wagon  and  carriage  shop  by  H.  S. 
Dickinson,  and  a  hotel  and  blacksmith-shop.  It 
boasts  of  the  educational  establishment  already  men- 
tioned— the  Teachers'  Institute  and  Classical  Sem- 
inary. It  also  has  two  churches,  a  union  and 
Methodist  Episcopal. 

The  first  house  was  built  at  this  point  by  William 
Rogers,  in  1837,  and  used  as  a  public  house.  He 
sold  out  to  Mr.  Jacob  Wirick  in  1842.  The  latter 
enlarged  the  building  and  named  it  the  Paw  Paw 
House.  He  conducted  it  successfully  as  a  public 
house  for  many  years. 

The  first  merchants  here  were  the  Howard  Broth- 
ers. J.  L.  Adams,  a  Mr.  Warren,  and  the  sons  of 
Jacob  Wirick  were  among  the  early  traders. 

Before  the  building  of  the  railroad  south  of  the 
grove,  East  Paw  Paw  became  quite  a  flourishing  vil- 
lage, and  was  considered  one  of  the  best  trading 
points  for  miles  around.  At  one  time  there  were  two 
general  merchandise  stores,  a  drug  store,  and  other 
places  of  business  here. 

The  "  Chicago  road  "  (sj  called)  which  crosses  the 
township  from  east  to  west,  entering  on  the  east  near 
the  northeast  corner  of  section  12,  takes  a  general 
westerly  course,  and  leaves  the  township  near  the 
southwest  corner  of  section  7. 

This  road  is  historic  for  the  reason  that  it  was  the 
great  thoroughfare  in  early  days  for  travel  and  freight- 
ing between  Chicago  and  Galena  and  the  country 
west  to  the  Mississippi.  Over  this  road  in  the  pion- 
eer days  rolled  the  heavy  leather-spring  Concord 
coaches,  loaded  inside  and  out  with  eager  land-seek- 
ers and  speculators,  while  the  heavy  freight  wagons 
plodded  their  slow  way,  following  each  other  in  quick 
succession.  Over  this  road,  the  farmers  of  those 
days,  whose  homes  lay  westward  of  this  township, 
hauled  their  surplus  produce  to  Chicago. 


DE  KALE  COUNTY. 


The  Paw  Paw  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Co.  was  or- 
ganized Sept.  6,  and  began  business  Sept.  g,  1881. 
The  first  officers  were:  .Simeon  E.  Hyde,  Pres.; 
Spencer Griffeth,  Secy;  R.  F.  Hampton,  Treas.  The 
company  has  written  about  $100,000  worth  of  busi- 
ness. The  business  is  limited  to  Paw  Paw  Town- 
ship. Losses  are  paid  within  60  days  by  assess- 
ments on  the  members. 

The  assessed  valuation  of  lands  and  personal 
property  in  this  township  for  1884,  is  as  follows: 
Lands,  $337,707  ;  personal  property,  $101,533. 
Total,  $439,240.  The  State  Board  of  Equalization, 
that  it  might  conform  to  the  low  assessments  made 
in  other  counties,  reduced  the  total  to  $391, 975. 
Among  the  articles  assessed  were  horses,  1,015  '•> 
neat  cattle,  3,268;  mules  and  asses,  28;  sheep, 
965,  hogs,  3,865  ;  melodeons  and  organs,  45  ;  pianos, 
4  ;  carriages  and  wagons,  334 ;  watches  and  clocks, 
226.  The  total  number  of  acres  of  improved  land 
is  24,032,  the  largest  number  of  any  township  in  the 
county. 


SUPERVISORS 


•,,.,,„,  | 
lliain    S 


Kol,,-n    ll.iinpti.n   . 
A  .     Dole 

K.>lK:n     Hampton. 
N.  H.  Powers 


<obert  Hampton 

(•,,r,,,-lius\V.O,,i|hot.....87i 
Henry    M.  Board,, 


PIERCE  TOWNSHIP. 

CONGRESSIONAL     township      39    north, 
range  5   east,  is  known  as  the  civil  town    V 


ship   of    Pierce,  so   named    in   honor    ot 
Franklin    Pierce,    who  at    the    time   of   its 
organization  was  just  inaugurated  as  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States.      It  is  bound  on 
the  east  by  Kane  County,  on  the  north  by  Cortland 
Township,  on  the  south  by  Squaw  Grove,  and  on 
the    west   by  Afton.      The  headwaters  of  the  Big 
Rock   Creek  are  in  this    township.     It  is    a   prairie  f 
country,  the  northern   half  being  undulating,  while 
the  southern   half  is  rather  flat.      It   has  been  an 
excellent  wheat  country  in  the  past,  and  in    1870  % 
it  produced   more  of    that   cereal  than  any    other   [ 
township  in  the  county. 

Elder  Nathan  Wilcox  has  the  honor  of  being  the   ® 
first  to  locate  in  what  is  now  the  township  of  Pierce. 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


He  located  in  the  north  part  of  the  township  in  1 847. 
During  that  year  John  Lasher,  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  Jacob  F.  Plapp,  a  native  of  Germany, 
came  and  selected  their  future  homes.  Lasher 
selected  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  24.  He 
built  a  substantial  frame  house,  lived  there  until 
1853,  when  he  sold  out  and  removed  to  Iowa.  He 
now  lives  in  Dubuque.  Plapp  selected  the  north- 
east quarter  of  section  24,  but  did  not  permanently 
settle  until  about  two  years  later.  He  died  on  the 
homestead  in  January,  1885. 

In  1848  Michael  Welsh,  a  native  of  Ireland,  came 
and  entered  land  on  section  n,  improved  a  farm 
and  there  lived  and  died. 

Jacob  Lintner  came  from  Lake  Co.,111.,  and  located 
on  section  25.  He  was  born  in  Dauphin  Co.,  Penn.f 
in  1799.  His  wife  was  Frances  SharTher,  also  of 
the  same  county  and  State.  In  1828  they  settled 
in  Richland  Co.,  Ohio,  where  they  remained  until 
1844,  when  they  settled  in  Lake  Co.,  111.  Mr.  Lint- 
ner died  on  the  homestead  in  18150.  His  widow 
successfully  managed  the  farm  until  her  death, 
March  23,  1883.  They  had  eight  children,  only 
one  of  whom  is  now  a  resident  of  the  township — Mrs. 
Frederick  Hoffman. 

There  were  a  number  of  arrivals  in  1849,  among 
whom  were  Henry  Ramer,  Christian  Meyer,  George 
Eberly,  David  Gerlach,  Bernard  Milnamow,  Thomas 
Gormley,  Malachi  Henaughan,  John  Allen  and 
Josiah  Jacob.  Ramer  was  from  Pennsylvania.  He 
settled  on  section  27,  and  there  died.  Meyer  also 
settled  on  section  27.  He  now  resides  in  Sandwich. 
Eberly  was  also  from  Pennsylvania.  He  located  on 
section  26.  He  died  here.  His  son,  George,  lives 
on  the  same  section.  Gerlach  chose  for  his  home  a 
portion  of  section  24.  He  is  now  dead,  but  has  two 
sons  living  in  the  township,  Samuel  on  the  home- 
stead and  Anderson  on  section  14.  Henaughan 
located  on  section  19.  He  is  now  dead.  Two  sons 
survive  him,  who  yet  reside  in  the  township.  Milna- 
mow, Allen  and  Gormley  all  yet  reside  in  the  town- 
ship. All  arc  Irishmen. 

Among  other  pioneers  of  the  township  were  Levi 
and  Moses  Hill,  Thomas  Halloran,  P.  Home,  P. 
Dunn,  L.  Hennegan,  John  Ferrick,  the  Butlers  and 
Dillons. 

Pierce  Township  was  first  included  in  Somonauk 
precinct,  subsequently  in  Orange  precinct,  then  in 

^^ < 


Richland.  Until  1853  the  north  half  was  attached 

to    Squaw  Grove,   and  the    south  half  to  Cortland 

Township.  In  that  year  it  was  organized  as  a  civil 
township. 


H.  S. Cham 
C.M.  Hum! 


SUPERVISORS. 

P.  W.  Galls 


T.  Gormley 1862 

X.  C.  Cottrell 1864 

G.  W.  Slater 1865 

C.  M.  Humiston 1867 

The  first  school  in  the  township  was  taught  by 
William  J.  Bates,  in  1850,  on  section  8.  The  school- 
house  was  made  of  split  poles.  Mr.  Bates  taught 
21  terms  in  that  district.  In  relation  to  the  present 
status  of  the  public  schools  of  the  township,  the  fol- 
lowing items  are  gleaned  from  the  report  of  the 
County  Suprintendent  of  Public  Schools  for  the  year 
ending  June  30,  1884  :  There  were  416  persons  in 
the  township  under  21  years  of  age,  of  whom  296 
were  over  six.  Of  this  number  272  were  enrolled  in 
the  public  schools.  There  were  eight  districts,  each 
having  a  frame  school-house,  the  total  value  of 
which  was  estimated  at  $6,250.  Each  district  had 
school  over  no  days  during  the  year,  in  which  24 
teachers  were  employed,  receiving  an  average 
monthly  salary  of  $34.43,  the  highest  being  $45  and 
the  lowest  $25.  The  tax  levy  was  $2,220. 

Elder  Wilcox  was  probably  the  first  to  preach 
Christ  and  Him  crucified  in  the  township.  There 
are  in  1885  two  Church  organizations — the  Evangeli- 
cal Association  and  the  Lutherans. 

The  first  meetings  of  those  holding  the  views  of 
the  Evangelical  Association  were  held  at  the  house 
of  John  Lasher  about  1849,  near  the  county  line. 
The  people  of  Kane  and  De  Kalb  Counties  met  to- 
gether to  worship  in  private  houses  on  both  sides  of 
the  line  for  some  years.  Revs.  Hall,  Rockuts  and 
Weldy  were  the  first  preachers.  John  Shoop  was  the 
first  class-leader  and  Jacob  Lintner  exhorter.  Among 
the  first  members  were  David  Gerlach  and  wife ; 
Benjamin  Moss  and  wife;  John  Shoop  and  wife; 
George  Eberly  and  wife ;  Jacob  Lintner  and  wife ; 
John  Kuter  and  wife ;  J.  F.  Plapp  and  wife ;  John 
Bartmeis  and  wife  ;  John  Schwitzer  and  wife ;  Val- 
entine Hummel  and  wife  ;  Christopher  Hummel  and 
wife;  John  Lesher  and  Peter  Hummel.  About  1850 
a  church  building  was  erected  on  the  southwest  quar- 
ter of  section  24.  It  is  a  frame  structure,  and  still 


in  use.  It  was  dedicated  by  Bishop  Esher,  of  Chi- 
cago. The  society  owns  a  parsonage  conveniently 
located  near  the  church.  There  are  now  150  mem- 
bers connected  with  the  society.  Peter  Hummel, 
Jacob  Kunes  and  Oscar  Ramer  are  the  class-leaders; 
Andrew  Gerlach,  Thomas  Shoop,  Fred.  Lentz  and 
George  Schule,  stewards ;  Peter  Hummel,  Fred. 
Lentz,  George  Ramer,  George  Schule  and  J.  Kuter, 
trustees.  Rev.  Jacob  K.  Schultz  is  the  present  pas- 
tor. Services  are  held  in  German  and  English.  A 
Sabbath-school  is  connected  with  the  Church,  with 
Jacob  Weber  superintendent. 

The  first  meetings  of  the  Lutheran  Church  were 
held  at  the  school-house  in  District  No.  2,  in  1870, 
and  were  conducted  by  Rev.  John  Andreas,  from 
Somonauk.  An  organization  was  effected  embracing 
the  families  of  Henry  Rath,  Peter  Conse,  Charles 
Dellenbach,  Joseph  Dellenbach,  Demst,  George  Motz, 
Frank  Redeleperger,  August  Conse,  Henry  Schmidt, 
Henry  Anspach,  Hartman  Schule  and  William 
Nehring.  The  society  met  for  worship  in  the  school- 
house  until  1872,  when  a  neat  frame  church  build- 
5  ing  was  erected  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  section 
C  33.  which,  together  with  the  furniture,  cost  $2,400. 
j  There  are  now  20  families  belonging  to  the  society. 

Pierceville  postoffice  was  established  in  1854,  with 
Moses  Hill  as  postmaster.  His  commission  was 
dated  February  21,  1854.  The  office  was  at  his 
house,  which  was  on  the  route  from  Sycamore  to 
Cortland.  Mail  was  received  from  each  direction 
twice  a  week.  In  1857  Mr.  Hill  resigned,  after 
which  time,  until  1879,  various  persons  held  the  office, 
until  1879,  when  Mr.  Hill  was  reappointed.  He 
served  until  1883,  when  George  Schule  was  appointed, 
and  is  the  incumbent.  Mail  is  received  three  times 
each  week  from  Hinckley. 

The  first  birth  in  the  township  was  that  of  a  child 
of  John  Lesher,  in  .1849.  The  second  birth  was  that 
of  Mary  Jane  Meyer,  daughter  of  Christian  Meyer, 
born  October  6,  1850.  She  is  now  the  wife  of  Val- 
entine Hummel. 

The  first  death  was  that  of  Jacob  Lintner.  He 
was  first  buried  on  his  farm,  but  his  remains  were 
subsequently  removed  and  interred  in  the  cemetery 
of  the  Evangelical  Association. 

One  hundred  men  were  furnished  by  the  township 
tc  aid  in  the  War  of  the  Rebellion. 

Piti«  e  Tciwiifit  Ip   a  188}  had  22,351   acres  of  im- 


proved land,  valued  at  $291,915,  as  reported  by  the 
local  assessor.  The  personal  property,  according 
to  the  same  authority,  was  valued  at  $56,756.  This 
total  of  $348,67  i  was  reduced  by  the  State  Board  of 
Equalization  to  $315,293.  Among  the  items  of  per- 
sonal property  assessed  this  year  were  the  following; 
Horses,  624 ;  cattle,  2,35 1  ;  mules  and  asses,  24  : 
sheep,  53;  hogs,  2,092  ;  carriages  and  wagons,  160; 
watches  and  clocks,  125;  sewing  and  knitting  ma- 
chines, 102;  pianos,  6  ;  melodeons  and  organs,  26. 


SHABBONA  TOWNSHIP. 

HABBONA  township  is  named  in  honor  o 
the  celebrated  Indian  chief,  Shabbona.  who 
long  made  his  home  at  the  beautiful  grove 
which  also  bears  his  name.  It  is  a  fine  body 
of  land,  comprising  township  38,  range  3  east. 
Big  Indian  Creek  enters  the  township  on  sec- 
tion 31,  runs  in  a  northeasterly  direction  through  sec- 
tions 32,  29,  28,  22,  21,  then  taking  a  southeasterly 
direction,  passes  through  sections  23,  26  and  36,  into 
Paw  Paw  Township.  The  Kishwaukee  River  heads 
in  the  northern  part  of  the  township. 

The  Chicago  &  Iowa  Railroad  runs  through  the 
central  and  northwestern  part  of  the  township. 

The  first  settlers  were  Edmond  Towne  and  David 
Smith,  who  arrived  here  in  December,  1835.*  The 
former  was  a  man  of  family,  while  the  latter  was  a 
youth  of  14,  and  a  step-son  of  Mr.  Towne.  They 
raised  a  log  house  on  the  southwest  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 25,  on  the  first  day  of  January,  1836.  The  next 
settler  was  Ira  Parks,  who  located  at  the  west  end  of 
the  grove.  He  was  from  Ohio,  and  resided  here  till 
1875,  when  he  removed  to  Earlville,  where  he  still 
resides.  Next  came  Nathan  Olmstead,  followed  a 
little  later  by  his  brothers  William  and  Lewis.  They 
were  from  Chemung  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  made  their  set- 
tlement on  sections  25  and  36.  The  two  latter  are 
still  residents  of  the  township.  Columan  Olmsted 
and  family  came  along  about  a  year  later  and  lo- 


•§&&& 


of  1835.     The  date  claimed  by  M 
knowledged    fact  in    relation  to 


DE  KALE   COUNTY. 


cated  on  section  25.  He  subsequently  removed  to 
Missouri,  but  returned  to  De  Kalb  County  and  died 
at  the  residence  of  his  son,  D.  D.  Olmsted,  in  Clin- 
ton Township  a  few  years  ago.  Among  other  early 
settlers  were  William,  Lyman  and  Jeff.  Sturtevant 
and  Darius  Horton. 

During  the  next  few  years  quite  a  number  of  set- 
tlers came  in  and  a  village  was  started  on  the  south 
side  of  the  grove  on  section  26,  known  as  Shabbona 
Grove.  John  Olmstead  opened  the  first  store  and 
Mr.  Adams  the  second.  The  latter  soon  after  sold 
out  to  Warren  &  Marks— S.  B.  Warren  and  Wm. 
Marks.  A  postofrke  was  established  here  about  1848, 
Mr.  Marks  being  the  first  postmaster.  Mr  Marks, 
is  said  to  have  been  one  of  the  twelve  apostles  of 
Joseph  Smith,  the  Mormon  prophet.  The  office  is 
still  continued. 

Mr.  Curtis  opened  the  first  drug  store  at  the 
Grove,  and  was  also  for  a  time  postmaster.  He  was 
convicted  of  robbing  the  mail  and  sent  to  the  Stale 
prison,  where  he  died. 

The  first  white  child  born  in  the  township  was 
Charles  C.  Johnson,  son  of  C.  P.  Johnson,  Sept.  1 1, 
1838. 

David  Smith,  although  but  a  boy,  made  a  claim  on 
section  24  the  year  he  came  to  the  township. 

The  first  farm  house  was  built  by  Wm.  Olmstead 
in  1842. 

The  first  religious  services  were  held  at  the  house 
of  Nathan  Olmstead  in  1848  [1838]  by  Rev.  Burton 
Carpenter,  a  Baptist  minister.  The  first  Methodist 
services  were  at  the  house  of  Coleman  Olmsted  in 
the  fall  of  1841.  Meetings  were  held  in  the  house 
in  the  winter,  and  in  the  barn  in  summer,  of  that 
year,  Rev.  Mr.  Morris  officiating.  The  Methodists 
erected  the  first  house  of  worship  in  1864  ;  the  first 
services  held  therein  were  the  funeral  services  of  Mr. 
M.  V.  Allen,  Sept.  21,  1864.  A  union  church  was 
built  about  the  same  time,  but  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal church  was  the  first  dedicated.  Both  churches 
were  in  the  village  of  Shabbona  Grove. 

The  first  Congregational  Church  of  Shabbona  (the 
old  town)  was  organized  Sept.  10,  1854.  Among 
those  in  the  organization  were  Wm.  J.  Noble  and 
wife,  John  Campbell  and  Thomas  Battes.  Meetings 
were  held  in  Center  School  house,  District  No.  3. 
Rev.  Stephen  Batten  was  the  first  pastor.  The  or- 
ganization continued  about  ten  years. 

SNg^ 9-A 


The  first  school  in  the  township  was  in  the  winter 
of  1842-3,  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Wm.  C.  Olmstead. 
Wm.  Curtis  was  the  teacher.  He  received  $12.50 
per  month  and  boarded  himself.  The  school  was  on 
the  subscription  plan,  and  the  Olmstead  families  fur- 
nished the  greater  number  of  scholars.  The  first 
school-house  was  built  on  the  west  side  of  Indian 
Creek,  on  the  north  side  of  the  road.  It  was  used  for 
religious  purposes  as  well  until  the  church  buildings 
were  erected.  The  house  was  of  logs  and  erected  in 
the  fall  of  1843.  Eliza  Horton  was  the  first  teacher 
in  this  house.  A  new  school-house  was  built  on  the 
west  side  of  the  creek  in  1846.  It  was  a  frame  build- 
ing, situated  a  quarter  of  a  mile  west  of  where  the 
M.  E.  church  was  subsequently  built.  There  are 
now  in  this  township  664  persons  under  21  years  of 
age,  of  whom  452  are  between  the  ages  of  6  and  21. 
There  are  ten  school  districts,  with  one  graded  and 
nine  ungraded  schools.  During  the  year  ending 
June  30,  1884,  there  were  393  pupils  enrolled  in  the 
schools.  There  were  22  teachers  employed.  The 
highest  monthly  wages  paid  any  teacher  was  $65, 
and  the  lowest  $20.  The  estimated  value  of  school 
property  is  $9,000.  The  tax  levy  for  the  support  of 
schools  was  $1,25  ).  There  are  ten  frame  school- 
houses  in  the  township. 

The  first  cemetery  was  opened  near  the  center  of 
section  25.  Mrs.  Lyman  was  the  first  interred.  She 
died  in  1840  or  1841.  A  dozen  bodies  were  proba- 
bly buried  here.  The  ground  was  soon  abandoned. 

The  first  regular  cemetery  was  established  on  the 
farm  of  David  Smith  on  section  27. 

The  first  decoration  of  soldiers'  graves  was  con- 
ducted by  Rev.  Fletcher  Pomeroy,  in  June,  1877. 

In  its  best  days  Shabbona  Grove  contained  three 
general  stores,  a  tin  shop,  a  boot  and  shoe  shop,  two 
wagon  and  blacksmith  shops,  a  tailor  shop,  two  ho- 
tels and  two  churches  A  large  business  was  trans- 
acted. 

The  last  Indian  payment  in  De  Kalb  County,  and 
doubtless  in  the  State,  was  made  in  1835,  on  sec 
tion  35. 

The  early  settlers  of  Shabbona,  like  the  pioneers 
of  olher  sections,  believed  whisky  to  be  indispensable 
in  house  or  barn  raisings.  When  Edinond  Towne's 
house  was  raised,  a  flask  of  whisky  was  found  secreted 
near  by,  supposed  to  have  been  the  property  of  the 
Indians.  It  was  confiscated  and  added  zest  to  the 


**- 


• 


occasion.  For  the  next  few  years  it  was  the  custom 
to  furnish  a  good  supply  at  such  gatherings.  This 
practice  was  continued  until  the  raising  of  Coleman 
Olmstead's  barn  (the  first  frame  barn  in  the  town- 
ship), in  the  spring  of  1842.  Mr.  Olmstead  refused 
to  furnish  whisky,  at  which  innovation  there  was  a 
bitter  protest.  He  substituted  a  warm  supper,  with 
good  coffee,  which  was  voted  satisfactory.  From 
that  time  a  warm  meal,  with  coffee,  took  the  place  of 
whisky  at  such  gatherings. 

In  the  winter  of  1847-8,  Shabbona,  the  Indian 
chief,  in  company  with  Wyman  Gates,  went  to  Wash- 
ington and  there  sold  to  the  latter  all  of  his  reserva- 
tion except  60  acres,  which  he  reserved  for  a  home. 
He  received  about  $3,000  for  the  same,  but  lost  it  all 
on  his  return.  In  the  spring  of  1848  he  went  to 
Kansas  and  spent  some  time  there  and  in  Arkansas, 
but  not  being  satisfied  he  returned  to  his  old  home 
at  the  grove,  in  185  i,  only  to  find  it  in  the  possession 
of  N.  I.  Kettle,  who  purchased  the  same  of  Gates, 
who  in  some  way  had  a  claim  on  it.  Shabbona 
camped  with  his  family  on  one  of  Vanderventer's 
lots,  but  was  soon  driven  away.  He  went  to  Kan- 
kakee,  but  subsequently  located  on  a  tract  of  20 
acres  near  Morris,  Grundy  County,  which  was  pur- 
chased for  him  with  money  raised  for  the  purpose  at 
Ottawa.  See  biography  of  Shabbona  on  page  534. 

The  so-called  English  settlement,  in  the  western 
part  of  Shabbona  Township,  was  begun  in  the  fall  of 
1851.  Five  young  Englishmen — Thomas  Wrigtit, 
Septimus  Storey,  William  Cults,  George  GIossup  and 
Joseph  Bidam — came  together  and  were  the  pio- 
neers of  the  settlement,  taking  this  land  from  the 
Government.  The  first  house  was  built  by  Mr. 
GIossup,  on  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  18. 
Here  the  whole  party  kept  "  bachelor's  hall "  and 
the  place  was  headquarters  for  numerous  English  im- 
migrants till  they  could  construct  homes  for  them- 
selves. Among  the  early  members  of  the  settlement 
were  Robert  Mullins,  Reuben  Challand,  Thomas 
Dalton  and  James  Hutton.  Many  of  these  early 
settlers  and  their  descendants  are  still  residents  of 
the  township.  These  people  built  a  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church,  in  1869,  on  the  southeast  quarter  of 
section  18.  A  school-house  was  built  in  1857  in 
what  is  now  District  No.  6,  in  which  Mrs.  Wither- 
spoon  taught  the  first  school.  The  first  religious 
meetings  in  the  settlement  were  in  the  school-house 


in  1860,  Rev.  Mr.  Ambrose  officiating.  Rev.  Mr. 
Stoddard  was  subsequently  the  local  pastor.  A 
cemetery  was  established  at  an  early  day,  on  section 
18,  one  acre  in  extent.  The  ground,  excepting  lots 
sold,  is  the  property  of  Mr.  Storey. 

Shabbona  Township  reports   22,157  acres  of  im- 
proved lands,  the   assessed  value  of  which  is  given 
at  $318,629.     The  assessed  value  of  town  lots  was 
$45,842;    of   personal    property,    $124,721.      Total, 
$488,192.     The  State  Board  of  Equalization  reduced 
the  total  to  $435,392.     Among  the  items  of  personal    \ 
property  assessed  were,  horses,  634;  cattle,   2,783; 
mules  and  asses,  22  ;  sheep,  635  ;  hogs,  2,800;  me-    ^ 
lodeons    and   organs,   44 ;  goods    and    merchandise,     * 
$13,765;    pianos,  8 ;    carriages    and    wagons,    237; 
watches  and  clocks,  90;  credits,  $38,503. 

The  first  town  meeting  was  held  at  the  house  of 
William  Marks,  April  2,  1850,  at  which  meeting  Mr. 
Marks  was  Chairman,  and  Richard  Holmes,  Clerk. 
There  were  36  votes  cast  at  the  election  which  fol- 
lowed. The  following  named  were  elected  :  Rich- 
ard Holmes,  Supervisor;  Z.  W.  Lam|x>rt,  Clerk; 
Ira  Park,  Assessor;  Harvey  E.  Allen,  Collector; 
William  White,  Overseer  of  the  Poor;  William  Marks, 
Justice  of  the  Peace;  H.  E.  Allen  and  Isaac  F. 
Morse,  Constables.  !Q 

SUPERVISORS. 

D.  Stevens ,872 


William  Marks.. 
Isaac  J.  Comsto 

H  .  EmaAllen  .  .'n.S 


I: 


,  S.     Win,, 


i  M  .  Alexander 


John  H  .  Woodbu 
Peter  V.  Quilhot. 
Septimus  Storey. 


Village  of  Shabbona. 

O  prettier  village  of  its  size  can  be  found  in 
this  region  of  country  than  that  of  Shab- 
bona. It  was  surveyed  and  platted  in 
872,  on  land  belonging  to  Francis  E.  Hinck- 
ley,  John  Palen,  Catherine  Palen,  John  Ray, 
Elizabeth  Ray,  Charles  Stevens  and  Cynthia  T. 
Stevens.  It  is  located  on  section  15,  township  of 
Shabbona. 

A  village  had  been  platted  at  the  junction  of  the 
C.  &  I.  and  C.  B.  &  Q.  Railroads,  about  one-half 
mile  west,  to  which  was  given  the  name  of  Cornton. 
A  temporary  depot  had  been  constructed,  John  Ray 


• 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


and  William  Husk  had  begun  the  sale  of  merchan- 
dise and  other  lines  of  business  had  either  been 
started  or  were  in  contemplation.  The  site  was 
favorable,  and  only  one  thing  was  required  to  make 
it  the  regular  station  of  the  railroad — a  donation  of 
some  of  the  land  to  interested  railroad  men.  This 
some  of  the  proprietors  refused  to  do ;  therefore  a 
removal  was  determined  upon  and  Cornton  was 
doomed. 

The  first  building  erected  in  the  village  of  Shab- 
bona was  by  W.  H.  Ray,  the  present  editor  of  the 
Express,  in  the  fall  of  1872.  Previous  to  this,  how- 
ever, a  building  had  been  moved  in  from  the  country, 
by  James  Nutall,  the  one  used  by  Mr.  Alexander 
as  a  store  building.  William  Husk  then  moved  his 
store  building  from  Cornton  and  opened  the  first 
mercantile  establishment  in  the  new  village.  He  is 
still  in  business.  Mr.  Husk's  family  was  the  first  to 
make  this  their  home,  moving  in  before  Mr.  Ray  had 
completed  his  building. 

J.  M.  Bean  &  Co.  began  business  shortly  .after 
Mr.  Husk  and  were  the  second  to  represent  the  mer- 
cantile interests  of  the  place.  A  few  months  later 
A.  S.  Jackson  moved  in  from  Shabbona  Grove  and 
commenced  business  here. 

In  the  spring  of  1873,  S.  M.  French  opened  an 
exclusive  grocery  store  and  was  the  first  representa- 
tive of  that  class. 

In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  M.  V.  Allen  com- 
menced his  drug  business  which  he  still  continues. 
He  was  the  pioneer  in  that  line  of  trade. 

Frederick  Stein  removed  to  the  village  from  Corn- 
ton  late  in  the  fall  of  1872  and  was  the  first  shoe- 
maker. He  now  resides  at  Lee.  Aaron  Vanness 
opened  a  second  shop  the  following  spring. 

Isaac  Ackerblade  was  the  pioneer  blacksmith, 
erecting  and  operating  a  shop  shortly  after  the  vil- 
lage was  located.  Dan  Branscomb,  a  wagon-maker,  in 
the  spring  of  1873,  commenced  business  in  his  line, 
running  in  connection  a  blacksmith  shop,  with  C.  H. 
Carroll  employed  to  work  in  that  department. 
Stephen  Branscomb  was  next  in  order. 

W.  F.  Heeg,  in  the  winter  of  1872-3,  opened  a 
stock  of  furniture.  He  is  yet  in  the  trade. 

The  first  exclusive  hardware  store  was  started  in 
1873  by  Crapser,  Coleman  &  Co.  J.  M.  Bean  & 
Co.  had  carried  a  good  line  of  such  goods. 

Dean  &  Spears  started  the  first  meat-market  in 
the  winter  of  1872-3. 

®>5^@fl«» ^frr-        n 

>;±yyvx;®v^  TxT 


S.  G.  Gilbert  was  the  pioneer  in  the  restaurant 
business,  commencing  Jan.  i,  1876. 

The  first  grain-buyers  were  Smith  &  Pollack,  who 
commenced  business  in  Cornton  and  who  removed 
here  in  the  spring  of  1873  and  erected  an  eleva- 
tor. Samuel  Bouslough  came  about  the  same  time. 
He  had  also  been  in  business  in  Cornton. 

Smith  &  Pollack  were  the  first  stock-buyers,  be- 
ginning business  as  soon  after  the  location  of  the 
village  as  arrangements  could  be  made  for  handling 
stock. 

John  Ray  sold  the  first  lumber  iri  Cornton,  but 
gave  way  to  Smith  &  Pollack,  who  had  the  first  yard 
in  Shabbona. 

Other  branches  of  business  followed  from  time  to 
time,  the  village  increased  in  number  of  inhabitants 
and  in  wealth  until  it  presents  its  present  neat  and 
attractive  appearance. 

Malma  postoffice  was  established  about  1855. 
The  first  postmaster  is  said  to  have  been  Ira  Fisher, 
the  office  being  at  Mr.  Fisher's  house,  situated  near 
the  geographical  center  of  the  township.  Mr.  Mar- 
yott  succeeded.  Mr.  Fisher  after  several  years.  Will- 
iam Husk  succeeded  Mr.  Fisher  after  several  years. 
William  Husk  succeeded  Maryott  in  1871  and  the 
office  was  removed  to  Cornton.  The  name  was 
changed  to  Shabbona,  but  subsequently  changed 
back  to  Cornton  and  then  again  changed  to  Shab- 
bona. William  Husk  is  still  postmaster. 

The  educational  interests  of  the  village  are  well 
attended  to.  In  1876  the  present  school  building 
was  erected  and  occupied  Nov.  6,  with  S.  B.  Hallock, 
principal,  and  Miss  Viola  Thomas,  assistant.  For 
the  school  year  of  1877-8,  F.  L.  Ruggles  was  em- 
ployed as  principal,  with  Miss  Thomas,  assistant. 
In  1878-9,  Mr.  Ruggles  was  continued  as  principal, 
with  Miss  Loraney  Smith,  assistant.  In  1879-80, 
E.  M.  Whitney  was  principal  and  Jessie  C.  Morse, 
assistant.  In  1880-1,  George  I.  Talbot,  the  present 
County  Superintendent  of  Schools,  was  principal,  with 
Miss  Morse,  assistant.  The  two  were  continued  the 
following  year.  The  school-house  becoming  too 
small  to  accommodate  the  increased  number  of 
pupils  in  the  district,  an  addition  was  built.  For 
the  year  1882-3,  Mr.  Talbot  was  again  chosen  as 
principal,  with  Miss  Morse  teacher  in  the  inter- 
mediate and  Miss  Mary  Streeter  in  the  primary  de- 
partment. In  January,  1883,  Mr.  Talbot  resigned, 
having  been  elected  County  Superintendent.  G.  N. 


.. 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


Maxwell  was  elected  to  fill  the  vacancy  and  served 
out  the  year.  In  1883-4,  Mr.  Maxwell  was  con- 
tinued as  principal,  with  Miss  Ella  Quinn  in  the 
intermediate  and  Miss  Emma  Challand  in  the 
primary  department.  On  the  22d  of  February,  1884, 
Miss  Quinn  resigned  and  Miss  Morse  was  engaged 
to  fill  out  the  unexpired  term.  In  1884-5,  Mr. 
Maxwell  was  again  principal,  with  Miss  Challand 
in  the  intermediate  and  Miss  Mary  Andrews  in  the 
primary  department.  In  January,  1885,  there  were 
121  pupils  enrolled. 

The  cemetry  near  the  village,  known  as  Ray's 
Cemetery,  was  platted  by  John  Ray  in  1874.  It  is 
near  the  northwest  corner  of  section  15.  All  unsold 
lots  are  yet  the  private  property  of  Mr.  Ray.  There 
are  about  five  acres  included  in  the  plat. 
RELIGIOUS. 

The  Baptist  Church  of  Shabbona  was  organized 
July  26,  1874.  The  constituent  members  were  Rev. 
William  F.  Stable,  Barbara  Stable,  John  Ray,  Eliza- 
beth Ray,  Frederick  Stein,  Catherine  Stein,  Conrad 
Heeg,  Henrietta  Heeg,  Carl  Burger,  Emily  Burger, 
Emma  Burger,  Christian  Heeg,  Elizabeth  Buck.  The 
first  trustees  were  John  Ray,  J.  W.  Stevens,  Isaac 
Davis,  Charles  Stevens  and  William  Husk.  These 
trustees  were  made  a  building  committee.  Steps 
were  taken  at  once  for  the  erection  of  a  house  of 
worship,  which  was  completed  and  dedicated  Nov. 
28,  1874,  Rev.  John  Young  preaching  the  sermon  on 
the  occasion.  The  Church  was  recognized  on  this 
occasion.  The  cost  of  the  building  was  $4,500.  Its 
seating  capacity  is  250.  Revs.  D.  B.  Gunn  and  L. 
H.  Holt  were  the  first  ministers  employed  by  the 
Church.  The  first  regular  pastor  was  Rev.  E.  L. 
Clouse,  who  was  installed  March  7, 1875.  He  served 
until  Dec.  i,  1878,  and  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  D. 
W.  Hicks,  who  served  over  four  years.  The  church 
was  then  supplied  by  students  from  Morgan  Park 
Theological  Seminary,  until  Nov.  i,  1884, when  Rev. 
A.  M.  Hunt  assumed  the  pastorate.  The  present 
membership  of  the  Church  is  45.  Its  officers  are 
John  Ray,  W.  Dunham,  Deacons ;  Cyrenius  Bailey, 
Clerk;  John  Ray,  Treasurer;  John  Ray,  Cyrenius 
Bailey,  Christian  Heeg,  William  H.  Ray,  C.  H.  Hub- 
bell,  Trustees. 

A  meeting  for  the  purpose  of  considering  the  pro- 
priety of  organizing  a  Congregational  or  Presbyterian 
Church  in  Shabbona,  was  held  March  26,  1876.  It 

j)Xga&-          ^€^      a 


was  then  determined  to  organize  a  Congregational 
Church.  Rev.  J.  E.  Roy,  of  Chicago,  was  invited  to 
attend  a  meeting  for  that  purpose.  Accordingly,  on 
the  3d  of  April,  1876,  he  came  and  preached,  morn- 
ing and  evening,  in  the  Baptist  Church.  The  fol- 
lowing named  then  agreed  to  become  members  of  the 
organization:  Mrs.  J.  L.  Greenfield,  Marietta  Alex- 
ander, Lillian  Greenfield^  Charles  Stevens  and  wife 
Thomas  Padgett  and  wife,  Robert  Langford  and 
wife,  Isaac  Davis  and  wife,  William  Deacon  and  wife, 
Samuel  Bouslough  and  wife,  Gertrude  G.  Bous- 
lough,  Mary  C.  Bouslough,  James  Shanks,  Hattie 
Stevens,  Cora  Stevens,  Alexander  McKinnie  and 
wife.  A  council  was  held  for  perfecting  the  organ- 
ization and  reorganizing  it  as  a  Congregational  body 
April  6,  1876.  Rev.  J.  E.  Roy  acted  as  Moderator,  and 
Rev.  N.  A.  Prentiss  delivered  a  discourse.  The  fol- 
lowing officers  were  elected  :  Charles  Ste.vens,  Isaac 
Davi?,  Deacons ;  William  Deacon,  Treasurer;  Rob- 
ert Langford,  James  Shanks,  J.  L.  Greenfield,  Trus- 
tees. The  society  in  1879  erected  a  neat  church 
edifice  which  was  dedicated  Nov.  6,  1879. 


Shabbona  Lodge,  No.  374,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  was 
chartered  by  the  Grand  Lodge  Oct.  21,1862.  The 
first  meeting  was  held  under  dispensation  May  13, 
1862,  with  M.  V;  Allen,  W.  M.;  G.  M.  Alexander,  S. 
W.;  Fred  Ball,  J.  W.;  William  Marks,  jr.,  Treas.; 
Thomas  S.  Terry,  Sec.;  A.  S.  Jackson,  S.  D.;  L. 
Marks,  J.  D.;  I.  F.  Morse,  Tyler;  H.  E.  Allen,  I.  J. 
Parks,  Stewards.  Three  petitioners  were  received — 
Julius  Horton,  Nelson  Hotchkiss,  T.  C.  Forbes.  The 
first  meeting  under  the  charter  was  held  Oct.  2r, 
1862.  The  old  officers  were  continued  by  order  of 
the  Grand  Lodge  until  the  annual  election  for  offi- 
cers. M.  V.  Allen,  W.  M.,  having  entered  the  army, 
G.  M.  Alexander  was  called  to  the  chair  and  served 
out  the  unexpired  term.  The  first  annual  election 
was  held  Dec.  16,  r862,  and  the  following  named 
officers  were  installed  Dec.  30,  1862:  G.  M.  Alex- 
ander, W.  M.;  Fred  Ball,  S.  W.';  H.  E.  Allen,  J.  W.; 
R.  J.  Park,  Treas  ;  William  Marks,  Sec.;  J.  Horton, 
S.  D.;  H.  Clapsaddle,  J.  D.;  T.  W.  Forbes,  Tyler; 
Nelson  Hotchkiss,  I.  F.  Morse,  Stewards.  The  char- 
ter members  were  Martin  V.  Allen,  Giles  M.  Alex- 
ander, Fred  Ball,  William  Marks,  jr.,  Thomas  S. 
Terry,  Aaron  S.  Jackson,  Llewellyn  Marks,  jr.;  Harvey 
E.  Allen,  Rodney  J.  Park,  Isaac  F.  Morse  and  some 

G ?*£&£ «£*§£ 


others.  The  charter  located  the  lodge  at  Shabbona 
Grove.  A  dispensation  for  its  removal  to  Shabbona 
Station  was  granted  November  3,  1874,  and  its 
removal  was  accomplished  soon  after.  A  hall  for 
lodge  purposes  had  been  erected  by  the  lodge  and 
individual  members.  This  was  burned  March  23, 
1877.  There  was  no  insurance.  Another  building 
was  at  once  erected.  The  lodge  room  is  large,  well- 
furnished  and  with  suitable  ante-rooms.  The  first 
meeting  in  the  new  hall  was  held  Aug.  7,  1877.  The 
present  officers  are  M.  V.  Allen,  W.  M.;  William 
Husk,  S.  W.;  F.  A.  Frost,  J.  W.;  P.  V.  Quilhot, 
Treas.;  J.-W.  Middleton,  Sec.;  J.  M.  Baird,  S.  D.; 
Charles  Hutchins,  J.  D.;  T.  W.  Stimpson,  Tyler. 

T.  S.  Terry  Post,  No.  463,  G.  A.  R.,  was  organ- 
ized June  14,  1884.  The  following  named  were  the 
first  officers :  A.  L.  Wells,  C.;  M.  V.  Allen,  S.  V.  C.; 
Robert  Boston,  J.  V.  C.;  William  Deacon,  Adj.;  John 
McCormick,  Q.  M.;  D.  W.  Wesson,  Surg.;  Albion 
Patta,  Chap.;  T.  B.  Lucas,  O.  D.;  Sidney  Norton, 
O.  G.;  I.  Hardy,  Serg.  Maj.;  F.  A.  Frost,  Q.  M.  S. 
The  present  officers  are  the  same,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  that  of  F.  M.  Hinds,  J.  V.  C.,  and  F.  O. 
Stevens,  O.  G.  The  post  has  a  membership  of  33 
and  meets  on  the  first  and  third  Saturday  evening  of 
each  month. 

In  1866  a  lodge  of  I.  O.  O.  F.  was  organized  at 
Shabbona  Grove,  under  the  name  of  Fertile  Lodge. 
It  gained  a  membership  of  30  in  four  years,  but,  on 
account  of  a  want  of  harmony  among  its  members, 
surrendered  its  charter.  John  Belden  was  the  first 
N.  G.  and  I.  F.  Morse  the  last. 


Village  of  Lee. 

EE,  a  pleasant  little  village,  lies  upon  the 
line  between  the  counties  of  Lee  and 
De  Kalb.  It  lies  mostly  in  Lee  County, 
a  portion  equal  to  about  30  acres  being  in 
Shabbona  Township,  De  Kalb  County.  It  was 
commenced  in  1871,  Christopher  Jorgens  open- 
ing the  first  business  house.  C.  Christopher  and  Ole 
J.  Jorgens,  proprietors  of  the  grain  elevator,  were 
grain,  coal  and  lumber  dealers.  Their  office  was 
situated  just  west  of  the  railroad  track,  a  little  north 


of  where  the  depot  now  stands,  in  Shabbona  Town- 
ship. They  opened  the  first  general  store  at  the  same 
time.  This  was  before  there  was  any  plat  of  the 
village.  A  Mr.  White  started  the  second  store  on 
the  Lee  side  of  the  county  line.  Hugh  Boyle  owned 
the  plat  on  the  east  and  John  Kennedy  on  the  west. 

K.  O.  Ostewig,  Jans  Johnson,  Lars  L.  Reisetter 
followed  in  the  mercantile  trade ;  the  first  two 
erected  their  buildings  in  Lee  County. 

Ed.  Bacon  opened  the  first  hotel,  on  the  De  Kalb 
County  side.  During  the  years  1872  and  1873  the 
village  built  up  rapidly.  At  the  present  time  it  has 
a  population  of  500,  does  a  large  business  and  com- 
pares favorably  with  any  station  on  the  line  north  of 
Aurora.  There  are  two  churches — Catholic  and 
Methodist  Episcopal.  There  are  also  two  elevators, 
one  a  horse-power,  the  other  steam,  both  in  Shab- 
bona Township.  The  steam  elevator  is  owned  and 
operated  by  Christopher  &  Jorgens,  and  has  a  capac- 
ity of  18,000' bushels.  The  other  elevator  has  a 
capacity  of  8,000  bushels.  A  lumber  and  coal  yard 
completes  the  business  on  the  DeKalb  side  of  the 
line. 


SOUTH  GROVE   TOWNSHIP. 

OUTH  GROVE  has  the  well  deserved 
reputation  of  being  one  of  the  finest  town- 
ships in  the  county.  It  comprises  town- 
ship 41,  range  3,  and  is  bounded  on  the  north 
by  Franklin,  on  the  east  by  Mayfield,  on  the 
south  by  Malta,  and  on  the  west  by  Ogle 
County.  It  is  watered  by  Owen's  Creek,  and  has 
about  400  acres  of  natural  timber,  a  portion  of  which 
has  long  since  been  known  as  South  Grove.  The 
other  and  smaller  portion  is  known  as  Orput's  Grove. 
With  the  exception  of  this  timber,  the  township  is 
exclusively  prairie,  the  land  being  highly  productive. 
It  is  said  that  the  highest  point  of  land  between 
Chicago  and  the  Mississippi  River  is  in  the  southern 
portion  of  this  township. 

The  first  settler  here  was  William  Driscoll,  who, 
with  his  family,  located  on  the  east  side  of  the  grove, 
in  1838.  He  was  followed  by  his  father  and 
brothers.  The  grove  for  a  time  was  known  as 
Driscoll's  Grove. 


-r   '-- 


. 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


Solomon  Wells  was  the  next  to  locate  here.  He 
purchased  of  Driscoll  the  south  end  of  the  grove. 

In  1840  came  the  Orput  family,  which  settled 
near  the  smaller  grove,  to  which  was  given  his 
name.  The  Beeman  and  Hatch  families  arrived 
during  the  same  year. 

In  1841  James  Byers,  Benjamin  Worden  and  Mr. 
Tindall  came  in. 

Jonathan  Adee  and  Matthew  Thompson  came  in 
1843.  They  were  from  New  York,  as  were  also 
Byers  and  Worden. 

In  1844  John  S.  Brown  purchased  the  Beeman 
place  on  the  northwest  side  of  the  grove. 

Among  the  others  who  came  in  soon  after  were 
Henry  Saflford,  W.  H.  Stebbins,  Mr.  Deyo,  the 
Rickards,  Beckers,  Masons  and  Curriers.  Many  of 
the  families  of  the  early  settlers  yet  remain  in  the 
township. 

Solomon  Wells  was  from  Ohio.  He  was  regarded 
as  a  good  fellow,  but  with  little  enterprise.  In  1843 
he  removed  to  Wisconsin. 

Dexter  Beeman  was  also  from  Ohio.  For  some 
years  he  ran  a  tavern  at  the  grove,  but  finally  sold 
out,  moved,  to  Oregon,  Ogle  Co.,  where  he  was  liv- 
ing at  last  accounts. 

The  Hatches  were  from  Ohio,  and  moved  to 
Wisconsin  about  the  same  time  with  Solomon  Wells. 

Jesse  Tindall  was  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  but 
came  to  the  county  from  Michigan  in  January,  1842. 
He  became  a  prosperous  farmer,  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  Supervisors,  and  had  many 
friends.  He  removed  to  Sycamore,  where  he  died. 

William  P.  Deyo  came  from  Michigan,  though  not 
a  native  of  that  State.  After  some  years,  in  which 
he  had  his  ups  and  downs,  he  returned  to  Michigan. 

James  Byers  was  from  New  York,  though  of  Scot- 
tish birth,  coming  to  America  from  his  native  land 
in  1818.  He  was  universally  esteemed  by  all  who 
knew  him.  His  wife  died  on  the  old  homestead,  but 
he  died  at  Polo. 

John  Orput  was  from  Ohio.  After  remaining 
here  for  some  years,  he  sold  out  and  moved  to  Rock- 
ford,  where  he  has  since  died. 

Benjamin  Worden  was  from  New  York.  Few 
men  in  the  north  part  of  the  county  were  better 
known.  He  was  a  jolly,  free-hearted  man,  a  man 
everybody  liked.  In  the  summer  of  1884  he  died, 
on  the  old  homestead. 

*&r     a 


Jonathan  Adee  was  also  from  New  York.  He 
died  on  the  old  homestead. 

In  1840  or  1841,  George  Crull  and  Lucy  Wells 
were  united  in  marriage — doubtless  the  first  in  South 
Grove. 

The  first  religious  services  that  were  continued 
from  time  to  time  were  held  by  Rev.  Isaac  Norton,  a 
Free-Will  Baptist.  For  the  sum  of  $35  Mr.  Norton 
agreed  to  hold  services  twice  a  month  for  one  year, 
commencing  in  the  fall  of  1842.  It  must  not  be 
considered  by  those  favorable  to  high-priced  minis- 
try, that  because  the  pay  was  poor  the  preach- 
ing must  be  of  the  same  quality,  for  Mr.  Norton  had 
the  reputation  of  being  a  very  fair  preacher.  He 
subsequently  organized  a  congregation  which  con- 
tinued in  existence  some  years,  but  finally  disbanded, 
many  of  its  members  moving  to  other  parts. 

Levi  Lee,  a  local  preacher,  was  the  first  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  faith  to  preach  in  South  Grove. 
Rev.  M.  Sherman  was  of  like  faith  and  was  i. um- 
bered among  the  early  preachers.  A  class  was 
organized  at  an  early  day,  which  still  meets  at  the 
school-house  in  the  grove. 

The  Adventists  also  organized  a  church  and 
Sabbath-school  in  1867,  meeting  for  worship  in  the 
school-house  in  district  No.  2. 

A  great  camp-meeting  was  held  at  the  grove  in 
1860,  at  which  leading  ministers  from  abroad  ad- 
dressed vast  audiences,  ,and  much  interest  was 
awakened. 

The  first  religious  revival  was  held  by  Rev.  Mr. 
Norton,  the  outgrowth  of  which  was  the  organization 
of  the  Free-Will  Baptist  Church. 

A  local  writer  thus  speaks  of  educational  matters  : 
"  The  first  school  in  South  Grove  was  taught  by 
James  Byers,  Sr.,  who  furnished  a  school-house  for 
his  t  \venty -five  pupils — the  second  room  in  his  double 
log  cabin — and  boarded  himself,  for  $10  per  month. 
The  young  men  and  women  about  the  grove  will 
never  forget  that  school — how  the  kind,  genial  voice 
of  the  teacher,  softening  down  its  rugged  Scotch, 
cheered  them  over  the  frightful  Alps  of  '  a,  b,  ab,  and 
'  two  times  one  are  two  ' — how  the  eyes  were  always 
blind  to  any  fun,  and  the  laugh  was  ever  as  long  and 
loud  as  that  of  the  merriest  urchin.  No  wonder 
those  boys  and  girls — a  portion  of  them — '  played  the 
mischief '  with  some  of  the  teachers  who  succeeded 
this  model  one.  The  first  school-house  was  erected 


I 


* 


. 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


841 


in  the  grove.  It  was  of  logs,  but  nicely  built,  and 
considered  quite  a  capacious  one,  though  it  was,  after 
a  time,  pretty  well  filled  with  its  sixty  scholars.  It 
was  20  x  22  feet,  and  well  lighted,  having  a  window 
five  or  six  panes  in  width  and  two  in  height  at  each 
end  of  the  building.  H.  C.  Beard  and  T.  K.  Waite 
were  among  the  successful  teachers  in  the  log  school- 
house.  The  second  school-house  was  built  on  a  fine 
site  donated  to  the  district  by  James  Byers,  Sr.,  in 
1854,  and  in  1868  another — a  very  pleasant  and 
commodious  one — the  former  having  been  destroyed 
by  fire — was  erected  in  the  same  place." 

In  relation  to  the  present  status  of  the  public 
schools  in  South  Grove,  the  following  items  are 
gleaned  from  the  report  of  the  County  Superintendent 
of  Schools  for  the  year  ending  June  30,  1884  :  There 
were  in  the  township  six  districts,  each  having  a 
frame  school-house,  the  total  value  being  estimated 
at  $4,900.  School  was  held  in  each  district  more 
than  no  days  during  the  year.  There  were  326 
persons  under  21  years  of  age,  of  whom  258  were 
over  six  years.  Of  this  number  205  were  enrolled 
in  the  public  schools.  Twelve  teachers  had  been 
employed,  the  highest  wages  paid  any  being  $50  per 
month,  while  the  lowest  was  $30,  an  average  of  $34.05 . 
The  tax  levy  was  $2,639. 

Before  the  construction  of  railroads,  when  all  travel 
was  by  team,  thetavern  or  wayside  inn  was  numbered 
among  the  institutions  of  the  day.  South  Grove  was 
on  the  Oregon  and  St.  Charles  State  Road,  and  here 
at  an  early  day  Mr.  Beeman  and  Mr.  Adee  each  ran 
a  tavern  for  some  years.  A  York  shilling — twelve- 
and-a-half  cents — was  the  customary  price  for  a 
meal  or  a  night's  lodging. 

In  1885  there  were  three  postoffices  in  the  town- 
ship— South  Grove,  Deerfield  Prairie  and  Dustin. 

South  Grove  postoffice  was  established  in  1841, 
with  Timothy  Wells  as  postmaster.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded, in  turn,  by  James  Byers,  Henry  Saffbrd,  E. 
Currier,  Jonathan  Adee  and  Mrs.  E.  A.  Palmer,  the 
latter  being  the  incumbent. 

Deerfield  Prairie  postoffice  was  established  in 
1858,  P.  Waterman  being  the  first  postmaster.  He 
was  succeeded  by  Mr.  Wiltse.  James  Richards  is 
the  present  postmaster. 

Dustin  postoffice,  named  in  honor  of  Gen.  Dustin, 
was  established  in  1868,  with  Henry  Cristman  as 
postmaster. 

South  Grove  reported  to  the  assessor  in  1884,  of 




improved  land,  21,853  acres,  on  which  the  assessor 
placed  a  total  valuation  of  $317,480.  Of  personal 
property  was  reported  $76,709;  a  total  of  $394,189. 
This  was  reduced  by  the  State  Board  of  Equalization 
to  $349,743.  Among  the  items  assessed  as  personal 
property  were  the  following:  Horses,  798;  cattle, 
2,897;  mules  and  asses,  15;  sheep,  1,572;  hogs, 
3,220;  carriages  and  wagons,  238;  watches  and 
clocks,  141;  sewing  and  knitting  machines,  81 ; 
pianos,  6;  melodeons  and  organs,  31. 

The  township  has  been  served  by  the  following 
named  as  members  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  : 

A.Gillis 1864-65 


;mesSBye°rs7j; 


.-857-58 

::t£.6, 
.1862-63 


SQUAW  GROVE  TOWNSHIP. 

QUAW  GROVE  Township  comprises  Con- 
gressional township  38  N.,  range  5  E.,  and 
is  bounded  on  the  east  by  Kane  County, 
on  the  north  by  the  township  of  Pierce,  on 
the  south  by  Somonauk,  and  on  the  west  by 
Clinton.  Little  Rock  Creek  enters  the  town- 
ship on  section  6,  and,  running  in  a  southeasterly  di- 
rection, passes  out  from  section  36.  Squaw  Grove  in 
the  central,  and  another  'grove  in  the  southwestern 
part,  furnish  the  timber. 

Tradition  has  it  that  in  the  summer  of  1834  a  party 
passed  through  the  grove.  Here  they  found  a  large 
number  of  squaws  with  their  pappooses,  but  no 
braves.  The  grove  not  being  known  by  any  name, 
one  of  the  .party  asked  the  question,  "  What  shall 
we  call  it?"  "We  will  call  it  Squaw  Grove;  what 
could  be  more  appropriate  ?  They  have  entire  pos- 
session." "  So  be  it,"  laughingly  responded  the  other; 
"  but  what  shall  we  call  that  little  grove  just  east  of 
it  ?  "  "  Oh,  we  will  call  that  Pappoose  Grove." 

One  of  this  party  is  said  to  have  been  a  Mr.  Hol- 
lenbeck,  who  made  .claim  to  a  portion  of  the  grove 
on  the  north,  afterwards  known  as  the  Tanner  farm. 
Returning  to  La  Salle  County,  from  which  he  came, 
Mr.  Hollenbeck  gave  such  a  glowing  description  of 
the  country  that  William  Sebree,  an  old  Virginian, 
with  a  large  family,  concluded  to  at  once  locate 
^%(& 


DE  KALB    COUNTY. 


\ 


there.  He  is  said  to  have  arrived  in  September, 
1834,  and  was  probably  the  first  white  man  to  per- 
manently locate  in  De  Kalb  County.  On  his  arrival 
he  built  a  temporary  shelter  of  poles,  which  he  cov- 
ered with  bark  taken  from  the  forsaken  wigwams  of 
the  Indians,  and  there  his  family  abode  until  he 
could  erect  a  small  log  house.  The  winter  following 
was  quite  severe,  and  the  old  gentleman  had  his  ears 
and  nose  frozen  while  cutting  prairie  hay. 

A  man  named  Robson  lived  this  fall  in  a  log  cabin 
at  the  crossing  of  Somonauk  Creek,  a  few  miles  south, 
but  abandoned  the  place  at  the  approach  of  winter, 
leaving  Sebree  and  his  family  the  only  white  inhabi- 
tants in  this  section  of  country. 

During  the  year  1835  several  families  located  in 
the  township,  among  whom  were  those  of  William 
Leggett,  M.  P.  Cleveland,  Watson  Y.  Pomeroy,  John 
Eastabrooks,  Samuel  Miller,  John  Boardman  and 
Jacob  Lee. 

William  Leggett  made  claim  to  a  tract  of  land  on 
the  south  side  of  the  grove.  He  was  from  Indiana. 
Mr.  Leggett  sold  to  Mr.  Ward  and  returned  to  In- 
diana. 

M.  P.  Cleveland  located  at  Pappoose  Grove.  He 
was  from  New  York.  After  remaining  here  a  few 
years,  he  sold  out,  moved  West  and  has  since  died. 

Watson  Y.  Pomeroy  was  a  brother-in-law  of  Cleve- 
land, and  was  also  from  New  York. 

John  Eastabrooks  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania. 
He  located  on  the  north  side  of  Squaw  Grove,  where 
he  remained  till  his  death  in  1850.  He  was  accom- 
panied here  by  his  son  Decatur  and  his  daughter 
Mary.  His  wife  and  the  remainder  of  his  family 
came  the  following  year.  Decatur  Eastabrooks 
moved  to  Carroll  County  many  years  ago,  where  he 
yet  resides.  When  Mr.  Eastabrooks  came  to  the 
county  he  brought  with  him  two  large,  powerful  dogs. 
When  the  men  were  away  from  the  house,  the  dogs 
would  allow  no  one,  especially  an  Indian,  to  come 
near,  unless  called  off  by  Miss  Eastabrooks. 

Samuel  Miller  was  from  Floyd  Co.,  Ind.t  He  re- 
mained here  till  his  death. 

In  1836  several  others  came  into  the  township, 
among  whom  were  Timothy  L.  Pomeroy  and  W.  A. 
Fay.  Mr.  Pomeroy  located  at  Pappoose  Grove.  He 
subsequently  became  a  Methodist  preacher  and  yet 
preaches  the  gospel  somewhere  in  the  State.  Mr. 
Fay  located  on  section  29,  in  the  Somonauk  timber, 
-^.gxn.^  /->  A. 


But  few  of  the  settlers  of  1835  are  now  living. 
Among  the  number  are  Mrs.  Rachel  Lee,  George  \V. 
Lee,  Mrs.  Sarah  J.  Sebree,  W.  M.  Sebree,  C.  B.  Lee, 
Mrs.  Mary  E.  Millard  and  Decatur  Eastabrooks.  Of 
the  number  Mrs.  Lee,  George  W.  and  C.  B.  Lee, 
Mrs.  Sebree  and  W.  M.  Sebree  yet  reside  in  the  town- 
ship. There  may  be  others,  but  these  are  the  only 
ones  remembered  by  George  W.  Lee. 

E.  W.  Willard  and  Mary  E.  Eastabrooks  were 
united  in  marriage  in  November,  1836.  This  was 
the  first  in  the  township.  Esquire  Root  performed 
the  ceremony. 

The  first  birth  was  that  of  Martha  Jane,  daughter 
of  William  Sebree.  She  was  born  Oct.  14,  1835. 
She  grew  to  womanhood  in  Squaw  Grove  and  sub- 
sequently married  Amos  Jackson.  She  now  lives  at 
Janesville,  Minn.  John  Miller  has  been  thought  to 
be  the  first,  but  it  appears  his  birth  did  not  occur  for 
some  months  afterwards. 

The  first  death  in  the  township  is  claimed  by 
George  W.  Lee  to  be  that  of  a  Mr.  Boardman,  from 
whom  Jacob  Lee  obtained  his  claim.  The  date  must 
have  been  in  the  summer  or  fall  of  1835.  The  first 
death  of  which  the  early  settlers  yet  living  have  any 
distinct  recollection  was  the  death  of  Julia,  daughter 
of  E.  W  and  Mary  E.  Willard.  Her  death  occurred 
in  1841.  Mrs.  Robert  Sebree  was  the  next  to  die  in 
this  township. 

The  first  physician  to  permanently  locate  in  the 
township  was  Dr.  Winslow,  who  located  about  two 
miles  from  the  present  village  of  Hinckley. 

The  first  school  has  been  a  matter  of  dispute.  It 
is  asserted  by  some  that  Jane  Sanford  taught  a  term 
of  school  in  the  summer  of  1840,  and  that  M.  P. 
Cleveland  succeeded  her  in  the  winter  following. 
Both  terms  were  held  in  the  house  of  Jacob  Lee. 
Others  say  Mr.  Cleveland  taught  the  first,  and  was 
succeeded  by  Miss  Sanford.  All  agree  that  the  first 
was  in  1840,  and  was  taught  by  one  or  the  other.  A 
log  school-house  was  shortly  afterwards  built  at  the 
grove,  Mr.  Albee,  now  living  at  Hinckley,  making  the 
window  frames  for  the  same.  Among  the  early  teach- 
ers in  the  township  were  John  Clark,  Henry  Clark, 
Mr.  Church  and  James  Furman.  The  first  school 
money  was  drawn  by  Mr.  Cleveland.  At  present 
the  township  has  eight  school  districts,  each  being 
supplied  with  a  frame  school-house,  the  total  value 
of  which  is  placed  at  $5,300.  From  the  County  Su 


!; 


-' 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


843 


• 


perintendent's  report  for  the  year  ending  June  30, 
1884,  it  is  learned  that  there  were  548  persons  under 
21  years  of  age,  of  whom  375  were  bet  ween  6  and  21, 
with  an  enrollment  in  the  public  schools  of  326. 
There  were  5  males  and  16  female  teachers  em- 
ployed, the  highest  monthly  wages  received  by  any 
being  $60  and  the  lowest  $25. 

Squaw  Grove  Township,  in  1884,  had  22,245  acres 
of  improved  land,  valued  at  $324,350  The  town 
lots  amounted  to  $50,680;  personal  property,  $98,- 
629.  A  total  of  $473,659.  The  State  Board  of 
Equalization  reduced  this  amount  to  $418,115. 
Among  the  items  of  personal  property  were  the  fol- 
lowing :  Horses,  641  ;  cattle,  1,776;  mules  and  asses, 
19;  sheep,  672;  hogs,  2,440;  steam  engines,  4; 
safes,  5 ;  billiard  tables,  i  ;  carriages  and  wagons, 
223  ;  sewing  and  knitting  machines,  158  ;  pianos,  8; 
melodeons  and  organs,  59. 

SUPERVISORS. 


1'hilo  Sill 
W.  C.T;l 
I'liilnSI., 


1865-8 


2SSK: 


Hinckley. 

JNCKLEY  is  finely  located  on  section  15, 
Squaw  Grove  Township.  It  was  surveyed 
and  platted  by  Francis  E.  Hinckley,  from 
whom  it  derives  its  name.  While  having  but 
about  400  inhabitants,  it  is  one  of  the  neatest 
towns  of  its  size  in  the  State.  The  dwelling- 
houses  of  those  residing  here  are  generally  large 
two-story  buildings,  the  yards  well  kept  and  all  pre- 
senting an  attractive  appearance.  As  a  business 
point  it  is  good,  having  a  fine  farming  country  around, 
which  is  tributary  to  it. 

When  it  was  determined  by  Mr.  Hinckley  to  lo- 
cate the  railroad  station  here,  Merrill  &  Wagner,  who 
were  in  business  at  the  grove,  at  once  began  their 
preparations  for  removal.  They  commenced  early 
in  the  spring  of  1872  the  erection  of  the  large,  fine, 
two-story  building  now  occupied  by  Mr.  Merrill,  and 
on  its  completion  removed  here  their  stock  of  goods, 
and  thus  became  the  first  merchants  in  the  village. 
The  partnership  was  some  years  afterward  dissolved, 


Mr.  Merrill  becoming  sole  proprietor.  He  carries  a 
stock  of  general  merchandise  second  to  none  in  the 
county,  and  enjoys  an  immense  trade. 

While  the  store  building  was  being  erected,  Mr. 
Merrill  was  also  engaged  in  putting  up  the  dwelling- 
house  in  which  he  yet  resides,  and  iifio  which  he 
moved  in  the  spring  of  1872.  This  was  the  first 
dwelling-house  built  upon  the  village  plat,  though 
two  others  have  been  there  since  an  early  day. 

Schilling  &  Evans  and  Case  &  Vawter  can  also  be 
numbered  among  the  pioneer  merchants  of  the  vil- 
lage. 

The  first  druggist  was  L.  H.  Wikoff. 

J.-  D.  Curry  was  the  first  grain-buyer.  He  built 
an  elevator  and  commenced  buying  in  the  spring  of 
1873.  He  was  succeeded  by  H.  M.  Maltby  &  Co., 
who  continued  until  the  fall  of  1883,  when  S.  H.  Sid- 
well,  who  owned  a  half  interest  in  the  elevator,  be- 
came the  sole  dealer. 

G.  W.  Severance  and  Theodore  Klein  were  the 
first  stock-buyers.  They  are  yet  in  the  business. 

Samuel  Miller  was  the  first  liveryman  in  the  vil- 
lage. He  began  business  in  1875. 

The  first  hotel  was  opened  by  C.  S.  Palmer  in 
1873,  in  a  building  opposite  Merrill  &  VVagner's 
store.  The  business  was  continued  here  for  about 
seven  years.  The  second  house  was  that  now  known 
as  the  Adams  House,  built  by  Hayden  Spencer,  in 
1875.  It  has  been  known  as  the  Pennsylvania  and 
the  Hinckley  House.  B.  H.  Adams  became  the  pro- 
prietor in  April,  1883.  He  changed  its  name  to  the 
Adams  House.  It  is  a  two-story  frame  building, 
with  12  sleeping  rooms,  with  parlor,  office,  dining- 
room  and  kitchen. 

The  first 'meat-market  was  opened  by  C.  W.  West, 
in  1873. 

The  first  exclusive  hardware  store  was  kept  by 
Evans  &  Evans. 

The  first  harness-shop  was  owned  by  A.  G.  Wal- 
lace. 

The  first  shoe-shop  was  opened  by  C.  H.  Beecher, 
in  1872. 

The  village  of  Hinckley  comprises  a  part  of  Dis- 
trict No.  i.  The  school-house  was  erected  here  in 
1873.  There  were  then  two  rooms,  two  departments 
being  represented.  In  1883  an  addition  was  made 
to  the  school  building  and  the  school  divided  int 
three  departments — primary,  intermediate  and  higher, 
The  teachers  for  the  year  1884-5  were  Fred  A.  Lat- 

a^ **$&£ "t*t^( 


DE  KALB   COUNTY 


tin,  Principal ;  Miss  Carrie  C.  Potter  and  Miss 
Emma  Jones.  There  were  in  January,  1885,  an  en- 
rollment of  136  pupils.  The  school  property  is 
valued  at  $2,800. 

The  postoffice  was  located  here  in  1872.  This 
office  was  originally  located  at  the  grove  and  was 
known  as  the  Squaw  Grove  postoffice.  William  C. 
Tappan  was  the  first  Postmaster,  the  office  being  es- 
tablished in  1852.  His  first  year's  receipts  were* 
$2.55.  In  1855  his  receipts  had  increased  to  $23.52. 
The  mail  route  was  from  Ottawa  to  Belvidere.  Mr. 
Tappan  was  succeeded  by  Henry  Putnam,  who  in 
turn  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  Johnson,  E.  Spencer  and 
Frank  E.  Merrill.  The  latter  was  appointed  in  1867 
and  held  the  office  for  17  years,  resigning  in  April, 
1884,  when  C.  S.  Palmer  was  appointed.  A  money- 
order  department  was  created  for  the  office  in  1878, 
the  first  order  being  secured  by  A.  F.  Prince,  in  favor 
of  George  J.  Prince,  for  $10.75,  July  7,  1878. 

The  village  of  Hinckley  was  surveyed  and  platted 
in  March,  1873.  It  was  incorporated  under  the 
general  act  in  1877.  The  first  trustees  were  John 
A.  Coster,  A.  E.  Sweet,  A.  G.  White,  N.  Naldenhouse, 
Peter  Coster.  Clerk,  F.  L.  Winslow.  Since  that 
date  the  following  named  have  served  : 

1878— J.  J.  Davis,  C.  S.  Palmer,  N.  Naldenhouse, 
J.  H.  Bauder,  A.  E.  Sweet,  Ira  Hamlin,  trustees  ;  F. 
L.  Winslow,  clerk. 

1879— T.  E.  Merrill,  C.  A.  Reed,  P.  S.  Winslow, 
Ira  Hamlin,  A.  G.  White,  C.  S.  Palmer,  trustees;  F. 
L.  Winslow,  clerk. 

1880— M.  N.  Tomblin,  S.  Miller,  F.  Young,  J.  A. 
Le  Brant,  W.  H.  Mead,  A.  Cheney,  trustees;  Lee 
E.  Tomblin,  clerk. 

1881— W.  H.  Mead,  M.  N.  Tomblin,  H.  M. 
Maltbie,  C.  S.  Palmer,  Philo  Slater,  trustees;  H.  W. 
Fay,  clerk. 

1882— Philo  Slater,  H.  M.  Maltbie,  C.  S.  Palmer, 
August  West,  Cyrus  Slater,  F.  L.  Winslow,  trustees ; 
H.  W.  Fay,  clerk. 

1883— W.  M.  Sebree,  O.  T.  P.  Steinmetz,  J.  A. 
Le  Brant,  A.  J.  Miller,  F.  L.  Winslow,  C.  T.  Slater, 
trustees ;  H.  W.  Fay,  clerk. 

1884— Philo  Slater,  Charles  S.  Palmer,  Wells  A. 
Fay,  J.  A.  Le  Brant,  O.  T.  P.  Steinmetz,  W.  M. 
Sebree,  trustees  ,  H.  W.  Fay,  clerk. 

The  religious  well-being  of  the  village  is  repre- 

®>>*§i*l* ^€^      Q/  ~ 


sented  by  organizations  of  Baptists  and  Methodist 
Episcopals. 

The  benevolent  societies  are  represented  by  lodges 
of  Masons  and  Odd  Fellows. 

Ingersoll  Lodge,  No.  301,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  was 
chartered  by  the  Grand  Lodge  Oct.  5,  1859,  its 
meetings  being  held  in  the  village  of  Cortland.  Its 
charter  members  were  Charles  S.  Ingersoll,  W.  M., 
in  whose  honor  the  lodge  was  named ;  John  B. 
Fletcher,  S.  W ;  Nathan  A.  Cottrell,  J.  W. ;  L.  F. 
Dow,  Jonathan  Mattison,  Richard  A.  Smith,  Richard 
J.  Webb,  Onesimus  Hitchcock.  The  name  of  the 
lodge  was  subsequently  changed  to  Cortland  Lodge. 
In  1875  it  was  voted  to  remove  to  Hinckley,  the 
majority  of  its  membership  living  in  or  near  that  vil- 
lage. On  its  removal  its  name  was  changed  to 
Hinckley  Lodge,  No.  301,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  At  this 
place  it  has  flourished,  its  membership  embracing 
some  of  the  best  men  in  the  village.  Its  present 
membership  is  26.  Since  its  removal  the  following 
named  have  filled  the  chair  as  presiding  officers  of 
the  lodge :  Archibald  Cone,  C.  H.  Hitchcock,  F.  E. 
Merrill,  George  E.  Hobbs,  J.  W.  Le  Brant,  the  latter 
being  elected  January,  1885.  In  addition  to  J.  W. 
Le  Brant,  W.  M.,  the  following  named  constitute  the 
officers  for  1885  :  A.  Grass,  S.  W. ;  C.  E.  Long,  J. 
W. ;  David  A.  Hobbs,  Treas. ;  A.  F.  French,  Sec. ; 
J.  A.  Le  Brant,  S.  D. ;  H.  C.  Baie,  J.  D. 

Beacon  Hill  Lodge,  No.  680,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  was  or- 
ganized July  2T,  1880,  with  George  E.  Hobbs,  N.  G.; 
J.  A.  Le  Brant,  V.  G. ;  A.  W.  Le  Brant,  Sec.;  A. 
Grass,  Treas. ;  J.  T.  Kerr,  Warden ;  William  Richard- 
son and  Christian  Keamerle.  The  following  named 
have  served  as  N.  G. :  J.  A.  Le  Brant,  A.  Grass, 
John  T.  Kerr,  William  Frazier,  William  Lockwood 
and  B.  C.  Allbee.  The  following  named  were  in 
office  January,  1885  :  B.  C.  Allbee,  N.  G. ;  H.  H. 
Hopkins,  V.  G. ;  P.  F.  Albee,  Sec. ;  J.  W.  Le  Brant, 
Treas.;  John  Clark,  Warden.  The  lodge  has  a 
membership  of  28,  and  financially  and  otherwise  is  a 
strong  body. 

The  following  named  firms  were  doing  business 
here  in  the  spring  of  1885  : 

General  merchants — F.  E.  Merrill,  Bauder  & 
Coster,  O.  T.  P.  Steinmetz. 

Furniture — Simon  Kuter. 

Hardware— W.  H.  Menk. 

Drugs — T.  R.  Davis  &  Co. 


- 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


845 


I 


Groceries  and  restaurant — -L.  E.  Ziegler. 

Jewelry — E.  C.  Long. 

Butcher  shops — G.  Snyder  and  Fred  Jurries. 

Agricultural  implements — P.  S.  Winslow,  C.  H. 
Taylor. 

Millinery— Mrs.  R.  B.  Curry. 

Dressmaking — Van  Nostrand  &  James,  Mrs.  A.  F. 
Prince,  Rose  Bloodgood  and  Em.  Holdenhous. 

Barber— Dan  Green. 

Shoe-shop — Adam  Grass,  Chas.  Becker. 

Coal  dealers — J.  K.  Kuter. 

Oil  Blacking  Manufactory— Grass  &  Smith,  pro- 
prietors. 

Lumber — M.  J.  Pogue  &  Sons. 

Grain — G.  H.  Sidwell,  Chicago,  proprietor;  H.  M. 
Maltbie,  buyer. 

Harness-shop — J.  H.  Le  Brant. 

Bankers— H.  D.  Wagner  &  Co. 

Livery— William  Misner. 

Tobacco,  cigars  and  candy — A.  Elsaman. 

Blacksmiths — Jno.  Metz,  William  Wilkening,  A. 
Cash. 

Road  cart  factory — J.  B.  Allbee,  proprietor. 

Wagon  shop— Sam.  Wheeler. 

Cooper  shop— T.  W.  Eddy. 

Silver  Spring  Creamery — Curler  Bros.  &  Co., 
proprietors  ;  H.  H.  Hopkins,  resident  manager. 

Hay  Press — E.  S.  Ashley. 

Carpenters — Frank  Loveland,  R.  B.  Curry,  William 
Garrett,  Holley  Goodell,  Jesse  Flanders,  John  Powers, 
Jake  Biehl. 

Masons — Henry  Binder,  Leopold  Bender. 

Dray— Sam.  Flanders,  Chas.  Hinamire. 

Physicians— C.  H.   Hitchcock,  Merritt  F.   Potter. 

Lawyer — Jno.  Hopkins. 

Bakery— Jos.  Eagle. 

Hotel — Adam  House,  B.  H.  Adams,  proprietor. 

Skating  rink — P.  S.  Winslow,  proprietor. 

Photographer — Edwin  Luce. 

Painters — Ernest  Schramm,  Chas.  Adam. 

Auctioneer — W.  H.  Rickert. 

Milk  wagons— J.  B.  Myers,  J.  M.  Curry. 

Stock  shippers — Theo.  Klein,  Christ.  Bale. 

Tile  factories— P.  H.  Nichols,  Jno.  Kerr. 

Justices  of  the  Peace— J.  M.  Curry,  D.  L.  Sackett, 
Adam  Grass. 

Newspaper  and  printing  office — The  Revieiv;  H. 
W.  Fay,  editor  and  proprietor. 

£%§&& ^g3^ & 


SOMONAUK  TOWNSHIP. 

HIS  township  lies  in"the  southeast  corner 
of  the  county,  with  Kendall  County  on  the 
east,  La  Salle  on  the  south,  Squaw  Grove 
Township  on  the  north,  and  Victor  on  the 
west.  It  has  a  good  supply  of  timber  along 
the  banks  of  Somanauk  Creek,  with  which  it  is 
well  watered.  The  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy 
Railroad  passes  through  the  southern  portion  of  the 
township,  through  the  city  of  Sandwich  and  village 
of  Somonauk. 

The  first  permanent  settler  of  the  township  was 
Reuben  Root,  who  first  located  on  section  35,  the 
place  now  owned  by  David  V.  Kinney.  He  sold  this 
claim  to  Mr.  Davis  in  the  summer  of  1835,  and 
moved  a  little  farther  north,  occupying  a  house 
which  some  years  after  became  the  property  of  Mr. 
Beveridge,  and  which  it  is  said  was  erected  some 
time  in  1834,  and  occupied  in  the  winter  of  1834-5, 
by  a  Mr.  Robinson.  The  exact  date  of  Mr.  Root's 
settlement  is  not  known,  but  supposed  to  be  in 
February,  1835.  He  was  living  on  the  Davis  place 
when  William  Poplin  arrived  in  March,  1835. 
Reuben  Root  was  a  native  of  New  York.  For  some 
years  he  kept  a  tavern  and  was  the  first  postmaster 
of  Somonauk.  Selling  his  claim  here,  he  moved 
west  and  has  since  died. 

Willliam  Poplin  was  doubtless  the  second  to  locate 
on  Somonauk  Creek,  in  this  township.  He  arrived 
here,  as  stated,  in  March,  1835,  made  a  claim,  erect- 
ed his  cabin,  and  made  other  improvements  the 
same  year.  His  selection  was  a  wise  one,  and  with 
his  "  good  wife  "  he  yet  resides  upon  the  old  home- 
stead, where  they  have  spent  a  full  50  years. 

Among  others  who  made  settlements  along  the 
creek  in  1835,  were  William  and  Joseph  Sly,  Simon 
Price,  Amos  Hannon,  William  Davis,  Simon  Price, 
Thomas  and  William  Brook. 

The  'Sly  brothers  were  natives  of  Ireland.  Joseph 
remained  in  the  township  during  the  remainder  of 
his  life  and  was  a  well  respected  citizen.  His  house 
for  some  years  was  used  for  religious  purposes,  by 
representatives  of  any  denomination  who  were  will- 
ing to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  few  then  living  here. 
William  Sly  moved  into  La  Salle,  where  he  died. 

Simon  Price  was  from  Pennsylvania,  but,  it  is  said, 
lived  so  near  the  Virginia  line  that  he  imbibed  strong 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


'• 


pro-slavery  sentiments.  He  moved  to  Iowa,  where 
he  has  since  died. 

Thomas  and  William  Brook  were  likewise  from 
Pennsylvania.  Thomas  died  here.  William  Brook 
is  yet  living  in  Sandwich. 

The  first  marriage  in  the  township  was  that  of 
Isaac  Potter  and  Elizabeth  Brook,  in  the  fall  of  1836. 
The  ceremony  was  performed  by  Elder  B.  Mack. 

The  first  birth  was  that  of  Harriet  Poplin,  daugh- 
ter of  William  Poplin,  born  Jan.  25,  1836.  She  is 
now  the  wife  of  Herbert  C.  Cotton.  The  second 
birth  was  that  of  Mary  A.  Davis,  born  June  2.  1836. 
George  W.  Davis  and  a  son  of  Burrage  Hough  were 
probably  the  two  first  males  born  in  the  township. 

The  first  death  was  that  of  Fannie  Hannon,  who 
died  Sept.  n,  1836., 

The  first  ground  broke  was  by  Amos  Hannon  in 
the  spring  of  1835.  All  the  settlers  of  1835  broke 
ground  that  year,  but  Simon  Price  and  William  and 
Joseph  Sly  are  the  only  ones  remembered  that  at- 
tempted to  raise  a  crop. 

The  first  religious  services  were  probably  at  the 
house  of  Simon  Price,  in  the  winter  of  1835-6,  by 
Rev.  William  Royal,  a  Methodist  Episcopal  divine. 
Mrs.  Joseph  Sly  disputed  this  fact,  claiming  that  a 
Congregational  minister,  whose  name  was  forgotten, 
preceded  Mr.  Royal  a  short  time.  None  of  the  early 
settlers  now  living  remember  the  man  or  the  occasion 
of  his  preaching.  Mrs.  Royal  early  in  1836  organ- 
ized a  class,  with  the  following  named  among  the 
number  :  Mrs.  William  Davis,  Mrs.  Thomas  Brook, 
Mrs.  Simon  Price,  Mrs.  Joseph  Sly,  and  Miss  Lorena 
Dennis,  now  Mrs.  Jacob  M.  Hall.  The  first  quarterly 
meeting  was  held  soon  after,  Elder  B.  Mack  officiat- 
ing. This  meeting  was  held  at  the  house  of  Thomas 
Brook. 

In  the  winter  of  1836-7,  at  the  house  of  Thomas 
Brook,  the  first  school  was  taught  by  Lucius  Frisbee. 
He  had  about  one  dozen  scholars.  The  first  school- 
house  was  of  logs  and  was  erected  in  1837  on  section 
22.  Charles  Eastabrooks  taught  the  first  school  in 
this  house  the  following  winter.  The  educational 
interests  of  the  township  have  kept  pace  with  the 
increase  in  population  and  wealth. 

There  are  eight  school  districts  in  the  township, 
with  twelve  school-houses,  the  total  value  of  which 
s  estimated  at  $^7,250.  From  the  County  Stiperin- 

ndent's  report  for  the  year  ending  June  30,  1884, 


the  following  facts  have  been  gleaned  :  There  were 
1,649  persons  under  21  years  of  age,  of  whom 
were  above  the  age  of  six  years.  There  were  five 
graded  and  seven  ungraded  schools,  employing  six 
male  and  18  female  teachers.  The  highest  salary 
paid  any  teacher  per  month  was  $m.ii,  and  the 
lowest  $20.  The  tax  levy  was  $9,155. 

Until  Somonauk  postoffice  was  established,  the 
settlers  along  Somonauk  Creek  obtained  their  mail  at 
Holderman's  Grove,  about  12  miles  southeast.  A 
number  of  families  clubbed  together  and  arranged  to 
take  turns  in  going  once  each  week  for  the  mail.  In 
order  to  make  each  realize  the  necessity  of  going  to 
the  office  when  his  turn  came,  it  was  agreed  that 
should  one  fail  to  go,  that  his  mail  would  net  be 
brought  by  any  of  the  others  until  his  turn  should 
again  come  around  and  he  attended  to  the  matter. 

A  postoffice  under  the  name  of  Somonauk  was  es- 
tablished near  what  is  now  known  as  Freeland 
Corners,  in  1837,  with  Reuben  Root  as  postmaster. 
Mr.  Root  served  one  or  two  years  and  was  succeeded 
by  John  Eastabrooks.  The  receipts  of  the  office  in 
1837  were  $15. 34.  In  1839,  when  Mr.  Eastabrooks 
was  postmaster,  the  receipts  had  increased  to  $22.52. 
David  Merritt  succeeded  Mr.  Eastabrooks  and  was 
in  turn  succeeded  by  Alex.  R.  Patten,  Lyman  Bacon, 
Charles  Bradbury,  Joseph  Hamlin.  and  William 
Robertson,  the  incumbent.  In  1854  a  postoffice  was 
established  at  the  village  of  Somonauk,  called  Somo- 
nauk Station.  Mail  designed  for  Somonauk  would 
go  to  the  station,  and  that  for  the  station  would  fre- 
quently be  sent  to  Somonauk  postoffice;  so  a  request 
was  made  to  the  postoffice  department  to  change  the 
name  of  the  latter  office.  The  name  of  Freeland 
was  suggested  and  adopted,  the  name  by  which  the 
office  is  now  known.  It  is  supposed  that  the  name 
was  suggested  from  the  fact  that  the  neighborhood 
was  composed  of  liberty-loving  people,  those  who 
strongly  believed  in  a  free  land. 

William  H.  Beavers  started  a  store  at  the  "cor- 
ners," now  known  as  Freeland  Corners,  about  1848. 
He  was  succeeded  by  David  Merritt,  who  subse- 
quently sold  to  Patten  &  Beveridge.  The  latter  sold 
out  to  the  former,  who,  in  1854,  removed  the  store  to 
Sandwich. 

Mr.  Hamlin  was  the  first  blacksmith  at  the  cor- 
ners. 

John    Lane  and  Peter  F.   Hummel    kept    tav 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


I 


'' 


x 


here  as  early  as  1841.  Reuben  Root  was  engaged  in 
the  same  business  at  a  still  earlier  date. 

The  Beveridge  neighborhood,  in  this  township, 
was  composed  almost  exclusively  of  anti-slavery 
people.  The  house  of  George  Beveridge  was  sup- 
posed to  be  a  depot  of  the  Underground  Railroad, 
and  the  charge  was  never  denied  by  any  of  the 
family.  A  local  writer,  in  speaking  of  this  fact,  said: 
"  In  1852,  a  gentlemanly  stranger  begged  shelter  for 
the  night  at  this  house  (George  Beveridge's).  Some- 
thing led  the  family  to  suspect  that  he  was  a  detect- 
ive, searching  for  evidence  of  their  connection  with 
the  crime  of  aiding  slaves  to  their  freedom.  Finally, 
seeking  an  opportunity  of  privacy,  he  asked  directly 
of  the  venerable  mother  if  she  had  not  at  times 
secreted  fugitive  negroes.  '  Yes,'  said  she, '  and  in 
spite  of  your  oppressive  laws,  I  will  do  it  again 
whenever  I  have  an  opportunity.'  Instead  of  im- 
mediately arresting  her,  as  she  had  expected,  the 
stranger  laughed.  He  was  an  eminent  physician  of 
Quincy,  engaged  in  establishing  stations  on  the  Un- 
derground Railroad,  and  during  many  subsequent 
years  there  was  a  frequent  stoppage  of  trains  at  this 
station,  and  much  lime  and  money  was  spent  in  for- 
warding the  flying  negroes  on  to  the  stewards  at 
Piano,  and  to  other  places  of  refuge." 

The  United  Presbyterians  began  holding  meetings 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  "corners"  as  early  as  1841, 
but  an  organization  was  not  effected  until  March 
18,  1846.  It  is  now  one  of  the  strongest  country 
Churches  in  the  State,  with  a  house  of  worship  that 
cost  $c2,ooo.  No  more  devoted  Christians  than 
those  worshiping  here  can  anywhere  be  found. 

Somonauk  Township,  in  1884,  had  19,642  acres 
of  improved  land,  a  less  number  than  any  other  in 
the  county,  but  at  a  higher  valuation,  amounting  to 
$[6.15  an  acre,  or  a  total  of  $317,255.  The  town 
lots  were  assessed  at  $290,225  ;  personal  property, 
$245,495.  A  total  of  $866,665.  This  was  reduced 
by  the  State  Board  of  Equalization  to  $762,292. 
Among  the  items  of  personal  property  reported  were 
the  following  :  Horses,  875;  cattle,  2,27  i ;  mules 
and  asses,  52;  sheep,  247;  hogs,  3/126;  steam 
engines,  3 ;  safes,  23 ;  billiard  tables,  5  ;  carriages 
and  wagons,  462;  watches  and  clocks,  375;  sew- 
ing and  knitting  machines,  390  ;  pianos,  66  ;  melo- 
deons  and  organs,  88.  With  the  exception  of  Syca- 
more, Somonauk  has  more  pianos  than  any  township 
in  the  county. 

.@»S»t" **^ ^^ 


SUPERVISORS. 


The  members  of  the  Board   of    Supervisors  from 
this  township  have  been  as  follows  : 


I.  H.  Furman.. 
William  Patten.. 

H.    Latham 

William  Patten.. 
C.  Winne  .  . 
J.  H.  Furman.. 
E.  W.  Lewis.... 


Andrew  licveridge 1873 

W.  W.S,.,|...wi,:k' ,874 

w&7i?b'^l)-lr*"s 

w!   \v!'W;i"u'iVi:'.. '.'.'!. '.'.'1876-7 

Mm  Clark  <a--'t> 1876 

Charles  M  erwin  (ass't. ...  1877-8 

Washington  L.  Simmons. 1878-82 
Charles  S.  .Lewis  (ass't ..  .1879-80 
Carter  E.  Wright  (ass't). .  1881-2 
John  N.  Culver.... ......1883-4 

Peter  C.  McClcllan(ass't).. 883-4 


Village  of  Somonauk. 

EFORE  the  completion  of  the  railroad  to 
this  point,  the  railroad  company  deter- 
mined to  locate  here  a  station,  believing  it 
would  be  acceptable  to  the  people  in  the 
neighborhood  and  an  accommodation  to  the 
farmers  living  near.  The  road  was  com- 
pleted in  the  fall  of  1853,  but  for  some  cause  the 
village  was  not  platted  till  in  June,  1855,  though 
many  lots  had  previously  been  sold  and  quite  a 
thriving  village  had  sprung  up.  The  original  plat 
was  upon  sections  32  and  33,  township  37  north, 
range  5  east,  and  embraced  property  belonging  to 
Alverus  Gage,  Lyman  Bacon,  Franklin  Dale, 
Thomas  Brown  and  James  H.  Beveridge,  Mr.  Gage 
owning  the  greater  portion  of  it.  Several  additions 
have  since  been  made. 

In  the  fall  of  1853,  before  the  railroad  had  been 
completed  here,  and  while  the  employees  engaged  in 
its  construction  were  yet  in  the  vicinity  of  the  old 
red  school-house,  on  the  site  of  the  present  city  of 
Sandwich,  Franklin  Dale  went  to  Mr.  Gage  and 
proposed  purchasing  some  ground  of  him  on  which  to 
erect  a  store  building.  Desiring  the  land  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  depot,  Mr.  Gage  prevailed  on  the 
engineer  engaged  in  the  survey  to  come  down  and 
designate  where  the  depot  building  should  be  erected. 
Mr.  Dale  then  made  his  selection  and  at  once 
commenced  the  erection  of  his  building.  Gustave 
Hess  commenced  to  erect  a  building  for  a  store  and 
dwelling  about  the  same  time,  but  Mr.  Dale  had  his 
completed  first;  and,  occupying  it  with  a  stock  of  gen- 
eral merchandise,  became  the  pioneer  merchant  of  the 

-$«§*& 


place.  Mr.  Hess  was  not  far  behind  him  in  open- 
ing out  his  goods. 

Mr.  Tolman  came  soon  after  and  started  the  first 
lumber  yard  in  the  place. 

While  these  business  enterprises  were  being  set  on 
foot  the  railroad  company  was  engaged  in  the  erec- 
tion of  the  depot  buildings,  completing  them  in  the 
winter  of  1853-4. 

Lyman  Bacon  about  the  same  time  purchased  10 
acres  of  land  from  Mr.  Gage  with  a  view  of  building 
a  hotel.  For  some  cause  he  failed  in  his  purpose, 
but  erected  a  building  which  he  used  as  a  dwelling 
and  as  a  shoe  shop,  being  the  pioneer  shoemaker  of 
the  village. 

In  the  fall  of  1853  David  Hunt  laid  the  found- 
ation for  the  present  hotel  building,  and  in  the  spring 
completed  and  occupied  it  as  a  hotel,  being  the  first 
in  the  place. 

The  first  blacksmith  was  Noah  Kelley,  in  1855. 
During  the  same  year,  Mr.  Guyer  started  the  first 
harness-shop. 

Somonauk  Bank  was  established  in  February, 
1880.  It  is  a  private  institution,  with  John  Clark  as 
president  and  H.  Wright,  cashier.  T.  J.  Wright  and 

C.  V.  Stevens  are  also  associated  in  its  management 
and    business.       A    satisfactory  business  has  been 
done  by  the  bank  since  its  organization. 

Some  months  after  the  railroad  was  completed, 
Buck  Branch  postoffice,  located  about  one  mile  north, 
was  removed  here  and  its  name  changed  to  Somo- 
nauk Station,  the  latter  word  being  added  from  the 
fact  that  there  was  a  postoffice  called  Somonauk  in 
the  township.  Confusion  arising  in  forwarding  and 
receiving  mail,  Somonauk  postoffice  was  subsequently 
changed  to  Freeland,  and  in  due  time  the  word 
"  Station  "  was  dropped  from  this  office.  Lyman 
Bacon  was  the  first  postmaster  and  served  until  1861, 
when  Henry  Curtis  was  appointed,  and  for  24  years 
has  handled  the  mail  at  this  place. 

The  village  of  Somonauk  was  organized  Jan.  4, 
1859,  by  incorporating  it  under  the  "  Town  Corpora- 
tion Act."  At  the  election  to  vote  on  such  incor- 
poration, 49  votes  were  cast  for  and  10  against  the 
same.  The  first  trustees  elected  were  Lyman  Bacon, 
E.  W.  Lewis,  E.  Hoxey,  William  Heun  and  D.  F. 
Andrus.  Lyman  Bacon  was  chosen  President  and 

D.  F.  Andrus,  Clerk. 

By  special  act  of  the  Legislature,  approved  Feb. 


1 6,  1865,  said  corporation  was  changed  from  a  vil- 
lage to  a  town,  and  incorporated  as  "  The  Town  of 
Somonauk. 

On  the  1 8th  day  of  July,  1872,  the  question  of  or- 
ganizing as  a  village  under  the  general  law  of  the 
State  was  submitted  to  a  vote  of  its  citizens  and 
adopted.  The  first  board  of  trustees  under  the  new 
organization  was  constituted  as  follows :  J.  Poor, 
President ;  H.  Potter,  T.  B.  Blanchard,  F.  Schort,  J. 
B.  Brigham,  W.  W.  Hathorn,  Clerk. 

The  following  named  have  served  the  village  as 
members  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors:  John  M. 
Goodell,  1867;  William  Heun,  1868;  Edward  W. 
Lewis,  1869;  N.  L.  Watson,  1870-1 ;  Jeremiah  Poor, 
1872;  John  Clark,  1873. 

The  first  school  in  the  village  was  in  the  winter  of 
1855-6,  and  held  over  the  hardware  store,  by  D.  F. 
Andrus.  The  present  school-house  was  erected  in 
1856  and  occupied  in  the  winter  of  1856-7.  Addi- 
tions have  since  been  made  to  the  building  to  meet 
the  wants  of  increasing  population.  No  thorough 
grading  of  the  schools  was  made  until  1880,  when  P. 
K.  Cross  was  elected  principal.  Two  classes  have 
since  been  graduated,  diplomas  being  given  to  the 
graduates.  Mr.  Cross  Continued  as  principal  until 
1884,  when  Miss  Leah  Delagneau  was  appointed. 
Four  rooms  are  occupied,  Miss  Delagneau  having 
charge  of  one,  with  Miss  Lizzie  Benedict,  Anna  R. 
Hunt  and  Ella  Howe,  respectively,  in  each  of  the 
others.  The  graduates  are  as  follows  : 

In  June,  1883— Emma  M.  Ames,  Julia  B.  O'Brien, 
Simon  D.  Hess,  S.  May  Thomas,  Anna  R.  Hunt, 
Anna  M.  Hoffman,  Maggie  McNamara,  Otis  D.  Wood- 
ward. 

In  June,  1884 — Jennie  M.  Dubrock,  Franklin 
Hess,  William  J.  Dubrock,  Clara  M.  Lovvman,  Jen- 
nie J.  Hathorn,  Lillian  M.  Rose,  Clara  E.  Wright. 

RELIGIOUS. 

The  religious  welfare  of  the  people  is  attended  to 
by  the  following  denominations,  each  having  houses 
of  worship — Protestant  Methodist,  Baptist,  Lutheran, 
Presbyterian,  Catholic  and  Methodist  Episcopal. 

The  Baptist  Church  was  organized  May  19,  1857, 
a  preliminary  meeting  being  held  Jan.  10,  1857.  The 
constituent  members  of  the  Church  were  William 
Patten,  Perry  G.  Jones,  Frances  A.  Jones,  John 
Shailer,  Elizabeth  Shailer,  Ashbel  Stockham, 
linda  Stockham,  Enoch  Stockham,  J.  N.  Braddock, 
U3 S«^ -ftegtf©. 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


849 


William  Bond,  Frances  Bond,  Elder  B.  Hicks,  Mrs. 

B.  Brayton,  Belinda  B.   Farley,  Mary  P.    Bucking- 
ham, Martha  S.  Russell.     A  house  of  worship  was 
erected  in  1858,  at  a  cost  of  $3,000,  with  a  seating 
capacity  of  300.     The  following  named  have  served 
the  Church  as  pastors :  Revs.  D.  Shailer,  D.  N.  Kin- 
nie,  L.  L.  Gage,  Thomas  Reese,  J.  L.  Benedict,  G. 

C.  Vanasdel,  William  Wilkins,  W.   H.   Cord,  John 
Shepherd,  J.   C.  Johnston.     The  Church  has  about 
75  members. 

The  Catholic  Congregation  was  organized  in  the 
year  1865.  Previous  to  that  time  the  number  of 
Catholic  families  was  comparatively  small  and  their 
spiritual  wants  were  supplied  at  certain  times  during 
the  year -by  the  resident  priests  of  Naperville,  Men- 
dota  and  Ottawa,  who  held  religious  services  either 
in  a  private  house  or  in  the  hotel  of  the  village,  where 
the  Catholics  would  assemble  to  comply  with  their 
duty  and  have  their  children  baptized  and  the  other 
sacraments  of  the  Church  administered. 

In  the  year  1863  a  hall  was  purchased  for  their 
house  of  worship,  but  as  the  number  of  Catholics 
began  to  increase  rapidly,  it  was  soon  found  to  be 
incompetent  to  meet  their  requirements,  and  the 
building  of  a  new  frame  structure  for  a  church  was 
commenced  in  1866.  This  church  was  40  x  80  feet 
in  dimensions,  with  a  steeple  100  feet  high,  contain- 
ing a  bell,  weighing  800  pounds.  This  church  cost 
about  $4,000.  From  this  time  religious  services 
were  held  every  two  weeks,  the  church  being  in 
charge  of  Rev.  D.  Nieder  Korn,  S.  J.  Still  the 
Catholic  people  were  not  permitted  to  enjoy  the 
comfort  of  their  new  church  very  long,  the  building 
being  totally  destroyed  by  fire  in  May,  1868.  It  was 
on  a  Sunday.  A  funeral  service  had  just  been  held, 
and  when  the  people  returned  from  the  cemetery 
they  saw  at  a  distance  how  dense  clouds  of  smoke 
were  issuing  from  the  roof,  and  in  less  than  15 
minutes  from  the  time  that  smoke  was  seen  the 
whole  building  was  enveloped  in  flames  and  totally 
destroyed.  How  the  fire  originated  is  a  mystery, 
even  to  this  day. 

After  this  Rev.  J.  Dale,  a  Belgian  by  birth,  visited 
the  Catholics  of  Somonauk  and  held  services  for 
them.  He  resided  at  Leland  and  remained  nine 
months.  The  congregation  lost  no  time  to  replace 
the  old  building  by  even  a  finer  and  costlier  edifice, 
built  of  brick,  40  x  80  feet  in  dimensions. 

Just   at  the  time  when  the  walls  and  roof  of  the 


new  church  were  finished,  the  Rt.  Rev.  J.  Duggan, 
Bishop  of  Chicago,  gave  the  congregation  a  new 
pastor  of  its  own,  in  the  very  young  priest,  Rev.  C. 
J.  Huth,  who  had  just  been  ordained  two  weeks 
previous.  He  was  the  first  residentjpriestof  Somon- 
auk. He  took  charge  Feb.  14,  1869. 

He  succeeded  in  completing  a  very  fine  church 
and  purchasing  a  parochial  residence.  The  congrega- 
tion grew  larger  from  year  to  year  under  his  admin- 
istration and  numbers  now  1,000  souls.  Father 
Huth  attended,  besides  Somonauk,  the  churches  of 
Leland  and  Bristol,  and  visited  occasionally  the 
Catholics  of  Shabbona  Grove. 

He  purchased  for  the  church  three  beautiful  altars 
with  statues,  one  grand  pulpit,  costing  $325  ;  one 
beautiful  and  large  pipe  organ,  costing  $i, too  ;  a 
bell  and  tower,  costing  $850. 

Father  Huth  was  pastor  of  Somonauk  15  years 
and  three  months,  and  left  the  place  May  i,  1884, 
having  built  up  one  of  the  finest  parishes  in  this 
part  of  the  country.  He  joined  in  marriage  200 
couples,  baptized  about  800  infants,  and  buried  200 
dead. 

Father  Huth's  successor,  the  present  incumbent, 
Rev.  L.  A.  R.  Erhard,  is  a  gentleman  of  recognized 
ability,  filled  with  zeal  for  the  Church.  He  has  im- 
proved the  church  property  and  succeeded  in  win- 
ning the  good  will  of  his  people  and  of  the  public. 

SOCIETIES. 

South  Somonauk  Lodge,  No.  181,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  was 
organized  July  25,  1855,  with  T.  R.  Mack,  W.  B. 
Hough,  Isaac  Hatch,  Edward  Thomas  and  John  M. 
Goodell  as  charter  members.  The  early  records 
and  charter  of  this  lodge  were  destroyed.  In  1875  it 
began  working  as  a  German  lodge,  continuing  as  such 
till  the  present  time.  It  has  a  membership  of  20. 
The  officers  in  the  spring  of  1885  were  Jacob  Spach, 
N.  G. ;  Ernest  Steuping,  V.  G. ;  A.  Rumple,  Sec. ;  A. 
Meyers,  Treas. ;  John  Betz,  Deputy  and  Representa- 
tive to  Grand  Lodge. 

Somonauk  Encampment,  No.  62,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  was 
chartered  Oct.  9,  1866,  with  George  Shafman, 
Robert  Fish,  Moses  West,  Fred.  Schwanz,  S.  J. 
Girodat,  A.  J.  Wright  and  Geo.  W.  Wolverton  as 
charter  members.  The  Encampment  is  in  a  pros- 
perous condition,  with  a  membership  of  44.  Its 
present  officers  are  E.  Suppes,  C.  P. ;  E.  Graf,  H.  P. 
J.  F.  Poplin,  S.  W. ;  S.  'E.  Beelman,  J.  W. ;  G.  W. 

>^g^ Hl^*f( 


5 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


T 

t 


Beelman,  G. ;  Henry  Banzet,  S. ;  G.  W.  Beelman, 
Deputy  and  Representative  to  Grand  Encampment. 
Rising  Sun  Lodge,  No.  634,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  was 
organized  Oct.  10,  1877,  with  the  following  officers  : 
S.  E.  Beelman,  N.  G. ;  J.  J.  Murphy,  V.  G. ;  A.  E. 
Ames,  Sec. ;  C.  Rohrer,  Treas.  There  has  been  an 
enrollment  of  55,  with  the  present  membership  of 

48.  The  present  officers  are  J.  F.  Poplin,  N.  G. ;  A. 
Wingart,  V.  G. ;  G.  W.  Beelman,  Sec. ;    John  Law- 
man, P.  S. ;  C.  Suppes,  Treas. 

Home  Lodge,  No.  134,  Rebekah  Degree,  I.  O.  O. 
F.,  was  iastituted  March  27,  1884,  by  G.  W.  Beel- 
man, with  27  charter  members. 

The  sisters  in  the  Order  have  taken  hold  with  a 
will,  and  Home  Lodge  has  been  prosperous  from  the 
start.  It  now  has  a  membership  of  41,  with  the  fol- 
lowing named  officers:  G.  W.  Beelman,  N.  G.;  Miss 
Amelia  Suppes,  V.  G.;  Miss  Carrie  M.  Beelman,  Sec.; 
John  Lawman,  P.  S.;  Mrs.  Bertha  Faltz,  Treas. 

Somonauk  Lodge,  No.  646,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  was 
chartered  by  the  Grand  Lodge  in  October,  1870. 
Previous  to  receiving  the  charter  the  lodge  worked 
under  dispensation  from  March,  1870.  Death  has 
taken  two  members — R.  H.  Thomas,  N.  Mollier. 
The  lodge  has  had  a  prosperous  existence,  having 
enrolled  82  members,  with  a  present  membership  of 

49.  The  P.  M.'s  of  the  lodge  are  Wm.  M.  Potter, 
Geo.  S.  Robbins,  J.  S.  Poplin,  H.  W.  Burchim.     The 
present  officers  are  P.  H.  Evans,  W.  M.;  S.  Town- 
send,  S.   W.;    H.   F.  Hess,  J.  W.;  C.   Banzet  Sec.; 
D.  E.  Wright,  Treas. 

Somonauk  Lodge,  No.  33,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  was  organ- 
ized December  14,  1876.  Its  first  officers  and  mem- 
bers were  Mr.  Griffith,  P.  M.  W.;  F.  J.  Girodat,  M. 
W.;  I.  Mooring,  Foreman:  T.  Boos,  Recorder;  T.  G. 
Hanson,  Fin.;  P.  H.  Thomas,  Receiver.  The  lodge 
has  a  present  membership  of  32.  It  has  lost  one  by 
death — P.  H.  Thomas.  Its  present  officers  are  James 
Connelly,  M.  W.;  G.  W.  Newton,  Foreman;  Joe. 
Holl week,  Overseer;  S.  Townsend,  Recorder;  F.  J. 
Girodat,  Financier  and  Receiver  ;  S.  Townsend,  Rep- 
resentative to  Grand  Lodge. 

The  Illinois  Catholic  Order  of  Foresters,  a  benevo- 
lent society,  has  also  been  inaugurated  May  26th, 
The  court  was  organized  by  the  High  Chief 
Ranger  as  St.  John  the  Baptist  Court,  No.  17. 

<§£<§&*. *»^ 9-' 


SYCAMORE    TOWNSHIP. 

HIS  is  an  excellent  township,  being  well 
supplied  with  timber  'and  prairie,  and 
watered  by  the  Kishwaukee  River.  The 
Sycamore  Branch  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwest- 
ern is  the  only  railroad  within  its  borders.  The 
country  is  quite  flat — even  along  the  river  banks 
there  are  no  steep  bluffs.  The  soil  is  a  rich  black 
loam,  and  highly  productive.  Lands  here  are  valued 
from  $50  to  $75  per  acre,  according  to  improvement. 

Lysander  Darling,  and  Dr.  Norbo,  a  Norwegian, 
for  whom  Norwegian  Grove  is  named,  were  doubtless 
the  first  settlers  here,  although  Mr.  Chartres,  a 
Frenchman,  came  about  the  same  time.  This  was 
in  the  spring  or  summer  of  1835.  Peter  Lamois  also 
settled  here  the  same  year,  and  it  is  claimed  for  him 
that  he  broke  the  first  ground  and  raised  the  first 
crop.  These  pioneers  were  followed  by  Elihu  Wright, 
J.  C.  Kellogg,  E.  F.  White  and  Zachariah  Wood, 
who  came  in  1836. 

During  this  year  the  New  York  Company,  com- 
posed of  Christian  Sharer,  Evans  Wharry,  Clark 
Wright  and  Mark  Daniels,  under  the  firm  name  of 
C.  Sharer  &  Co.,  located  a  large  tract  of  land  with 
the  intention  of  locating  a  town.  They  laid  out  a  vil- 
lage plat  north  of  the  creek,  dammed  the  Kishwaukee 
River,  built  a  mill  and  made  other  preparations  for 
effecting  a  large  settlement.  Eli  G.  Jewell  opened  a 
small  store,  and  George  Wilson  began  to  do  a  little 
blacksmith  work.  Mr.  Crawford,  some  time  in  1837, 
opened  a  cabinet  shop  a  little  north  of  Jewell's  store, 
and  for  a  time  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  tables 
and  chairs,  supplying  the  greater  number  of  the  early 
settlers  with  these  useful  articles. 

When  the  New  York  Company  began  operations 
times  were  flush,  and  everybody  had  money,  such  as 
it  was.  But  the  hard  times  of  1837  set  in,  so  well 
remembered  by  old  settlers,  and,  notwithstanding 
they  had  expended  a  large  sum  of  money,  the  com- 
pany abandoned  its  claim,  and  one  more  embryo  vil- 
lage was  numbered  with  the  past. 

The  first  settlers  of  the  township  were  from  the 
East,  mostly  from  the  Green  Mountain  State,  and; 
like  all  New  Englanders,  the  first  thing  to  bethought 
of,  after  becoming  settled,  was  to  look  after  the  edu- 
cational interests  of  the  coming  generation.  There- 
fore, early  in  1837,  the  few  neighbors  then  here  met 
.A  /-> 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


together  and  erected  a  log  school-house  about  four 
miles  north  of  the  present  city  of  Sycamore,  and  in 
the  summer  of  that  year  Mary  Wood  taught  a  term 
of  school.  She  was  followed  by  J.  C.  Kellogg,  who 
taught  the  winter  term.  To  Miss  Wood  belongs  the 
honor  of  being  the  first  teacher  in  the  township  of 
Sycamore. 

The  County  Superintendent,  in  his  report  for  the 
year  ending  June  30,  1884,  gives  the  following  in- 
formation in  relation  to  the  schools  of  the  township: 
There  were  ten  school  districts,  three  graded  and 
nine  ungraded  schools.  The  school  property  was 
valued  at  $29,384.  In  the  ten  districts  were  five 
brick  and  seven  frame  school  houses.  Of  persons 
under  21  years  of  age  there  were  1,843,  °f  whom 
i  ,2 1 3  were  of  school  age,  971  being  enrolled.  The 
average  wages  paid  teachers  was  $37.37  per  month, 
the  highest  being  $140,  and  the  lowest  $25.  The  tax 
levy  was  $11,275. 

It  has  been  said  that  the  first  thing  thought  of  by 
pioneers  from  the  East  was  the  educational  interests 
of  their  children.  This  should  be  amended  by  say- 
ing, after  the  moral  welfare  of  the  community  had 
been  attended  to.  After  becoming  settled  Mr.  White 
and  Mr.  Daniels  at  once  began  to  look  for  some  one 
to  hold  religious  services.  Levi  Lee,  a  minister  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  was  induced  to 
make  an  appointment,  and  in  May,  1836,  preached 
the  first  sermon  in  the  township.  A  class  was  soon 
afterwards  organized. 

Caroline,  daughter  of  Edward  F.  and  Mary  White, 
was  born  Aug.  i,  r836.  She  is  said  to  have  been  the 
first  white  birth  in  the  township,  though  some  assert 
a  child  was  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Elihu  Wright,  prior 
to  this  time.  The  child  was  born  in  a  wagon.  An- 
other early  birth  was  that  of  Emily  Jane  Kellogg, 
who  was  born  Jan.  28,  1837. 

The  first  male  child  born  was  James  W.,  son  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  L.  D.  Walrod,  in  1838. 

The  first  marriage  now  remembered  was  that  of 
Daniel  W.  Lamb  and  Julia  Maxfield,  March  16, 1838. 
Eli  G.  Jewell,  J.  P.,  performed  the  ceremony. 

The  second  marriage  was  that  of  Erastus  Barnes 
and  Elizabeth  Barnes,  Sept.  30,  1838,  by  Eli  G. 
Jewell,  J.  P. 

The  third  was  Decatur  Eastabrooks  and  Mary 
Wood,  Jan.  3,  1839. 

The  first  4th-of-July  celebration  in  the  county,  as 
**@PZ £ 


well  as  the  township,  was  at  the  house  of  Ephraim 
Hall,  in  1837.  Jesse  C.  Kellogg  read  the  Declara- 
tion of  Independence  and  Levi  Lee  delivered  the 
oration. 

Death  came  among  the  little  band  of  pioneers,  and 
on  the  29th  of  May,  1837,  Lorinda  (Wood)  French 
breathed  her  last.  She  was  buried  near  the  family 
residence,  but  her  body  has  since  been  removed  to 
the  Sycamore  Cemetery. 

The  pioneers  of  this  township  experienced  much 
difficulty  in  having  their  grain  ground.  The  first  mill- 
ing remembered  by  Thomas  H.  Wood  was  in  the 
fall  of  1837.  His  father,  Zachariah  Wood,  and  a  few 
others,  clubbed  together  and  hired  a  man  named 
Graves  to  take  some  wheat  to  Joliet  to  be  ground. 
After  performing  his  duty,  Mr.  Graves  provided  him- 
self with  a  liquid  stronger  than  water  and  relumed 
to  the  settlement  without  wagon  or  flour,  but  glori- 
ously drunk.  Several  men  started  to  Joliet  to  see 
what  had  become  of  the  team.  It  was  found  some 
miles  away  in  a  slough,  where  it  had  been  left  by  the 
"  inebriated  "  man. 

From  the  abstract  of  assessments  in  the  office  of 
the  County  Clerk,  the  following  facts  are  gleaned : 
In  1884  there  were  in  this  township  21,130  acres  of 
improved  land,  valued  at  $338,595,  an  average  of 
$16.02  an  acre.  With  the  exception  of  Somonauk, 
the  average  value  was  above  that  of  any  other  town- 
ship. The  town  lots  were  valued  at  $366,861 ;  per- 
sonal property,  $347,109.  A  total  amount  of  $1,052,- 
565,  which  was  reduced  by  the  State  Board  of  Equal- 
ization to  $919,285.  Among  the  items  of  personal 
property  assessed  that  year  were  the  following: 
Horses,  1,037:  cattle,  2,702;  mules  and  asses,  2; 
sheep,  969;  hogs,  2,028;  steam  engines,  12;  safes, 
30;  billiard  tables,  10;  carriages  and  wagons,  616; 
watches  and  clocks,  822,  sewing  and  knitting  ma- 
chines, 478  ;  pianos,  86;  melodeons  and  organs,  127. 
De  Kalb  Township  alone  exceeded  Sycamore  in  the 
number  of  horses.  In  carriages  and  wagons,  watches 
and  clocks,  sewing  and  knitting  machines,  and  in 
pianos,  Sycamore  leads  every  other  township  in  the 
county. 

On  the  organization  of  the  township  James  Har- 
rington was  elected  to  serve  as  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Supervisors.  He  was  succeeded  in  1856 
by  E.  L.  Mayo,  who  served  one  year,  when  D.  B. 
James  was  elected.  He  was  succeeded  by  James 

-ft@S*@>  • 


DE  KALB  COUNTY 


Harrington  in  1859,  who  served  three  years.  Ros- 
well  Dow  was  first  elected  in  1862,  and  was  twice 
re-elected.  Samuel  Alden  was  his  successor  in  1865. 
He  served  two  years,  when  Henry  Wood  was  elected, 
and  served  one  year.  N.  L.  Cottrell  was  the  mem- 
ber for  1868,  Henry  Wood  in  1869,  and  John  G. 
Smith  in  1870-1;  E.  B.  Shurtleff,  1872-3;  Na- 
than Lattin,  1874-7;  Marshall  Stark,  1878-80; 
William  W.  Marsh,  assistant,  1881  :  Henry  C.  Whit- 
temore,  1882-4;  Byron  F.  Wyman,  assistant,  1883-4. 


VICTOR  TOWNSHIP. 

HIS  township  lies  upon  the  south  line  of  the 
county,  being  bounded  on  the  south  by  La 
Salle  County,  on  the  east  by  Somonauk 
Township,  on  the  north  by  Clinton,  and  on  the 
west  by  Paw  Paw.  The  land  is  exclusively 
prairie,  rich  and  productive. 
Among  the  first  settlers  were  Jeremiah  Mulford, 
W.  H.  Keene,  Aruna  Beckwith,  James  Green,  New- 
ton Stearns,  Peleg  Sweet,  Jerome  Baxter,  George  N. 
Stratton,  Simon  Suydam,  H.  C.  Beard  and  W.  R. 
Prescott.  In  1847  and  1848  some  of  the  land  of  this 
township  was  taken  up,  and  during  the  next  five 
years  all  was  entered.  In  1851,  on  the  completion 
of  the  C.  B.  &  Q.  R.  R.  south  of  the  township,  a 
large  number  of  people  came  in,  and  soon  all  of  the 
rich  prairie  was  filled  with  a  thrifty  and  industrious 
people.  Many  Germans  and  Irish  were  among  the 
number,  and  also  quite  a  colony  of  Norwegians. 

Victor  is  exclusively  an  agricultural  township, 
having  no  village  within  its  borders.  Its  people  trade 
in  the  village  of  Leland,  upon  the  south,  and  Somo- 
nauk, upon  the  southeast.  Van  Buren  and  Victor 
Center  postoffices  were  established  in  an  early  day. 
The  first  school-house  is  said  to  have  been  built 


in  1850,  by  Newton  Stearns,  on  section  8.  In  1855 
the  school  section  was  sold.  From  the  report  of  the 
County  Superintendent  of  Schools  for  the  year  end- 
ing June  30,  1884,  are  gleaned  the  following  interest- 
ing facts :  There  were  380  persons  under  2 1  years  of 
age,  of  whom  275  were  over  six  years  of  age.  Each 
of  the  districts  had  a  frame  school-house,  the  total 
value  of  which  was  $3,750.  School  had  been  held 
in  each  district,  with  a  total  enrollment  of  240. 
Seven  male  and  eight  female  teachers  had  been  em- 
ployed, the  highest  monthly  wages  paid  any  being 
$50,  and  the  lowest  $23.  The  tax  levy  was  $2,055. 

Boies  says:  "This  township  gave  103  soldiers  to 
the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  and  taxed  itself  $10,858 
for  war  purposes.  Those  who  lost  their  lives  in  the 
service  were  Ferdinand  Vanderveer,  who  died  at 
Louisville,  Ky.,  March  30,  1865;  E.  T.  Pierce,  at 
Alexandria,  Ya..  April  23,  1861;  C.  T;  Bond,  at 
Pittsburg,  Pa.,  March  17,  1865;  C.  R.  Suydam,  at 
Alexandria,  Va.,  Jan.  26,  1862." 

Victor  township  was  organized  in  1853.  Previously 
it  had  been,  with  Clinton  and  part  of  Afton,  in  one 
civil  township. 

In  1884  the  assessor  reported  20,913  acres  of  im- 
proved land,  valued  at  $295,594;  personal  property, 
$55,128;  total,  $35  0,7  22.  The  State  Board  of  Equal- 
ization reduced  the  total  amount  to  $309,319.  Among 
the  items  of  personal  property  listed  were  the  follow- 
ing: Horses,  678  ;  cattle,  2,151;  mules  and  asses, 
21  ;  sheep,  186;  hogs,  2,864;  carriages  and  wagons, 
158;  watches  and  clocks,  119;  sewing  and  knitting 
machines,  40;  melodeons  and  organs,  28. 
SUPERVISORS. 

The  following  named  have  served  the  township  as 
members  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  : 

Benjamin   Darland ,854  William  B.  Prescott ,867-69 

iamuel  Lord ,855-57  Job  n^C.^Beyeridge 1870 


Lon 

:  N.: 

Beard . 


.ar 


"^wSn"" 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


: 

, 


HIS  is  one  of  the. most  attractive  cities  in 
Northern  Illinois.  With  its  wide  streets, 
handsome  residences  and  churches,  the 
architectural  beauty  of  which  is  indeed  com- 
mendable, it  makes  a  place  in  which  one  might 
well  desire  to  live  and  enjoy  the  comforts  of  a 
home.  Surrounded  by  an  excellent  agricultural 
country,  within  a  short  distance  of  the  great  metrop- 
olis of  the  West,  and  having  a  thrifty  and  enterpris- 
ing population,  what  more  could  there  be  desired  ? 

Almost  a  half  century  has  passed  away  since  Cap- 
tain Eli  Barnes  erected  the  first  house  upon  the  site 
of  the  present  city.  The  historian  cannot  describe 
this  building  as  of  the  usual  pattern — "  an  unpreten- 
tious log-cabin  " — for  it  was  not,  but  a  large  two- 
story  frame  building,  still  in  a  good  state  of  preserva- 
tion, and  which  has  been  used  from  the  beginning  to 
the  present  time  for  hotel  purposes.  It  stands  upon 
the  southeast  corner  of  the  Court-House  square,  and 
is  truly  an  old  landmark,  worthy  of  veneration.  It 
was  thought  by  the  people  then  living  in  the  county 
a  great  waste  of  money  for  the  Captain  to  erect  such 
a  large  building ;  but  it  was  well  for  the  future  of 
Sycamore  that  it  was  done,  for  it  doubtless  was  the 
means  of  obtaining  and  retaining  the  county  seat. 

Previous  to  the  erection  of  this  building  by  Capt. 
Barnes,  an  attempt  had  been  made  by  a  company 
from  New  York  to  locate  a  village  north  of  the  pres- 
ent site.  This  was  in  1836,  when  wild-cat  money 
was  in  abundance  and  when  towns  were  springing 
up  like  mushrooms  all  over  the  West.  When  the 
bubble  burst,  when  it  was  found  that  it  required  a 
pocket  full  of  such  money  as  was  then  in  existence 
:o  buy  a  meal  of  victuals,  the  New  York  company  not- 
withstanding it  had  expended  a  large  sum  of  money 

^^ 9- 


in  improvements,  abandoned  its  claim,  and  old  Syca- 
more was  no  more. 

Although  Capt.  Barnes  erected  the  first  house  on 
the  present  site  of  the  city,  there  was  yet  another 
here  at  the  time  of  its  erection.  A  small  frame  house 
had  been  moved  from  the  Hamlin  farm  and  was  oc- 
cupied by  Dr.  Basset^  the  first  physician  in  the 
place.  This  house  stood  until  1855  where  D.  B. 
James  subsequently  built  a  handsome  residence,  and 
was  then  burned  down,  on  suspicion  that  it  had  been 
used  for  the  sale  of  liquors. 

The  village  slowly  improved  for  some  years.  "  In 
1840,"  says  Boies,  in  his  History  of  De  Kalb  County, 
"  the  dreary  little  village  consisted  of  a  dozen  houses, 
scattered  over  considerable  land,  but  without  fences, 
and  with  but  one  well." 

As  times  became  better;  and  the  county-seat  con- 
tests were  in  a  measure  settled  in  favor  of  Sycamore, 
the  growth  of  the  village  was  more  marked.  In 
1848  the  population  was  262;  in  1849  it  was  320; 
in  1850  it  had  further  increased  to  390;  and  in  1851 
it  had  435.  In  1855  there  were  in  the  place  six  dry- 
goods  stores,  two  hardware  stores,  two  cabinet-ware 
rooms,  one  drug  store,  four  grocery  and  provision 
stores,  two  saloons,  three  taverns,  one  banking  and 
exchange  office,  two  wagon  shops,  one  livery  stable, 
two  harness  shops,  two  tin  shops,  one  jewelry  store, 
three  shoe  shops,  four  blacksmith  shops,  one  shingle 
manufactory,  one  tailor  shop,  one  meat  market,  one 
cooper  shop,  seven  lawyers,  four  physicians,  ten  car- 
penters, four  painters,  three  circulating  libraries,  three 
churches,  and  one  steam  saw-mill. 

From  1855  to  the  present  time,  the  growth  of 
Sycamore  has  been  a  steady  one.  There  is  nothing 


KALB   COUNTY. 


of  the  mushroom  about  the  place.  In  population  and 
in  wealth  its  growth  has  been  slow  but  sure. 

The  original  plat  of  Sycamore  comprised  24  whole 
and  six  half  blocks.  The  village  was  surveyed  and 
platted  by  Capt.  Eli  Barnes,  County  Surveyor,  in 
May,  1839,  and  immediately  placed  upon  record. 
To  the  original  plat  many  additions  have  since  been 
made,  the  village  of  Sycamore  assuming  city  propor- 
tions. There  is  one  thing  the  present  generation 
have  cause  to  be  thankful  for,  and  to  which  just 

j  praise  should  be  awarded  the  projectors  of  the  town, 
and  that  is,  the  wide  streets.  Few  cities  can  boast  of 
such  wide  and  beautiful  streets,  now  adorned  with 

'  beautiful  shade  trees,  which  add  a  charm  to  this 
lovely  place. 

INCORPORATION. 

In    1858,  Sycamore  was  incorporated    under  the 
general  act  as  a  village.     In   1859  a  special  charter 
was  secured  from  the  Legislature,  the  act  being  ap- 
proved Feb.  2r,  1859.     The  provisions  of  the  special 
/3s    charter    was    thought   to  be   more  acceptable   than 
=   those  of  the  general  act,  and  better  adapted  to  the 

§  welfare  and  growth  of  the  village. 
The  first  election  held  under  the  special  charter 
f\-  was  held  March  14,  1859,  and  all  other  elections 
were  ordered  held  on  the  second  Monday  in  March 
of  each  year.  At  the  first  election  the  following 
named  were  elected  members  of  the  Board  of  Trus- 
tees :  Edward  L.  Mayo,  H.  F.  Page,  George 
Weeden,  W.  H.  Stebbins,  C.  B.  Beckwith.  Tyler  K. 
Waite  was  elected  Justice  of  the  Peace ;  Daniel 
Pierce,  Assessor;  H.  A.  Joslyn,  Constable. 

The  first  meeting' of  the  Board  was  held  March 
19.  E.  L.  Mayo  was  elected  President  of  the  Board 
and  David  Farnsworth,  Clerk  pro  tem.  This  was  all 
the  business  transacted.  On  the  4th  of  April  Mr. 
Farnsworth  was  elected  Clerk  for  the  year. 

For  ten  years  the  village  government,  under  its 
special  charter,  existed,  when  it  was  thought  advis- 
able, by  the  people,  to  organize  under  a  civil  govern- 
ment. A  special  charter  was  secured,  approved  by 
the  Governor  March  4,  1869.  The  city  was  divided 
in  four  wards,  and  under  the  charter  its  first  election 
was  held  March  15,  1869,  at  which  time  the  follow- 
ing officers  were  elected  :  Reuben  Ellwood,  Mayor; 
Tyler  K.  Waite,  Justice  of  the  Peace;  Aldermen — 
ist  Ward,  C.  T.  Stuart,  C.  O.  Boynton;  zd  Ward,  R. 
L.  Divine,  J.  W.  Hunter;  3d  Ward,  Charles  Brown, 


J.  H.  Rogers;  4th  Ward,  Alonzo  Ellwood,  G.  S. 
Robinson.  These  were  all  representative  men  in  the 
fullest  sense. 

The  first  meeting  of  the  Council  was  held  the 
evening  of  election.  W.  R.  Thomas  was  elected 
Clerk;  G.  S.  Robinson,  City  Attorney; 'Samuel  B. 
Middleton,  Marshal.  At  its  second  meeting,  after 
the  appointment  of  committees,  R.  J.  Holcomb  was 
appointed  Constable  and  Collector ;  S.  B.  Middleton, 
Fire  Warden,  R.  L.  Divine,  Treasurer.  This  com- 
pleted the  organization  of  the  new  city  government. 
At  the  first  election  there  were  385  votes  cast. 

The  affairs  of  the  city  have  generally  been  man- 
aged in  a  satisfactory  way,  and  few  cities,  for  the 
money  expended,  can  exhibit  a  better  record. 

The  following  is  a  complete  list  of  city  officers  from 
its  organization : 

MAYORS. 

Elc 
Reuben   Ellwood 

Moses  Dean 

Richard  A.  Smitl 
Richard  A.  Smith 
John  B.  Hark 


Elected 

:.::::".:::::SS 

TohnB 
Richan 

E&S::::. 

Elected 
'873 

l87S 

h..  '.....'.'. 

.1871 

Nathan 

Lattin  

1877 

i  

Nathan 
Charles 

L?ttin  
1  .  Stuart  

•:::•:& 

Vacancy. 

.1872 

y  Ellwood  

....,883 

W.  R.  Thomas 

W.   R.  Thomas 

Cassius  M.  Conrad, 

elected  to  fill  vaca 
JohnS.  Harroun 

Edward  Cr1!tr0.Uni 


Richard  L.  Divii 
John  L.  Piatt... 
A.  C.  Colton.... 
A.  C. Colton.... 
A.  C.  Colton.... 
A.C.  Colton 


George  S.  Robinsoi 
George  S.  Robinso. 

JohnL.  Pratt 

Oliv.-r   |.  Bailey... 

A.  S.  Babcock 

JohnL.  Pratt 


CITY    CLERKS. 

....,?69 


:::£ 
:::$ 


Cornelius 1875 

Hix,  to  fill  vacancy. .1875 
K.Jones y..,876 


CITY   TREASURERS. 


George  B.  Morr 
Charles  E.  Hyd< 
Warren  F.  Peter- 


.  ,    i .  i 
.1870 


Charles  Kellum 

Charles  Ki'llmn 

wSCA'Ke°num:: 


POLICE   MAGISTRATES. 

1870    I     Frank  W.  Smith.. 

1874          Aaron  C.  Allen... 

1878     |     William  Tasker.. 

ALDERMEN FIRST    WARD. 


Charles  T.   Stuart... 
Charles  U.  Boynton. 

X.S.    Dorwin 

Oliver  I.  Bailey 

A.C.   Colton..    .... 

Fr.uik  Smith 

Uonw  Kllwood 


woo 
E.  Knight 

llwm,,!. 


Charles  E.  Kn 
A. J. Driver.. 
Alonzo  F.llwoi 
A.  J.  Driver. 


ALDERMEN SECOND  WARD. 

Elected 


Ki.  h.n-,1  I,.  Divine. 

J.  W.   Hunter 

Norm;.,,  C.    Warr.-n 

Jesse  Alden 

"H.,r;,ti..    II.  Ma-on. 

Ie>si-  Alden 

GeorSe  W.  Neshitt. 

W.fc.:::- 

JolmSyme 


ALDERMEN — THIRD   WARD. 


J.  H.  Rogers 

Charles  Brown 

Georae  P.  Wild 

Natham  I.attin 

w'^v'SaTh1''"?0"' 

&'&£.':::• 


Alonzo  Ellwood 

Alon'/o  Eilwood.... '..'.'.'. 

John  B.Harkness 

Frank  W.  Smith 

William  Graham 

A.  E.  Hix 


; 


, 


*> 


George   K.  Hibbard 1879 

John  B    Whalen ,880 

George    Knipp 1881 

[ohn  B.    Whalen j88z 

William  M.  Byers 1883 

Mini1..  Whalen i88j 


Paine... 

Stark.... 
Burke... 


ALDERMEN FOURTH    WARD. 


Willliam  Graham 
Chris.  Ohlmacher 
William  Graham. 


A.  Strober 
SUPERVISORS. 


The  following  named  have  served  the  village  and 
city  as  members  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors: 

L.  Lowell 1866 

C.  O.  Boynton ,867-68 

Reuben  Ellwood 1869 


E.  L.  Mayo 
C.  M.  Brow 
A.  Ellwood 
C.  O.  Boynt 
A.  Ellwood 
C.  Kellum. 


Richard  A.  Smith.... 


The  city  marshal  in  1884  was  N.  R.  Harrington. 
Saloon  licenses  were  fixed  in  that  year  at  $600,  and 
druggists'  permits  at  $25  per  year. 

COMMERCIAL    INTERESTS. 

The  first  merchants  in  Sycamore  were  John  C.  and 
Charles  Waterman,  who  commenced  business  in 
1839.  Their  stock- was  small,  but  suitable  to  the 
wants  of  the  infant  settlement.  As  the  county  in- 
creased in  population  and  in  wealth,  other  merchants 
began  business,  the  Watermans  increased  their 
stock,  and  in  due  time  almost  every  class  of  trade 
was  represented. 

POSTOFFICE. 

This  office  was  established  in  1837,  with  Mark 
Daniels  as  postmaster.  For  that  year  the  income  of 
the  office  was  $16.88.  Mr.  Daniels  was  succeeded  by 
John  R.  Hamlin  in  1841.  The  receipts  of  the  office 
now  amounted  to  $59.  Jesse  C.  Kellogg,  well-known 
to  all  the  old  settlers,  came  next.  He  served  four 
years  and  was  succeeded  by  Z.  B.  Mayo,  the  laywer. 


J.  C.  Waterman  was  next  in  order.  Then  came 
William  P.  Dutton,  who  gave  way  to  Mr.  Moore. 
Chauncey  Ellwood,  J.  W.  Burst,  D.  B.  James  and  H. 
L.  Boies,  each  had  it  one  term.  In  1878  C.  F.  Mar- 
tin was  appointed,  and  was  re-appointed  in  1882.  He 
makes  a  very  popular  and  efficient  postmaster.  His 
assistant,  Mr.  Joslyn,  is  also  quite  popular.  The 
duties  of  the  office  could  not  be  better  attended  to 
than  by  Mr.  Martin  and  Mr.  Joslyn.  A  money  order 
department  was  established  in  July,  1865. 
HOTELS. 

The  first  house  erected  in  Sycamore,  as  stated, 
was  for  hotel  purposes,  and  yet  stands  on  the  south- 
east corner  of  the  public  square,  and  is  yet  in  a  good 
state  of  preservation,  and  still  used  as  a  hotel.  That 
house  has  sheltered  some  of  the  greatest  men  of  the 
State,  among  whom  may  be  mentioned  Gov.  Ford,  T. 
Lyle  Dickey,  Judge  Caton,  as  well  as  a  host  of  others. 
If  the  scenes  that  have  transpired  therein,  and  the 
stories  that  have  been  told,  could  be  written  up, 
what  a  volume  it  would  make! 

The  Ward  House  is  now  the  most  pretentious 
house  in  the  place.  It  is  a  large,  three-story  brick, 
with  accommodations  for  75  guests.  H.  A.  Ward  is 
the  present  proprietor. 

EDUCATIONAL. 

The  first  school  of  which  there  is  any  record  was 
taught  in  the  old  court-house,  in  1840,  by  Dr.  Bell. 
In  the  winter  of  1841-2,  also  in  the  winter  of  1842-3, 
Edward  L.  Mayo,  Esq.,  taught  the  school  in  the 
court-house.  Mr.  Mayo  was  afterwards  a  promi- 
nent lawyer  at  the  De  Kalb  County  Bar,  also  County 
Judge.  In  the  winter  of  1 843-4,  Sheldon  Crossett 
taught  in  the  court-house,  and  also  in  the  summer  of 
1844.  In  the  winter  of  1844-5,  William  J.  Hunt 
taught  the  school  in  the  court-house.  In  the 
mer  of  1845,  Miss  Charlotte  Gates  taught  a  school 
in  a  building  which  stood  near  the  present  residence 
of  Col.  A.  W.  Lloyd,  on  Main  Street. 

In  the  winter  of  1845-6,  a  Miss  Reed  taught 
school  in  the  court-house.  In  the  following  summer 
Miss  Elizabeth  Richards,  (now  Mrs.  Henry  Wood) 
taught  school  in  a  little  house  on  the  north  road, 
about  a  mile  from  the  court-house,  near  the  resi- 
dence of  John  Carnes. 

In  the  winter  of  1846-7,  Charles  Robinson  taught 
the  school  in  Deacon  Harry  Martin's  house  on  the 
south  side  of  West  State  Street.  In  the  summer  of 


- 


• 


85  6 


DE  KALB    COUNTY. 


1847,  there  was  probably  no  school.  In  the  winter 
of  1847-8,  Mr.  Roswell  Dow  taught  the  school  in 
Deacon  Martin's  house.  Joseph  Sixbury  and  Spar- 
rock  Wellington  were  two  of  the  directors;  the  name 
of  the  third  does  not  now  appear.  Mr.  Dow  asked 
$15  per  month  to  teach  the  school.  The  directors, 
thinking  this  too  much,  offered  him  $12,  assuring 
him  that  he  would  not  have  over  30  pupils.  Mr. 
Dow  agreed  to  teach  the  school  for  $12  per  month, 
provided,  that  he  should  have  pay  in  proportion  for 
all  over  30.  School  opened.  The  number  of  scholars 
steadily  increased  until  the  roll  showed  64  names. 

It  is  not  known  whether  or  not  there  was  any 
school  in  the  summer  of  1848. 

In  the  winter  of  1848-9  there  was  no  public 
school,  but  Roswell  Dow  had  a  select  school  in  the 
court-house,  and  in  the  summer  of  1849,  Miss  Eliza- 
beth Richards  had  a  school  there,  whether  public  or 
private  is  a  matter  of  uncertainty. 

In  the  fall  of  1849  and  winter  of  1849  and  1850, 
Mr.  Dow  taught  a  select  school  in  a  building  known 
as  the  Sons  of  Temperance  Hall,  which  stood  where 
the  jail  now  stands. 

In  the  summer  of  1850,  Miss  Theresa  E.  Richards 
•(now  Mrs.  R.  Dow)  taught  the  school  in  the  Uni- 
versalist  church,  where  Arthur  Stark's  residence 
now  is.  In  the  winter  of  1850-1,  J.  A.  Simmons 
taught  the  school  in  a  house  standing  on  the  north- 
east corner  of  Main  and  Ottawa  streets.  In  the 
summer  of  1851  there  was  no  public  school  as  far  as 
is  now  known.  Mr.  Dow's  school  continued. 

In  the  winter  of  1881-2,  Ezra  W.  Robinson  taught 
the  school  in  the  south  end  of  Simon  Snyder's  black- 
smith shop,  situated  where  Wilkins'  Block  now 
stands. 

In  March,  1853,  William  S.  Harrington  taught 
the  public  school  in  an  old  drug  store  which  had 
been  occupied  by  the  firm  of  Halsey  &  Ambrose. 
The  building  may  have  been  the  old  court-house. 
After  a  few  weeks  the  school  became  so  large  that  it 
was  removed  to  "  Dow's  Academy."  In  May  follow- 
ing the  directors  hired  Miss  Amelia  Hudson,  sister 
of  Rev.  C.  F.  Hudson,  to  assist  Mr.  Harrington.  A 
recitation-room  was  fitted  up  in  the  basement  of  the 
Academy.  Thus,  the  graded  school  of  Sycamore 
took  another  step  forward.  The  school  closed  Oct. 
14,  1853- 

In  the  winter  of  1853-4,  also  in   the  summer  of 


1854,  Miss  Hannah  Dean  taught  the  school  in  the 
building  now  occupied  by  Ruel  Davis  as  a  dwelling- 
house.  It  is  also  quite  probable  that  there  was 
another  district  school  in  the  village. 

In  1853  steps  were  laken  for  the  erection  of  a 
school-house — the  first  in  the  village.  A  lot  was 
purchased  on  the  northeast  corner  of  California  and 
Exchange  Streets,  and  in  1854  a  house  was  com- 
pleted. Miss  Hannah  Dean  was  the  first  principal 
in  the  new  house. 

The  population  of  the  village  increasing,  it  was 
found  necessary  in  1859  to  erect  another  building, 
which  was  accordingly  done,  at  a  cost  of  $6,000. 
This  building  was  of  brick  and  consisted  of  four 
rooms. 

In  the  early  part  of  January,  1863,  the  school- 
house  was  burned.  The  directors  at  once  rented 
George's  Block  for  school  purposes,  and  after  an  in- 
terruption of  a  few  days,  the  schools  opened  and 
continued  through  the  school  year. 

The  building  was  erected  during  the  following 
summer  and  fall,  at  a  cost  of  $15,500.  It  was  con- 
structed of  wood.  It  has  eight  large  school-rooms, 
the  requisite  cloak-rooms,  recitation-rooms,  ap- 
paratus-room, Superintendent's  office — used  also  by 
the  School  Board  for  holding  meetings — a  large 
assembly  hall,  and  is  a  handsome  edifice.  The 
schools  were  opened  late  in  the  fall  of  1863.  The 
number  of  pupils  steadily  increased  from  year  to 
year.  In  1876  the  Board  rented  the  basement  of  the 
Methodist  church,  and  used  it  as  a  primary  school- 
room. In  1877,  a  two-room,  wooden  building  in  the 
west  part  of  the  city  was  erected,  at  a  cost  of  about 
$2,000,  Messrs.  Dunning  &  Cougle,  contractors.  The 
building  and  lot  cost  $2,500;  it  stands  on  the  west 
side  of  Cross  Street,  and  is  known  as  the  "  West 
School." 

In  the  summer  of  1880  the  Board  of  Education 
purchased  a  lot  on  the  south  side  of  East  Elm  street, 
and  proceeded  to  erect  thereon  a  two-room  school- 
house.  It  was  completed  at  a  cost  of  $4,500,  Wil- 
lard  &  McAlpine,  contractors.  This  school  is  known 
as  the  "  East  School." 

During  the  past  three  years,  the  old  furniture, 
which  was  put  in  when  the  main  building  was  fur- 
nished in  1863,  has  been  removed,  and  replaced  by 
that  which  is  new  and  elegant;  so  that  at  the  present 
time  the  furniture  in  all  the  school  buildings  is 
substantially  new  and  in  excellent  condition. 


'•- 


v 


•' 


In  accordance  with  an  act  of  the  Legislature  ap- 
proved  April    i,    1872,  the   control  of  the  schools 
was  taken  from  the  board  of  directors  and  lodged 
in  a  board  of  education,  consisting  of  six  members, 
(§j  who  hold  office  for  three  years  each. 

The  following  named  were  the  first  elected :  P.  M. 
Alden,  George  K.  Hebbard,  R.  L.  Divine,  Calvin 
Shurtleff,  Charles  Brown  and  Henry  R.  Jones. 

The  schools  of  Sycamore  have  been  thoroughly 
graded,  and  since  1875  classes  have  been  graduated 
each  year.  Since  that  time  graduates  have  been  sent 
out  from  the  high  school,  many  of  whom  are  now 
occupying  prominent  positions  before  the  public. 
Since  August,  1877,  Prof.  A.  J.  Blanchard  has 
occupied  the  office  of  Superintendent  of  Schools  of 
the  city,  and  to  him  much  of  the  credit  is  due  for 
their  efficiency.  The  following  named  comprise  the 
list  of  teachers  for  1884-5  :  Superintendent,  Prof. 
A.  J.  Blanchard;  high  school,  Agnes  I.  Love;  8th 
grade,  Claire  L.  Lattin ;  7th  grade,  Mary  H.  Alden  ; 
6th  grade,  Mary  A.  Shurtleff;  5th  grade,  Mary  F. 
Gilson;  4th  grade,  Lizzie  A.  Langhorn;  3d  grade, 
Jennie  B.  Anderson;  ad  grade,  Amy  H.  Luther;  ist 
and  2d  grade,  Estella  L.  Tifft.  In  the  East  Ward 
School  are,  3d  grade,  Ida  L.  Bannister;  ist  and  ad 
grades,  Florence  Harkness.  West  Ward  School,  3d 
grade,  Elizabeth  J.  Walker;  ist  and  2d  grades, 
)  Anna  Maxfield. 

The  Sycamore  Select  School  was  first  opened  by 
Roswell  Dow,  in  September,  1848,  in  the  old  court- 
house. The  following  year  it  was  held  in  Temper- 
ance Hall.  In  1850  Mr.  Dow  erected  a  brick 
building  for  his  school,  the  first  school  building 
erected  in  Sycamore.  It  was  on  the  corner  of  Main 
and  Ottawa  Streets.  Roswell  Dow  was  principal  of 
the  school,  with  Rev.  C.  C.  Hudson,  Pastor  of  the 
Congregational  Church,  and  Miss  Theresa  E.  Rich- 
ards, who  afterward  became  the  wife  of  the  principal. 
This  school,  while  called  by  Mr.  Dow  a  ?  select 
school,"  was  usually  called  "  Dow's  Academy." 
Philosophy,  algebra,  geometry,  chemistry,  astronomy, 
Latin  and  Greek  were  taught  in  this  school.  The 
school  was  discontinued  in  1853,  partly  on  account 
of  the  ill  health  of  the  principal  and  on  account,  of 
the  establishment  of  the  public-school  system. 
RELIGIOUS. 

There  is  no  city  of  its  size  in  the  State  of  Illinois 
that  can  boast  of  more  and  better  church  edifices 


than  Sycamore.  This  may  be  regarded  as  an 
evidence  that  the  moral  and  religious  welfare  of  the 
people  are  well  attended  to.  The  Ix>rd's  house 
should  at  least  equal  that  of  His  people. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  organized  in 
June,  1836,  by  Revs.  Mr.  Royal  and  Samuel  Pills- 
bury.  The  first  services,  however,  were  held  in  May, 
1836,  at  the  house  of  Mark  Daniels,  by  Levi  Lee. 
These  were  the  first  religious  services  in  the  town- 
ship. The  class  organized  was  also  the  first  in  all 
this  region  of  country.  The  following  named  com- 
posed the  class  :  Edward  F.  White,  leader ;  Mary 
White,  Mark  Daniels,  Mrs.  Daniels,  Peter  Walrod 
and  Mary  Walrod.  In  September,  1836,  the  first 
quarterly  meeting  was  held,  Rev.  S.  R.  Beggs  sup- 
plying the  place  of  the  presiding  elder.  At  the  an- 
nual conference  held  in  the  fall  of  1836,  Sycamore 
was  made  to  form  a  part  of  the  St.  Charles  Circuit, 
which  embraced  all  the  country  between  the  Fox 
and  Rock  Rivers  from  Somonauk  to  Rockford.  Rev. 
Wm.  Gaddis  was  assigned  to  this  circuit.  The  class 
in  Sycamore,  increasing  in  numbers  and  strength, 
determined  to  erect  a  house  of  worship ;  accordingly 
a  plain  frame  edifice  was  buit  in  1874  and  dedicated 
to  the  service  of  Almighty  God.  It  was  37  x  45  feet. 
Becoming  too  small,  in  1865  a  larger  and  better 
building  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $13,000,  which  is 
an  honor  to  the  Church  and  to  the  city.  Rev.  R.  M. 
Hatfield  preached  the  dedicatory  sermon.  Rev.  W. 
D.  Atchison  is  the  pastor.  The  Church  is  in  a  flour- 
ising  condition,  with  a  membership  of  200.  In  1874 
a  parsonage  was  built,  at  a  cost  of  $3,100.  Dr.  Nit- 
terauer  is  Superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school. 

The  First  Congregational  Church.— On  the  i  ith  of 
April,  1840,  this  Church  was  organized  in  the  old 
court-house.  The  council  called  to  assist  in  the  or- 
ganization consisted  of  Rev.  James  Mackie,  Rev. 
Ebenezer  Brown  and  Rev.  N.  Clark,  with  one  dele- 
gate from  the  Church  at  Byron.  Twelve  persons  en- 
tered into  the  organization.  The  congregation  met 
for  worship  in  the  old  court-house  and  in  the  private 
dwellings  of  some  of  its  members  until  the  erection 
of  its  first  church  edifice.  Rev.  William  Mackie 
preached  occasionally  during  1840.  In  July,  1841, 
a  Presbyterian  minister  from  New  York,  Rev.  David 
I.  Perry,  began  labor  here  and  continued  with  the 
Church  until  August,  1843.  There  were  sixteen  ad- 
ded to  the  Church  during  his  ministry.  In  the  fall  of 


1843  Rev.  E.  E.  Wells  took  the  care  of  the  Church, 
remaining  three  years.  During  his  ministry  45  were 
added  to  the  Church.  In  the  spring  of  1846  the  first 
move  was  made  towards  the  erection  of  a  house  of 
worship.  Captain  Eli  Barnes  donated  the  site  on  the 
east  side  of  the  square.  On  account  of  prevailing 
sickness  in  the  community,  but  little  was  done  till 
the  following  year,  when  the  contract  was  let  to  frame 
and  enclose  the  building.  Rev.  Oliver  W.  Norton 
was  now  pastor  of  the  Church.  He  remained  one 
year,  but  on  account  of  sickness  of  the  mechanics 
and  a  lack  of  funds  he  did  not  see  the  house  finished. 
In  September,  1848,  Rev.  C.  F.  Hudson  became  pas- 
tor, and  nine  were  added  to  the  Church,  during  his 
ministry  of  five  years.  Rev.  D.  Gore  followed  him 
in  1853  and  served  until  1860.  The  additions  in 
this  time  were  112.  Rev.  E.  J.  Allen  then  served 
three  years,  and  19  were  added.  Rev.  J.  T.  Cook 
served  two  years  with  37  additions.  Rev.  William 
Windsor  served  six  years,  with  44  additions.  Rev. 
O.  W.  Fay  served  three  years,  with  83  additions. 
Rev.  William  Gallagher  followed  for  one  year,  and 
was  succeeded  by  Rev.  T.  G.  Grassie,  and  he  by 
Dr.  Burton.  Rev.  F.  J.  Brobst  is  the  present  pastor. 
Early  in  1884  the  erection  of  a  new  and  handsome 
church  edifice  was  commenced  on  Somonauk  Street, 
which  when  completed  will  cost  about  $20,000.  The 
officers  of  theChurch  in  January,  1885,  were:  Rev. 
Flavius  J.  Brobst,  pastor;  Harry  Martin,  J.  H. 
Rogers,  Samuel  Alden,  deacons;  Daniel  Dustin, 
clerk  and  treasurer;  David  A.  Syme,  superintend- 
ent of  Sabbath-school ;  Elthom  Rogers,  assistant 
superintendent.  The  present  membership  is  178. 
Universalist  Church. — Services  were  held  as  early 
as  1845,  by  those  holding  views  of  the  Universalist 
Church,  in  the  old  court-house.  The  first  to  preach 
that  faith  here  was  probably  Rev.  Roundsville.  The 
first  who  engaged  his  services  for  any  stated  time  was 
Rev.  Van  Olstine.  He  was  engaged  for  one-fourth 
his  time  for  one  year.  Rev.  J.  M.  Day  was  also  one 
of  the  first  to  preach  this  faith.  In  1853  Rev.  D. 
J.  Carney  located  here  and  organized  the  society. 
Among  those  composing  the  organization,  were  the 
following  named,  with  their  families  :  Phineas  Joslyn, 
John  Waterman,  George  Weeden,  Curtis  Smith, 
Hosea  Willard,  H.  A.  Joslyn,  H.  H.  Gandy,  L.  F. 
Dow,  Kimball  Dow  and  George  G.  Spring.  The 
society  soon  undertook  the  erection  of  a  church  build- 
ig,  which  was  completed  in  1854,  at  a  cost  of 


$r,6oo.  At  the  time  of  building  the  following  named 
were  the  trustees  :  Curtis  Smith,  George  G.  Spring, 
George  Weeden,  N.  H.  Peck  and  Sylvanus  Holcomb. 
In  1856  a  Church' organization  was  formed.  The 
church  building  not  being  such  as  was  demanded  by 
•the  age,  it  was  disposed  of  for  a  dwelling,  and  in  1875 
a  handsome  brick  structure  was  erected,  on  State 
Street,  at  a  cost  of  $13,500.  TheChurch  and  society 
is  now  in  a  flourishing  condition,  being  out  of  debt 
and  with  a  surplus  in  the  treasury.  Among  those 
who  have  labored  for  the  society  have  been  Revs.  D. 
J.  Carney,  R.  S.  Sanborn,  A.  J.  Fishback,  B.  N. 
Wiles,  S.  F.  Gibbs,  N.  S.  Sage,  H.  V.  Chase  and  W. 
S.  Ralph.  There  are  about  100  members  of  the 
Church  and  society. 

Episcopal  Church. — In  the  summer  of  1855  Rev. 
Julius  Waterbury  visited  Sycamore  and  held  a  week- 
day service  in  the  Congregational  Church.  The 
prospect  for  an  organization  seemed  good  and,  Rt. 
Rev.  Henry  J.  Whitehouse,  being  notified,  he  resolved 
on  a  visit  to  the  place.  In  August  of  the  .same  year, 
he  came  and  also  held  service  in  the  Congregational 
church.  In  September  Rev.  Julius  Waterbury  was 
sent  to  effect  an  organization,  which  was  accom- 
plished, and  Isaac  Johnson,  of  Cortland,  was»elected 
senior  warden  and  Mr.  Glass,  of  Genoa,  junior  war- 
den. The  vestrymen  elected  were  Dr.  Page,  J.  R. 
Hamlin,  Ben  Page,  Joseph  Morse,  J.  C.  Waterman 
and  J.  S.  Waterman.  Steps  were  at  once  taken  to 
raise  funds  for  building  a  church,  and  nearly  $1,000 
was  raised  in  a  few  hours.  J.  S.  Waterman  donated 
a  lot  on  which  to  build.  The  ladies  of  the  parish 
organized  a  social  for  active  work.  In  August,  1856, 
the  corner-stone  of  the  building  was  laid,  and  in 
1857  the  building  was  completed,  and  July  i  con- 
secrated to  the  service  of  Almighty  God,  by  Bishop 
Whitehouse,  of  Illinois.  Its  cost  was  something  over 
$2,000.  Rev.  Julius  Waterbury  was  called  to  the 
rectorship  in  September,  1857,  and  served  until  Jan- 
uary, 1858,  when  he  resigned.  In  March,  1858, 
Rev.  Warren  Roberts  was  chosen  rector.  During 
this  year  the  parish  became  self-sustaining.  The 
congregations  had  increased  in  number,  a  flourishing 
Sunday-school  was  in  existence  and  a  Bible  class 
was  formed  and  taught  by  the  rector.  In  1859  the 
communicants  had  increased  from  7  to  30.  In  Feb- 
ruary, 1863,  Mr.  Roberts  resigned,  and  during  the 
summer  following  Rev.  Mr.  Cooper,  of  Chicago,  oc- 
casionally officiated.  Early  in  the  fall  of  1864,  Rev. 


.r  '••;^ 


* 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


859 


: 


S 


Mr.  Foster  was  called  to  the  rectorship.  On  account 
of  ill  health,  he  resigned  Easter,  1865.  In  June,  of 
this  year,  the  Bishop  sent  Rev.  Mr.  Hendley  to  min- 
ister to  the  parish.  In  August  following,  he  was 
called  to  the  rectorship,  but  only  served  until  March, 
1866,  when  he  resigned.  Rev.  D.  Cushman  was  at 
once  called  to  fill  the  vacancy,  accepted,  and  en- 
tered upon  his  dusties  as  rector  the  first  Sunday 
in  May.  During  this  year  the  church  building  was 
improved  and  enlarged  and  a  new  pipe  organ  pur- 
chased. On  Easter  Monday,  in  1869,  Dr.  Cushman 
resigned,  and  only  occasional  services  were  held  un- 
til October,  when  Rev.  Mr.  Hume  accepted  a  call. 
He  served  but  six  months.  In  April,  1871,  Rev.  M. 
F.  Sounson  visited  the  parish,  and  in  June  became 
rector.  Some  funds  were  raised  for  building  a  rec- 
tory and  J.  S.  Waterman  donated  a  lot  for  the  pur- 
pose. When  built  it  was  pronounced  by  the  Bishop 
the  most  finished  in  his  diocese.  In  1872  the  rector 
lost  his  wife  and  four  children  by  death.  In  1873 
Mr.  Sounson  resigned,  and  June  7,  1874,  Rev.  W. 
E.  Toll  entered  upon  his  duties  as  rector,  having 
been  called  to  the  parish.  He  served  for  seven  years, 
during  which  time  the  present  church  edifice  was 
erected,  at  a  cost  of  $17,000,  and  consecrated  by 
Bishop  W.  E.  McLaun  in  1879.  During  the  rector- 
ship 5  2  persons  were  confirmed  and  133  baptized. 
In  October,  1881,  Rev.  William  Elmer  was  called  to 
the  rectorship,  since  which  time  many  improvements 
have  been  made  in  the  interior  of  the  church.  On  the 
death  of  J.  S.  Waterman  it  was  found  that  sufficient 
property  had  been  left  by  him  on  the  death  of  his  wife 
to  partially  endow  the  parish  forever.  The  Church 
is  in  a  most  prosperous  condition,  with  a  membership 
of  70  communicants  and  an  organization  of  250. 

Baptist  Church. — A  Baptist  Church  was  organized 
in  the  township  of  Franklin  in  1852,  with  the  fol- 
lowing named  constituent  members :  A.  L.  Warner, 
Deacon ;  Andrew  Chapman,  Clerk ;  Adam  Miller, 
Jane  Miller,  Martin  Barringer,  Mary  A.  Barringer, 
Caroline  Mason,  A.  L.  Warner,  Andrew  Chapman' 
John  Bean,  Jane  Bean,  Susan  Reddell,  Hiram  Hud- 
son. Rev.  Adam  Miller  was  ordained  pastor.  In  1856 
the  Church  was  transferred  to  Sycamore.  Rev.  A.  C. 
Kingsley  was  the  first  pastor.  Until  the  completion 
of  their  house  of  worship  in  1858-9,  services  were 
held  in  the  school  and  court-house.  Among  those 
who  have  served  the  Church  as  regular  pastor  or  sup- 


ply  were,  Revs.  J.  Moxom,  W.  W.  Webb,  G.  D. 
Summers,  John  Young,  M.  E.  Arkills,  L.  L.  Gage, 
Alvah  Sabin,  S.  Cornelius,  R.  A.  Shattuck,  G.  H. 
Brown,  A.  C.  Keene,  F.  M.  Williams.  There  are 
now  105  enrolled  in  list  of  members. 

The  Evangelical  Lutheran  Salem  Church,  of  Syca- 
more, was  organized  in  1870  and  a  house  of  worship 
erected  in  1872,  on  Charles  Street.  In  1873  a  par- 
sonage was  erected  on  Somonauk  Street.  The  pas- 
tors have  been  Rev.  A.  Halt,  who  was  instrumental  in 
the  organization  of  the  Church,  Revs.  N.  Nordgren 
and  S.  G.  Larson,  the  latter  the  present  pastor.  There 
are  now  323  communicants. 

SECRET  AND  BENEVOLENT  ORGANIZATIONS. 

Masons. — The  first  lodge  of  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons  in  Sycamore  was  Blue  Lodge  No.  134, 
which  received  its  charter  Oct.  4,  1853.  Its  first 
officers  were,  Robert  Dott,  W.  M. ;  H.  H.  Rowe,  S. 
W.;  D.  B.  James,  J.  W.  This  lodge  now  has  112 
members.  Its  present  officers  are,  W.  B.  Spain,  W. 
M.;  J.  E.  Parker,  S.  W. ;  H.  T.  Lawrence,  J.  W. 
The  Masonic  Order  here  is  divided  into  three  bodies : 
First,  Blue  Lodge,  three  degrees ;  second,  the  Chap- 
ter, four  degrees ;  third,  the  Commandery,  two  orders. 
In  the  order  of  St.  John  is  Knights  Templars. 

The  Commandery  was  chartered  Oct.  24,  1865, 
and  its  present  membership  is  123.  Its  officers  are : 
A.  W.  Sawyer,  Em.  Com. ;  E.  C.  Lott,  Gen. ;  G.  B. 
Wiseman,  Cap.  Gen.;  Daniel  Dustin,  Prelate;  M.  S. 
Timmerman,  S.  W. ;  W.  B.  Spain,  J.  W. ;  Charles  T. 
Stuart,  Treas. ;  George  B.  Morris,  Rec.  Past  Com- 
manders :  A.  W.  Sawyer,  Dan'l  Dustin,  Frank  Smith, 
S.  O.  Vaughn,  G.  B.  Wiseman. 

Odd  Fellows— The  Lodge  of  I.  O.  O.  F.  was  first 
organized  in  1852.  In  1861  so  many  of  its  members 
enlisted  and  entered  the  army  it  was  obliged  to  sur- 
render its  charter.  It  was  re-organized  in  1872  and 
now  has  150  members.  Since  1852  it  has  initiated 
307  into  its  Lodge.  The  Sycamore  Lodge  has  furn- 
ished one  Grand  Master  of  the  State,  in  the  person 
of  Mr.  Alonzo  Ellwood,  who  has  also  been  Grand 
Representative  all  but  two  years  when  the  Lodge 
has  been  running.  The  present  officers  are,  A.  C. 
Sivwright,  N.  G. ;  Philip  Webber,  V.  G. ;  A.  J. 
Thompson,  R.  S. ;  E.  M.  Phelps,  P.  S.;  John  Tucker, 
Treasurer.  Its  regular  meetings  are  on  Tuesday 
nights. 

Ellwood  Encampment  has  52  members,  and  meets 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


on  the  first  and  third    Wednesdays   of  each  month. 

The  Circle,  an  order  distinct  from  the  I.  O.  O.  F., 
yet  composed  of  its  members,  has  a  membership  of 
44  and  meets  on  the  second  and  fourth  Fridays  of 
the  month. 

Potter  Post,  No.  12,  G.  A.  R.,  was  chartered  July 
14,  1874,  and  the  Post  mustered  Aug.  4,  of  the  same 
year.  The  following  named  comprised  the  first  offi- 
cers :  J.  W.  Burst,  Com. ;  H.  W.  Atwood,  S.  V.  C. ; 
G.  M.  Bell,  J.  V.  C.;  Jefferson  Stark,  O.  D.  The 
Post  was  mustered  and  officers  installed  by  Gen.  H. 
<^j>  Milliard,  Department  Commander.  The  Post,  in  the 
i  r  years  of  its  existence,  has  had  its  seasons  of  pros- 
perity and  adversity.  When  organized,  it  was  re- 
garded as  a  semi-political  organization,  and  many 
old  soldiers  therefore  held  aloof.  For  some  years  it 
hovered  between  life  and  death,  but  through  the  un- 
tiring zeal  of  Capt.  J.  W.  Burst,  it  was  kept  alive,  and 
to-day  it  is  one  of  the  strongest  posts  in  the  State, 
with  an  active  membership  of  86.  During  its  ex- 
istence it  has  mustered  152  persons.  In  1881  one 
of  its  members,  Capt.  Burst,  was  elected  Department 
Commander  of  the  State,  and  in  1882  he  was  In- 
spector General  of  the  United  States.  The  present 
officers  are,  A.  J.  Blanchard,  Com. ;  R.  C.  Brown,  S. 
V.  C.;  W.  F.  Peters,  J.  V.  C. ;  Daniel  Dustin,  Adj.; 
W.  U.  E.  Sivwright,  Q. ;  Dr.  O.  M.  Bryan,  Surg. 
The  past  commanders  are  J.  W.  Burst,  R.  A.  Smith, 
W.  H.  Allen,  William  Graham,  A.  J.  Driver  and  A. 
J.  Blanchard.  The  Post  was  named  in  honor  of  Dr. 
Horace  S.  Potter,  surgeon  of  the  icsth  regiment, 
killed  near  New  Hope  Church,  Ga. 

Insurance  Lodge,  No.  43,  I.  O.  M.  A.,  was  organ- 
_     ized  May  26,  1879,  with  27  charter  members.     The 
KR     present  membership  of  the  Lodge  is  24.  The  follow- 
ing are  the  present  officers :  C.   H.  Hoyt,  Pres. ;  J. 
N.  Brunson,  V.   P. ;  Walter  Waterman,  Treas. ;  H. 
T.  Lawrence,  Sec.     Those  who  have  held  the  posi- 
tion of  President  are,  G.  B.  Wise,  F.  W.  Lott,  H.  T. 
Lawrence,  L.  M.  Currier,  A.   L.  Draper  and  C.  H. 
Hoyt. 

Sycamore  Camp,  No.  47,  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America,  was  organized  Aug.  6,  1884,  with  25  char- 
ter members.  The  present  officers  of  the  Camp  are, 
Charles  C.  Brown,  Consul;  S.  H.  Townsend,  Ad- 
viser; C.  G.  Meeker,  Banker;  Charles  C.  Pond, 
Clerk.  The  Camp  meets  the  second  and  fourth 
Monday  evenings  each  month,  in  G.  A.  R.  Hall. 
The  present  membership  is  28. 


, 


FIRE     DEPARTMENT. 

It  was  not  until  1876  that  Sycamore  had  a  regu- 
larly organized  fire  department.  The  City  Council, 
February  17,  1876,  passed  an  ordinance  providing 
for  the  organization  of  the  department,  which  was  to 
consist  of  one  superintendent,  one  fire  marshal,  and 
two  volunteer  companies,  each  to  be  composed  of 
twenty-two  "  able-bodied  and  respectable  residents  " 
of  the  city.  Bonds  to  the  amount  of  $12,400  were 
at  once  issued,  the  proceeds  of  which  were  applied 
to  aid  the  department.  Ground  was  procured,  a  well 
sunk,  mains  were  laid,  and  other  necessary  arrange- 
ments  were  made.  A.  W.  Sawyer  was  the  first  fire 
marshal. 

The  City  Council  has  always  been  liberal  in  its  ap- 
propriations in  aid  of  the  department,  and  the  depart- 
ment has  sought  to  be  worthy  of  the  confidence  placed 
in  it.  The  fire  companies  have  always  been  com- 
posed of  good  men,  many  of  them  in  active  business. 
At  the  present  time  there  are  three  companies,  with 
the  following  named  captains:  No.  i,  John  Schnit ; 
No.  2,  Theodore  Weitzel :  No.  3,  Charles  Anderson. 
N.  R.  Harrington  is  superintendent  and  P.  K.  Jones 
marshal.  There  is  now  three-fourths  of  a  mile  of 
main,  with  ten  hydrants,  and  the  department  has 
three  hose  carriages,  1,500  feet  of  hose,  and  all  other 
necessary  appliances  for  extinguishing  fires. 

Since  its  organization  in  1876  there  have  been  sev- 
eral fires,  and  a  number  of  alarms  responded  to  by 
the  department.  Among  the  fires  have  been  the  fol- 
lowing: Levi  Hodges'  dwelling,  partly  destroyed; 
Freidman's  clothing  store,  inside  and  rear  end  of 
building  and  stock  totally  destroyed ;  S.  P.  Partridge's 
dwelling,  with  loss  of  $3,000 ;  Spain's  tailor-shop, 
partly  destroyed,  with  loss  of  stock;  Hansgrohn's 
dwelling,  with  small  loss ;  Shrader's  planing-mill, 
total  loss;  Ellwood's  warehouse,  with  loss  on  building 
of  $4,000  and  grain  $5,000.  Had  it  not  been  for  the 
efficiency  of  the  department  many  of  these  fires  would 
have  extended,  with  large  loss  to  the  property  owners. 

BANKING. 

The  first  banking  business  was  inaugurated  by 
James  S.  Waterman  in  1852.  For  some  years  he 
ran  the  business  in  connection  with  his  mercantile 
trade,  but  in  1857  he  turned  his  attention  exclusively 
to  banking,  continuing  the  same  until  1864.  About 
this  time  steps  were  taken  to  open  a  national  bank, 
but  were  soon  abandoned. 


I 


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£>E  KALB  COUNTY. 


j 


• 


Edwin  T.  Hunt  and  John  R.  Hamlin  commenced 
the  banking  business  about  1860  under  the  firm 
name  of  Hunt  &  Hamlin.  Early  in  1861  Mr.  Ham- 
lin retired  and  James  H.  Beveridge  became  a  part- 
ner, and  the  business  was  continued  under  the  firm 
name  of  E.  T.  Hunt  &  Co.  After  operating  about 
two  years  the  firm  organized  under  the  general  bank- 
ing law  as  a  bank  of  issue.  James  H.  Beveridge  was 
President ;  Wm.  J.  Hunt,  Vice-President ;  Edwin  T. 
Hunt,  Cashier.  The  bank  suspended  business  in 
1866. 

Early  in  1867  Daniel  Pierce,  Moses  Dean  and  R. 
L.  Divine  formed  a  company  under  the  firm  name  of 
Pierce,  Dean  &  Co.,  bought  the  building  aud  fixtures 
used  by  the  Bank  of  Sycamore,  and  commenced  the 
banking  business,  with  Emmett  Clements  as  cashier. 
At  the  expiration  of  four  years  Mr.  Divine  withdrew, 
and  the  business  was  continued  by  Pierce  &  Dean 
until  March,  1883,  when  Mr.  Dean  withdrew,  the 
business  being  transferred  to  Daniel  Pierce  &  Co. 
The  bank  has  always  been  regarded  as  a  substantial 
one,  each  of  the  partners  being  wealthy,  and  person- 
ally responsible  for  all  of  the  liabilities  of  the  con- 
cern. 

On  withdrawing  from  the  firm  of  Pierce,  Dean  & 
Co.,  R.  L.  Divine  immediately  formed  a  partnership 
with  C.  O.  Boynton,  and  under  the  firm  name  of 
Divine  &  Boynton  opened  another  banking  house, 
erecting  the  building  now  used  by  the  Sycamore 
National  Bank  for  that  purpose.  Mr.  Boynton  some 
time  afterwards  withdrawing,  the  business  was  con- 
tinued by  R.  L.  Divine  &  Co.  till  his  death  in  1883. 

The  Sycamore  National  Bank  was  organized  in 
1871,  its  charter  bearing  date  November  n  of  that 
year.  The  capital  stock  was  $50,000.  J.  S.  Water- 
man was  elected  President,  H.  H.  Mason  Vice-Pres- 
ident and  P.  M.  Alden  Cashier.  The  first  Directors 
were  J.  S.  Waterman,  H.  H.  Mason,  C.  W.  Marsh, 
C.  H.  Cowper  and  P.  M.  Alden.  Mr.  Waterman  con- 
tinued to  act  as  President  until  his  death  in  July, 
1883,  when  E.  F.  Dutton  was  elected,  and  continues 
to  serve  as  such.  Mr.  Alden  has  been  the  only 
cashier.  Its  present  directors  are  E.  F.  Dutton,  P. 
M.  Alden,  I.  N.  Perry,  J.  P.  Van  Voorhis  and  Albert 
Sawyer.  The  business  was  conducted  in  the  Water- 
man Block  until  January  i,  1884,  when  the  bank  was 
removed  to  its  present  location,  the  building  formerly 
used  by  R.  L.  Divine  &  Co.  The  bank  has  had  a 

/^yVpr-TN/a  >m»j5BgX.«^'  /-\ 

.     Vxv    ' .  " 


very  successful  career,  and,  in  addition  to  being  a 
safe  depository,  has  been  profitable  to  its  stock- 
holders. At  present  there  is  $33,000  surplus  and 
undivided  profits. 

MANUFACTURING  INTERESTS. 

Marsh  Binder  Manufacturing  Company. — Syca- 
more has  long  been  noted  for  its  manufactories,  and 
among  those  none  have  a  wider  reputation  than  that 
of  the  Marsh  Binder  Manufacturing  Company, 
originally  the,  Marsh  Harvester  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany. Aug.  17,  1858,  while  residing  as  farmers  in 
Shabbona  Township,  C.  W.  and  W.  W.  Marsh  ob- 
tained a  patent  for  an  entirely  new  method  of  har- 
vesting by  machinery.  Their  first  machine  was 
substantially  the  same  as  all  harvesters  made  to  this 
day.  From  the  time  the  Marsh  Brothers  built  their 
first  machine  in  1858  to  1871,  no  other  harvester  was 
put  upon  the  market,  but  thousands  of  their  ma- 
chines were  manufactured  and  sold  by  them  and 
their  associates,  beginning  in  a  small  way  in  a  little 
shop  on  their  farm,  then  founding  the  Piano  shops 
and  thereafter  the  extensive  shops  in  Sycamore, 
which  latter  were  established  in  1869.  It  can  be 
said  without  fear  of  contradiction  that  C.  W.  and  W. 
W.  Marsh  were  the  inventors  of  harvesters.  After 
the  success  of  the  harvesters  had  been  secured,  in- 
ventors began  to  turn  their  attention  to  the  manu- 
facture of  self-binders. 

In  the  year  1870  Charles  Whitney  and  his  brother, 
John  H.,  built  two  original  and  complete  machines 
for  cutting  and  automatically  binding  grain  with  wire 
at  the  Sycamore  Marsh  Harvester  Company's  works. 
These  worked  very  well  and  were  being  perfected 
from  year  to  year,  but  the  lingering  sickness  and 
death  finally  of  John  H.  Whitney  interrupted  and 
for  a  time  put  a  stop  to  further  progress  in  this 
direction.  Meanwhile  Charles  Whitney  had  con- 
ceived a  plan  for  a  very  simple  platform  binder,  and 
in  February,  1878,  he  made  arrangements  with  C. 
W.  and  W.  W.  Marsh  for  building  and  perfecting  the 
same.  Their  first  machine  was  used  in  the  harvest 
following.  In  1879  considerable  further  advance 
had  been  made  and  several  machines  were  put  out 
with  general  satisfaction.  In  1880  about  40  of  them 
were  introduced,  but  all  these  were  wire  binders,  and 
meantime  it  had  been  demonstrated  that  twine  was 
better  material  and  cheaper  than  wire  for  the  pur- 
pose ;  hence  it  became  necessary  to  throw  aside  the 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


& 


• 


wire-binding  machines  which  had  taken  several  years 
of  hard  study  and  work,  besides  a  large  outlay  of 
money  to  develop  and  perfect.  The  new  circum- 
stances were  met  promptly  and  vigorously  and  oper- 
ations upon  a  new  twine  binder  were  immediately 
begun.  It  was  completed  and  tested,  and  from  it 
10  more  made  in  time  for  the  harvest  of  1881.  From 
the  first  acre  cut,  the  success  of  the  machine  was 
assured.  It  gave  such  extraordinary  promise  that 
when  its  proprietors  proposed  to  organize  a  company 
for  its  manufacture,  $300,000  of  capital  stock  was 
subscribed  in  a  few  days.  The  new  company,  en- 
titled the  Marsh  Binder  Manufacturing  Company, 
bought  the  works  of  the  Sycamore  Marsh  Harvester 
Manufacturing  Company,  and  immediately  began  to 
manufacture  the  new  binder  in  quantity  for  the  gen- 
eral trade. 

The  R.  Ellwood  Manufacturing  Company  was  or- 
ganized in  1876,  with  the  Hon.  Reuben  Ellwood  at 
its  head  and  general  manager.  The  capital  stock  of 
the  company  was  $25,000,  and  the  business  of  that 
year  was  confined  to  the  manufacture  of  the  Ellwood 
Riding  Cultivator,  of  which  600  were  made.  At  the 
close  of  the  year  i88r,  owing  to  the  rapidly  increas- 
ing demand  for  the  goods  made  by  this  company,  the 
capital  stock  was  again  increased  to  $i  n,ooo. 

The  buildings  are  large  and  handsomely  arranged 
to  expedite  the  work,  erected  with  the  recent  addi- 
tions, at  an  expense  of  $40,000,  and  with  facilities  of 
turning  out  50  complete  cultivators  every  day,  in 
addition  to  the  other  goods. 

The  sales  of  the  riding  cultivators,  sulky  plows, 
harrows  and  dumping  rakes  have  largely  increased, 
and  these,  together  with  the  line  of  hardware  goods, 
such  as  barn-door  hinges,  track  stay  rollers,  barrel 
cases,  churns,  horse-powers,  etc.,  etc.,  have  estab- 
lished a  reputation  for  the  firm  that  is  a  sufficient 
guarantee  of  the  quality  of  their  goods. 

The  Sycamore  Preserve  Works  is  one  of  the  benef- 
icent industrial  establishments  of  the  city,  giving  em- 
ployment during  the  active  season  of  work  to  a  large 
force  of  men,  women  and  children.  It  has  been  in 
active  operation  since  1881,  and  the  results  have 
been  gratifying  to  those  financially  interested  and  to 
the  people  of  the  place  generally.  The  number  of 
cases  of  goods  put  up  in  1884  were  as  follows:  10,- 
ooo  of  corn,  7,000  of  tomatoes,  1,500  of  pumpkins, 
800  of  squash,  i  ,000  of  peas,  1,000  of  beans,  and  300 
of  apples;  making  in  all  something  over  500,000 


cans.  The  establishment  is  under  the  active 
agement  of  A.  F.  Mason,  a  man  of  large  experience 
and  thoroughly  competent  in  every  respect.  The 
original  stockholders  were  R.  Ellwood,  J.  H.  Rogers, 
D.  A.  Syme  and  William  Byers.  Mr.  Mason  has 
now  an  interest  in  the  works,  also  George  and  Will- 
iam Rogers.  The  company  is  a  strong  one  financially. 

The  Sycamore  Soap  Factory  is  also  one  of  the  lead- 
ing industries  of  the  place.  The  present  proprietor 
is  E.  B.  Shurtleff.  A  superior  quality  of  laundry  soap 
is  manufactured. 

The  Helmet  Paint  Manufactory  is  doing  an  excel- 
lent business.  It  has  been  in  operation  some  years. 

The  Tuerk  Hydraulic  Power  C0.  commenced  busi- 
ness in  this  city  in  1883,  removing  here  from  Chi- 
cago. A  joint-stock  company  was  formed,  with  a  cap- 
ital stock  of  $60,000.  The  company  manufacture 
the  Tuerk  Water  Motor,  one  of  the  most  useful  in- 
ventions of  the  day.  W.  W.  Marsh  is  superintend- 
ent of  the  works. 

Flax  Mills — Loomis  &  Luther  are  proprietors  of 
the  flax  mills.  But  little  flax  now  being  raised  in 
this  vicinity,  the  mill  is  not  run  on  full  time.  Reuben 
Ellwood  was  the  pioneer  in  this  branch  of  business. 
Dr.  Bryan  and  Chauncey  Ellwood  were  also  inter- 
ested in  the  work  for  a  time  after  the  close  of  the 
war. 

The  Sycamore  Roller  Flour  Mills  do  a  fine  busi- 
ness. The  mill  was  erected  in  1854,  by  A.  S.  Cox 
and  Mr.  Powers,  and  known  as  the  Citizens'  Mill. 
It  contained  two  run  of  buhrs.  In  the  spring  of  1859 
Powers  sold  his  interest  to  Cox,  who  subsequently 
sold  to  John  Black  and  Charles  T.  Pierce  a  one-third 
interest  each.  In  1863  Ralph  Wyman  bought  out 
the  interest  of  Mr.  Pierce,  and  in  the  same  year  Wil- 
liam C.  Black  bought  out  Cox.  The  mill,  in  the 
meantime,  had  been  improved  and  one  run  of  buhrs 
added.  John  C.  S.  and  William  C.  Black  were  each 
interested  in  the  mill  during  the  succeeding  20  years. 
In  1882  John  Black  bought  the  interest  of  William 
C.  Black  and  also  that  of  the  Wyman  heirs,  and  is 
now  the  sole  proprietor  of  the  mill.  In  1883  he  com- 
menced its  improvement,  enlarging  it  to  a  dimension 
of  48x52  feet,  with  engine-room  attached.  The 
mill  now  has  four  run  of  buhrs,  nine  sets  of  rollers, 
and  all  modern  machinery  for  making  first-class  flour. 
The  capacity  is  100  barrels  per  day.  Mr.  Black  has 
also  a  roller  for  making  buckwheat  flour  equal  to  the 
New  York  make. 


C 


I 


® 


. 


HE  enterprising  city  of  De  Kalb  furnishes 
an  excellent  field  for  the  pen  of  the  histo- 
rian. From  a  mere  hamlet  early  in  the 
"  fifties,"  it  has  grown  to  a  bustling,  thriving 
city  of  about  3,000  inhabitants,  and  is  known 
far  and  wide  as  the  "  Barb  City,"  a  name  given 
it  from  the  fact  that  it  is  the  great  depot  for  the  man- 
ufacture of  barb  wire,  which  is  the  leading  industry 
of  the  place. 

In  1836,  Russell  Huntley  made  claim  to  a  large 
tract  of  land  in  this  vicinity,  including  a  part  of  the 
site  of  the  city.  The  selection  was  made  with  a  view 
of  locating  here  a  town,  which  he  had  ardent  hopes 
would  occupy  a  leading  position  among  the  many 
which  were  springing  up  in  the  West.  He  erected 
upon  his  claim  a  large  log  house,  which  was  used  for 
many  years  and  was  known  as  Huntley 's  tavern. 
Here  the  weary  traveler  found  rest  and  Huntley 
dreamed  of  the  future  that  was  in  store  for  him. 

The  tavern  was  all  alone  in  its  glory  for  many 
years.  It  was  not  until  1849  that  any  further  steps 
were  taken  to  locate  here  a  village.  At  that  time 
John  M.  Goodell  and  Dr.  Ruby  started  a  small  store 
on  the  north  side  of  what  is  now  Main  Street,  near 
First  Street.  Their  stock  was  of  a  miscellaneous 
character,  including  "  wet  groceries,"  for  which  there 
seemed  to  be  a  demand,  as  a  preventive  to  chills  and 
snake  bites.  In  1850  Ruby  sold  his  interest  to  his 
partner,  and  having  erected  a  house  upon  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  street  he  opened  another  store  for  the 


sale  of  groceries  and  drugs.  In  1853  he  purchased 
the  stock  of  Mr.  Goodell  and  ran  both  stores. 

The  next  addition  to  the  prospective  village  was 
the  erection  of  a  shop  and  its  occupation  by  P.  W. 
T.  Vaughan,  the  ''  village  blacksmith."  This  was 
in  1850,  and  the  shop  was  located  on  the  site  of  the 
Glidden  House,  northeast  corner  of  Main  and  Sec- 
ond Streets. 

In  1852  Cartwriglit  &  Hayden  opened  a  stock  of 
general  merchandise ;  and,  now  having  three  stores, 
a  tavern  and  a  blacksmith  shop,  the  village  of  Buena 
Vista,  as  it  was  then  called,  began  to  put  on  airs.  A 
village  was  platted  about  this  time,  but  never  put 
upon  record.  When  the  survey  was  made  by  the 
railroad  company  in  1851,  Dr.  Ruby  took  the  census 
of  the  village  and  found  29  persons,  old  and  young. 

Before  the  location  here  of  any  mercantile  inter- 
ests, a  postoffice  had  been  established,  with  Russell 
Huntley  as  Postmaster.  The  office  was  supposed  to 
be  at  his  tavern,  but  the  old  settlers  say  it  was  kept 
either  in  his  hat  or  pocket  handkerchief,  and  was 
what  might  be  termed  a  traveling  office,  which  was 
very  convenient  to  those  receiving  mail  at  Buena 
Vista.  Russell  Huntley  continued  to  act  as  post- 
master for  some  years,  when  Jackson  Hiland  received 
the  appointment  and  the  office  was  removed  to  Ruby 
&'  Hiland's  store,  where  it  remained  some  years.  Mr. 
Hiland  having  disposed  of  his  interest  in  the  store, 
retired  from  business,  leaving  the  office  in  charge  of 
Dr.  Ruby,  whom  he  had  made  deputy.  The  doctor 


• 


being  a  strong  Free-soil  man,  it  was  displeasing  to 
the  Democrats  who  were  then  in  power ;  therefore 
Mr.  Hiland  was  removed  and  the  commission  given 
to  J.  W.  Small.  This  was  about  1858.  On  the  ad- 
vent of  the  Republican  party,  Hiram  Ellwood  was 
appointed,  and  held  the  office  some  years.  His  suc- 
cessor was  Matilda  Sickles,  the  widow  of  a  soldier  in 
the  War  of  the  Rebellion.  Mrs.  Sickles  served  un- 
til 1873,  when  Lucien  H.  Post  was  appointed.  Mr. 
Post  served  until  1883,  when  he  resigned  and  A.  S. 
Jackson  was  appointed. 

In  1850  a  small  house  was  erected  on  what  is  now 
block  4,  of  the  city  in  which  Jonathan  Stone  taught 
a  term  of  school  in  the  winter  of  1850-1,  at  a  salary 
of$i6  per  month,  teaching  alternately  five  and  six 
days  per  week.  This  was  the  beginning  of  the 
educational  history  of  De  Kalb.  The  salary  of  the 
teacher  was  raised  by  subscription. 

When  the  village  of  De  Kalb  was  platted  steps 
were  at  once  taken  for  the  erection  of  a  better  school 
building.  A  small  tax  was  levied  and  the  house  now 
used  by  the  Congregationalists  as  a  church  edifice 
was  erected.  There  was  not  money  enough  raised  to 
complete  the  building,  so  a  couple  of  dances  were 
held  in  the  house  to  secure  the  remainder  of  the 
sum  required.  Thus  it  was  dedicated  to  the  cause 
of  education.  Timothy  J.  Lyon  was  the  first  teacher 
in  this  house.  The  village  increasing  largely  in 
numbers,  this  building  soon  became  too  small  to  ac- 
commodate the  attendance;  so  in  1856  it  was  sold  to 
George  Wood  and  others  for  the  use  of  the  Con- 
gregational society,  and  a  third  school  building  was 
erected  near  the  present  Catholic  church.  It  was  a 
two-story  frame  structure,  24x42  feet  in  size.  By 
the  end  of  four  years  this  also  became  too  small  to 
accommodate  the  number  desiring  admission  into  the 
school,  and  it  was  therefore  sold,  T.  C.  Needham 
becoming  the  owner  and  using  it  as  a  dwelling-house. 

In  1860  the  present  fine  brick  school  building  was 
erected  on  the  corner  of  Third  and  Prospect  Streets. 
In  the  fall  of  that  year  it  was  occupied,  the  schools 
then  being  under  the  supervision  of  Prof.  Crandall. 
For  a  quarter  of  a  century  this  building  has  been 
used  for  educational  purposes,  and  many  of  the  most 
intelligent  young  men  and  women  in  De  Kalb  re- 
ceived therein  their  first  lessons  of  instruction  and 
graduated  thereat.  Not  alone  are  they  confined 
to  De  Kalb,  but  in  a  number  of  the  Western  States 


and  Territories  have  there  gone  forth  from  De  Kalb 
public  schools  those  exerting  wonderful  influence  in 
society. 

In  r884  another  building  was  erected  on  the  north 
side  of  the  railroad  on  Fifth  Street.  It  is  a  frame 
structure  and  used  by  the  primary  and  intermedi- 
ate departments. 

The  following  named  have  been  principal  of  the 
public  schools  from  1862  to  the  present  time:  M. 
Andrews,  1862;  J.  S.  Mabie,  1863;  E.  L.  Wells, 
1864;  T.  W.  Dodge,  Arthur  Wells,  1865;  C.  H. 
Crandall,  1866-9;  Ella  S.  Dunbar,  1870-4;  S.  G. 
Haley,  1875;  T.  S.  Demson,  1876-7;  S.  L. 
Graham,  1878-80;  J.  L.  Curts,  1881  to  the  present 
time. 

PLATTING   THE   VILLAGE. 

In  November,  1853,  Daniel  W.  Lamb,  County  Sur- 
veyor, at  the  instance  of  John  M.  and  Caroline  F. 
Goodell,  Russell,  Lewis  and  Diantha  Huntley,  plat- 
ted a  portion  of  sections  22  and  23  of  the  town- 
ship of  De  Kalb  for  a  village,  to  Which  was  given  the 
name  of  De  Kalb.  Since  that  date  various  additions 
have  been  made. 

To  secure  the  location  of  the  railroad,  Mr.  Huntley 
donated  the  right  of  way  to  the  company  and  also 
land  for  the  depot.  He  also  assigned  an  interest  in 
the  town  site,  to  Robinson,  Van  Nortwick  and  Hol- 
land, who  were  largely  interested  in  the  railroad. 

On  the  completion  of  the  railroad,  the  village 
rapidly  increased  in  population,  and  continued  to 
increase  until  the  hard  times  of  1857-8,  which  put 
a  stop  to  the  improvement  of  so  many  towns 
throughout  the  land.  The  war  following  also  re- 
traded  its  growth. 

INCORPOR  A  TION. 

Ill  1856  the  village  was  incorporated  under  the 
general  act,  and  in  1861  by  a  special  charter,  which 
made  the  President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors.  This  position 
was  filled  by  W.  H.  Allen,  in  1861-2;  Silas  Tappan, 
in  1863;  Leonard  Morse,  in  1864;  S.  O.  Vaughan, 
in  1865;  E.  B.  Gilbert,  in  1866;  W.  H.  Allen,  in 
1867-8;  William  H.  Miller,  in  1869;  L.  M.  Mc- 
Ewen,  in  1870;  W.  H.  Record,  in  1871 ;  J.  S.  Rus- 
sell, in  1872;  Horace  Hunt,  in  1873;  L.  M.  Mc- 
Ewen,  in  1874-5-6. 

On  the  2oth  day  of  February,  1877,  an  election 


: 


-" 


*€»*• 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


was  held  to  ascertain  the  wishes  of  the  legal  voters 
in  reference  to  incorporation  as  a  city.  A  majority 
of  the  votes  being  in  favor  of  such  organization  the 
first  election  for  city  officers  was  held  on  the  third 
Tuesday  in  April.  All  officers  are  elected  for  a  term 
of  two  years,  except  the  Police  Magistrate,  who  is 
elected  for  four  years.  In  the  list  of  officers  ap- 
pended, one-half  the  Aldermen  were  elected  for  one 
year  in  order  that  an  equal  number  should  be 
elected  annually  thereafter.  The  following  comprises 
the  list : 

1877 — Harvey  E.Allen,  Mayor;  Benjamin  Muzzy, 
Police  Magistrate ;  S.  O.  Vaughan,  City  Clerk ;  H. 
W.  Whittemore,  City  Attorney;  J.  D.  Lott,  City 
Treasurer;  Aldermen — ist  ward,  Hiram  Eddy,  David 
Barr ;  2d  ward,  P.  G.  Young,  C.  Carter ;  3d  ward,  J. 
A.  White,  J.  B.  Aumer. 

1878 — Aldermen:  ist  ward,  E.  B.  Hulett;  2d 
ward,  Levi  Wheeler ;  3d  ward,  Martin  Dodge. 

1879 — A.  S.  Jackson,  Mayor;  T.  A.  Luney, 
Treasurer;  L.  M.  McEwen,  Attorney;  S.  O.  Vaughan, 
Clerk.  Aldermen — ist  ward,  E.  L.  Mayo;  2d  ward, 

C.  Carter ;  3d  ward,  J.  M.  Jenkins. 

1880 — Aldermen :   ist  ward,  S.  A.  Tyler;  2d  ward, 

D.  D.  Brown;  3d  ward,  M.  Dodge. 

1 88 1—  J.  F.  Glidden,  Mayor;  L.  M.  McEwen, 
Attorney;  J.  D.  Lott,  Treasurer;  S.  O.  Vaughan, 
Clerk;  N.  W.  Thompson,  Police  Magistrate.  Alder- 
men— ist  ward,  E.  B.  Baldwin  ;  2d  ward,  C.  Carter; 
3d  ward,  J.  Cheasebro. 

1882 — Aldermen,  ist  ward,  S.  P.  Bradshaw  ;  2d 
ward.  D.  D.  Brown;  3d  ward,  George  Wood. 

1883—0.  D.  Brown,  Mayor;  L.  M.  McEwen, 
Attorney;  T.  A.  Luney,  Treasurer;  S.  O.  Vaughan, 
Clerk.  Aldermen — ist  ward,  E.  B.  Baldwin;  zd 
ward,  C.  Carter;  3d  ward,  S.  M.  Stevens. 

1884 — Aldermen— ist  ward,  E.  L.  Mosher;  2d 
ward,  C.  A.  Read ;  3d  ward,  Horace  Hunt. 

The  affairs  of  the  city  have  generally  been  pru- 
dently and  economically  managed,  comparatively 
little  complaint  being  made.  The  average  appropria- 
tion for  the  expenses  of  the  city  is  between  $11,000 
and  $12,000  annually.  For  1884-5  it  was  $[1,060. 

FIRST   AND   PRESENT   THINGS. 

The  first  hotel,  as  already  stated,  was  the  one  run 
for  so  many  years  by  Russell  Huntley  and  which 
formed  the  nucleus  of  the  present  village.  It  was  on 
the  State  roads  which  ran  from  St.  Charles  to  Dixon, 


east  and  west,  and  from  Ottawa  to  Belvidere,  north 
and  south.  There  was  considerable  travel  and 
Huntley's  tavern  became  well-known.  The  house 
was  built  of  logs,  covered  with  shakes,  and  was  an 
unpretentious  structure.  A  part  of  the  old  Huntley 
tavern  now  forms  a  part  of  the  Eagle  Hotel  on  the 
corner  of  Second  and  Main  Streets.  The  Eagle  has 
continued  uninterruptedly  for  a  third  of  a  century, 
and  is  now  run  by  Hiram  Jones. 

The  Central  House,  now  Barb  City  House,  on  the 
corner  of  Main  and  Fourth  Streets,  was  the  second 
hotel  in  the  village.  It  is  now  run  by  Mr.  Rector. 
When  first  erected  it  was  a  small  building,  and  was 
subsequently  enlarged  to  its  present  size. 

In  addition  to  the  Eagle  and  Central,  the  city  has 
now  one  other  hotel,  the  Glidden  House. 

The  Glidden  is  the  most  pretentious  house  in  the 
city,  and  is  an  ebject  of  pride  among  its  citizens.  It 
was  erected  in  1876  by  J.  F.  Glidden. 

Peter  Johnson,  a  tinner,  commenced  business  here 
in  1852.  He  was  the  pioneer  in  this  line  of  trade. 
The  business  is  now  represented  by  J.  M.  Rodman 
&  Bro.,  John  Dunn,  William  Clifford,  Eber  Lake. 

John  Smith  and  Peter  Wagner  commenced  the  fur- 
niture business  in  1855.  They  were  both  workmen 
at  the  cabinet  trade.  Mr.  Wagner  still  continues  the 
business  and  is  the  only  representative  in  that  line. 

Dr.  Ruby  started  the  first  grocery  store  in  1853. 
Many  changes  have  since  been  made,  the  trade  early 
in  1881;  being  represented  by  Olson  &  Wilder,  Horan 
&  Henaughan,  Calvin  Shurtleff,  Reed  &  De  Long, 
Roberts  &  Tyler,  John  H.  Lewis,  John  Cheasebro, 
Frank  Flusch. 


In  1858  John  R.  Hamlin  and  E.  T.  Hunt  com- 
menced the  banking  business  in  this  place,  being  the 
pioneers  in  this  line  of  business.  Some  time  after- 
ward Mr.  Hamlin  disposed  of  his  interest  to  Dr. 
Rufus  Hopkins,  the  firm  assuming  the  name  of  Hop- 
kins, Hunt  &  Co.  By  a  subsequent  change  E.  P. 
Young  became  a  partner,  Mr.  Hunt  retiring.  The 
firm  name  was  R.  Hopkins  &  Co.  This  partnership 
continued  until  the  death  of  Dr.  Hopkins,  in  1874. 
Lott  &  Baird  then  commenced  a  general  banking 
business  and  continued  the  same  until  January,  1881, 
when  Mr.  Baird  retired.  Mr.  Luney  then  became 
partner  and  the  firm  name  of  J.  D.  Lott  &  Co.  was 
adopted.  The  partnership  continued  until  May, 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


i882,  when  it  was  dissolved  and  the  De  Kalb  Na- 
tional Bank  was  founded  with  a  paid  up  capital  of 
$50,000.  H.  P.  Taylor  was  chosen  president ;  T.  A. 
Luney,  cashier.  The  firm  of  Lott  &  Baird  erected 
the  present  bank  building  in  1876.  The  De  Kalb 
National  Bank  is  ranked  among  the  sound  institu- 
tions of  the  county.  The  officers  for  1885  are  J.  D. 
Lott,  Pres.;  T.  A.  Luney,  cashier.  The  directors 
were  J.  D.  Lott,  P.  G.  Young,  Jacob  Haish,  Martin 
Dodge  and  J.  F.  Glidden. 

WATER   WORKS. 

In  1874  the  city  commenced  the  erection  of  water 
works,  expending  in   the  beginning  about  $20,000. 
Additions  were  made  from  time  to  time,  new  wells 
sunk,  and  other  improvements  entered  into,  until  the 
expenditure  has  reached  the  sum  of  $45,000.    Three 
wells  have  been  sunk,  to  the  depth  of  2,400,   1,000 
and  827  feet  respectively.     The  two  latter  only  are 
now  used.     A  4o-horse  power  steam  engine  is  used 
for   pumping   the  water.     The  city  has  now   three 
/"S     miles   of  main,   extending    through    all   the    busi- 
3     ness  portions  of  the  city  and  reaching  many  private 
x»x     residences.     There  are  18  double  hydrants.     About 
i      100  subscribers  are  now  served  with  water,  private 
?     families   paying  an  annual   tax  of  $6,  while   livery 
stables  are  required  to  pay  $30.  The  Glidden  House 
pays  $50  per  year. 

FIRE    DEPARTMENT. 

The  first  steps  taken  toward  the  organization  of  a 
fire  department  was  in  1870,  when  a  hook  and  lad- 
der company  was  organized.  In  1874  a  hose  com- 
pany was  organized,  and  in  1884  the  second  com- 
pany was  formed.  The  department  has  now  two 
hose  carts,  with  1,000  feet  of  hose,  and  is  well  sup- 
plied with  appliances  for  the  extinguishment  of  fire. 
W.  H.  Miller  is  the  present  fire  marshal;  James 
Hulser,  captain  of  the  hook  and  ladder  company:  J. 
R.  Waldron,  captain  of  the  hose  company. 
RELIGIOUS. 

The  first  religious  services  within  the  present  lim- 
its of  the  city  of  De  Kalb  were  probably  held  at  the 
house  of  Dr.  Ruby,  in  1850.  On  the  completion  of 
the  school-house  soon  afterward,  services  were  held 
therein,  and  a  Sabbath-school  was  established,  con- 
ducted by  J.  Willard  Glidden  and  Dr.  Ruby,  with 
Miss  Earl  as  one  of  the  teachers.  There  are  now 
eight  Church  organizations  in  the  city. 


Methodist  Episcopal  Church. — The  first  meetings 
of  those  holding  the  views  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church  were  held  in  the  house  of  Dr.  Basil  Ruby 
in  the  year  1850.  The  preacher  was  from  Sycamore 
and  came  here  on  the  invitation  of  Dr.  Ruby.  About 
1852  a  class  was  organized  in  the  log  house  of  Rev. 
Brown.  Dr.  Basil  Ruby  and  wife  and  George  Har- 
rison and  wife  were  among  the  number.  The  min- 
ister led  the  class.  Meetings  were  held  once  in  two 
weeks  for  a  time.  In  1855  a  small  frame  building 
was  erected,  but  the  class  increased  in  numbers  and 
in  1856  that  church  was  sold  to  the  Adventists  and 
a  larger  house  was  built,  which  was  in  use  until  1879, 
when  the  present  house  was  built.  It  is  a  fine  brick 
structure,  costing  $10,000.  There  is  now  a  member- 
ship of  230.  The  trustees  are :  Andrew  Bradt,  Ab- 
ner  Wood,  Morris  Willey,  Daniel  B.  Lattin,  Calvin 
Shurtleff,  William  Barr,  C.  H.  Salisbury,  E.  O.  Wood, 
Thomas  Dodge.  Stewards— C.  Shurtleff,  S.  W.  Pat- 
ten, C.  H.  Salisbury,  M.  D.  Shipman,  J.  O.  Olsen,  J. 

E.  Atwood,  M.   Hoyt.     Class-leaders— J.  L.  Curts, 
C.  Shurtleff,  Thomas  Piper. 

The  Congregational  Church  was  organized  Dec.  2, 
1854,  by  Rev.  H.  N.  Norton,  with  Michael  Flynn, 
Hannah  Flynn,  Joseph  Hiland,  Hannah  Hiland, 
Sarah  Hopkins,  Almira  Simonds,  George  Flynn  and 
Olivia  Flynn  comprising  its  original  membership. 
The  first  officers  were,  Lucius  .Wood,  Deacon  and 
Clerk;  Sidney  H.  Wright,  Deacon.  The  present 
church  edifice  was  purchased  from  the  school  dis- 
trict in  1856.  Among  those  who  have  served  the 
Church  either  as  pastor  or  supply  have  been 
Revs.  R.  C.  Bristol,  F.  L.  Fuller,  J.  D.  Parker, 
S.  P.  Putnam,  Mr.  Buss,  L.  P.  Atwood,  John 
Bennett,  John  Bradshaw,  A.  P.  Peake,  S.  I.  McKee, 

F.  D.  Rood  and  J.  P.  Hutchinson.     The  latter  be- 
gan his  pastorate  Oct.    19,   1884.     The  Clvirch   has 
now  a  membership  of  72,  and  is  looking  forward  to 
the  time  when  it  shall  occupy  a  new  house  of  wor- 
ship, better   adapted    to   their    wants    and    to   the 
flourishing  city  in  which  it  is  located. 

The  Baptist  Church  was  probably  organized  in  1854. 
Unfortunately,  the  early  records  are  lost,  and  the  first 
members  have  either  died  or  removed  from  the  place; 
therefore  it  is  difficult  to  ohtain  facts.  Elders  King, 
Estey  and  Moxom  were  among  the  earliest  to  minis- 
ter to  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  Church,  though  the 
first  named  never  served  as  a  regular  pastor.  In 


v 


: 


: 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


j 


r864  Rev.  B.  S.  Williams  was  with  the  Church.  He 
was  succeeded  by  Revs.  John  Couch,  Mr.  Freeman, 
Mr.  Fish,  James  M.  Berry,  L.  H.  Holt,  F.  W.  Foster 
and  H.  A.  Delano.  A  house  of  worship  was  erected 
by  the  Church  within  four  or  five  years  after  the 
platting  of  the  village,  which  continued  to  be  used 
till  the  fall  of  1884.  As  this  work  goes  to  press  a 
new  and  handsomer  church  edifice  is  being  erected. 
Present  membership,  78. 

The  Adventist  Church  was  organized  in  1857  at 
the  Methodist  Church  building,  by  Rev.  McCulloch. 
The  membership  at  first  was  small.  Among  the 
first  members  were  George  Houghton  and  wife  and 
John  Bennett.  In  1861  they  erected  the  present 
church  building. 

The  Swedish  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  was 
organized  in  1859.  The  first  meetings  were  held  in 
the  old  school-house  in  1858.  Rev.  E.  Carlson  was 
the  first  preacher  and  organized  the  Church.  The 
congregation  met  for  worship  in  the  old  school-nouse 
and  elsewhere  until  1861,  when  a  frame  church  was 
built,  at  a  cost  of  $1,600.  Some  years  later,  a  par- 
sonage was  built  on  the  lot  adjoining  the  church. 
There  are  now  about  340  communicants.  The 
deacons  are  F.  C.  Colson,  E.  Anderson,  Peter  Lind- 
berg,  J.  A.  Backstrom,  A.  Anderson  and  F.  Berg- 
quist.  The  present  pastor  is  Rev.  C.  J.  Malmberg. 

The  Episcopal  Church  was  organized  in  1875. 
Meetings  of  this  denomination  were  held  at  intervals 
from  an  early  day,  but  no  organization  was  effected 
until  the  date  mentioned,  when  Rev.  W.  E.  Toll,  of 
Sycamore,  organized  a  mission  society.  Among  the 
members  joining  at  that  time  were  Mr.  and  Mrs.  T. 
N.  Conant,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Alfred  Johnson,  Dr.  P.  I. 
Cromwell,  Mrs.  J.  E.  Atwood.  Mrs.  Helen  Winship, 
Mrs.  M.  A.  Davy  and  Mrs.  Rufus  Chandler.  This 
society  was  organized  and  met  for  worship  for  a  time 
in  the  Congregational  chapel;  then  erected  their 
present  church  building  on  Second  Street.  The 
society  is  small  but  flourishing  and  out  of  debt.  Rev. 
J.  H.  Edwards  is  the  present  pastor ;  Alfred  John- 
son, warden ;  Dr.  P.  I.  Cromwell,  secretary  and 
treasurer. 

7 he  Swedish  Evangelical  Mission  Chtirch  was  or- 
ganized in  1883,  and  a  frame  building  was  erected 
the  same  year  as  a  house  of  worship.  Rev.  Christ- 
enson  was  the  first  preacher.  Rev.  Gustavson  is 
the  present  pastor.  Charles  Aspengren  is  the  oniy 
deacon. 


SOCIETIES. 

DeKalb  Lodge,  -No.  144,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  was  or- 
ganized under  dispensation  July  13,  1854,  with  T.  C. 
Wetmore,  W.  M.;  E.  B.  Gilbert,  S.  W.;  J.  H.  Burg- 
hardt,  J.  W.  A  charter  was  granted  October  3, 
1854.  The  officers  under  dispensation  were  con- 
tinued under  charter.  T.  C.  Wetmore  was  the  first 
Master,  and  W.  F.  Pierce  fills  that  position  at  pres- 
ent. The  lodge  is  in  a  flourishing  condition,  with  a 
membership  of  86,  meeting  the  first  and  third  Mon- 
day of  each  month.  J.  Dunn  is  the  present  Secre- 
tary. 

A  dispensation  was  granted  for  the  organization  of 
a  Chapter  of  R.  A.  M.  October  24,  1858,  with  S.  O. 
Vaughan,  H.  P.;  F.  J.  Helmer,  King;  J.  R.  Hamlin, 
Scribe.  A  charter  was  granted  by  the  G.  R.  A. 
Chapter  Octobers,  1859.  The  Chapter  has  flourished 
from  the  beginning,  and  now  has  a  membership  of 
79.  It  was  honored  by  the  selection  of  one  of  its 
members — S.  O.  Vaughan — in  1880  for  the  position 
of  Grand  High  Priest  of  the  Grand  R.  A.  C.  of  Illi- 
nois. E.  C.  Lott  is  the  present  High  Priest.  The 
regular  meetings  are  on  the  first  and  third  Fridays  of 
each  month.  J.  Dunn  is  the  present  Secretary. 

DeKalb  Lodge,  No.  155,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  was  organized 
in  1853.  Among  the  charter  members  were  Clark 
L.  Barber,  Smith  Baldwin,  Rufus  Hopkins,  Gideon 
Wolcot.  The  present  officers  are  Peter  Larson,  N. 
G.;  Alonzo  Cheney,  V.  G.;  Eugene  Knappenberger, 
Sec.;  N.  Goodsell,  Treas.  There  are  54  members 
in  good  standing.  The  lodge  meets  every  Monday 
evening  in  their  lodge-room  in  Haish's  block. 

Merritt  Simonds  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  was  organized  in 
1883  with  22  charter  members.  There  are  now  31 
members,  with  G.  H.  Curler,  Com.;  D.  W.  Tyrrell 
S.  V.  C.;  M.  V.  Wilder,  J.  V.  C.;  B.  Snow,  Adj.  The 
Post  meets  once  in  two  weeks. 

CEMETERIES. 

The  "  city  of  the  dead,"  where  the  loved  ones  are 
laid  away  to  rest,  has  always  been  a  place  of  interest 
to  the  fair  sex.  Women  were  first  at  the  tomb  of  the 
crucified  Savior,  and  her  tears  have  hallowed  the 
ground  wherever  mankind  have  been  interred.  Death 
comes  to  all,  and  provisions  should  be  made  for  the 
disposal  of  the  remains  of  those  whose  spirits  have 
been  called  away  to  other  worlds.  The  ladies  of  De 
Kalb  realized  this  fact,  and  on  the  9th  day  of  Sep- 
tember, 1854,  met 'and  organized  the  De  Kalb  Cen- 


®)Vg@A 

^•x 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


^  ter  Sewing  Society,  having  for  its  object  the  procur- 
$   ing  of  means  for  the  purchase  and  care  of  grounds 
*•    for   burial    purposes.      At   their  first  meeting   they 
elected  Mrs.  S.  G.  Nichols,  President ;  Mrs.  Susan 
^f  Flynn,  Secretary;  Mrs.  O.  C.  Flynn, Treasurer ;  Mrs. 
Cynthia   Hiatt    and    Miss  Harriet    Earl,    Directors. 
About  four  and  a  half  acres  of  ground  were  purchased 
in  the  southeast  part  of  the  city,  and  provisions  made 
for  its  care.     The  first  interment  therein  were  the  re- 
mains of  Mrs.  Norris  Sweet.     After  the  lapse  of  ten 
years  it  became  evident  that  more   ground  must  be 
^Vp  secured,  and  being  unable  to  obtain  any  land  ad- 
joining,   another   location    was  determined  on.     In 
i865,"'having  accumulated  money   enough  for  the 
purpose,  five  acres  of  land  were  purchased  north  of 
the  city  and   platted  for  a  second  cemetery.     With 
the  exception  'of  a.  short  period  of  time,  but  long 
enough  to  run  the  society  into  debt,  the  ladies  have 
had   entire   charge   of  the   two   cemeteries.     Their 
f  management  has  been  excellent,  having,  in  January, 
$5,  as  accumulations  from  the  sale  of  lots  and  from 
*  mites  contributed  from   time  to  time,  a  surplus  of 
*i  over  $600,  which  has   been  loaned  on  interest.     In 
i   1 88 1  the  society  organized,  under  the  State  laws,  as 
£  the  De  Kalb  Cemetery  Association.     Its  present  offi- 
,  cers  are  Mrs.  Charles  G.  Bodman,  President;  Mrs. 
,    Burt,  Vice-President ;  Mrs.  R.  H.  Roberts,  Secretary ; 
Mrs.  H.  H.  Wagner,  Treasurer ;  Mrs.  J.  F.  Glidden, 
Mrs.  D.  D.  Brown,  Mrs.  M.  A.  Randall,  Directors. 
For  some  years   after  the  organization  of  the  society 
it  met  once  in   two   weeks,  engaged  in   sewing  and 
preparing  articles  for  sale,  and   held,  now  and  then, 
,    a  fair  for  their  disposal.     Of  late  they  meet  for  a  so- 
,    ciable, having  a  picnic  dinner,  each  member  paying  a 
'    fee  of  ten  cents.     Like  the  one  who  wept  at  the  feet 
'    of  Jesus,  and  anointed  him  with  costly  ointment,  it 
will  be  written  of  these  ladies  of  De  Kalb :  "  They 
have  done  what  they  could." 

MANUFACTORIES. 

7.  L.  Ellwood  &•  Co.— The  citizens  of  De  Kalb 
i  have  a  just  pride  in  their  manufactories,  the  largest 
of  which  is  that  of  I.  L.  Ellwood  &  Co.,  for  the  manu- 
facture of  the  Glidden  Barb  Wire.  At  the  present 
everything  seems  perfect  about  the  works,  but  in  the 
beginning  the  process  of  manufacture  was  crude  in 
the  extreme.  The  barbs  were  cut  by  hand,  and  first 
a  pair  of  flyers,  and  afterwards  the  parts  of  an  old 
DfTee  mill  were  extemporized  as  a  machine  for  coil- 
j® 


ing  them  about  the  wire.  When  a  piece  20  or  30 
feet  long  had  been  barbed,  a  smooth  wire  was  placed 
beside  it  and  one  pair  of  ends  fastened  to  a  tree,  and 
the  others  attached  to  the  axle  of  a  grindstone, 
which  by  turning  with  a  crank  gave  it  the  twist. 
About  this  time,  Mr.  I.  L.  Ellwood  became  associated 
with  Mr.  Glidden  and  began  the  manufacture  and 
introduction  of  the  fence.  The  "  factory  "  was  moved 
from  the  farm  over  to  the  village,  and  here  the  im- 
provement was  made  of  using  horse-power  for  doing 
the  twisting,  the  barbs  being  slipped  OB  to  one  end 
of  the  wire  and  then  placed  the  proper  distance  apart 
by  hand.  By  this  method  100  pounds  per  day  was 
a  good  average  to  the  workman. 

The  first  year  the  sales  of  barb  wire  were  meager 
and  confined  to  the  vicinity  of  De  Kalb,  where  the 
proprietors  would  go  out  themselves  and  put  up 
fence,  guaranteeing  satisfaction  or  no  pay. 

In  1875  the  company  built  the  first  part  of  the  old 
brick  shop,  put  in  a  small  steam  engine,  which  was 
made  to  do  the  twisting,  and  Mr.  Glidden  and  P.  W. 
C.  Vaughan  obtained  a  patent  for  some  devices  for 
barbing  and  spooling,  that  were  used  for  some  time 
and  proved  an  efficient  aid  to  the  workmen. 

In  1876  the  Washburn  &  Moen  Manufacturing 
Company,  of  Worcester,  Mass.,  noticing  an  increas- 
ing demand  for  a  size  of  wire  not  heretofore  called  for 
to  any  great  extent,  began  to  investigate  the  cause  of 
it,  and  subsequently  purchased  Mr.  Glidden's  half 
interest  in  the  patents  and  business,  and  formed  the 
present  co-partnership  with  Mr.  Ellwood.  The  busi- 
ness rapidly  increased  and  soon  the  old  shop  became 
too  small,  so  in  1881  new  buildings  were  erected. 
The  main  building  is  now  600  feet  long  by  60  feet  in 
width,  and  two  stories  high.  This  building  is  occu- 
pied by  202  automatic  machines  for  making  their 
"  Glidden  "  barb  wire.  These  machines  manufacture 
finished  fencing  at  the  rate  of  a  car-load  an  hour, 
which  is  at  the  rate  of  a  mile  a  minute  of  complete 
fencing.  This  would  aggregate  in  one  year  3,130 
cars  of  20,000  pounds  each,  or  62,600,000  pounds  of 
fencing,  which  would  extend  in  a  straight  line  187,- 
800  miles,  o'r  enough  to  encircle  the  earth  seven  and 
one  half  times.  The  number  of  men  employed  by 
this  firm  varies  from  200  to  400,  according  to  their 
necessities  and  the  season. 

Jacob  Haish. — The  celebrated  "  S  "  barb 
manufactured   by   Jacob   Haish,    the   inventor  and 

& *€»^ 


> 


, 


' 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


patentee.  Early  in  1874  Mr.  Haish  began  the 
manufacture  in  a  small  way,  and  has  increased  his 
works  from  time  to  time  until  he  has  one  of  the  larg- 
est manufactories  in  the  country,  with  a  capacity  of 
50  tons  or  more  per  day.  In  1881  a  building  300 
feet  in  length  and  too  feet  in  width  was  erected,  to 
which  additions  have  since  been  made.  One  hun- 
dred men  are  now  employed.  There  are  75  machines 
in  the  building. 

The  Superior  Barbed-  Wire  Company  was  organ- 
ized in  1880.  President,  Reuben  Ellwood;  Directors, 
Reuben  Ellwood,  J.  B.  Lott,  I.  L.  Ellwood,  J.  F. 
Glidden,  and  Hiram  Ellwood.  The  latter  was 
elected  secretary  and  general  manager.  The  com- 
pany purchased  of  I.  L.  Ellwood  the  building  they 
now  occupy.  It  is  a  brick  building  48  x  144  feet,  two 
stories  in  height,  with  35  machines,  having  a  capacity 
of  20  tons  of  wire  per  day.  Eighty  men  are  employed. 

Cigars. — There  are  three  cigar  manufactories — 
those  of  P.  S.  Trumbauer,  Frederick  Bohe  and  J. 
Crawford. 

Gloves. — John  Davy  and  I.  Robinson  are  manu- 
facturers of  gloves. 

Bradt  &  Shipman  are  wholesale  dealers  in  gloves. 
The  business  was  established  by  Mr.  Bradt  in  1857. 

The  Samson  Novelty  Works,  owned  by  Bradt  & 
Shipman  is  located  in  the  east  part  of  the  city.  Here 
is  manufactured  the  Samson  barn-door  hanger  and 
the  Samson  wire-stretcher.  They  also  do  a  general 
repairing  business.  Their  foundry  and  machine  shop 


is  supplied  with  the  latest  improved  machinery,  and 
they  employ  none  but  skilled  mechanics.  They  em- 
ploy about  15  hands. 

The  De  Kalb  Creamery  was  established  in  1882 
by  Gurler  Brothers — Henry  B.  and  George  H.  Gurler. 
They  erected  a  frame  building  32  x7o,  two  stories  in 
height,  with  boiler  room  16  x  24  and  an  ice-house  20 
x  40.  The  building  was  furnished  with  all  the  ma- 
chinery in  use  at  that  time.  This  building  was 
burned  Sept.  25,  1884.  The  present  building  was 
erected  and  ready  for  work  the  26th  of  October  fol- 
lowing. The  main  building  is  the  same  size  as  the 
one  burned,  while  the  ice-room  and  boiler-house  are 
larger.  In  1883  they  sent  out  teams  to  gather  cream, 
and  the  products  of  the  factory  for  that  year  were 
$52,422.  In  1884  the  cream  gathered  was  taken  to 
their  other  creameries,  and  thus  the  total  receipts 
were  not  so  great,  but  amounted  to  $49,358.  They 
have  all  machinery,  including  five  centrifugal  cream 
separators.  The  Gurler  Brothers  rented  the  South 
Grove  Creamery  in  1884;  the  products  there  amounted 
to  $7,178.  In  1884  they  bought  the  Malta  Creamery. 
The  products  there,  in  1884,  amounted  to  $13,367. 

SUPERVISORS. 

The  following  named  have  served  the  village  and 
city  as  members  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  : 

W.  H.  Allen 186! 


K.  ().   Vaughan.       . 

K.   I!.  Gilbert 

William  C.  Tappan. 


' 


N  October,  1853,  the  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy  Railroad  Company  completed  its 
road  through  this  place.  At  that  time 
Almon  Gage,  Jacob  M.  Hall,  Joseph  Weeks, 
Wm.  Davis,  Harvey  Joles  and  the  Grover 
•  estate  were  the  owners  of  all  the  land  upon 
which  the  city  is  now  located.  The  railroad  com- 
pany did  not  design  to  locate  a  station  at  this  point, 
having  decided  upon  one  at  what  is  now  the  vil- 
lage of  Somonauk  and  another  at  what  is  now  the 
village  of  Piano.  The  citizens  of  Newark,  a  village 
lying  a  few  miles  south,  were  interested  in  having  one 
here,  and,  together  with  the  citizens  living  in  this 
vicinity,  appealed  to  the  railroad  company  to  estab- 
lish it.  After  a  few  months'  delay  the  company 
consented  to  establish  a  flag  station,  stopping  the 
trains  only  when  signaled.  The  business  here  in- 
creasing rapidly,  it  yielded  to  the  inevitable,  and  in 
the  fall  of  1854  erected  the  necessary  buildings  for 
the  transactions  of  its  business,  and  the  future  of 
the  village  which  was  rapidly  springing  up  was  se- 
cured. 

The  original  survey  of  the  village  was  made  in  the 
winter  of  1853-4,  but  for  some  cause,  doubtless  for 
the  reason  the  railroad  company  had  not  consented 
to  establish  a  regular  station,  it  was  not  acknowl- 
edged until  Dec.  5,  1854,  and  filed  Jan.  i,  1855. 
Almon  Gage  was  the  owner  of  the  original  plat,  other 
portions  being  additions. 

When  the  survey  was  made,  with  the  design  of 
platting,  a  name  had  not  been  decided  upon  for  the 
prospective  village.  It  was  proposed  by  some  to 
call  it  Almon,  in  honor  of  Almon  Gage,  but  that 
gentleman  would  not  consent.  The  deed  given  by 
Jacob  M.  Hall  to  the  trustees  of  the  Baptist  Church 
described  the  lots  as  being  in  block  3  of  the  village 


of  Almon,  and  was  so  entered  upon  record.  A  post- 
office  having  been  established  here  under  the  name 
of  Sandwich,  it  was  finally  determined  to  give  that 
name  to  the  village,  and  Sandwich  it  was  called. 
The  railroad  company,  however,  was  probably  not 
consulted  with  reference  to  the  name  and  called  the 
station  Newark  Station,  the  village  of  Newark,  as 
already  stated,  being  instrumental  in  securing  its  lo- 
cation. By  this  name  was  it  known  until  1856,  when 
the  railroad  company  again  yielded  to  the  wishes  of 
the  people  and  adopted  the  name  of  Sandwich. 

During  the  years  from  1854  to  1857  there  was  a 
regular  and  constant  increase  in  the  number  of  in- 
habitants and  in  the  business  of  the  village.  In  the 
second  issue  of  the  People 's  Press,  under  date  of 
Sept.  17,  1857,  a  correspondent  thus  speaks  of  the 
place  as  it  then  existed  : 

"  Sandwich  is  a  stirring  business  village.  Its  set- 
tlement and  growth  were  greatly  retarded  at  first  by 
designing  men,  who  slandered  and  misrepresented  it 
to  the  railroad  company,  so  that  the  cars  did  not 
stop  here  for  several  months  after  they  began  to  run 
on  the  track.  Nor  was  it  without  much  delay  and 
great  difficulty  that  the  company  was  prevailed 
upon  to  construct  a  switch  and  erect  buildings,  al- 
though they  obtained  land  for  such  purpose  at  the 
time  of  surveying  the  road.  The  cars  began  to  run 
by  Sandwich  about  the  last  of  October,  1853,  but 
did  not  stop  here  till  the  spring  of  1854,  and  then 
the  number  of  cars  that  could  be  obtained  for 
freight  was  quite  too  small,  the  stopping  irregular, 
and  the  hindrances  and  annoyances  so  very  great 
and  prolonged  as  to  throw  back  the  settlement  and 
improvements  of  the  village  at  least  one  year. 

"  Besides    the  railroad    buildings,  Sandwich 
three  churches — Baptist,  Methodist  and   Congrega- 


tional.  The  Presbyterians  worship  in  a  large 
school-room,  but  are  preparing  to  build  a  church. 
Each  of  these  denominations  have  a  Sunday-school. 
The  German  Baptists  have  one  service  in  the  Bap- 
tist house  every  alternate  Sabbath.  The  Seceders 
occupy  the  Methodist  church  the  same  proportion 
of  lime. 

"A  large  and  commodious  two-story  building 
erected  for  an  academy,  and  occupied  as  such  for 
two  years,  is  now  used  for  a  district  school,  and  dur- 
ing a  term  of  17  weeks,  just  ended,  153  scholars  at- 
tended, under  two  teachers;  besides  which  there  is  a 
small  private  school. 

'•  The  people  of  Sandwich  and  vicinity  must  be  a 
reading  people,  if  we  judge  of  them  by  the  amount 
of  reading  matter  received  at  the  postoffice.  The 
following  facts  were  taken  by  the  writer  of  this 
article  from  the  official  documents  of  the  office  for 
the  quarter  ending  June  30,  1857.  More  than 
4,500  newspapers,  195  pamphlets  and  other  period- 
icals were  received.  The  postage  on  letters  re- 
ceived amounted  to  $i  10.67  '.  postage  on  letters  sent, 
$130.  The  deputy  postmaster  assured  the  writer 
it  was  not  quite  an  average  quarter.  .  . 

"The  following  items  will  give  some  idea  of  the 
business  done  in  the  village,  and  of  the  progress 
made  in  improving  it.  There  is  one  steam  grist  and 
flouring  mill,  one  iron  foundry,  machine  shop  and 
planing  mill,  two  lumber  yards,  one  of  which  re- 
ceived from  April  i,  to  September  3,  1857,  the  fol- 
lowing: 570,000  feet  of  lumber,  100,000  shingles, 
112,000  lath,  1,600  posts.  The  other  yard  received 
about  300,000  of  all  kinds,  from  July  10  to  Sept.  3, 
1857.  There  are  n  stores,  all  doing  a  good  and 
some  a  heavy  business,  two  blacksmith  shops,  two 
wagon  shops,  one  livery  stable,  one  bakery,  one  hotel, 
one  jeweler,  two  cabinet  and  furniture  shops,  two 
shoe  shops,  two  merchant  tailors,  20  or  30  carpen- 
ters and  joiners,  most  of  whom  have  convenient 
work  shops,  16  or  more  masons,  and  four  painters. 
There  are  several  buildings  for  storage,  one  of  which 
is  large,  and  provided  with  apparatus  propelled  by 
steam  for  elevating  grain,  and  about  20  others  in 
course  of  erection." 

The  village  continued  to  increase  in  a  substantial 

ray.  In  the  year  1857,  and  for  the  three  following 
years,  a  census  was  taken. 

In  1857   there  were  1*07    families,  with    165  males 
-,«  ^•.ffxTL^' /•>  xy: 


and  126  females  over  21^  and  124  males  and  137  fe- 
males under  21,  a  total  of  552. 

In  1858  there  were  145  families,  with  213  males 
and  159  females  over  21,  and  182  males  and  178 
females  under  21,  a  total  of  732. 

In  1859  there  were  179  families,  with  262  males 
and  193  females  over  21,  and  237  males  and  205 
females  under  21,  a  total  of  897. 

In  1860  there  were  203  families,  with  282  males 
and  265  females  over  21,  and  226  males  and  242  fe- 
males under  21,  a  total  of  1,015. 

POSTOFFICE. 

Some  years  prior  to  the  advent  of  the  railroad  steps 
were  taken  to  secure  the  location  here  of  a  postoffice. 
A  petition  was  circulated,  largely  signed,  and  for- 
warded to  Hon.  John  Wentworth  to  present  to  the 
Postoffice  Department.  In  order  to  secure  the  active 
co-operation  of  Mr.  Wentworth,  it  was  proposed  to 
give  the  office  the  name  of  Sandwich,  in  honor  of  his 
native  town  in  New  Hampshire.  The  Department 
acceded  to  the  request,  and  established  the  office, 
with  Dr.  Merriam  as  postmaster.  While  he  remained 
in  the  country  he  managed  the  office.  Dr.  Renton, 
his  successor  in  medical  practice,  was  the  next  post- 
master. He  remained  here  but  a  short  time.  When 
he  left  the  Department  ordered  C.  B.  Rhodes,  of 
Buck  Branch  postoffice,  to  take  charge  of  the  prop- 
erty of  the  office.  When  the  railroad  was  completed, 
and  the  Carrs  had  begun  business  here,  Dr.  Griswold 
was  appointed  postmaster.  The  office  was  kept  for 
a  time  in  the  store  of  J.  H.  &  L.  H.  Carr.  Dr.  Gris- 
wold did  not  long  retain  the  office,  and  was  succeeded 
by  Robert  Patten.  The  office  was  removed  to  Pat- 
ten &  Culver's  store,  where  it  remained  for  some 
years.  George  Hollenbach  was  Mr.  Patten's  suc- 
cessor, and  was,  in  turn,  succeeded  by  F.  W.  Part- 
ridge. On  the  first  call  for  300,000  men  to  aid  in 
suppressing  the  Rebellion,  Mr.  Partridge  sent  in  his 
resignation,  and  raised  a  company,  of  which  he  was 
made  captain,  and  which  became  a  part  of  the  i3th 
Infantry.  Jonathan  Able  was  his  successor,  and 
served  until  Grant's  first  term,  when  Frank  A.  Munson 
received  the  appointment,  and  served  twelve  years. 
He  was  succeeded  by  G.  H.  Robertson,  the  present 
postmaster.  The  office  is  of  the  third  class,  the 
postmaster  receiving  a  salary  of  $1,700  per  year. 
The  receipts  of  the  office  amount  to  $450  per  month 

& =*^ "W 


INCORPORATION. 

On  the  1 8th  of  February,  1860,  an  election  was 
held  for  the  purpose  of  voting  on  the  question  of  in- 
corporation. There  were  cast  at  that  election  for  in- 
corporation 83  votes;  against  incorporation,  63  votes. 
A  majority  being  in  favor  of  incorporation,  an  election 
was  held  March  5  for  town  officers.  The  following 
were  elected:  Augustus  Adams,  Almaron  Gage, 
George  W.  Culver,  W.  Walker,  Wm.  G.  Morris,  Trus- 
tees ;  S.  B.  Stinson,  Clerk,  W.  W.  Sedgwick,  J.  P.; 
H.  F.  Winchester,  Assessor;  James  B.  Burt,  Police 
Constable. 

The  Board  met  and  elected  Augustus  Adams  Pres- 
ident. From  that  time  until  its  incorporation  as  a 
city,  annual  elections  were  held.  The  following 
named  comprise  a  complete  list  of  trustees  : 

1861 — W.  G.  Morris,  J.  H.  Carr,  Almaron  Gage, 
James  Woodward,  G.  W.  Culver. 

1862— G.  W.  Culver,  W.  G.  Morris,  Almaron 
Gage,  Washington  Walker,  H.  A.  Adams. 

1873— W.  L.  Simmons,  P.  Stone,  J.  H.  Culver,  O. 
O.  Wormwood,  H.  L.  Winchester. 

1864— A.  Adams,  W.  L.  Simmons,  O.  S.  Hendee, 
Almaron  Gage,  P.  Stone.* 

1865— J.  H.  Carr,  W.  L.  Simmons,  H.  A.  Adams, 
James  Woodward,  E.  A.  Kennedy. 

1866— G.  W.  Culver,  Amos  Shepard,  J.  P.  Adams, 
M.  Carpenter,  R.  B.  Jackson. 

1867 — Henry  F.  Winchester,  Valentine  Vermilye, 
James  Lewis,  L.  S.  Humiston,  J.  H.  Culver. 

1868— M.  W.  Sedgwick,  Elijah  Banta,  Gus  Brecher, 
J.  H.  Culver,  F.  S.  Mosher. 

1869— W.  W.  Sedgwick,  George  Kleinsmid,  J.  H. 
Culver,  F.  S.  Mosher,  H.  A.  Adams. 

1870 — L.  R.  Hills,  Augustus  Hammond,  John 
Woodward,  Francis  M.  Fox,  S.  P.  Bushnell. 

1871— J.  P.  Adams,  W.  G.  Morris,  George  Klein- 
smid, John  Woodward,  A.  A.  Marcy. 

1872— J.  P.  Adams,  W.  G.  Morris,  A.  A.  Marcy, 
Geo.  Kleinsmid,  G.  R.  Wallace. 

A  petition  was  presented  to  the  Board  of  Trustees 
on  the  7th  day  of  October,  1872,  praying  the  Board 
to  submit  to  a  vote  of  the  people  whether  the  town 
should  be  incorporated  as  a  city  under  the  general 
act  of  the  Legislature.  Acting  upon  the  petition, 
the  Board  submitted  the  question  to  a  vote  on  Tues- 
day, November  19,1872;  they  also  submitted  to  a 

*RcsiEned,  and  G.  I).  Cochran  cl.-ctud  to  fill  vacancy. 


vote  the  question  of  minority  representation  in  the 
Council.  At  the  election  there  were  287  votes  cast 
on  incorporation,  of  which  177  were  for  and  no 
against.  For  minority  representation,  i  ;  against, 
285. 

The  first  election  for  city  officers  was  held  in  De- 
cember, 1872,  and  the  first  meeting  of  the  council 
was  held  Jan.  2,  1873.  The  first  officers  were  as  fol- 
lows :  W.  W.  Sedgwick,  Mayor;  H.  A.  Adams,  A.  A. 
Marcy,  Henry  C.  and  M.  R.  Jones,  John  Woodward, 
O.  S.  Hendee. 

The  Mayors  and  Aldermen  are  each  elected  to 
serve  two  years.  The  following  is  the  list: 

1873— Mayor,  W.  W.  Sedgwick;  Aldermen— ist 
ward,  H.  C.  Jones,  A.  A.  Marcy ;  2d  ward,  J.  C. 
Taylor,  O.  S.  Hendee;  3d  ward,  M.  R.  Jones,  R.  M. 
Brigham. 

1874 — Aldermen — ist  ward,  H.  C.  Jones;  2d  ward, 
J.  C.  Taylor;  3d  ward,  Paul  W.  Wallace. 

1875 — Mayor,  R.  M.  Brigham;  Aldermen — ist 
ward,  Enos  Doan;  2d  ward,  H.  Packer;  3d  ward,  M. 
V.  Eames,  George  Kleinsmid. 

1876 — Aldermen — ist  ward,  James  H.  Culver;  2d 
ward,  John  Woodward ;  3d  ward,  H.  F.  Winchester, 
John  Armstrong,  to  fill  vacancy. 

1877 — Mayor,  J.  M.  Hummel;  Aldermen — ist 
ward,  E.  Doan ;  2d  ward,  R.  D.  Crofoot ;  3d  ward, 
F.  A.  Howe. 

1878 — Aldermen — ist  ward,  Thomas  Wright;  2d 
ward,  Samuel  Mitten ;  3d  ward,  A.  B.  Palmer. 

1879 — Mayor,  J.  M.  Humtnel;  Aldermen — ist 
ward,  D.  K.  Crofoot;  2d  ward,  M.  V.  Eames;  3d 
ward,  J.  Ives. 

1880 -Aldermen — ist  ward,  Thomas  Wright;  2d 
ward,  H.  A.  Adams  ;  3d  ward,  P.  W.  Wallace. 

1881 — Mayor,  F.  S.  Mosher;  Aldermen — ist  ward, 
E.  I.  Barker ;  2d  ward,  Amos  Shepard ;  3d  ward,  F. 
Timberlake. 

1882— Aldermen — ist  ward,  Thomas  Wright;  2d 
ward,  rl.  A.  Adams;  3d  ward,  A.  B.  Palmer;  L.  D. 
Woodruff,  to  fill  vacancy. 

1883 — Mayor,  W.  I,.  Simmons;  Aldermen — ist 
ward,  A.  L.  Gilchrist;  ad  ward,  J.  Ledoyt;  3d  ward, 
L.  D.  Woodruff. 

1884 — The  following  is  a  list  of  all  the  officers 
Mayor — W.  L.Simmons;  Aldermen — ist  ward,  A.  L. 
Gilchrist,  H.  N.  Woodward;  2d  ward,  J.  Ledoyt, 
AO  — :3«J5£_ «*Sig>J 


1 


• 


'" 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


. 


George  Kleinsmid ;  ad  ward,  L.  D.  Woodruff.  C.  A. 
Reed  resigned  and  M.  Dickinson  elected  to  fill  va- 
cancy; City  Clerk,  S.  P.  Sedgwick;  City  Att'y,  W.  W. 
Sedgwick;  City  Treas.,  W.  C.  Phelps;  City  Marshal, 
J.  N.  Shatter;  City  Supt.  of  Streets,  W.  Leacock  ; 
Police  Magistrate,  W.  R.  Low;  Board  of  Health,  N. 
E.  Ballou,  Theron  Potter,  Jacob  Burkhart,  Jr. 

The  issue  presented  to  the  voters  has  usually  been 
that  of  licensing  saloons  for  the  sale  of  alcoholic 
Jiquors.  The  license  party  has  generally  been  suc- 
cessful, and  there  have  usually  been  from  two  to  four 
licensed  saloons  in  the  place.  For  a  number  of  years 
the  license  fee  has  been  $500  per  year. 

In  1878  the  city 'erected  a  fine  building  on  Rail- 
road Street,  to  be  used  for  city  offices  and  as  an 
opera  house.  On  the  evening  of  Jan.  2,  1879,  the 
hall  was  duly  dedicated. 

BUSINESS  INTERESTS. 

The  pioneer  merchants  of  Sandwich  are  J.  H.  & 
L.  H.  Carr,  who  commenced  business  here  in  the  fall 
of  1853,  purchasing  from  A.  Gage  an  old  building 
used  by  him  as  a  granary  and  fitting  it  up  for  the 
purpose.  As  stated,  the  railroad  company  refused  to 
locate  a  station  here,  so  the  Carrs  were  compelled  to 
haul  their  first  stock  from  Somonauk.  The  stock 
was  of  a  miscellaneous  kind,  suitable  to  the  wants  of 
a  farming  community. 

In  the  summer  of  1854  A.  R.  Patten  commenced 
the  erection  of  a  store  building,  in  which  Patten  & 
Culver  opened  a  stock  of  general  merchandise. 

James  Clark,  on  the  completion  of  his  building, 
opened  a  stock  of  general  merchandise. 

Other  dealers  came  in  from  time  to  time,  and  vari- 
ous changes  were  made.  In  the  spring  of  1885  there 
were  six  firms  engaged  in  the  trade  of  general  mer- 
chandise— C.  Corlinskey,  Goodman  &  Weir,  Pratt 
Bros.,  Crofoot  &  Manchester,  J.  N.  Culver,  E.  I. 
Barker. 

The  first  grocery  store  was  established  in  the  win- 
ter of  1853-4  by  James  Kennard.  His  stock  con- 
sisted of  "eatables  and  drinkables,"  the  latter,  it  is 
said,  being  the  greater  part  of  the  stock.  Perley 
Stone  came  soon  after.  In  connection  with  Benjamin 
Latham  he  continued  in  the  business  for  some  time. 
Burt  &  Treat  commenced  in  the  spring  of  1857. 
There  are  now  six  firms  engaged  in  this  line  of  trade 
— S.  Abbey,  Van  Fleet  &  Smith,  E.  Thompson,  N. 
Maginnis,  E.  F.  West,  R.  G.  Kirtland. 


George  W.  Culver  and  Robert  Patten  were  the  first 
lumber  dealers.  They  commenced  business  in  the 
summer  of  1854.  Within  the  next  three  years  H. 
F.  Winchester,  White  &  Potter,  and  M.  B.  Castle  en- 
gaged in  the  same  line,  though  not  all  at  one  time. 
In  the  spring  of  1057  Alexander  White  sold  out  to 
Hoagland  &  Shepard.  The  present  dealers  are  E. 
Doan,  Castle  &  Mosher. 

The  pioneer  tailor  was  George  P.  Hay.  He  came 
from  Bristol  in  the  fall  of  1854.  In  the  summer  of 
1855  he  erected  a  building  and  opened  a  regular 
clothing  store.  Frederick  Tummell  was  the  next 
tailor  and  dealer  in  ready-made  clothing.  He 
opened  his  shop  in  1856.  D.  B.  Stewart  com- 
menced in  the  summer,  and  John  W.  Dobbin  in  the 
fall,  of  1857.  In  the  spring  of  1885  the  following 
named  firms  were  in  the  business  :  M.  Nathan,  H. 
Fox  &  Co.,  James  Warner,  C.  Blomquist,  M.  Dick- 
inson. 

S.  J.  Smith,  in  the  summer  of  1 855,  erected  a  build- 
ing, and  in  November  following  opened  the  first  drug 
and  bookstore.  J.  H.  Miller  &  Co.,  A.  H.  Ramey, 
T.  Potter  monopolized  the  trade  in  the  spring  of  1885. 
Mr.  Ramey  was  also  a  news  dealer.  E.  Ledoyt  was 
also  in  the  latter  business. 

Alanson  Fairbanks,  in  the  fall  of  1854,  sold  his 
farm  in  Little  Rock  and  established  the  first  livery 
stable  in  Sandwich.  I.  M.  Arnold,  Ed.  Bark,  S. 
Dickson  were  in  the  business  in  the  spring  of  1885. 

David  Nixon  opened  the  first  furniture  store  in  the 
spring  of  1856.  He  soon  after  received  into  partner- 
ship Jacob  Burkhart,  and  the  firm  continued  until 
the  fall  of  1856,  when  they  sold  to  John  W.  Dobbin, 
who,  in  the  spring  of  1857,  sold  to  Burkhart  &  Col- 
lett.  The  former,  in  connection  with  his  son,  yet  en- 
gages in  the  trade.  In  the  spring  of  1857  Winans  & 
Stratton  commenced  in  the  same  line  of  trade.  In 
the  spring  of  1885,  in  addition  to  Burkhart  &  Son, 
the  trade  was  represented  by  C.  F.  Walters. 

E.  S.  Johnson  was  the  first  jeweler,  beginning  busi- 
ness here  in  the  spring  of  1857.  In  1885  there  were 
in  the  trade,  in  addition  to  Mr.  Johnson,  B.  Wilsey, 
Charles  Tiede. 

In  the  fall  of  1855  Henry  Roberts  opened  the  first 
permanent  meat-market.  There  are  three  shops  at 
present — P.  W.  Wallace,  Stockholm  &  Jones,  Aug. 
West. 

Buob  &  Streich,  in  the  spring  of  1857,  opened  the 
»&vs^£  i 


- 


first  bakery.  D.  Hughes  and  Ed.  Young  are  now  en- 
gaged in  the  business. 

In  the  spring  of  1856  Richard  Bassett  established 
the  first  tinshop.  G.  L.  Ismon  &  Co.  next  opened  a 
shop  in  connection  with  their  hardware  store,  with 
J.  M.  Sanders  as  foreman.  R.  S.  Laird  was  the  third 
tinsmith. 

G.  L.  Ismon  &  Co.  opened  the  first  store  for  the 
exclusive  sale  of  hardware  in  the  spring  of  1856. 
George  Kleinsmid  and  Winchell  &  Abbott  are  the 
only  dealers  at  present. 

The  first  permanent  daguerrean  artist  in  Sand- 
wich was  M.  F.  Howard,  in  1856.  Miss  A.  B.  Bas- 
sett was  the  second,  in  1857.  The  daguerrean 
picture  is  now  a  thing  of  the  past.  C.  E.  Orr  and 
A.  Satterlee  are  photographers,  doing  business  here 
at  present. 

J.  H.  &  L.  H.  Carr  bought  and  shipped  the  first 
grain  from  this  station  in  the  fall  of  1853.  Robert 
Patten  and  George  W.  Culver  were  also  engaged  for 
a  time  in  the  business.  In  the  spring  of  1855  S. 
Fuller  located  here  and  engaged  in  the  same  line. 
Follansbee  &  Wormwood  were  next,  and  in  the  fall 
of  1855  commenced  the  erection  of  a  warehouse  and 
elevator,  which  they  completed  in  the  spring  of  1856. 
M.  F.  Howard  commenced  in  the  winter  of  1856-7, 
and  W.  L.  Simmons  in  the  summer  of  1857.  The 
latter  is  still  in  the  trade,  and  is  the  sole  representa- 
tive. 

Shortly  after  J.  H.  &  L.  H.  Carr  started  in  busi- 
ness, James  Clark  commenced  the  erection  of  a  low, 
rambling  building,  one  part  of  which  he  used  for  a 
store  and  the  other  for  hotel  purposes,  it  being  the 
first  hotel  in  the  place.  He  ran  it  for  a  time  and  was 
succeeded  by  Mr.  Van  Olinda.  It  usually  went  by 
the  name  of  the  Donegana  House,  after  the  latter 
became  the  proprietor,  and  very  soon  ceased  to  exist. 

In  the  fall  of  1855  William  H.  Eddy  erected  the 
Sandwich  House,  and  on  New  Year's  eve  of  that 
year  it  was  formally  opened  by  Moses  Cook,  lessee. 
Mr.  Cook  continued  to  run  the  house  until  October, 
1857,  when  Jonathan  Able  took  charge  of  it.  Vari- 
ous changes  have  been  made,  but  in  1866  Joseph 
Dyas  purchased  the  house,  and  has  since  continued 
its  management.  The  house  has  a  good  reputation, 
well  deserved. 

The  Park  House,  by  F.  M.  Bell,  and  the  City  Ho- 
tel, by  Mrs.  Josephine  Wilsey,  also  afford  entertain- 
ment to  many  guests. 


Early  in  1856  a  company  was  organized  for  the 
erection  of  a  steam  grist-mill.  Almaron  Gage  do- 
nated the  ground  and  work  was  soon  commenced. 
In  the  fall  of  the  year  the  mill  was  complete,  and 
set  in  motion  by  Mr.  Bennett,  who  secured  the  posi- 
tion of  miller,  receiving  a  share  of  the  proceeds  for 
his  labor.  It  was  furnished  with  three  run  of  buhrs. 
Mackie  &  Bell  are  the  present  proprietors.  The  mill 
is  a  ?tone  structure,  four-stories  in  height  and  has  a 
capacity  of  100  barrels  of  flour  per  day.  Patent 
rollers  have  been  introduced  within  the  past  two 
years,  and  the  mill  is  now  said  to  be  one  of  the  best 
in  the  State. 

Myrlin  Carpenter  is  the  pioneer  blacksmith,  com- 
mencing in  the  spring  of  1854.  He  soon  associated 
with  himself,  Chester  Wilcox,  the  firm  of  Carpenter 
&  Wilcox  continuing  in  existence  some  years.  The 
representatives  of  this  trade  are  now  John  White  and 
Erwin  Bros.  The  wagon  and  carriage  manufacturers 
also  do  general  blacksmithing. 

Lansing  &  Williams  were  the  first  wagon-makers 
to  locate  here  permanently.  They  were  here  within 
two  years  after  the  village  was  laid  ont.  G.  Walter 
and  Kehl  Bros,  are  now  engaged  in  the  trade,  the 
former  doing  quite  an  extensive  business,  employing 
in  busy  seasons  about  30  hands.  The  latter  does  a 
good  business  also. 

Jacob  Hoffwas  the  first  to  engage  in  the  trade  of 
shoemaking,  commencing  business  in  January,  1856. 
Mr.  Hainas  came  next  in  the  spring  of  1856,  and  in 
the  spring  of  1857  G.  Brecher  opened  a  shop.  The 
present  representatives  of  this  trade  are  Haupt  Bros, 
and  Mr.  Olsen. 

Thomas  &  Emmons  established  the  first  coal  yard 
in  January,  1856.  In  the  spring  following  H.  F. 
Winchester  commenced  the  business.  Cole  &  Treat 
opened  a  yard  soon  after.  Geo.  Whitcomb,  Castle 
&  Mosher,  Thos.  Hickey  and  E.  Doan  are  the 
present  dealers. 

Daniel  Bishop  was  the  first  drayman.  He  com- 
menced in  the  spring  of  1856. 

Among  the  first  carpenters  were  A.  L.  Ismon, 
John  Boyd,  James  Byers,  John  W.  Dobbin,  John 
Bentz,  Robert  Dixon,  Thomas  Orr,  James  Orr, 
Samuel  Orr,  Andrew  Cole,  Joseph  Cole,  Henry 
Stone,  John  H.  Jones,  S.  L.  Allen,  Henry  W.  Amer- 
man,  Riley  Handy,  Jerome  Handy,  Benjamin  Mills, 
Frederick  Carr,  Charles  Welch,  Jacob  Blitz.  The 


-  ..  - 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


carpenters  who  are  likewise    contractors  at  present 
are  E,  Doan,  William  Beattys,  F.  E.  Griffith. 

The  pioneer  masons  were  John  R.  Brown,  Al- 
pheus  Rood,  Stephen  Westover,  Marcus  Doolittle, 
Charles  Tracy,  Elijah  Lester,  Lorin  Tracy,  James 
Gifford,  Geo.  Mitten,  Cornelius  Scouton,  A.  Munson. 
F.  Webber  is  the  only  contractor  at  present. 

Hiram  Severy,  Walter  Scott,  Chas.  Kinney,  John 
Sibley,  Daniel  Boyd  and  William  S.  Platt  were  among 
the  first  painters.  Vermilye  &  Clark,  Mr.  Champlin, 
Norman  Butterfield,  John  Hough,  Frank  Finch  now 
represent  the  trade. 

Mrs.  Jacob  Hoff  opened  the  first  millinery  shop  in 
the  spring  of  1856.  Shortly  after,  Miss  Jane  Hicks 
opened  a  shop.  Mrs.  Gillett,  Mrs.  J.  F.  Douglas, 
Mrs.  Atkins,  Mrs.  Butterfield,  Mrs.  Fonda,  each 
have  shops  in  the  spring  of  1885. 

The  first  representative  of  the  legal  profession  was 
S,  B.  Stinson,  who  opened  'an  office  in  the  summer  of 
1856.  Mr.  Stinson  continues  to  reside  here  and  is 
in  active  practice.  W.  W.  Sedgwick,  J.  I.  Montgom- 
ery and  C.  G.  Faxon  are  also  attorneys  in  active 
practice. 

The  first  representative  of  the  medical  profession 
here  was  Dr.  Griswold,  who  was  here  in  1854.  Dr. 
S.  C.  Gillett  came  soon  after,  and  continued  until 
the  spring  of  1857,  when  he  removed  to  Aurora.  In 
the  summer  of  1855  Dr.  Charles  Winslow  was 
associated  with  Dr.  Gillett,  and  continued  with  him 
until  the  spring  of  1856,  when  he  removed  to  Sugar 
Grove.  Dr.  E.  H.  Lowe  was  next  in  the  fall  of  1855 
In  the  spring  of  1856,  Dr.  N.  E.  Ballou  commenced 
practicing  here.  In  the  summer  following,  Dr.  A. 
L.  Merriam,  who  previously  had  practiced  in  the 
neighborhood,  returned  and  opened  an  office  in  the 
village.  Dr.  John  Lowe  came  in  the  fall  of  1857. 
V.  Vermilye,  N.  E.  Ballou,  C.  S.  Dickson,  J.  C. 
David,  F.  P.  Stiles,  Thos.  Armstrong,  C.  L.  Misick, 
are  the  physicians  here  at  present. 

The  dental  profession  is  well  represented  by  Dr. 
V.  R.  David  and  Dr.  Pomeroy.  Dr.  A.  Hale  was 
the  first  dentist.  He  is  now  in  Minnessota. 

As  the  town  increased  in  population,  other 
branches  of  business  were  opened,  and  in  addition  to 
what  has  already  been  given  as  being  in  business 
here  in  the  spring  of  1885,  there  were  the  following 
lines  represented  by  those  named  in  connection  : 
W.  G.  Adams,  elevator  and  warehouse  supplies, 


doing  a  very  extensive  business,  many  articles  in 
his  line  being  the  product  of  the  Sandwich  Man- 
ufacturing Co. 

Hall  &  Gilchrist,  marble  works.  A  very  large 
business  is  done  by  this  firm. 

J.  M.  Hummel,  and  Henning  &  Ross,  agricultural 
implements. 

A.  W.  Orr,  Pearl  Street  Green-house. 

M.  M.  Jones,  representative  of  the  Board  of  Trade, 
Chicago. 

E.- Latham,  boots  and  shoes. 

William  Hueske  and  Thos.  A.  Dean,  harness- 
makers. 

C.  Munch,  tobacco  store. 

E.  B.  Marrs,  restaurant. 

H.  C.  Graves  &  Sons,  nursery  stock. 

Frank  Robinson,  Will  Dean,  Ball  &  Co.,  barbers. 

H.  A.  Prentice,  billiard  hall. 

Sedgwick,  Wallace  &  Dean,  skating  rink. 

G.  H.  Robertson,  M.  B.  Castle  &  Son,  Barnes  & 
Douglas,  printers. 

BANKS. 

M.  B.  Castle  commenced  the  first  banking  business 
in  Sandwich  in  1856.  His  exchange  business  that 
year  was  small  indeed.  About  1859  Amos  Shepard 
was  admitted  to  a  partnership  in  the  business,  and 
under  the  firm  name  of  Castle  &  Shepard  the  busi- 
ness was  conducted  for  three  years.  Mr.  Castle  then 
continued  the  business  alone  until  1866,  when  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  Capt.  F.  S.  Mosher.  The 
bank  has  always  been  known  as  the  Sandwich  Bank, 
having  its  president  and  cashier.  In  1863  J.  B. 
Castle  was  assistant  cashier.  At  present  M.  B. 
Castle  is  President  and  F.  S.  Mosher,  Cashier.  In 
the  29  years  in  which  the  Sandwich  Bank  has  been 
in  existence  it  can  boast  that  its  doors  have  never 
been  closed  and  the  check  of  a  depositor  never 
refused.  It  must  be  remembered  that  the  bank  has 
passed  through  the  hard  times  of  '57,  the  war  period 
and  the  hard  times  of  1873,  and  therefore  its  record 
is  one  of  which  any  man  might  be  proud.  Mr. 
Castle  is  now  one  of  the  oldest  bankers  of  the  State 
in  point  of  continuous  service. 

Culver  Bros,  have  also  been  engaged  in  the  bank- 
ing business  some  years. 

EDUCATIONAL. 

The  old  red  school-house  is  well  remembered  by 
the  older  citizens  of  Sandwich.  It  stood  upon  North 


Main  Street,  between  the  present  stores  of  Van  Fleet 
&  Smith  and  J.  M.  Hummel.  It  was  erected  before 
the  village  was  surveyed  or  even  contemplated,  and 
used  until  1856,  when  it  was  sold  at  auction  and 
bought  by  Mr.  Saunders. 

In  the  winter  of  1854-5  a  company  was  organized 
for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  building  and  maintain- 
ing a  high  school  to  be  known  as  the  Sandwich 
Academy. 

The  school  was  opened  in  the  spring  of  1855  by 
Prof.  J.  L.  Hendrick,  who  continued  it  as  a  high 
school  until  the  spring  of  1856,  when  the  directors  of 
the  public  schools  of  this  district  purchased  the 
building  of  the  share-holders  and  continued  Prof. 
Hendrick  as  teacher  until  the  spring  of  1857.  In 
the  fall  of  1857  the- directors  graded  them  and 
placed  Prof.  H.  F.  Needham  in  charge  as  principal, 
with  Miss  H.  D.  Beardsley  and  Miss  P.  Morey  as 
assistants.  During  that  fall  Prof.  Hendrick  and  Miss 
A.  M.  Carpenter  each  taught  a  select  school. 

The  present  system  of  grading,  which  consists  of 
eight  grades  below  the  high  school,  was  adopted  in 
1877.  The  schools  are  now  in  fine  condition,  under 
the  superintendency  of  Prof.  C.  I.  Gruey,  assisted  by 
James  P.  Houston,  Fannie  Schuebly,  Ethel  Gregory, 
Annie  Cox,  Mary  McKindley,  Anna  Brown,  Anna 
Paine,  Dottie  Winnie,  Frances  J.  Stinson  and  Loe 
Hall.  The  school  property  is  valued  at  $10,000. 
The  principals  since  1857  have  been  as  follows:  J. 
L.  Hendrick,  H.  F.  Needham,  Delos  Williams,  Mr. 
Johnson,  L.  V.  Wilmot,  A.  J.  Sawyer,  Harry  Moore, 
A.  E.  Bourne,  C.  I.  Gruey. 

RELIGIOUS. 

There  are  now  nine  religious  denominations  repre- 
sented in  Sandwich — the  Baptists,  Methodist  Epis- 
copals,  Presbyterians,  Congregationalists,  German 
Baptists,  Lutheran  Reformed,  Lalter-Day  Saints  and 
Catholics. 

Methodist  Episcopal. — As  already  stated,  in  1836, 
Rev.  William  Royal  organized  a  Methodist  Episco- 
pal class  at  the  house  of  Simon  Price,  composed  of 
some  half  dozen  sisters.  This  class  met  in  private 
houses  until  the  winter  of  1837-8,  when  it  assembled 
in  the  log  school-house  on  section  22.  At  this  house 
and  at  the  Eddy  school-house  a  little  further  north, 
it  continued  to  meet  until  1846,  when  the  old  red 
school-house,  in  the  present  limits  of  Sandwich,  was 
erected.  On  meeting  at  this  house  the  class  was  re- 


inforced by  a  number  living  in  the  neighborhood. 
J.  M.  Hall  was  class-leader  at  this  time.  When  the 
future  of  Sandwich  was  secured,  steps  were  taken  to 
build  a  church  edifice.  Almon  Gage  donated  a  lot 
for  the  purpose,  and  a  neat  frame  church  was  erected, 
and  some  time  in  1856  duly  set  apart  to  the  service 
of  Almighty  God.  J.  M.  Hall  donated  a  lot  for  the 
parsonage,  which  was  erected  the  year  previous. 
The  Church  has  had  a  prosperous  career,  though  at 
times  dark  clouds  hovered  over  it  and  the  faith  of 
some  weakened.  To-day  it  has  a  membership  of 
200,  with  about  50  probationers,  the  result  of  a  re- 
vival in  the  winter  of  1884-5. 

Baptist  Church. — On  the  26th  day  of  November, 
1842,  a  few  members  of  the  Baptist  Church  con- 
vened at  the  house  of  George  Shannon,  on  the  Som- 
onauk, to  take  into  consideration  the  organization  of 
a  Church.  The  following  named  covenanted  to- 
gether for  the  maintenance  of  the  worship  and  ordi- 
nances of  the  gospel,  with  a  view  of  being  recognized 
as  a  regular  Baptist  Church  :  Almus  Pratt,  George 
Shannon,  Alonzo  Tolman,  Joseph  Oakley  and  Mary 
Buckingham,  the  two  last  relating  their  experience 
and  receiving  baptism.  The  next  meeting  was  held 
Dec.  17,  when  David  and  Betsey  Matlock  united. 
On  the  2ist  of  May,  1843,  it  was  voted  to  call  a 
council  to  fellowship  them  as  a  Baptist  Church.  On 
the  3d  of  June  the  council  was  held  and  the  Church 
was  recognized  as  the  Upper  Somonauk  Baptist 
Church.  In  December  following  the  name  was 
changed  to  Somonauk  and  Little  Rock  Baptist 
Church.  Elder  Norman  Warriner  was  called  to 
minister  to  the  Church  in  June,  1843,  and  served  it 
till  1846,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Stephen 
G.  Hunt,  who  remained  four  years.  In  1851  a  pro- 
tracted meeting  was  held  by  Rev.  John  Higby,  and 
1 8  were  baptized.  This  was  the  first  protracted 
meeting  held  by  the  Church.  Mr.  Higby  remained 
with  the  Church  about  one  year,  when  Rev.  John 
Young  was  called.  He  was  followed  by  Rev.  Bela 
Hicks,  Rev.  Higby  again  and  Rev.  Nelson  Alvord, 
all  short  pastorates. 

In  1852  it  was  decided  to  build  a  house  of  worship, 
if  sufficient  encouragement  was  given,  and  to  locate 
near  Deacon  Pratt's.  But  little  was  done  until  the 
railroad  was  built  and  a  station  had  been  determined 
on  at  what  is  now  Sandwich.  Two  lots  were  obtained 
from  Jacob  M.  Hall,  the  original  deed  of  which 




: 


' 


specifies  lots  i  and  2,  in  block  3,  of  the  village  of 
Almon,  the  name  Sandwich  not  having  been  adopted 
at  the  time,  March  i,  18:54.  A  neat  frame  edifice 
was  completed  in  December  of  the  same  year,  at  a 
cost  of  $2,100,  and  on  the  23d  day  of  January,  1855, 
it  was  dedicated,  Rev.  William  Haigh  preaching  the 
sermon.  An  addition  was  made  to  this  house  in 
1874  at  a  cost  of  $600.  With  other  improvements, 
the  property  is  now  worth  $3,500. 

In  1857,  the  Pastor,  Rev.  William  M.  Bassett,  was 
assisted  by  Rev.  C.  E.  Tinker,  of  Annawan,  in  a  most 
extensive  revival.  Fifty  were  baptized  and  became 
members  of  the  Baptist  Church.  In  1859,  Rev. 
Robert  A.  Clapp  became  pastor.  He  was  followed 
after  two  years  by  Rev.  E.  L.  Hunt,  who  served  three 
years.  Part  of  the  time  he  was  Chaplain  in  the  army, 
and  the  pulpit  was  supplied  by  Rev.  George  A. 
Bishop  The  Church  grew  steadily,  27  being  added 
by  baptism  in  one  year,  under  Rev.  Hunt.  After  a 
short  pastorate  by  Rev.  C.  E.  Bailey,  Rev.  D.  B. 
Gunn  became  Pastor,  in  1865,  and  the  following  year 
30  were  baptized.  He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  War- 
ren Mason,  who  remained  two  years,  and  was  fol- 
lowed, in  1870,  by  Rev.  W.  H.  Card.  During  his 
second  year  32  were  baptized.  He  remained  four 
years.  The  succeeding  pastors  have  been  Rev.  A. 
L.  Farr,  six  years;  Rev.  W.  A.  Branson,  one  year; 
Rev.  N.  A.  Reed,  two  years.  The  present  pastor, 
Rev.  E.  W.  Hicks,  was  called  in  April,  1883,  and 
began  April  15. 

The  Church  has  had  18  pastors.  The  following 
have  been  licensed  to  preach  by  the  Church:  Cyrus 
F.  Tolman,  Gilbert  E.  Pratt,  Henry  R.  Hicks,  Ed- 
ward Sedgwick.  Also  Rev.  W.  H.  Eddy,  ordained. 
There  have  been,  altogether,  about  625  additions  to 
the  Church  ;  286  by  baptism.  The  present  member- 
ship is  176.  The  officers  of  the  Church  in  the  spring 
of  1885  were  Rev.  E.  W.  Hicks,  Pastor;  Julius  Ives 
and  R.  B.  Jackson,  Deacons ;  Luther  Kent,  Frank 
Kent,  O.  S.  Hendee,  Seneca  Culver,  Dr.  C.  L.  Misick, 
Trustees;  R.  B.  Jackson,  Clerk. 

The  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Sandwich  was 
organized  at  the  house  of  Charles  Merritt,  at  Free- 
land  Corners,  Dec.  15,  1851,  with  eight  members. 
Milo  Tuttle  was  the  first  elder.  In  December,  1853, 
the  eldership  was  composed  of  Milo  Tuttle,  William 
T.  Morey,  Henry  S.  Langdon.  H.  T.  Merritt  was 
clerk  of  the  sessions.  The  first  regular  minister  was 


Rev.  A.  Johnson,  who  began  his  labors  in  the  fall  of 
1854,  and  occasionally  preached  until  June,  1856. 
On  the  26th  day  of  May,  1856,  a  meeting  of  the 
Church  was  held  at  Freeland's  Corners  and  a  vote 
was  taken  on  removal  to  Sandwich.  Eleven  voted 
to  remove  and  two  against.  It  was  also  voted  that 
the  Church  be  known  as  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Somonauk,  which  name  was  subsequently 
changed  to  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Sandwich. 
At  one  of  its  first  meetings  in  Sandwich,  a  com- 
mittee was  appointed  to  confer  with  a  like  committee 
from  the  Church  of  South  Somonauk,  to  secure  the 
services  of  a  regular  pastor.  Rev.  L.  P.  Crawford 
was  called  and  began  his  labors  July  i,  1856.  On 
the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  he  enlisted  and  served 
for  a  time,  but  subsequently  returned  and  served 
until  the  spring  of  1865.  In  April  of  that  year  Rev. 
G.  H.  Robertson  began  his  labors  for  the  Church, 
continuing  until  the  spring  of  1867,  when  he  resigned 
to  accept  the  pastorate  of  the  Second  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Springfield.  Rev.  I.  D.  Henning  was  the 
next  pastor.  He  served  but  about  six  months,  when 
Rev.  R.  M.  Overstreet  accepted  a  call  in  the  spring 
of  1868,  serving  one  year.  In  the  fall  of  1869,  Rev. 
E.  L.  Hurd  came  and  served  three  years.  In  Jan- 
uary, 1873,  Rev.  G.  W.  Crofts  entered  upon  his 
labors  for  the  Church.  He  was  succeeded  Feb.  i, 
1875,  by  Rev.  G.  B.  Black.  In  the  fall  of  1878,  Rev. 
D.  W.  Fahs  began  his  labors  as  supply,  and  in  June, 
1880,  was  called  to  the  pastorate.  He  still  remains 
with  the  Church. 

On  its  removal  to  this  place  services  were  held  in 
the  old  Academy.  In  the  summer  of  1857,  steps 
were  taken  to  erect  a  house  of  worship,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1858  a  church  edifice  was  completed  and 
occupied.  In  1866  an  addition  was  built,  and  sub- 
sequently a  fine  organ  costing  $r,3oo  was  put  in. 
There  has  been  a  total  membership  of  297,  with  a 
present  membership  of  125. 

The  Congregational  Church. — The  Congregational 
Church  of  Sandwich  was  originally  organized  at  Little 
Rock,  Kendall  County,  April  17,1853.  In  addition 
to  the  articles  of  covenant  usually  adopted  by  such 
bodies,  the  Church  adopted  resolutions  by  which  they 
refused  to  fellowship  individuals  or  Churches  that 
were  guilty  of  holding  their  fellow  men  in  bondage; 
and  also  one  requiring  total  abstinence  from  intoxi- 
cating liquors  as  a  beverage  as  a  means  of  admission 
into  the  Church. 


^ 


DE  KALB    COUNTY. 


Soon  after  its  organization  the  Church  engaged  the 
services  of  Rev.  H.  G.  Warner,  who  preached  for  it 
one  year.  Eighteen  persons  were  added  under  his 
ministration.  From  July,  1854,  till  the  spring  of 
1855,  Rev.  I.  Mattison  supplied  the  Church.  For 
the  next  year  no  religious  services  were  held.  The 
village  of  Sandwich  having  come  into  existence,  and 
several  of  its  members  having  moved  thereto,  at  a 
meeting  May  10,  1856,  it  was  unanimously  re- 
solved that  the  "  location  of  the  Church  be  removed 
to  Sandwich,  De  KalbCo.,  and  the  name  changed  to 
the  Congregational  Church  of  Sandwich."  Two 
weeks  later  the  first  meeting  was  held  in  Sandwich  at 
the  residence  of  Deacon  Hubbard.  Subsequently 
and  until  the  i4th  of  June,  1857,  services  were  held 
in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  On  the  day 
mentioned,  a  small  chapel  having  been  completed 
the  first  services  were  held  therein. 

In  July,  1857,  Rev.  James  Kilbourn  commenced 
his  labors  with  the  Church.  He  served  six  years, 
during  which  time  84  persons  were  received  into  the 
Church.  In  August,  1863,  Rev.  C.  A.  Harvey  entered 
upon  his  duties  as  supply,  and  on  the  4th  of  Janu- 
ary, 1865,  was  called  to  the  pastorate.  Until  now 
the  Church  had  worshiped  in  the  chapel,  which  had 
become  too  small  for  the  congregations.  It  was  then 
sold  to  the  Lutherans,  and  the  present  neat  and 
qommodious  building  (exclusive  of  the  lecture-room 
and  transepts)  was  erected.  It  was  dedicated  Jan- 
uary 26,  1865.  During  Mr.  Harvey's  pastorate, 
which  terminated  April  i,  1866,  there  were  39  addi- 
tions. Soon  after  the  Church  invited  Rev.  John  W. 
Cass  to  labor  with  them.  The  invitation  being  ac- 
cepted, Mr.  Cass  began  his  ministry  September  r, 
1866,  the  pulpit  being  supplied  in  the  meantime  by 
Rev.  N.  C.  Clark.  During  that  and  the  following 
year  a  parsonage  was  built,  costing,  with  lots,  $2,000. 
Mr.  Cass  served  two  and  a  half  years,  receiving  into 
the  Church  121  persons.  On  account  of  failing 
health  he  resigned,  and  June  i,  1869,  Rev.  C.  A. 
Towle  became  the  pastor,  continuing  as  such  until 
July  i,  1873.  In  that  time  73  were  added  to  the 
Church.  In  November,  1873,  Rev.  John  L.  Granger 
became  acting  pastor,  and  remained  three  years, 
with  43  additions.  On  the  resignation  of  Mr. 
Granger  Rev.  G.  W.  Crofts  was  called  to  the  pastor- 
ate. He  served  until  March  i,  1885,  during  which 
time  there  were  114  added  to  the  Church.  The 
present  membership  is  208. 


German  Baptist  Church,  composed  of  citizens 
speaking  the  German  language,  was  organized  Aug. 
16,  1855. 

SOCIETIES. 

Sandwich  is  well  represented  by  secret  and  benev- 
olent societies. 

Meteor  Lodge,  No.  283,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  held  its 
first  meeting  May  14,  1858.  The  petitioners  for  dis- 
pensation were  N.  E.  Ballou,  A.  C.  Frick,  James 
Clark,  Thos.  R.  Trsat,  John  H.  Lowe,  Silas  H.  Town- 
send  and  A.  J.  Thomas.  The  lodge  has  had  an  un- 
usually successful  career,  with  a  membership  in 
1885  of  94,  with  the  following  named  officers  :  L.  D. 
Woodruff,  W.  M.;  C.  H.  Pratt,  S.  W.fT.  R.  Polglase, 
J.  W.;  M.  Carpenter,  Treas.;  Fred.  S.  Douglas,  Sec. 

Sandwich  Chapter,  No.  107,  R.  A.  M.,  was  granted 
dispensation  December  21,  1866.  A  charter  was 
granted  October  4,  1867.  Its  first  officers  were  Geo. 
W.  Culver,  H.  P.;  Jos.  H.  Furman,  K.;  B.  C.  Whit- 
comb,  S.  Its  present  officers  are  Ed.  S.  Johnson,  H. 
P.;  Van  R.  David,  K.;  Gustave  Walters,  S.;  George 
H.  Whitcomb,  See.;  M.  Carpenter,  Treas.  Present 
membership,  137. 

Excelsior  Lodge,  No.  67,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  was  organ- 
ized March  23,  1877.  Its  first  officers  were  C.  D. 
Reed,  P.  M.  W.;  F.  E.  Griffith,  M.  W.;  Jacob  Burk- 
hart,  jr.,  Foreman ;  John  A.  Armstrog,  Recorder. 
Few  lodges  in  the  State  have  had  a  more  prosperous 
existence.  It  now  numbers  80  members,  and  has 
lost  by  death  five — Henry  M.  Rogers,  December  7 , 
1 88 1 ;  H.  F.  Bloodgood,  April  4,  1882  ;  A.  H.  Hills, 
July  i,  1883;  L.  M.  Shrewsbury,  December  6,  1883; 
A.  Brandenburger,  December  28,  1883.  The  officers 
in  March,  1885,  were  F.  A.  Howe,  M.  W.;  R.  F. 
White,  F.;  E.  L.  Ingersoll,  Recorder.  Those  who 
have  represented  this  lodge  in  the  Grand  Lodge  are 
F.  E.  Griffith,  T.  W.  Orr,  Geo.  Kleinsmid  and  M. 
Dickinson. 

Sandwich  Legion,  No.  40,  Select  Knights,  A.  O.  U. 
IV.,  was  organized  August  13,  1884,  by  Alex.  Mc- 
Lean, Grand  Commander  of  the  State  of  Illinois. 
The  Legion  meets  on  the  second  and  fourth  Tuesday 
evenings  in  each  month.  The  present  membership 
is  32.  M.  Dickinson  is  the  representative  to  the 
Grand  Legion.  The  officers  in  the  spring  of  1885 
were  as  follows :  W.  J.  M.  Fish,  S.  C.;  Geo.  Green- 
field, V.  C.;  Thos.  McNeice,  L.  C.;  Robert  White, 
Rec. 

Sandwich  Lodge,  No.  jo,  I.  O.  M.  A.,  was  organ- 

lvx>  O        "a^g- «4*^&®  K 


V 


vx 


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*',  * 

(L 

i 

& 


: 
/ 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


ized  April  16,  1879,  by  M.  L.  Ross,  D.  G.  P.  of  the 
State  of  Illinois.  The  first  officers  were  Thos. 
Wright,  W.  P.  P.;  A.  P.  Crapser.W.  P.;  J.  M.  Steele, 
W.  V.  P.;  F.  IX  Bailey,  R.  S.;  P.  M.  Wallace,  Treas.; 
J.  W.  Allison,  F.  S. 

The  lodge  has  been  unusually  successful,  having 
enrolled  8r  members,  and  having  a  present  member- 
ship of  60.  The  present  officers  are  W.  J.  M.  Fish 
W.  P.;  E.  A.  Beardsley,  W.  V.  P.;  W.  H.  Van 
Fleet,  R.  S. ;  J.  M.  Gates,  F.  S. ;  G.  J.  Fish,  Treas. 

Grand  Prairie  Encampment,  No.  138,  I.  O.  O.  F., 
was  instituted  at  Onarga,  IroquoisCo.,  Ill,  June  28, 
1872,  and  by  order  of  the  Most  Worthy  Grand 
Patriarch,  Amos  Kemp,  was  removed  to  Sandwich, 
111.,  March  7,  1885,  and  has  now  a  membership  of 
40.  The  charter  members  numbered  about  30.  The 
order  is  progressing  rapidly.  Its  officers  in  the 
spring  of  1885  were  E.  E.  Stebbins,  C.  P. ;  Chas.  H. 
Pratt,  H.  P. ;  J.  A.  Durbin,  3.  W. 

MANUFACTORIES. 

Sandwich  Manufacturing  Co. — Sandwich  is  noted 
for  its  manufactories.  The  Sandwich  Manufacturing 
Co.  is  the  oldest  as  well  as  the  most  extensive.  In 
1856  Augustus  Adams,  then  living  at  Elgin,  started 
a  branch  of  his  manufactory  at  this  place.  It  was 
but  a  small  affair,  but  like  the  acorn  it  has  developed 
quite  extensively.  In  1857  his  advertisement  read 
that  A.  Adams,  &  Co.  had  a  foundry  and  machine 
shop  in  which  they  were  prepared  lo  do  casting  of 
every  'description.  But  little  was  said  about  the 
manufactures  that  have  given  the  firm  its  wide 
reputation.  Still  the  idea  was  kept  in  view  to  de- 
velop a  practical,  portable  corn-sheller.  The  first 
engine  blew  up  and  was  replaced  by  a  larger  and 
better  one.  In  1857  Mr.  Adams  moved  his  family 
here,  and  urged  the  work  as  fast  as  his  means  would 
admit.  By  1861  the  reputation  of  the  Sandwich 
Adams  Corn-Sheller  had  so  extended  that  calls  for  it 
came  from  all  over  the  Northwest,  and  to  supply  the 
demand,  gave  employment  to  about  100  men.  It 
might  be  well  to  say  that  in  that  year  a  company  for 
the  loth  Regiment  111.  Vol.  I  rift,  was  raised  here 
and  about  70  of  the  company  went  from  these  shops. 
Just  at  the  opening  of  the  trade,  in  the  face  of 
a  greatly  increased  demand,  the  shops  were  burned 
down,  but  with  the  characteristic  energy  of  the  pro- 
prietors, then  A.  Adams  &  Sons,  they  were  rebuilt, 
larger  and  better  than  before,  and  by  working  extra 


men  and  time  the  trade  was  supplied.     By  this  time 
it  had  been    demonstrated  that  the  Sandwich    corn-  f 
sheller    was    a  necessity   and  a  staple,  and  in  1867,  ' 
capital  at  home  was  readily  found  to  combine    with 
the  firm  of  A.  Adams  &  Sons  to  increase  the  manu-  Vj 
facture,  and  the  Sandwich  Manufacturing  Co.    was 
organized. 

They    soon  found  that  there  must  be    more  shop 
room,  men  and  machinery  to  supply  the  growing  de- 
mand, and  so  they  commenced  to  build,  and  from  this 
commencement  has  grown  the  spacious  and  complete    ^ 
set  of  shops.     These  buildings,  with   the  necessary  § 
yards    adjoining,    now    cover  about    two   blocks   of   ; 
ground,  with  railroad  tracks  running  to  every  point, 
so  that  all  material    is  unloaded    from  the  cars  just 
where   it  is   needed,    and    all  shipments  are   made 
direct    from  the  store-rooms.       The    shops  are  fur- 
nished throughout  with  the  latest  improved  machin- 
ery, much  of  which  was  designed  and  made  at  home    ( 
for  the  specialties  of  their  manufacture.      The  paid 
up  capital  of  the  company  is  $250,000. 

The  Sandwich  Enterprise  Co.  is  the  outgrowth  of  • 
a  business  established  by  Kennedy  Bros.,  and  was  ' 
incorporated  under  the  general  laws  of  the  State,  ; 
Nov.  5,  1868.  The  following  named  were  the  in-  v 
corporators  :  W.  W.  Sedgwick,  M.  B.  Castle,  Wm. 


Davis,  O.  S.  Hendee,  B.  F.  Latham,  E.  A.  Kennedy, 
R.  E.  Howe.     The  capital  stock  was  originally  $50,- 

000,  but  was   subsequently  increased   to   $100,000. 
The  buildings  and  grounds  of  the   company    cover 
more  than  two   blocks  and  a  half  of  ground,  having 
a  frontage  on  Main  Street  of  200  feet  and   on  Eddy 
of  140  feet,  with   a  large  warehouse.      The    manu- 
factures of  the  company  are  windmills,  force  pumps, 
cultivators  and  feed-grinders.     The  following  named 
are  the  officers  and  directors  in  the   spring  of  1885  : 

1.  L.  Rogers,  President  ;  J.    H.  Culver,   Vice-Presi- 
dent; Wm.  Radley,  Secretary  and  Treasurer;  T.  R. 
Pblglase,  Superintendent  ;  I.  L.   Rogers,  J.  H.   Cul- 
ver, O.  C.    Ainsworth,   E.   Doan,  Wm.   Davis,  G.  R. 
Wallace,  H.  Latham,  directors.     In  ordinarily   good 


times  about  140  hands  are  employed. 

The  Tile  Works  of  Dieterich  &  Ebinger  is  one  of 
the  institutions  of  Sandwich,  though  situated  about  '; 
one  mile  west  of  the  city.  L.  Dieterich  had  been  man- 
facturing  brick  some  12  years  or  more,  and  in  com- 
pany with  Mr.  Ebinger  commenced  in  1882  the 
manufacture  of  tiling.  The  main  building  of  the 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


i 


factory  is  36  x  93  feet,  three  stories  hioh,  with  two 
wings,  one  36  feet  square  and  the  other  24  x  69  feet. 
A  large  and  increasing  business  is  being  done. 

Among  the  other  manufactories  in  Sandwich  are 
the  wagon  and  carriage  shops  of  G.  Walter  and  Kehl 
Bros.,  the  pump  factory  of  D.  J.  Cook,  and  the  cigar 
manufactory  of  Thos.  Emerson. 

WATER    WORKS. 

On  the  28th  day  of  July,  1883,  it  was  voted  to  ap- 
propriate $13,000  for  a  system  of  water  works.  The 
contracts  were  let  and  work  commenced  September 
28,  and  on  the  I2th  of  January,  1884,  everything  was 
complete,  a  satisfactory  test  made,  and  the  job  ac- 
cepted by  the  city.  The  stand-pipe  rests  upon  a  sub- 
stantial foundation,  in  the  construction  of  which  42 
cords  of  stone  were  used,  and  laid  with  great  care, 
Milwaukee  cement  being  used.  The  base  of  the  wall 
is  25^  feet  in  diameter,  and  the  top  15  feet.  The 
stand-pipe  is  12  feet  :n  diameter  and  roo  feet  high, 
made  of  the  best  shell  iron,  with  a  tensile  strength 
of  45,000.  The  pump  is  situated  in  the  basement 
of  the  engine-house,  and  draws  the  water  from  the 
well  and  forces  it  into  the  stand-pipe,  or  through  the 
water  mains  direct,  at  the  will  of  the  engineer.  It 
has  a  steam  cylinder  18}^  inches  in  diameter,  and 
the  water  plungers  are  9^  inches  in  diameter.  The 
length  of  the  stroke  is  10  inches,  and  it  makes  from 
roo  to  150  strokes  per  minute  without  the  least  jar 
or  noise.  Its  pumping  capacity  is  850  gallons  a  min- 
ute, but  it  has  made  1,000  a  minute.  The  engine- 
house  is  a  substantial  building  of  stone  and  brick, 
14  x  28  feet,  with  a  basement  9  feet  deep,  and  14  x  14 
feet.  The  well  is  29^  feet  deep,  14  feet  in  diameter. 
Its  tested  inflow  is  300  gallons  per  minute.  1  here 
are  now  three  miles  of  main,  with  32  hydrants. 

FIRE    COMPANY. 

Sandwich  Fire  Co.,  No.  i,  was  organized  Jan.  22, 
1884.  Samuel  Mitten  was  appointed  fire  marshal 
by  the  City  Council.  William  Hickok  was  elected 
first,  and  W.  A.  Williams  second,  assistant  to  the  fire 
marshal.  John  Eberly  was  made  foreman,  witli  Jo- 
seph Franc's  first,  and  John  Van  Winkle  second,  as- 
sistant. At  that  time  there  were  two  hose  carts, 
with  900  feet  of  hose,  and  one  hook  and  ladder  truck, 
with  the  necessary  apparatus.  New  officers  were 
elected  in  the  spring  of  1885.  Samuel  Mitten  was 
re-appointed  chief,  with  William  Hickok  first  and 
John  Eberly  second  assistant.  W.  A.  Williams  was 


made  foreman,  with  Joseph  Francis  first,  and  John 
Van  Winkle  second,  assistant.  Charles  Johnson  is 
secretary  and  Frank  Moore  treasurer.  New  hose 
carts  have  been  provided  and  500  feet  of  hose  added. 
Ths  company  is  composed  of  30  men,  having  five 
officers,  17  men  on  hose  and  8  on  hook  and  laddtr 
truck. 

Hose  Co.  No.  2  is  composed  of  youths  of  18  and 
under.  While  not  subject  to  the  city,  yet  in  case  of 
fires  it  acts  under  direction  of  the  fire  marshal.  It 
was  organized  Sept.  2,  1884,  with  Norman  Mattison, 
foreman,  A.  Shepard,  Jr.,  first  assistant  and  Daniel 
Dickinson,  second  assistant.  The  company  was  or- 
ganized at  the  request  of  the  fire  marshal.  It  has  a 
hose  cart,  with  350  feet  of  hose.  The  company  is 
composed  of  17  men. 

IN    THE    WAR. 

The  war  record  of  Sandwich,  and  in  fact  the  town- 
ship of  Somonauk,  is  one  in  which  the  citizens  take 
a  just  pride.  On  the  i4th  day  of  April,  1861,  Fort 
Sumter  fell,  and  on  the  151!!  the  President  issued  his 
proclamation  for  75,000  men.  On  Thursday  eve- 
ing  following,  a  meeting  was  held  for  the  purpose  of 
giving  expression  to  the  views  of  the  people  upon  the 
troubles.  While  the  meeting  was  in  progress,  L.  H. 
Carr,  who  had  been  a  soldier  in  the  Mexican  War, 
walked  in  with  a  paper  in  his  hand,  which  proved  to 
be  an  agreement  by  which  those  who  signed  offered 
tt  eir  services  to  the  Government.  Mr.  Carr  had 
placed  his  nam1.'  at  the  head  of  the  list.  He  was 
quickly  followed  by  others,  and  before  Saturday  night 
a  company  of  112  men  was  raised  and  accepted  by 
the  Governor.  On  Sunday,  the  ladies  of  the  village 
met  for  the  purpose  of  preparing  uniforms  for  the 
company.  On  Monday  the  company  was  on  its  way 
to  Cairo.  Thus  within  one  week  the  little  village  of 
Sandwich  raised,  uniformed  and  sent  en  its  way  to 
the  front  one  of  the  first  companies  raised  in  the 
State.  All  honor  to  the  brave  men  who,  at  their 
country's  call,  offered  their  lives  for  its  sake.  All 
honor,  too,  to  the  noble  women,  who,  without  a  mur- 
mur, though  doubtless  with  breaking  hearts,  bid  the 
loved  ones  go,  and  with  willing  hands  prepared  them 
for  the  field.  This  company  was  assigned  to  the 
loth  Reg.  111.  Vol.  Infantry,  and  did  valiant  service 
during  the  war.  Mr.  Carr  was  chosen  Captain,  and 
at  Island  No.  10  met  his  death  from  the  bullet  of  a 
rebel  sharp-shooter. 


I 


DE  KALE   COUNTY. 


F.  W.  Partridge  soon  after  raised  another  company 
and  was  chosen  Captain.  This  company  was  made 
a  part  of  the  131!)  Infantry.  Captain  Partridge  was 
twice  wounded,  rose  to  the  command  of  the  regi- 
ment, and  was  brevelted  Brigadier-General.  William 
Patten  also  raised  a  company  which  became  a  part 
of  the  I56th  Infantry.  But  these  were  not  all.  In 
other  regiments  were  to  be  found  the  men  of  Sand- 
wich and  Somonauk  Townships,  who  were  numbered 
among  the  bravest  of  the  brave.  From  the  township 


3ii  men  went  to  the  war.     To   meet  necessary   war 
expenses  the  township  voted  $27,843. 

SUPERVISORS. 

The  following  named  have  served  the  village  and 
city  as  members  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors:  W. 
Walker,  1860;  George  Culver,  1861;  W.  Walker, 
1862:  Perley  Stone,  1863:  W.  L.  Siu.mons,  .86^;  J. 
H.  Carr,  1865;  George  W.  Culver,  :866;  James  H. 
Culver,  1867;  W.  VV.  Sedgwick,  1868-70;  J.  P. 
Adams,  1871-2. 


/ 


* 


Railroads 

HE  County  of  De  Kalb  is  well  supplied 
with  railroads,  but  unfortunately  has  none 
running  from  north  to  south,  though  at 
present  writing,  in  the  spring  of  1885,  one  is 
being  surveyed  which  strikes  the  county  on  the 
southwest  corner,  and  leaves  it  in  the  north- 
east, passing  through  the  cities  of  De  Kalb  and  Syc 
amore.  The  new  road,  while  ostensibly  being  built 
by  the  Illinois  Coal  Company,  is  supposed  to  be 
backed  by  the  Northwes'ern  Railroad  Company. 

The  citizens  of  De  Kalb  County  were  much  "inter- 
ested in  railroad  building  even  at  an  early  day,  and 
realized  the  necessity  of  using  them  for  the  develop- 
ment of  the  county.  The  Chicago  &  Galena  Union 
Railroad  Company  was  chartered  in  1836  and  au- 
thorized to  build  a  railroad  from  Galena  to  Chicago. 
In  1838  a  small  amount  of  grading  had  been  done  on 
the  prairie  west  of  Chicago,  and  active  operations 
were  suspended.  In  the  latter  part  of  1845  the  sub- 
ject was  again  agitated  in  regard  to  the  road,  and  a 
ew  company  organized  which  purchased  the  charter 


with  the  design  of  completing  the  work.  A  meeting 
was  called  at  Rockford  Jan.  7,  1846,  to  be  composed 
of  delegates  from  each  of  the  counties  along  the  line 
of  the  proposed  road.  De  Kalb  was  represented  in 
the  convention  by  James  S.  Waterman.  The  road 
was  subsequently  built,  but  north  of  this  county. 

In  1852  the  Chicago,  St.  Charles  &  Mississippi  Air 
Line  Railroad  was  projected,  to  run  through  St. 
Charles,  Sycamore,  South  Grove  and  Oregon  to  the 
Mississippi  River  at  Savannah.  James  S.  Waterman 
and  Mr.  Fordham,  of  Sycamore,  first  proposed  the 
matter,  and  began  correspondence  with  E.  S.  Litch- 
field,  of  the  Michigan  Southern  Railroad,  in  relation 
to  the  matter.  The  latter  favored  the  project,  and  a 
meeting  was  held  at  Sycamore  in  which  $20,000  was 
subscribed  in  the  stock  of  the  new  company.  The 
proposal  to  build  this  road  alarmed  the  managers  of 
the  Chicago  &  Galena  Union  road,  and  they  were 
anxious  to  prevent  its  construction.  They  procured 
a  charter  authorizing  the  construction  of  the  "Dixon 
Air  Line  "  road,  commencing  at  a  point  about  six 
miles  east  of  St.  Charles  and  running  direct  west  to 
Dixon,  through  the  county  of  De  Kalb.  This  was  to 


be  a  branch  of  the  Chicago  &  Galena  Union  Rail- 
road. The  village  of  Sycamore  was  to  have  been 
made  a  point  on  the  proposed  line,  but  for  some 
cause  the  survey  of  a  line  four  miles  south  was 
adopted.  The  road  was  built  and  in  successful  oper- 
ation through  the  entire  county  in  1853.  Entering 
the  county  on  the  east  on  section  25,  township  40 
north,  range  5  east,  it  passes  through  the  townships  of 
Cortland,  De  Kalb  and  Malta.  Three  large  towns 
have  sprung  up  along  its  line  in  this  county,  each 
bearing  the  name  of  its  respective  township  in  which 
it  is  located— Cortland,  De  Kalb  and  Malta.  Some 
years  after  the  road  was  completed  it  passed 
into  the  hands  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern 
Railroad  Company,  by  whom  it  is  now  operated,  and 
is  known  as  the  Council  Bluffs  &  Omaha  Line  of 
the  Northwestern  Railroad. 

The  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad  Com- 
pany also  completed  its  line  through  Somonauk 
Township,  in  this  county,  in  1853.  On  this  line 
sprang  up  the  towns  of  Sandwich  and  Somonauk. 

The  building  of  the  Dixon  Air  Line,  now  the  Chi- 
cago &  Northwestern  Railroad,  some  four  miles  south 
of  Sycamore,  the  county  seat,  left  that  town  "out 
in  the  cold."  Its  enterprising  citizens,  however, 
were  determined  not  to  be  without  railroad  facilities, 
so  a  company  was  organized  to  construct  a  road 
from  Sycamore  to  Cortland,  there  to  connect  with  the 
Dixon  Air  .Line.  The  Sycamore  &  Cortland  Rail- 
road was  built  and  began  operations  in  1859.  Among 
the  active  promoters  of  this  enterprise  were  James 
S.  Waterman,  Chauncey  Ellwood  and  Charles  Kel- 
lum.  The  road  was  operated  by  the  home  company 
until  1883,  when  it  was  sold  to  the  Northwestern. 
The  township  of  Sycamore  appropriatedjfi  0,000  to 
aid  in  its  construction. 

The  Chicago  &  Iowa  Railroad  was  the  next  one 
constructed  in  and  through  the  county.  The  com- 
pany was  incorporated  in  1869,  and  work  almost  im- 
mediately began.  Francis  E.  Hinckley  was  elected 
President.  The  road  was  completed  through  the 
county  in  1871.  It  enters  the  county  on  section  15, 
township  39  north,  range  5  east,  and  runs  through 
the  townships  of  Squaw  Grove,  Clinton  and  Shabbona. 
The  villages  of  Hinckley,  Waterman  and  Shabbona 
are  upon  this  line. 

All  sections  of  the  county  were  now  represented 
with  railroads,  save  the  extreme  northern.  The 

*^P* <^ 


old  village  of  Genoa,  which,  in  early  days,  had  been 
very  prosperous,  had  almost  ceased  to  exist,  its  trade 
being  virtually  ruined.  A  rarlroad  was  a  necessity, 
and  this  it  secured  in  1875,  when  the  Chicago  &  Mil- 
waukee Railroad  Company  constructed  a  branch  of 
its  road  which  crosses  the  Mississippi  at  Savannah, 
and  runs  west  through  Iowa  to  Omaha.  This  line 
passes  through  the  townships  of  Genoa,  Kingston  and 
Franklin.  The  village  of  Genoa  secured  in  its  con- 
struction a  new  lease  of  life  while  the  villages  of 
Kingston,  Kirkland  and  Fielding  have  sprung  into 
being. 


Educational. 

.E  KALB  County  is  at  present  divided  into 
165  districts,  in  which  are  170  school- 
houses,  and  employs  2t5  teachers,  62  of 
whom  teach  in  the  12  graded  schools.  The 
old  log  school-houses  of  the  earlier  days  have 
all  given  place  to  frame  and  brick  buildings. 
Many  of  the  buildings  are  new,  well  finished  and 
comfortable,  some  are  really  elegant.  During  the 
past  year  teachers  and  pupils  have  done  a  great 
deal  toward  making  their  rooms  attractive  by  decor- 
ating the  walls  with  pictures,  mottoes  and  wreaths  of 
autumn  leaves.  Many  dictionaries,  wall-maps  and 
some  reference  books  have  been  purchased  by  di- 
rectors, and  there  is,  in  many  locations,  a  growing 
interest  manifested  in  school  matters. 

Directors  are  more  careful  in  the  selection  of 
teachers  and  more  liberal  in  payment  of  salary  when 
the  teacher  is  found  qualified.  By  means  of  the  an- 
nual institute  and  a  system  of  teachers'  meetings, 
together  with  a  general  dissemination  of  professional 
books  and  periodicals,  the  qualifications  of  the  teacher 
have  been  raised  to  a  much  higher  degree. 

During  the  past  much  time  has  been  squandered 
in  irregular,  aimless  work.  To  obviate  this,  a  plan 
of  work  was  arranged  by  the  County  Superintendent, 
printed  in  "  The  School-Room  Guide,"  and  distrib- 
uted to  every  district  in  the  county,  during  the  sum- 
mer of  1884.  The  result  has  exceeded  the  most  san- 
guine expectations.  Fully  80  per  cent  of  the  schools 
followed  the  plan  laid  out  during  the  past  winter, 
and  90  per  cent,  took  the  first  "  general  examination." 
Among  the  results  attained  are  the  following:  In- 


- 


. 


•  • 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


883 


f  creased  regularity  of  attendance  ;  increased  interest 

men  I  was  personally 

acquainted    and   at    most   of 

ij  in  the  work  by  both   parents  and  pupils;  following 

their  houses  I  have  visited.     Probably 

not   a    half 

^  the  suggestions  of  the  "  School-Room  Guide,"  num- 

dozen  of  them  are  now 

living  : 

1    bers  and  language  are  taught  to   the  children  from 

'  .  their  entrance  to  school,  and  writing  is  taught  in  all 

i»37- 

grades.     The  plan  of  work  provides  for  the  -examina- 
tion of  one  grade  in  each  school,  each  year,  by   the 

Sycamore 
Somonauk 
Paw  Paw  Grove 

Mark  Daniels 
Reuben  Root 
Asahel  Baldwin 

$16  88 
tS   34 
2  87 

Superintendent  in  person.     This   part  of  the  work 

,8?Q 

will  be  taken  up  next  year. 
Among  the  obstacles  to  the  school  work  are,  irreg- 

Coltonville 
Genoa 

lojy. 

Rufus  Colton 
H.  N.  Perkins 

$32  84 
23  84 

y  ularity  of  attendance,  frequent  change  of  teachers, 

Paw  Paw  Grove 

Wm.  Rogers 

13  84 

-\j  lack  of  proper   books,    and    inefficient    supervision. 

Somonauk 

John  Eastabrooks 

22    S2 

C  This  latter  is  a  serious  drawback.     The  county  em- 

1841. 

^  ploys,  a  Superintendent  the  majority  of  his  time  ;  but, 

Genoa 

H.  N.  Perkins 

$17     46 

after  examining  300  to  400  candidates  for  teachers' 

Hicks'  Mill 

Henry  Hicks 

7  72 

certificates,  examining  the  books  and  accounts  of  18 

Kingston 

Levi  Lee 

4  31 

township  treasurers,  making  the  necessary  reports  to 

Ohio  Grove 

Samuel  Spring 

2     22 

the  State  Superintendent  and  other  officers,  arranging 
for  and  holding  the  annual  institute  and  numerous 

Somonauk 
Sycamore 

David  Merritt 
John  R.  Hamlin 

28  93 
59  oo 

teachers'  meetings,  apportioning  and  distributing  the 

1843. 

^  public  money,  keeping  the  records  of  the  office  and 
i.  answering    the   hundreds   of  letters    received    from 
=  teachers  and  school  officers,  but  little  time  is  left  for 

Genoa 
Hicks'  Mill 
Somonauk 
South  Grove 

H.  N.  Perkins 
D.  M.  Gil  christ 
David  Merritt 
James  Byers 

39  9i 
9  93 
61  09 

2    64 

*V  the   not    less   important    work    of  visiting   the    215 

Sycamore 

Jesse  C.  Kellogg 

43  oi 

!-x  school-rooms  in  the  county.     A  number  of  counties 

1845. 

^  have  met  this  requirement  by  allowing  the  Superin- 
s  tendent  an  assistant  in  his  office.     De  Kalb  County 

Coltonville 
Genoa 

Calvin  S.  Colton 
H.  N.  Perkins 

$8  47 
27   61 

)  will-  probably  not  be  long  behind  in  this  matter. 

Hicks'  Mill 

M.  M.  Mack 

No  returns 

Altogether  the  outlook    for  the  future  is   bright. 

Kingston 

Jonas  Haight 

4  53 

The  spirit  of  the  "  New  Education  "  is  abroad  in  the 

Shabbona  Grove 

Wm.  A.  Langer 

'3  65 

land,  and  its  effects    are   beginning  to   be  seen    in 

Sycamore 

Jesse  C.  Kellogg 

9'   45 

beautiful  school-rooms,  good  books  and  rational  meth- 

1847- 

ods  in  instruction  and  government. 

Genoa 

H.  N.  Perkins 

$34   1  6 

j 

Hicks'  Mill 

Martin  M.  Mack 

19  48 

Kingston 

Jonas  Haight 

14  56 

~~t-«  •^^z8^8_4—  ;•  »-:~~ 

New  Lebanon 

Peter  S.  Pratt 

7   n 

\ 

Ohio  Grove 

Homer  Roberts 

9   19 

Early  Postofflces. 

South  Grove 

James  Byers 

7    16 

Sycamore 

Zelotes  B.  Mayo 

92  46 

•,ljjfS|"N  the  fall  of  1884,  Hon.    John    Wentworth 

1849. 

J!l:lLSi|£    was  invited  to   deliver  an  address  at  the 

Blood's  Point 

S.  V.  W.  Scott 

$10  31 

|fe?T     Farmers'  Picnic    at  Sycamore.     He  could 

Coltonville 

Calvin  P.  Colton 

7   28 

*^   ?Ir     not  attend-     The  following  letter  he  wrote  to 

De  Kalb  Center 

Russell  Huntley 

i    18 

A      Mr.  Hix,  editor  of  the  City  Weekly  : 

Genoa 
Hicks'  Mill 

R.  W.  Waterman 
Morgan  Losee 

21   03 
:4  35 

:,      \           I  was  prevented  by  unforeseen  circumstances 

Kingston 

George  H.  Hill 

8  58 

j)    from  attending  the  Farmers'  Picnic  in  your  county. 

Lacey 

R.  B.  Thomas 

i   24 

^   As  a  sort  of  text  to  speak  from  and  to  converse  upon 

Line 

Joseph  Shaw 

7   48 

X   in  private  conversation,  I  collected  the  following  list 

New  Lebanon 

John  A.  Oakley 

12     9I 

y    of  the  early  postmasters  in   De   Kalb  County,   with 

Ohio  Grove 

Homer  Roberts 

'4  59 

**.    their  compensation.     With  every  one  of  these  gentle- 

Ross  Grove 

Wheeler  Hedges 

i    09 

^M>i  (^\c*-~>jt.             >*y53ir'       r^  ^(f  iHH^niT^Ao       >*iti 

EBjr'-  -  -         rr 

'•    ^/'  '   J 

/£    Shabbona  Grove 

Wm.  Marks 

i     Somonauk 

David  Merritt 

yu     y5            n.mg3l.uil                                             vjcu.gc     LL.    LULL                     ly     *  *        p 

.  %    South  Grove 

James  Byers 

8  63       Lacey                                 James  Rowin                 25  47    jf 

f       Sycamore 

Z.  B.  Mayo 

'95   S2 

LaClare                              Timothy  Goble             33  35      i 

jt 

„ 

New  Lebanon                    Allen  Bigelow                26  73       J 

Qf 

5 

Ney                                   L.  P.  Kellogg                13  76    ^ 

Blood's  Point 

S.  V.  W.  Scott 

$r7   85 

North  Kingston                 Chas!  W.  Branch           14   14 

Buck's  Branch 
De  Kalb  Center 
Dorset 
Genoa 

C.  B.  Rhodes 
Russell  Huntley 
Wm.  Robinson 
Norman  Durham 

12  33 
27  81 
ii  64 
115  29 

North  Pierce,  discontinued  Jan.  3,  1855                    66 
Ohio  Grove                         Homer  Roberts             15   38 
Plerceville                           Moses  Hill                    10  64 
Ross  Grove                        Charles  Davis               2  1   67 

Hicks'  Mills 

S.  P.  Harrington 

34  °7 

"                                 H.  H.  Clark                   7   90 

^    Kingston 
•**  *    La  Clare 
•V;5    Line 

Geo.  H.  Hill 
Dan'l  Robinson 
Joseph  Shaw 

19  06 
8  69 

Sandwich                             Robert  Patton            104  06    ^ 
Shabbona  Grove                 Geo.  W.  Kittell          45   7  1     6 
"                               Wm.  Marsh,  jr.           42  51     * 

(    Lost  Grove 

Chauncey  Luce 

20    I7 

New  Lebanon 
Ney 
Ohio  Grove 
Ross  Grove 
Shabbona 
Somonauk 
,   i     Sycamore 

Allen  Bigelow 
C.  Goddsill 
Homer  Roberts 
Moses  Bartlett 
Win.  Marks 
David  Merritt 
J.  C.  Waterman 

17   61 
No  returns 
17   09 
25  09 
61  71 
81  45 
250  61 

Somonauk  Depot               Alex.  R.  Patton           69"  25 
South  Grove                       Henry  Safford              23  40 
Squaw  Grove                    Wm.  C.  Tappan         23  52 
Sycamore                             W.  P.  Dutton             391    14 
Van  Buren                          Jeremiah  Mulford       17  84 
Williamsburg                      John  F.  Snow                4  27 

Williamsburg 

John  F.  Snow 

3  57 

To  the  foregoing  the  editor  of  the  City  Weekly  ap-    ( 

' 

1853. 

pended  the  following  :                                                          S 

VK 

=     Blood's  Point 
»     Busk's  Branch 

R.  W.  Humphrey 
C.  B.  Rhodes 

J'i  56 

21     07 

"  It  will  be  observed  that  in  giving  the  list  of  early    £ 
postmasters  in   this  county  with  whom    he  was  ac-    \ 

•I*     De  Kalb  Center 

Russell  Huntley 

25    10 

quainted.  he  expresses  the  thought  that  probably  not    $^ 

i     Dorset 

Wm.  Robinson 

'8  63 

half  a  dozen  of  them  are  now  living.     Well,  we  have    ^ 

^>     Genoa 
x.     Hicks'  Mills 
Kingston 
Line 

John  H.  Ball 
S.  P.  Harrington 
Geo.  H.  Hill 
S.  Baker 

48  27 
18  62 
13  01 

8  59 

taken  some  pains  to  inquire,  and  are  able  to  say  that    £ 
from  fifteen  to  twenty  still  survive.      We   personally    4 
know  that  the  following  are  alive  :   H.   N.   Perkins,     r 

Lost  Grove 

Chauncey  Luce 

15  53 

Peter  S.  Pratt,  Geo.  H.  Hill,  S.  P.  Harrington,  Rich- 

New Lebanon 

Allen  Bigelow 

15    '5 

ard  W.  Humphrey,  Leander  P.  Kellogg,  W.  P.  Dut- 

Ney 
North  Kingston 
Ohio  Grove 

L  P.  Kellogg 
Chas.  W.  Branch 
Homer  Roberts 

3  °9 
6  84 
9  99 

ton,  Moses   Hill,   John    Lee,   Wm.  A.  Allen,  James 
Rowen  and  Henry  Safford.     We  will   add  one  more 

Ross  Grove 

Geo.  V.  Miner 

19  90 

name  to   Mr.   Wentworth's  list,  which   he  doubtless 

(     Shabbona  Grove 

Samuel  Curtis 

59   r3 

overlooked—  that  of  Dr.   1.  W.   Garvin,  of  this  city,     v 

5     Somonauk 
'     South  Grove 
^      Squaw  Grove 
Sycamore 
Van    Buren 

Alex.  Patten 
James  Byers 
Wm.  C.  Tappan 
Wm.  P.  Dutton 
Jeremiah  Mulford 

57  74 
12  64 
2  55 
174  3i 

'4  55 

who  at   quite    an   early  day  was   postmaster  at  New    <j 
Lebanon.     Those  whom  we  do  not  know  among  the     ' 
survivors,  but  are  informed   that  they  still  live,  are 
Geo.  W.  Kittell,  Moses  Bartlett,  N.  Durham  and  Rus- 

Williamsburg 

John  F.  Snow 

4  34 

sell  Huntley.    Still  others  of  them  may  be  alive,  and, 

1855. 

presumably,  are,  but  they  are  very  few.     The  names 

Blood's  Point 

John  Lee 

$'5     20 

and  location  of  the  list  of  offices  are  familiar,  with 

S     Brush  Point* 

Harrison  Mackey 

6  99 

the  exception  of  Line  and  Williamsburg. 

Cortland  Station 

Chauncey  Luce 

37    16 

"A  reference  to  the  compensation  received  by  the      '- 

De  Kalb  Center 

Smith  D.  Baldwin 

32    12 

several  postmasters  named  would  indicate  that  some      * 

.      Dorset 

Elijah  Gifford 
Wm.  Robertson 
Alex.  McNish 

104   23 
5   68 
5  63 

of  them  served  out  of  a  pure  love  of  country,  the    ^ 
same    as     the    soldier    who    fought    to     save    the    ty 

*      East  Paw  Paw 

A.  B.  Breese 

59  62 

Union.     There  was  James   Byers,  of  South  Grove,    ^\ 

Genoa 

Wm.  A.  Allen 

73  04 

who,  owning  more  land  than  he  could  look  over  from     ©1 

^_      "Changed  July  i,  1854, 

o  Somonauk  Depot. 

-A^A 


> 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


magnificent  sum  of  $2.64,  to  perform  the  duties  of 
postmaster  for  the  year  1843.  Peter  Pratt,  who  lives 
on  the  interest  of  his  money,  was  willing  to  be  post- 
master for  $7. 1 1  in  the  year  1847.  We  suppose  the 
reason  that  the  North  Pierce  postoffice  was  discon- 
tinued in  1855  was  that  the  postmaster  wrote  to 
Washington  saying  that  if  he  couldn't  get  more  than 
a  66-cent  salary  he  would  be  obliged  to  resign  ;  and 
did  resign.  At  the  same  time,  when  you  get  over  at 
Ney  and  down  to  ;  Hicks'  Mills,  you  are  confronted 
with  the  startling  announcement  that  there  were  ab- 
solutely no  returns  ;  but  in  the  face  of  this,  poor  Mr. 
Goddsill  and  poor  Mr.  Mack  worked  right  along, 
fortified,  doubtless,  with  the  hope  of  reward  in  the 
hereafter,  if  not  here.  They  must  have  been  good 
men.  We  suppose  they  all  voted  for  '  Long  John  ' 
for  Congress,  and  that  if  they  had  not  he  would  have 
removed  every  last  one  of  them,  even  those  who 
looked  and  hoped  and  prayed  for  a  salary  which, 
alas,  never  came." 


Census  Reports. 

The  following  statement  shows  the 
the  county,  according  to  the  United 
Reports,  from  1840  to  1880,  inclusive 


population  of 
States  Census 


1840 1,697 

•850 7,540 

1 860 1 9,086 

187° 23,265 

1880 26,774 

The   following  is   the  report  by  townships  for  the 
J    year  1880: 

South  Grove 774 

Sycamore,  exclusive  of  city 1,081 

Sycamore  city 3,030 

Malta 1,227 

Milan 895 

Shabbona 1,385 

Paw  Paw 906 

Franklin 1,283 

Kingston 1,156 

Mayfield 870 

De  Kalb,  exclusive  of  city 854 

De  Kalb  city *I,592 

Afton 850 

Clinton 1,167 


2,780  in  the  city. 


ichool . 


Victor 
Genoa 
Cortland 
Pierce 

Squaw  Grove 
Somonauk,  excl 
Sandwich . . . 


Matrimonial. 

ANY  years  ago  it  was  written  that  "  it  is 
not  good  for  ir.an  to  be  alone.  The  truth 
of  the  proverb  is  acknowledged,  and  men 
have  from  time  immemorial  been  seeking 
mates.  Previous  to  the  organization  of  the 
county  licenses  had  to  be  obtained  from  the 
County  Clerk  of  Kane"County.  The  first  license 
granted  in  this  county  was  in  October,  1837.  Dur- 
ing that  and  the  following  year  there  were  made  one 
fifteen  couples,  as  follows  . 

Henry  B.   Barber    and  Rachel  Spring,  October  5, 

1837,  by  RufusColton,  J.  P. 

Zalmon  Young  and  Sarah  Brown,  Oct.  5,  1837,  by 
Geo.  H.  Hill,  J.  P. 

John  Luckett  and  Nancy  Riddle,  Dec.  27,  1837, 
by  Geo.  H.  Hill,  J.  P. 

William  C.  Parsons  and  Rachel   Brown,  Jan.    14, 

1838,  by  Geo.  H.  Hill,  J.  P. 

Daniel  W.  Lamb  and  Julia  Maxfield,  March  16, 
1838,  by  Eli  G.njewell,  J.  P. 

John  K.  Root  and  Sarah  M.  Bryan,  June  6,  1838, 
by  Rev.  John  Beaver. 

William  Dresser  and  Sarah  Jenks,  July  27,  1838, 
by  Rev.  S.  S.  Walker. 

Watson  Y.  Pomeroy  and  Ann  Eliza  Kellogg,  Aug. 
i,  1838,  by  Levi  Lee,  J.  P. 

Jeremiah  Burley  and  Emily  Thompson,  Aug.  3, 
1838,  by  Rufus  Colton,  J.  P. 

Lyman  Barber  and  Cornelia  Spring.  Sept.  2,  1838, 
by  Eli  G.  Jewell,  J.  P. 

Timothy  L.  Pomeroy  and  Alzina  Hough,  Sept.  i  2 
1838, , by  Rev.  Burton  Carpenter. 

Erastus  H.  Barnes  and  Elizabeth  Barnes,  Sept.  30, 
1838,  by  Rufus  Colton,  J.  P. 

Russell  Huntley  and  Selina  A.  Goodell,  Sept.  25, 
1838,  by  Rufus  Colton,  J.  P. 

John  Brody  and  Elizabeth  Brody,  Oct.  n,  1838, 
by  George  H.  Hill,  J.  P. 


.— 


DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


Lemuel  Lester  and  Betsey  Townsend,  Nov.  6, 
1838,  by  Rev.  Elihu  Springer. 

From  October,  1837,  to  January,  1885,  there  have 
been  issued  4,910  marriage  licenses  from  the  office 
of  the  County  Clerk.  From  the  records  it  is  learned 
that  hard  times  and  the  war  have  had  a  depressing 
effect  upon  the  matrimonial  market.  "When  Johnny 
came  marching  home  "  there  was  a  perceptible  in- 
crease in  the  number  of  licenses  issued  as  compared 
with  the  previous  four  years. 


Statistical. 

.ROM  the  books  in  the  office  of  the  County 
Clerk  the  following  interesting  items  are 
obtained:  In  1884  there  were  in  the 
county  396,787  acres  of  improved  land,  valued 
by  the  local  assessors  in  the  various  townships 
it  $5,828,4*6.  The  County  Bo?rd  of  Equal- 
ization reduced  the  amount  less  than  $2,000,  but  the 
State  Board  reduced  it  to  $5,010,744.  The  local  as- 
sessors rated  the  town  lots  at  $1,280,753.  This  was 
not  changed  by  the  County  Board,  but  the  State 


Board  reduced  it  to  $1,024,580.  The  personal  prop- 
erty was  listed  at  $2,131,886  by  the  local  assessors. 
The  County  Board  reduced  the  amount  to  $2,119,- 
386,  which  amount  was  not  changed  by  the  State 
Board.  The  total  assessed  value  by  the  local  asses- 
sors, exclusive  of  railroad  property, -was  $9,240,237. 
The  State  Board  reduced  the  amount  to  $8,154,710, 
to  which  they  added  railroad  property  amounting  to 
$471,376,  giving  a  total  valuation  of  $8,626,086. 
Among  the  items  of  personal  property  assessed  were 
the  following:  Horses,  14,315  ;  cattle,  45,324;  mules 
and  asses,  307;  sheep,  7,473;  hogs,  45,797;  steam 
engines,  53;  fire  and  burglar-proof  safes,  105;  bill- 
iard tables,  35  ;  carriages  and  wagons,  5,424;  watches 
and  clocks,  4,325  ;  sewing  and  knitting  machines, 
2,890;  pianos,  291 ;  melodeons  and  organs,  92  r.  The 
value  of  goods  and  merchandise  was  estimated  at 
$210,963;  materials  and  manufactured  articles  on 
hand, $31,486;  manufacturers'  tools,$35,5  16;  agricul- 
tural implements, $54, 695.  There  were  estimated  this 
year  843  acres  of  wheat;  11-2,546  of  corn ;  61,976  of 
oats;  80,051  of  meadow;  5,606  other  field  products; 
119,116  enclosed  pasture;  4,503  of  orchard;  13,131 
of  woodland. 


V 


f 


Reminiscences  of  J.  C.  Kellogg. 

! 

1  HE  following  reminiscences  are  from  the  pen 
of  Hon.  J.  C.  Kellogg,  and  were  published 
in  the  Republican-Sentinels  the  spring  of 
1855:  The  territory  now  embraced  in  this 
county  prior  to  the  spring  of  1835  was  in  pos- 
session of  the  Pottawatomie  tribe  of  Indians. 
In  all  probability  few,  if  any,  white  men  had  ever 
looked  upon  the  unsurpassing  beauty  of  its  island 
groves  and  fertile  prairies,  until  about  the  time  of  the 
defeat  of  Gen.  Stillman's  army  by  the  Indians,  on 

^g))c;^>          ^^f — ^ 


the  Kishwaukee,  near  the  northwest  corner  of  this 
county,  in  1832.  Volunteers  from  the  central  and 
southern  portions  of  this  State,  and  others  engaged 
in  the  Black  Hawk  War,  were  the  first,  no  doubt,  to 
portray  in  glowing  colors  "the  right  smart  chance  for 
making  claims"  in  this  charming  region.  But  the 
"fullness  of  times  "had  not  as  yet  arrived.  True,  some 
adventurous  interloping  borderer,  "with  desire  may 
have  desired  "  to  extend  "  the  area  of  civilization  "  over 
some  of  the  big  trees  and  rich  acres  "  there  lying  and 
being"  on  the  banks  of  the  "  roaring  Kishwaukee  ;" 
but  then  he  knew  that  he  was  sure  to  be  driven  off 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


\ 


•• 


^ 


by  the  ever  watchful  Indian  agent,  Thomas  J.  V. 
Owen,  backed  by  two  companies  of  United  States 
troops  from  Fort  Dearborn. 

There  were  several  Indian  villages,  under  subor- 
dinate chiefs,  within  the  limits  of  this  county.  One 
was  near  the  residence  of  Hon.  George  H.  Hill,  in 
Kingston  ;  one  near  John  Waterman's,  in  Pampas 
[Cortland]  ;  one  near  Calvin  S.  Colton's,  in  De  Kalb  ; 
one  near  the  old  farm  of  John  Eastabrooks,  in  Squaw 
Grove;  and  near  the  Grove  in  the  township  of  Shab- 
bona was  the  village  of  Shabbona,  one  of  the  head 
chiefs  of  the  Pottawatomie  nation.  From  this  place, 
after  the  surrender  of  Gen.  Hull  and  Fort  Mackinaw, 
and  the  Chicago  massacre,  Shabbona  and  his  braves, 
accompanied  by  Wabansia  and  his  warriors,  sallied 
forth  to  join  the  forces  of  Tecumseh  and  the  Prophet, 
in  aid  of  the  British  in  the  War  of  1812. 

Poor  Shabbona,  warned  by  the  prophets  of  the 
Great  Spirit  of  the  encroachments  of  "  Young 
America," — no  wonder  that  he  should  have  sought  to 
avert  the  calamity  and  crush  the  young  giant  before  his 
sacrilegious  march  should  triumph  over  his  venerated 
dead,  or  before,  over-awed  by  superior  power  and  over- 
come by  "  fire-water,"  in  a  moment  of  weakness,  he 
should  give  the  homes  and  hunting  grounds  of  his 
fathers  to  satisfy  the  all-grasping  avarice  of  Che- 
mo-ko-wan. 

It  having  been  noised  about  in  the  spring  of  1835 
that  the  Indians  had  agreed  to  remove  west  of  the 
Mississippi  the  ensuing  autumn,  farther  restraint  was 
entirely  out  of  the  question.  Although  the  monot- 
onous song  of  the  surveyor,  "stake,  stuck  and  tally," 
had  not  yet  broken  the  solitude  of  nature  in  these 
regions,  nevertheless  the  impetuous  "sons  of  Ja 
pheth,"  like  hounds  "  straining  in  the  slips,"  were  all  a 
tip-toe  to  "dwell  in  the  tents  of  Shem."  Having 
learned  that  "  delays  are  dangerous  in  claim-making 
and  pre-emption  fixins,"  in  making  their  first  debut 
in  Chicago,  where  it  is  said  they  were  severally 
charged  one  shilling  for  the  privilege  of  leaning  up 
against  a  sign- post  over  night,  and  two  shillings  for 
the  "soft  side  of  a  white-oak  puncheon,"  down  came 
the  settlers  upon  the  newly  acquired  purchase  "  like 
a  thousand  of  bricks,"  each  carving  out  and  appro- 
priating to  his  own  special  use  and  benefit  a  most 
bountiful  slice  of  very  fat  prairie  with  an  abundance 
of  good  timber  with  which  to  cook  it. 

Soon  after  the  Indians  had  done   up  their  sugar- 




making,  when  the  groves  began  to  grow  leafy  and  the 
prairies  grassy,  as  the  sun  sank  low  in  the  west,  and 
the  prairie  wolves  began  to  howl,  and  the  sandhill 
cranes  to  scream  and  "  poke,  poke  "  along  the  ponds 
and  sloughs  for  their  evening  meal  of  crawfish,  a 
close  observer  might  have  espied  afar  off  on  an  In- 
dian trail,  suspicious  looking  canvass,  supposed  to 
be  the  "  sail  "  of  a  settler's  wagon,  evidently  nearing 
some  grove,  and  in  a  strait  to  get  "  somewhar  "  before 
nightfall.  Presently,  emerging  from  the  dusky 
prairie,  the  settler's  wagon,  propelled  by  some  four  or 
five  yoke  of  oxen,  canopied  by  sundry  bolts  of  sheet- 
ing; within,  containing  the  family  bedding,  clothing 
and  provisions;  without,  implements  of  cooking  and 
husbandry,  chickens  in  coops  and  pigs  in  pens, 
backed  by  a  drove  of  cows,  calves,  colts  and  other 
young  stock  on  foot,  would  loom  up  plainly  to  view, 
"fetching  in  "  near  some  point,  bay  or  plum  thicket. 

It  was  no  uncommon  thing  in  those  days  for  the 
careful  mistress  of  the  wagon  to  "  pail  the  keows  "  in 
the  morning  and  place  the  milk  where,  by  the  inces- 
sant motion  of  the  wagon,  it  would  "churn  itself." 
In  this  way  the  family  were  provided  with  a  constant 
supply  'of  good  fresh  butter ;  and  old  chanticleer 
and  his  dames  in  the  coop  behind,  never  caught 
napping  when  hens  should  be  awake,  would  keep  up 
the  laying  process  ;  so  that  with  other  supplies  from 
the  wagon,  a  settler's  wife  could  usually  "scare  up" 
a  pretty  good  meal  on  short  notice.  In  this  hitherto 
neglected  spot,  where  "  firll  many  a  flower  was  born 
to  blush  unseen,  and  waste  its  sweetness  on  the 
desert  air,"  the  weary,  yet  blithe  and  happy  groups, 
might  have  been  seen  to  alight,  strike  a  fire,  prepare, 
and,  after  craving  God's  blessing,  eat  their  frugal 
meal;  when,  guarded  by  a  watchful  dog,  and  a  still 
more  watchful  Providence,  all  would  retire  for  need- 
ful repose  into  the  inmost  recesses  of  the  wagon 
home.  And,  at  early  peep  of  dawn,  one  might  have 
seen  the  anxious  settler  reconnoitering,  with  hurried 
steps,  grove  and  prairie,  when,  after  being  "'detached 
here  " — "  countermanded  there  " — bothered  almost  to 
death  for  fear  that  among  so  many  good  chances  he 
should  fail  to  secure  the  best — at  last  he  would  bring 
himself  to  the  "  sticking  point,"  seize  the  ax  and 
"  blaze  the  line  in  the  timber,"  and,  anon,  hitch  the 
team  to  the  prairie  plow  and  "  mark  out  the  fur- 
row on  the  prairie." 

"  In  those  days,  there  being  no  king  in  Israel,  every 

\  ^y  >lCy "f*i5§*(< 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


I 


man  did  that  which  seemed  right  in  his  own  eyes." 
The  size  of  claims  therefore  varied  from  two 
"eighties"  of  prairie  and  one  of  timber,  to  a  half 
section  of  timber  and  a  tract  of  prairie  two  miles 
square.  Some  assumed  the  right  to  make  and  hold 
claims  by  proxy,  being  thereunto  authorized  by  some 
brother,  sister,  uncle,  aunt,  cousin  or  friend.  Mean- 
while new  settlers  poured  in  apace,  astonished  and 
perplexed  to  find  the  choice  timber  and  prairie  blazed 
and  furrowed  into  claims,  whose  ample  acres  the 
claimant,  with  all  his  children,  uncles,  aunts  and 
cousins,  "  to  the  third  and  fourth  generations  "  would 
never  be  able  to  till  or  occupy.  The  new  settlers, 
perplexed,  baffled,  and  becoming  more  and  more 
desperate  on  finding  "God's  green  earth"  thus 
monopolized,  would  approach  his  more  fortunate 
neighbor,  with  the  spirit  of  Abraham  to  Lot :  "  Now, 
I  have  come  a  great  way  to  get  some  of  this  timber 
and  prairie, 'and  one  thing  is  certain  ;  I  am  going  to 
have  some.  There  is  enough  for  you  and  me,  and 
our  boys.  •  Now  don't  let  us  quarrel ;  you  turn  to  the 
right  and  I  will  turn  to  the  left,  or  vice  versa."  Some- 
times this  good  Scripture  and  consequently  good 
common  sense  logic  would  win;  but  in  other  cases 
the  grasping  spirit  of  the  borderer  would  stave  off  all 
kinds  of  division  or  compromise  ;  and,  laying  his  hand 
>upon  his  rifle,  he  would  bluster  and  threaten  in  "  great 
swelling  words."  and  drive  away  the  "  stranger  from 
his  right." 

Hereupon  arose  innumerable  disputes  and  wrang- 
lings  concerning  the  size,  tenure  and  boundaries  of 
claims.  The  more  reflecting  among  the  settlers  saw 
a  dark  cloud,  big  with  the  elements  of  strife  and 
social  disorder,  gathering  in  the  not  very  distant 
horizon,  whose  tornado  blasts  threatened  soon  to  lay 
waste  all  that  was  of  value  in  the  rising  community. 
There  was  no  municipal  law  reaching  these  cases, 
and  if  there  had  been  the  settlers  probably  would 
have  been  none  the  better  for  it,  for  it  is  believed  that 
at  this  time  there  was  neither  a  justice  nor  a  statute 
book  north  of  the  Illinois  River  and  west  of  Fort 
Dearborn,  unless  we  except  Ottawa  and  Chicago.* 
Wrongs  and  outrages  for  which  there  was  no  known 
legal  redress  were  being  multiplied.  Blackened  eyes, 
bloody  noses  and  chewed  ears  were  living  realities, 
while  the  dirk,  pistol,  rifle,  with  something  like  cold 
lead  were  significantly  talked  of  as  likely  to  bring 


about  some  "  realities  "  which  might  not  be  "  living." 
What  could  be  done  to  insure  domestic  tranquillity, 
promote  the  general  welfare  and  secure  to  each 
settler  his  rights?  Evidently  but  one  thing.  Happily, 
some  had  seen  something  in  the  New  Testament 
about  those  who  are  "  without  law,  being  a  law  unto 
themselves,"  and  settlers  found  themselves  in  this  fix 
exactly.  It  was  therefore  apparent  both  from  Scripture 
and  reason  that  the  settlers  must  become  a  law  unto 
themselves,  and,  "  where  there  was  a  will  there  was 
a  way."  A  "  settlers'  meeting,"  at  a  given  time  and 
place,  therefore,  came  to  be  a  watchword  from  shanty 
to  wagon,  until  all  were  alarmed.  Pursuant  to  this 
proclamation  a  "heap"  of  law  and  order  loving 
citizens  convened  on  the  5th  of  September,  1835,  at 
the  shanty  of  Harmon  Miller,  then  standing  on  the 
the  east  bank  of  the  Kishwaukee  River,  in  the  town 
of  Kingston. 

Happily,  the  best  possible  spirit  prevailed.  The 
Hoosier  from  the  Wabash,  the  Buckeye  from  Ohio, 
the  hunter  from  Kentucky,  the  calculating  Yankee, 
Brother  Jonathan's  "  first  born  "  and  the  "  beginnings 
of  his  strength,"  impelled  by  a  sense  of  mutual 
danger,  here  sat  down  in  grave  council  to  dictate 
laws  to  Kishwaukee  and  "  the  region  lying  round 
about  throughout  the  coasts  thereof."  Hon.  Levi 
Lee  was  chosen  to  preside  over  this  august  assem- 
blage, where  the  three  great  departments  of  free 
government — the  executive,  the  legislative  and  the 
judicial — were  most  happily  united,  and  Capt.  Eli 
Barnes  was  appointed  secretary.  Gently  glided  the 
sometimes  turbid  waters  of  that  ancient  river,  the 
sonorous  Kishwaukee,  as  speech  after  speech  setting 
forth  the  wants  and  the  woes  of  the  settlers,  the  kind 
of  legislation  demanded  by  the  crisis,  went  the 
rounds.  Even  those  who  were  not  used  to  "  talkin" 
much  'fore  folks  "  evinced  their  cordial  approbation 
and  readiness  to  co-operate  by  doing  up  an  amount 
of  cheering,  which  no  doubt  really  did  "  astonish  the 
natives."  At  last,  ripe  for  immediate  action,  a  com- 
mittee was  selected  to  draft  and  present  to  the  meet- 
ing a  constitution  and  by-laws  by  which  the  "settlers 
upon  the  public  lands  "  should  be  governed.  After 
some  little  deliberation  back  of  the  shanty,  around 
the  stump  of  a  big  white  oak,  which  served  as  a 
writing  desk,  said  committee  reported  a  preamble, 
constitution  and  by-laws,  which  for  simplicity, 
brevity  and  adaptation  to  necessity,  it  would  be  hard 
for  any  modern  legislation  to  beat.  The  self-evident 
&, ?*$•$£ «|fcg§j£@ 


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DE  KALB  COUNTY. 


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truths  "  proclaimed  by  Jefferson  in  the  immortal 
Declaration,"  it  is  believed  were,  for  the  first  time, 
reiterated  on  the  banks  of  the  Kishwaukee ;  and  had 
there  been  a  little  more  time  for  reflection  and  prep- 
aration, the  top  of  some  settler's  wagon  would  have 
been  converted  into  a  star-spangled  banner  and 
thrown  to  the  breezes  of  heaven  from  the  tallest  tree 
top  in  the  grove.  The  common  sense,  law  and  logic, 
as  well  as  patriotism,  contained  in  thie  constitution 
and  by-laws,  were  instantaneously  recognized  to  be  the 
very  things  demanded  by  the  crisis,  and  were  adopted 
with  unparalleled  enthusiasm,  each  subscribing 
his  name  thereto  with  his  own  hand,  thereby  pledg- 
ing his  "  life,  fortune  and  sacred  honor  "  to  carry  out 
the  provisions  of  the  code.  As  nearly  as  can  be  re- 
collected, its  provisions  were  somewhat  as  follows  :  A 
prudential  committee  was  to  be  then  and  there 
chosen  whose  duty  it  should  be  "  to  examine  into, 
hear  and  finally  determine  all  disputes  and  differ- 
ences then  existing,  or  which  thereafter  might  arise 
between  settlers  in  relation  to  their  claims,"  and  whose 
decisions,  with  certain  salutary  checks,  were  to  be 
binding  upon  all  parties,  and  to  be  carried  out  at  all 
hazards  by  the  three  departments  of  government 
consolidated  in  aid  of  the  executive,  in  what  jurists 
sometimes  denominate  the  "posse  comitatus."  Each 
settler  was  solemnly  pledged  to  protect  every  other 
settler  in  the  association  in  the  peaceable  enjoyment 
of  "  his  or  her  reasonable  claim  as  aforesaid  ;  "  and 
further,  whoever,  throughout  all  Kishwaukee,  or  the 
coasts  thereof,  should  refuse  to  recognize  the  author- 
ity of  the  aforesaid  association  and  render  due 
obedience  unto  the  laws  enacted  by  the  same  from 
time  to  time,  should  be  deemed  a  heathen,  a  publican, 
and  an  outlaw  with  whom  they  were  pledged  to  have 
no  communion  or  fellowship.  Thus  was  a  wall 
affording  protection  to  honest  settlers  built  in 
troublous  times.  Hon.  Levi  Lee,  Hon.  George  H. 
Hill,  Captain  Eli  Barnes,  James  Green  and  Jesse  C. 
Kellogg  were  chosen  to  be  the  settlers'  committee, 
and  who,  as  may  well  be  supposed,  had  business  on 
hand  for  some  time  in  order  to  restore  and  "  insure 
domestic  tranquillity  "  and  "  promote  the  general 
welfare."  The  thing  worked  like  a  charm,  and  the 
value  of  these  associations  in  Northern  Illinois,  to  the 
infant  settlements,  has  never  been  over-estimated. 
Similar  associations  were  formed  and  maintained  in 
Somonauk  and  other  portions  cf  the  county  until  the 
land  came  into  market  in  1843,  when  all  De  Kalb 


County,  except  the  north  tier  of  townships,  was  sold 
to  the  highest  bidder,  that  is,  so  far  as  terra  firma 
w»  concerned.  The  moral  as  well  as  the  physical 
power  of  settlers'  associations  was  so  great  that  if  a 
speculator  presumed  to  bid  on  a  settler's  claim  he 
was  certain  to  find  himself  "  knocked  down  and 
dragged  out;"  and  had  the  land  officers  showed  the 
least  sympathy  or  favor  to  the  rascal,  there  can  be  no 
doubt  but  that  an  indignant  and  outraged  yeomanry 
would  have  literally  torn  the  land  office  to  fragments 
in  almost  "  less  than  no  time." 

After  a  period  of  unexampled  peace  and  prosperity, 
it  was  found  that  this  living  in  a  "  state  of  nature  " 
was  liable  to  evils  for  which  the  late  session  of  the 
legislature  at  Miller's  shanty  had  provided  no  ade- 
quate remedy.  The  case  was  this:  A  had  a 
promissory  note  against  B  and  wanted  his  pay. 
B  was  not  exactly  prepared  to  "  fork  over,"  and 
being  nettled  that  he  should  be  dunned,  had  the 
audacity  to  intimate  to  A  that  "  it  might  trouble  him 
to  get  it  anyhow."  Kishwaukee  was  then,  as  well 
as  other  portions  of  the  county,  attached  to  La  Salle 
for  civil  purposes.  This  was  a  real  poser.  Claim 
jumping  had  been  provided  for,  but  this  appeared  to 
be  a  novel  case.  Finally  the  settlers  concluded  if 
they  had  come  to  share  the  inheritance  with  the 
"  Suckers  "  they  must  do  as  the  Suckers  did,  and  have 
some  one  who  knew  something  about  the  Justinian 
code,  the  commentaries  of  Blackstone  and  the 
statutes  of  Illinois.  So,  in  the  summer  of  1835  (1836), 
the  exigency  of  the  case  having  been  duly  made 
known,  the  County  Commissioners  of  La  Salle  laid 
off  by  proper  metes  and  bounds  Kishwaukee  precinct, 
wherein  Joseph  Collier  and  Stephen  Morey  were 
duly  elected  justices  of  the  peace,  who,  in  due  time, 
were  inducted  into  office  before  Joseph  Cloud,  Clerk 
of  the  County  Commissioners'  Court  in  Ottawa. 
Whether  these  worthy  "  squares  "  ever  "  got  to  see  "  a 
copy  of  the  Illinois  Statutes  is  much  to  be  doubted; 
it  may  be  supposed,  however,  with  more  certainty, 
that  they  were  "clever  men,"  and  withal  "right 
smart,  and  calculated  to  do  'bout  what's  right."  The 
best  of  all  is  that  Mr.  B.  on  hearing  the  "  squares  " 
had  got  back  from  Ottawa,  put  over  to  Mr.  A's  in  a 
"giffin,"  laid  down  the  "spelter"  and  took  up  his 
note  to  save  cost. 

The  Indians  were  still  lingering  among  the  settlers, 
rather  loth  to  leave  anyhow,  and  some,  taking  ad- 


vantage  of  their  "  spiritual  infirmities,"  were  mean 
enough  to  filch  away  his  pony,  rifle  and  even  the 
last  blanket  in  exchange  for  whisky,  or  "good-^ie- 
tosh."  As  Nebuchadnezzar,  after  being  turned  out 
to  grass  awhile,  "came  to  himself  again,"  so  a  poor 
Indian,  after  a  drunken  debauch,  will  sometimes 
come  to  himself  again  and  recoil  upon  those  who  let 
the  snake  out  to  bite  him.  In  many  things  shrewd 
and  discriminating,  they  know  when,  where  and  how 
to  render  "  tit  for  tat."  One  instance,  in  illustration, 
where  they  came  it  over  "  che-mo-ko-man,"  will  be 
given:  A  half  Yankeefied  Frenchman,  who  will  be 
called  Peter  [Lamois],  had  made  a  claim  upon  the 
east  side  of  the  Kishwaukee,  and  had  engaged  a 
half  civilized  Indian  boy,  called  Shaw-na-neese,  to 
drive  his  breaking  team.  Now,  as  ill  luck  would 
have  it,  or  "  somehownother,  "  it  came  in  their  heads 
that  for  just  about  one  barrel  of  good-ne-tosh,  each, 
on  his  return  to  Walker's  Grove,  in  Will  County, 
might  astonish  the  settlers  with  a  nice  Indian  pony. 
The  temptation  lo  play  upon  the  Anglo-Saxon  was 
too  strong.  Shaw-na-neese,  who  had  a  mother  and 
sister  living  in  the  Big  -Woods,  near  where  Aurora 
now  stands,  was  supposed  to  be  well  acquainted 
with  the  Indians,  and  could  talk  either  Indian  or 
English.  So,  off  goes  Peter  for  the  whisky,  never 
.once  "linking  "of  the  foolish  settler,  who,  for  fun, 
set  a  fire  on  the  prairie  that  burnt  up  his  own  stacks. 
In  due  time  the  barrel  of  good-ne-tosh  was  regularly 
set  up  in  the  cabin  of  the  settler,  and  "where  the 
carcass  is  there  will  the  eagles  be  gathered  to- 
gether." Shaw-na-neese  talk — Indians  talk — ponies 
plenty — good-ne-tosh  plenty— so  much  pony,  so  much 
good-ne-tosh.  Yes,  humph  !  the  "  doping  "  begins  ; 
the  che-mo-ko-man  adding  Kishwaukee  at  the  bung 
by  night  to  supply  the  deficit  made  at  the  faucet  by- 
day,  until  there  was  a  moral  certainty  of  perfecting 
the  contract  as  to  measurement.  After  the  barrel 
was  pretty  much  delivered  of  its  contents  and  the 
sharpsters  began  to  hint  that  it  was  time  for  them  to 
"  walk  up," — that  is,  if  they  could — to  the  captain's 
office  and  settle,  the  Indians  being  really  drunk  or 
appearing  to  be,  began  to  grumble  about  Peter 
cheating  them,  selling  no  good  good-ne-tosh.  Ex- 
planation was  attempted,  but  the  thing  could  not  be 
explained  ;  expostulation  was  used,  but  in  vain  ; 
"you  'cheat  poor  Indian,"  and  they  grew  madder 
and  madder.  Peter  and  his  comrade  began  to  have 


fears  for  their  personal  safety.  There  was  no  white 
man  near,  and  if  there  had  been  they  could  not  have 
expected  that  they  would  be  sustained  in 
such  an  enterprise.  All  on  a  sudden  the  terrific  war- 
whoop  burst  from  the  whole  group,  and,  drawing 
their  long  knives,  they  rushed  upon  the  liquor  deal- 
ers like  so  many  fiends  from  the  pit.  Just  at  this 
moment  another  Indian  snatched  Shaw-na-neese  on 
to  a  pony  behind  himself  and  galloped  off  at  the  top 
of  his  speed,  for  what  has  since  been  called  Chartres' 
Grove.  But,  alas,  and  well-a-day,  for  unfortunate 
Peter,  when  he  cried  "  there  was  none  to  de- 
liver!" He  had  a  good  pair  of  legs,  and  "it  came 
into  his  heart1'  that  "jess  now,"  if  ever,  was  the 
time  to  use  them ;  and  bounding  somewhere  about  a 
rod  at  a  jump,  he  "  cut  for  the  bush,"  and  the  In- 
dians after  him,  pell-mell.  As  good  luck  would 
have  it,  however,  he  managed  to  conceal  himself  in 
the  thick  brush  and  elude  their  grasp,  until  at  last, 
giving  up  their  chase,  they  returned  to  Peter's  shanty. 
Here  they  soon  made  a  finish  of  the  remainder  of 
the  poor  whisky,  and,  appropriating  for  their  own 
"  special  use  and  benefit  "  Peter's  bag  of  flour,  fry- 
pan  and  new  broadcloth  coat,  they  vamoosed,  cut- 
ting up  those  dreadful  antics  which  savages  thirst- 
ing for  blood  alone  know  how  to  perform.  Peter's 
predicament  was  by  no  means  enviable.  He  knew 
that  he  was  in  the  wrong.  He  had  time  to  think 
and  he  did  "  link.'  He  had  time  for  thought  and  he 
"tought  "  if  he  ever  lived  to  get  out  of  the  scrape  he 
was  "  sure  to  quit  te  tarn  liquor  business  anyhow." 
Afar  off,  from  the  bosom  of  the  thicket,  he  had  be- 
held the  plunder  of  his  shanty,  and  the  subsequent 
withdrawal  of  his  enemies.  He  had  no  doubt  but 
what  they  had  gone  for  reinforcements  and  would 
soon  return  and  murder  him.  Perhaps  they  were 
still  lying  in  ambush  "  to  let  the  life  out  of  him." 
Still  thinking  discretion  the  better  part  of  valor,  he 
kept  still  till  it  began  to  grow  dark,  when  what 
should  he  hear  but  the  friendly  voice  of  his  old  com- 
rade, Shaw-na-neese,  cautiously  calling  lo  him  from 
the  plundered  shanty,  and  saying  to  him  that  he  had 
just  got  away  from  the  Indians,  who  were  intending 
to  come  and  kill  him  as  soon  as  it  was  dark,  and  he 
was  advised  further  by  the  red-skin  not  to  make  his 
whereabouts  very  public — was  assured  that  he  would 
get  up  the  oxen,  "  gather  up  the  fragments  that  re- 
mained," hitch  on  to  the  "  truckle  trackles,"  and 
H  ,-s >»iiJ?«kjnr'  SLi^vXsi/' 


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-    ..    - 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


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join  him  with  all  possible  dispatch  in  the  grove. 
Peter  and  his  comrade  were  at  last  under  cover  of 
the  night,  plodding  their  way  over  old  logs,  sloughs 
and  brush,  to  the  west  side  of  the  grove,  from  whence, 
in  a  cold  rain-storm,  and  Peter  in  his  shirt  sleeves, 
they  made  good  their  retreat  towards  Walker's 
Grove,  which  they  had  the  good  fortune  to  reach  the 
next  day,  drenched  with  mud  and  water;  and  where 
Peter,  starved,  cold  and  hungry,  was  prepared  to  do 
up  any  quantity  of  muttering  and  swearing  about  the 
"tarn  Injins."  Here,  among  the  simple  children  of 
nature,  behold  the  faint  dawnings  of  a  more  perfect 
day !  We  are  not  only  indebted  to  them  for  the 
knowledge  of  succotash  and  hominy,  but  for  what 
they  have  taught  us  in  "getting  shut  "  of  the  liquor 
dealer. 

[After  referring  to  the  attempt  to  build  a  town  by 
the  New  York  Company,  the  desire  of  the  people  to 
form  a  county  organization,  and  the  call  for  an  elec- 
tion for  county  officers,  Mr.  Kellogg  continues :] 

The  day  of  election  for  county  officers  at  last  ar- 
rived. The  settlers,  "  by  the  grace  of  God  free  and 
independent,"  from  "  Norcutt's  to  Driscoll's"  and 
from  Somonauk  to  the  farthest  verge  of  Franklin, 
were  seen  flocking  to  the  house  of  Frederick  Love, 
and  certain  big  trees  thereunto  belonging — for  it 
soon  became  apparent  that  all  could  not  begin  to  get 
in  at  once.  Let  it  not  be  understood,  however,  that 
there  is  any  design  to  speak  disparagingly  of  the  old 
cabin  of  Judge  Love,  for  it  was  a  very  respectable- 
looking  shanty  for  those  days,  and  within  and  with- 
out betokened  more  than  usual  thrift,  means  and 
hospitality.  There  were  some — alas!  the  truth  may 
as  well  be  told — too  many  for  the  security  of  well 
disposed  and  honest  settlers,  who  affected  utter  con- 
tempt for  all  claim  associations,  calling  them  "  land 
monopolies,"  declaring  that  one  settler  had  just  as 
good  right  to  cut  down  Uncle  Sam's  timber  and  fence 
up  his  prairie  as  another.  This  might  have  been  true 
in  the  abstract,  and  yet  the  first  claimant  and  occu- 
pant was  entitled  to  the  preference,  to  just  so  much 
as  was  needful  to  him  and  no  more.  All  pre-emption 
laws  are  based  on  this  principle, — "  first  come,  first 
served."  It  was  clearly  seen  by  the  more  reflecting 
that  if  the  contrary  doctrine  should  prevail,  all 
security  to  property  in  claims  would  be  at  an  end; 
"  domestic  tranquillity  could  not  be  ensured,"  nor 
could  the  "  general  welfare  be  promoted."  Claim 


associations  must  therefore  be  maintained  and  their 
authority  respected,  or  society  would  be  resolved  into 
original  chaos,  each  defending  himself  and  his  by 
his  own  right  arm — that  is,  if  he  was  able.  In  what 
way  can  the  reasonable  claim  of  the  settler  be  best 
secured  until  the  lands  shall  be  surveyed  and 
brought  into  market,  was  then  the  all  absorbing  ques- 
tion. Compared  with  this,  the  question  whether  the 
"  hero  of  Tippecanoe,"  or  the  "  foxy  Dutchman  of 
Kinderhoof "  should  come  to  the  Presidential  chair 
was  of  no  consequence.  As  a  "tariff  for  revenue," 
or  a  "tariff  for  protection,"  the  settlers  were  in  for 
one  that  should  insure  both.  In  a  word,  they  found 
themselves  divided  into  two  parties,  denominated 
"  Claim  Jumpers  "  and  "  Anti-Claim  Jumpers." 

After  the  whittling,  log-rolling,  caucusing  and 
liquoring  had  been  done  up,  the  respective  parties 
rally  their  hosts  at  the  polls  and  quietly  await  the 
issue.  On  counting  the  votes,  it  was  found  that  the 
Anti-Claim  Jumpers'  ticket  was  elected  by  a  very 
handsome  majority.  Levi  Lee,  Rufus  Colton  and 
Robert  Sterrett  were  elected  County  Commissioners  ; 
Joseph  C.  Lander,  Sheriff;  Jesse  C.  Kellogg,  Re- 
corder. The  County  Commissioners  elect  at  once 
repaired  to  the  house  of  Rufus  Colton,  where  "  each 
administered  the  oath  to  the  other,"  as  authorized  by 
the  act  to  create  the  county  of  De  Kalb.  The  Com- 
missioners appointed  Jesse  C.  Kellogg  Clerk  of  the 
County  Commissioners'  Court ;  Eli  Barnes,  County 
Surveyor;  and  Lysander  Darling,  County  Treasurer; 
ordered  a  special  term  to  be  held  in  a  few  days  at 
the  same  place  to  lay  off  the  county  into  justices' 
districts  and  election  precincts,  and  before  the  "guns 
of  the  glorious  Fourth  came  booming  over  '  the  land 
of  the  free  and  the  home  of  the  brave,'"  De  Kalb 
was  a  "sis"  in  the  sisterhood  of  counties  in  the 
Prairie  State.  Of  the  County  Commissioners,  Hon. 
Levi  Lee,  now  a  citizen  of  Wai  worth  Co ,  Wis.,  a 
member  of  t'he  Legislature,  alone  survives.  [Lee 
has  since  died.]  That  kind-hearted,  worthy  old  set- 
tler, Lysander  Darling,  County  Treasurer,  and,  it  is 
believed,  Joseph  C.  Lander,  the  first  Sheriff,  have 
gone  down  to  the  grave.  Rufus  Colton,  the  County 
Commissioner  in  the  central  portion  of  the  county, 
was  a  native  of  New  England,  and  a  son  of  a  Con- 
gregational minister.  Much  of  his  early  life  was 
spent  in  a  printing  office,  where  he  acquired  that 
business  tact  and  readiness  of  the  pen  for  which  he 


i 


- 


was  so  justly  celebrated.  For  several  years  he  con- 
ducted a  weekly  journal,  called  the  Woodstock  Ob- 
server, in  Windsor  Co.,  Vt. ;  was  the  first  Probate 
Justice,  the  first  Clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court  of  De 
Kalb  County  ;  a  warm-hearted  friend,  and,  if  from  lo- 
cal cause,  over  an  enemy,  still  a  generous  one.  During 
the  last  years  of  his  life -a  member  of  the  Congrega- 
tional Church  at  Sycamore,  and  sympathizing  deeply 
in  the  down-trodden  and  oppressed,  he  has  gone 
down  to  the  grave,  and  his  remains  repose  in  hope 

/  in  the  Methodist  burial  ground  in  Sycamore.  Robert 
Sterrett,  the  County  Commissioner  from  Somonauk, 

i  was  by  birth  a  Pennsylvania!!,  a  man  of  uncomprom- 
ising integrity,  and  one  always  knew  where  to  find 
him.  He  was  shrewd  and  discriminating  ;  in  politics 
a  Democrat;  in  religion,  a  Calvinistic  Baptist;  in 
claim  matters,  as  true  a  man  as  ever  "  broke  bread." 
He  lived  respected  and  died  lamented.  His  re- 
mains sleep  quietly  in  his  own  loved  Somonauk.  Of 
the  first  County  Clerk  and  County  Surveyor,  nothing 
need  be  said,  as  they  are  still  "  living  characters, 
known  and  read  by  all  men."  [Both  have  since 
passed  away.] 

The  day  for  the  special  term  of  the  County  Com- 
missioners' Court  having  at  length  fully  come,  self- 
made  and  constituted  attorneys,  men  having  business 
at  Court,  boys  and  lawyers,  curious  to  "  see  the  ele- 
phant," and  "  how  the  thing  worked,"  were  seen 
pouring  into  the  village  of  Coltonville  from  all  direc- 
tions. This  village  was  a  common  center  between 
Levi  Lee  and  Robert  Sterrett,  really  in  advance  of 
most  of  the  prospective  paper  towns  of  those  days, 
the  powerful  competitor  of  Centerville,  Brush  Point 
and  Sycamore,  or  Orange,  as  Sycamore  was  then 
called  ;  for  the  "  county  seat  "  then  consisted  of  a 
neat  hewed-log  cabin  with  ample  "  linters  "  and  fix- 
tures, standing  on  the  bluff  southeast  of  the  present 
residence  of  C.  S.  Colton  [in  1881;  the  residence  of 

],  overlooking  the  "  rapids  "  on  the  west  fork  of 

the  south  branch  of  the  Kishwaukee,  on  or  near  the 
site  of  the  old  Indian  town,  and  containing  under 
one  roof  a  dwelling-house  for  a  large  family,  a  store, 
a  postoffice,  a  tavern,  a  justice,  a  physician  and  an 
attorney's  office.  In  addition  to  the  ordinary  busi- 
ness, it  so  happened  that  on  this  memorable  day, 
some  two  or  three  sharply  contested  lawsuits  were 
pending  before  Justice  Colton,  and  attorneys,  parties, 
constables,  jurors,  witnesses,  men  wanting  "  license 


to  keep  a  quiet  and  orderly  house,"  where  they  could 
get  their  neighbors  druiik  "  in  pursuance  of  la\v," 
were  soon  seen  in  patient  "  waiting  upon  court," 
anxious  to  have  their  business  done  up.  The  County 
Commissioners  from  the  north  and  from  the  south 
country  had  arrived.  The  County  Commissioner 
from  the  interior,  as  may  well  be  supposed,  had  an 
unusual  press  of  business.  The  Clerk,  having  the 
records  of  the  former  court  in  the  top  of  his  hat, 
half  a  quire  of  foolscap,  sundry  articles  of  stationery, 
and  some  of  "  Rogers'  best  cutlery  "  in  his  pockets, 
was  already  seen  standing  at  the  door — there  being 
no  room  for  him  in  the  inn,  when  the  whole  multitude 
within  and  without, 

"  Began  to  feel,  as  well  they  might, 
The  keen  demands  of  appetite." 

It  was  readily  perceived  that  if  the  good  landlady 
was  to  get  dinner  for  75  or  100  "  hands,"  that  she 
would  need  what  little  elbow-room  could  well  be 
spared  in  the  kitchen,  and  how  she  did  it  must  ever  be 
to  some  an  incomprehensible  mystery,  and  yet  she 
did,  and  "  behold,  it  was  very  good."  One  thing  is 
quite  certain :  in  those  palmy  days  the  prairie  grass 
did  not  grow  under  the  feet  of  that  landlady.  Busi- 
ness being  urgent,  however,  it  was  thought  best  to 
locate  a  spare  table  in  the  shade  on  the  i.orth  end  of 
the  house,  and  open  court  out  of  doors.  Sheriff  Lan- 
der, with  the  assistance  of  the  by-standers,  having 
set  the  table  and  given  it  a  business-like  aspect,  and 
Hon.  Levi  Lee  having  produced  and  laid  thereon  a 
"  bound  book,"  a  cast  of  merchant's  ledger  with  the 
accounts  torn  out,  the  best  that  could  be  produced, 
it  was  proclaimed  in  stentorian  tones,  at  last,  that 
"the  County  Commissioners'  Court  of  De  Kalb  county 
was  in  session  and  ready  for  business."  The  Court 
having  taken  a  recess  for  dinner  and  again  resumed 
business,  applications  for  merchants'  and  tavern 
licenses  were  presented  and  granted,  of  course  on 
condition  that  the  applicant  file  a  bond,  pay  a  cer- 
tain sum  into  the  treasury,  together  with  the  sum  of 
one  dollar  for  the  use  of  the  clerk,  agreeable  to  the 
statute  in  such  cases  made  and  provided.  [In  divid- 
ing the  county  into  election  precincts]  one  would 
think  the  line  here  and  another  there  ;  but  it  was 
I  universally  conceded  that  the  east  line  of  the  county 
began  "somewhar"  near  the  big  slough  bridge  east  of 
Winslow  Norcutt's,  or  where  Homer  Roberts  now 
lives;  consequently,  quite  a  portion  of  Kane  County, 

^^^CXjr       ' '     ^^"""il-          ^v^> 


V 


: 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


t 


. 


sometimes  called  "Upper  Canada,"  and  sometimes 
"  Arab  Settlement,"  were  "  bone  of  our  bone  and 
flesh  of  our  flesh." 

In  relation  to  the  names  of  the  groves,  Somonauk 
takes  its  name  from  the  creek  bearing  the  same 
name,  and  in  old  times  could  be  safely  spelt  any  way 
that  first  came  to  hand.  Squaw  Grove  has  its  name 
thus  because  it  was  much  frequented  by  the  squaws 
when  the  men  were  gone  on  their  hunting  excursions, 
and  Pappoose  Grove,  because  pappoose  may  be  a 
little  squaw.  Ross  Grove  from  Joseph  Ross,  the  first 
settler.  Johnson's,  from  Johnson,  the  first  settler. 
Paw  Paw,  from -Paw  Paw  in  Michigan,  or  some  other 
place.  Lost  Grove,  because  it  seemed  to  have  strayed 
away  from  all  the  rest  of  the  groves,  and  to  have  got 
lost,  and  there  stopped.  The  chain  of  groves  south- 
west of  Sycamore,  united  by  isthmuses,  and  perhaps 
by  a  common  sympathy,  of  course  would  be  called 
Union  Grove.  Most  of  the  early  settlers  in  the  grove 
southeast  of  Sycamore,  having  come  from  Ohio,  what 
more  natural  than  it  should  receive  the  name  of  Ohio 
Grove  ?  The  beautiful  little  grove,  a  little  northeast 
from  Sycamore,  was  so  named  because  a  Norwegian 
doctor  by  the  name  of  Norbo  first  settled  there. 
The  grove  further  northeast,  Chartres',  because  a 
Frenchman  by  that  name  was  its  first  settler;  and  the 
grove  northwest  of  Sycamore  Big  Grove,  because, 
when  compared  with  other  groves,  it  was  big.  Hick- 
ory Grove,  north  of  Genoa,  is  so  called  because  hick- 
ory was  so  abundant  there.  Last  of  all,  Driscoll's 
Grove  took  its  name  from  the  far-famed  Driscolls,one 
of  whom  had  settled  here,  from  whence  he  was  kid- 
napped and  taken  to  a  little  grove  in  Ogle  County  by 
a  band  of  lynchers,  where  he,  with  his  father,  after 
undergoing  the  mock  forms  of  a  trial  and  conviction, 
were  shot  down  like  dogs,  and  tumbled  into  a  com- 
mon grave.  Humanity  shudders  at  the  thought  of 
this  bloody  transaction.  In  truth  it  might  be  said, 
however,  that  the  horse-stealing,  robberies  and  mur- 
ders of  the  "  banditti  of  the  prairies  "  had  become,  as 
:t  was  thought,  intolerable.  Yet  it  cannot  be  safely 
argued  that  the  end  justified  the  means.  None  of 
the  old  neighbors  of  the  Driscolls  who  resided  at  this 
grove,  believe  him  to  have  been  connected  with  any 
of  these  enormities,  though  his  father  and  relations 
might  have  been.  The  old  Scripture  principle  that 
"  the  son  should  not  bear  the  iniquity  of  the  father," 
it  seemed,  was  of  no  avail  to  him.  After  the  mas- 


sacre  of  the  Driscolls,  this  grove  took   the  name  of   V 
South  Grove,  because  it  lies  south  of  the  main  body  of    tf 


timber  on  the  Kishwaukee. 


Major  Evans  Wharry's  Reminiscence. 

HE  following  reminiscence  was  given  by 
Major  Evans  Wharry  to  V.  Hix,  in  March, 
1879,  and  by  the  latter  prepared  for  the 
City  Weekly.  Leaving  out  the  introductory 
clause,  we  copy  as  follows  :  The  Major  and 
a  Mr.  Sharer,  both  members  of  the  New  York 
Land  Company,  came  here  in  1836,  with  the  view  of 
taking  up  a  large  tract  of  land  in  the  interest  of  the 
company.  They  landed  in  Chicago  in  May,  1836, 
and  after  remaining  in  that  city  for  a  couple  of 
weeks  started  for  Galena,  by  way  of  Rockford. 
Reaching  this  locality,  they  met  with  Dr.  Madden, 
formerly  a  resident  of  Brush  Point,  Mayfield,  and  at 
that  time  a  member  of  the  Illinois  General  Assembly. 
The  project  of  the  formation  of  De  Kalb  County, 
then  a  part  of  Kane  County,  was  being  talked  up, 
and  the  Doctor,  being  favorably  impressed  with  the 
Major  and  the  mission  upon  which  he  was  bent,  pre- 
vailed upon  him  to  stop  here  and  assist  him  in  a 
scheme  which  he  had  in  view,  which  was  no  less 
than  to  locate  a  shire  town  for  the  new  county.  The 
Major,  thinking  favorably  of  the  project,  consented, 
but  did  not  think  the  selection  of  a  site  for  the  new 
county  seat  which  the  Doctor  made,  a  good  one. 
The  site  in  question  was  what  is  now  the  Thomas 
Wood  farm,  half  a  mile  north  of  the  river  bridge,  and 
formerly  well  known  as  the  Clark  Wright  place.  The 
land  there  is  comparatively  low  and  level,  and  as 
the  Major's  eyes  took  in  the  elevated  situation  south 
of  the  river,  and  upon  which  the  city  of  Sycamore 
now  stands,  he  was  at  once  of  the  opinion  that  it 
should  have  been  selected.  But  the  Doctor  was  al- 
lowed to  have  his  own  way,  and  the  Major  at  once 
commenced  improvements  on  the  quarter  section 
chosen,  a  portion  of  which  the  Doctor  was  to  have 
for  his  influence  in  the  legislation  needed  to  locate 
the  capital  town  of  the  county.  In  fact,  the  Doctor 
and  Major  were  mutually  interested,  and  both  hoped 
to  realize  handsomely  outof their  venture  inapecun- 
iary  way.  The  Doctor,  by  agreement  between  the 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


i 


two,  was  to  have  50  of  the  160  acres.  He  returned 
to  Springfield  to  see  to  the  appointment  of  a  Board 
of  Commissioners  to  locate  the  county  seat,  and  the 
Major  went  to  work  in  the  interests  of  the  new  town, 
and  had  the  same  platted  and  placed  on  record  at 
Geneva.  He  purchased  Norwegian  Grove,  lying  a 
little  to  the  east,  paying  for  the  same  the  sum  of 
$400,  and  removed  Dr.  Norbo,  a  Norwegian,  who 
gave  the  name  to  the  grove,  to  Geneva ;  purchased 
two  or  three  teams  of  oxen,  erected  a  store  on  the 
premises  now  owned  by  Roswell  Dow.  He  also 
bridged  the  river,  constructed  a  dam,  cut  a  mile  race 
from  a  point  near  the  southwest  corner  of  Nor- 
wegian Grove,  through  the  lowlands  just  north  of  the 
river  bridge,  traces  of  which  remain  to  this  day,  and 
erected  a  saw-mill,  and  sought  to  make  the  place  a 
prominent  one  for  those  days.  At  that  time  the  old 
State  road,  running  west  from  Geneva  to  the  Missis- 
sippi, ran  along  the  north  side  of  Norwegian  Grove, 
and  this  fact  may  have  had  something  to  do  with  the 
selection  of  Dr.  Madden  as  a  member  of  the 
Legislature. 

While  the  Doctor  was  busy  in  the  Legislature  the 
Major  was  busy  at  home.  Commissioners  favorable 
had  been  selected  by  Madden  and  things  promised  a 
happy  termination.  The  Doctor,  however,  had  a 
deeper  purpose  in  view  than  the  Major  had  at  first 
suspected,  but  which  soon  showed  itself.  Madden 
came  back  in  advance  of  the  Commissioners  and  in- 
sisted that  he  must  have  more  than  the  50  acres  at 
first  agreed  upon.  At  this  the  Major  was  taken 
somewhat  aback,  but  finally  consented  to  increase 
the  number  of  acres  to  75,  the  amount  of  land  the 
Dod or  thought  he  ought  to  have.  This  would  have 
been  willingly  acquiesced  in  by  the  Major;  but  just 
upon  the  eve  of  the  selection  of  a  site  by  the  Com- 
missioners the  Doctor  became  still  more  greedy  and 
demanded  100  acres.  Then  the  Major's  ire  was 
thoroughly  aroused,  and  in  the  height  of  his  indig- 
nation he  vehemently  told  the  Doctor  to  go  to 
gehenna;  that  he  would  never  give  him  that  amount 
of  land.  The  two  were  now  at  sword's  points,  and 
the  Doctor  at  once  set  about  to  secure  the  location 
of  the  county  seat  at  Brush  Point.  Apprised  of  his 
purpose,  the  Major  quietly  but  actively  began  to  be- 
stir himself  to  defeat  the  Doctor,  and  at  once  hired 
riders  to  traverse  the  county  to  enlist  the  citizens  in 
his  behalf.  The  Commissioners  came,  two  of  them, 


and  150  men  from  all  parts  of  the  county  met  them 
upon  their  arrival.  The  place  of  meeting  was  at  the 
Major's  store.  The  day  was  spent  in  consultation. 
There  were  several  parties  in  this  part  of  the  county 
who  had  a  location  for  the  county  seat  in  view, 
among  them  Captain  Eli  Barnes,  who  then  owned 
what  is  now  the  John  Burke  farm,  on  the  De  Kalb 
road.  There  was  where  the  Captain  wanted  it  lo- 
cated. Then  there  was  Mr.  Calvin  Colton,  of  Col- 
tonville,  who  desired  its  location  at  his  place.  And 
it  was  wanted  by  a  party  from  Genoa. 

On  the  next  day,  the  interest  increasing,  there 
were  200  men  assembled  at  the  Major's  headquar- 
ters. The  party  was  mounted  on  horses,  and  finally, 
in  company  with  the  Commissioners,  they  all  started 
out  to  inspect  the  different  competing  localities  for 
the  county  seat.  They  crossed  the  river  and  halted 
first  upon  the  site  the  Major  had  all  the  time  fav- 
ored and  which,  after  his  quarrel  with  Madden,  he 
determined  to  secure,  if  possible,  and  that  was  where 
the  city  now  stands.  Here  the  Major  pointed  out  in 
eloquent  teims  the  natural  advantages  of  the  place, 
after  which  the  party  took  up  the  line  of  march.  It 
was  a  jolly  crowd  and  a  jolly  occasion.  There  was 
running  of  horses,  whooping  and  all  manner  of  fun 
afloat.  Reaching  the  Captain  Barnes  place  they  lis- 
tened to  a  stump  speech  from  that  redoubtable  indi- 
vidual and  then  struck  for  Coltonville.  This  locality 
was  soon  inspected  and  away  they  broke  for  Brush 
Point.  After  reaching  there  the  Major  invited  the 
party  to  ride  to  the  west  for  a  distance  of  about  60 
rods,  which  was  done,  and  they  found  themselves  in 
the  middle  of  a  large  flat  covered  with  water.  This, 
the  Major  said,  was  the  place  the  Doctor  had  selected 
for  the  county  seat,  for  the  reason  that  it  would 
never  lack  a  supply  of  water!  Then  a  derisive  shout 
went  up  at  the  expense  of  the  Doctor  and  the  party 
took  up  the  line  of  march  for  Genoa.  From  Genoa 
they  finished  the  circuit  .-by  bringing  up  at  the 
Major's  store.  Here  a  further  confab  followed  until 
finally  one  of  the  Commissioners,  Mr.  Walker,  told 
the  party  to  go  home,  but  to  return  on  the  morrow, 
when  the  county  seat  would  be  located. 

The  eventful  day  arrived  and  so  did  the  crowd. 
The  party  mounted  and  again  visited  each  and  every 
place  they  had  gone  to  the  day  previous,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  Genoa.  The  Commissioners  said  that 
Genoa  was  a  nice  place  but  too  near  the  north  line 


| 


* 


DE  KALB   COUNTY. 


of  the  county  to  be  available.  Then  Commissioner 
Walker  spoke  and  informed  the  crowd  that  with  the 
concurrence  of  the  other  Commissioners  (one  of  them 
was  absent  in  St.  Louis)  he  should  designate  the 
place  selected  by  Major  Wharry  for  the  capital  of  the 
county.  The  other  Commissioner,  Mr.  Thurston,  who 
was  in  close  confab  with  Madden  at  the  time,  re- 
fused to  concur  with  Walker,  and  advised  that  the 
absent  Commissioner  be  summoned.  He  was  asked 
if  he  would  be  present  providing  the  absent  man 
could  be  got  here,  and  replied  that  he  would  not — 
that  he  would  never  come  there  again.  This  exas- 
perated the  Major  and  his  friends,  and  they  finally 
made  him  say  as  to  which  of  the  different  sites  vis- 
ited he  preferred;  and, being  considerably  frightened 
by  the  demonstration  made,  said  that  if  he  must,  he 
would  say  that  Wharry 's  selection  seemed  the- most 
favorable.  The  matter  was  ended  by  Walker,  who 
stuck  a  stake,  painted  red  at  the  top,  near  where  the 
court-house  now  stands,  and  the  crowd  drove  it  four 
feet  into  the  ground.  Afterwards  a  hickory  pole 
about  roo  feet  high  was  raised  on  the  spot  by  the 
Major  and  his  friends,  where  it  stood  with  colors  fly- 
ing from  the  top. 

Madden  continued  to  fight  against  the  location 
with  all  his  might,  but  the  people  of  the  county  came 
forth  winners.  The  friends  of  the  Major  here  were 
aided  by  the  settlers  at  the  southern  extremity  of  the 
county  on  condition  that  the  former  should  aid  them 
in  their  desire  to  be  set  off  and  become  a  part  of  the 
county  adjoining  them  on  the  south,  which  was 
agreed  to.  The  support  given  to  the  Half-Shire  bill 
some  years  ago  by  the  people  here  is  said  by  the 
Major  to  have  been  in  consequence  of  the  agreement 
spoken  of,  but  how  this  may  be  we  do  not  pretend 
to  know  or  to  say. 

The  land  tract  located  by  Major  Wharry  and  Mr. 
Sharer  in  the  interest  of  the  Land  Co.,  after  the 
agreement  first  entered  into  by  Madden  and  the 
Major,  embraced  two  square  miles  of  land  with  the 
boundaries  as  follows  :  Commencing  about  one  quar- 
ter of  a  mile  north  of  the  Roswell  Dow  place,  the 
west  line  was  run  to  the  south  two  miles,  thence  to 
the  east,  taking  in  a  portion  of  Ohio  Grove,  and  which 
also  included  the  old  Indian  village,  on  what  is  now 
known  as  the  Tyler  farm ;  thence  north  two  miles, 
running  to  the  north  of  Norwegian  Grove,  and  taking 
in  the  same,  and  thence  west  two  miles  to  the  place 


of  beginning.  It  will  thus  be  seen  by  those  famil- 
iar with  the  section  of  country  embraced  within  the 
lines,  that  the  tract  included  the  quarter  section  upon 
which  the  county-seat  was  to  be  located,  and  which 
is  now  the  Thomas  Wood  farm.  The  Major  tells  us 
that  the  tract  was  marked  out  with  a  plow,  four  yoke 
of  oxen  being  used  and  four  days  being  consumed  in 
the  undertaking. 

Of  course  the  old  town  north  of  the  river  was  soon 
abandoned  after  the  site  for  the  county  seat  was  final- 
ly determined  upon.  We  have  already  spoken  of 
Captain  Eli  Barnes.  The  Captain  is  accredited  with 
building  the  first  house  in  Sycamore,  the  same  being 
the  present  City  Hotel,  then  known  as  the  Mansion 
House.  Although  the  first  constructed,  the  Barnes 
tavern  was  not  the  first  house  on  (he  ground.  A  lit- 
tle wooden  building  had  been  moved  here  from  the 
old  Hamlin  place,  south  of  here,  and  was  occupied 
by  a  Dr.  Bassett,  the  first  physician  of  the  place. 
John  P.  and  Charles  Waterman  were  the  first  mer- 
chants. This  was  in  18*39.  This  year  the  old  court- 
house was  built,  which  stood  nearly  opposite  the 
present  one,  and  was  a  very  primitive  affair.  The 
next  year — 1840 — the  village  consisted  of  about  a 
dozen  houses.  Among  others  resident  at  the  time, 
and  whose  names  are  familiar  to  many  of  our  readers, 
were  E.  S.  Jewell,  D.  Banister,  Jesse  C.  Kellogg, 
Carlos  Lattin,  L.  D.  Walrod,  Jos.  Sixbury,  F.  Love, 
and  Marshall  Stark.  The  Mayos  and  other  early 
settlers  did  not  come  until  a  year  or  two  later. 

By  the  way,  we  asked  the  Major  how  he  got  his 
title.  We  supposed  he  had  seen  actual  military  ser- 
vice; participated,  perhaps,  in  the  Black  Hawk  or 
some  other  memorable  war,  and  were  anxious  to  hear 
him  recount  his  military  exploits.  But  in  this  we 
were  disappointed.  He  was  only  Major  of  a  company 
organized  in  the  earliest  days  here  for  protection 
against  the  raids  of  the  banditti  of  the  prairies,  who 
infested  this  portion  of  the  West.  In  the  same  way 
Marshall  Stark  got  to  be  Colonel  and  Eli  Barnes  Cap- 
tain. Many  now  living  remember  seeing  Captain 
Barnes  at  the  head  of  Fourth-of-July  processions 
in  Sycamore,  dressed  in  uniform,  with  sword  and  pis- 
tols, and  mounted  on  his  clumsily  caparisoned  steed. 
We  remember  him  well,  and  it  was  with  a  feeling  of 
awe  that  we  gazed  upon  his  stern  features,  and  heard 
the  severe  orders  as  they  issued  from  his  lips  to  those 
under  his  command.  He  has  long  since  been  dead. 


... 

> 

4^W 

A- 

MJim^SSL 

"I 

•wVV—  i 

BIOG1 

**? 

^ 

|*|34->.-'Wv~ 

efJKgpLt 

Barrtnger,  Edward  

,.368 

Byers.A.  B  

505 

Corson,  Peter  N  

230 

Bartlett,    Joseph  

••5'5 

Coster,  J  oseph  C  

443 

A 

BartIett,M.  A  

..548 

Coulson,  William  D... 

477 

Bartlett,  Moses  

..566 

Cox,  Joseph  

73° 

Bastian,  August  

..507 

Coy,  Charles  P  

433 

Adams,   Hon.Augusti 
!        Adams,  H.  A  
-,       Adams.J.    L  
Adams,  John  
£       Adams,  John    Qumcy 
3       Adams,  J.   P  
=       Adams,  Thomas  
v§        Adams,  W.  G  
1       AdeeWm.T  
=       Alden,  Jesse  
•/        Alden,  P.   M  
y       Alexander,  G.   M.... 
Allbee,  B.  C  

s  473 

555 
23 
39 
39° 

344 
682 

667 
498 

Bauder,  John  H  
Baxter,    James  
Bell,HenryG  
Bend,  Lewis  
Betz,  John  
Beveridge,  J.  H  
Beveridge,  John  L  
Beveridge,  Wm.  G  
Bishop,  C.  A  
Bissell.Wm.  H  
Blanchard,  Prof.  A.  J   ... 
Boardman,  Hon.  H.  M... 

..707 
••452 
-.623 
••75' 
..653 
..278 
••325 
..17! 
..328 
••495 
-.151 
••399 

Cain,  John  
Calhoun,  A.  H  
Calkins,  A.  M  
Cameron,  James  

Carnes,  D.  J  

Carpenter,  Wm  
Carson,  D.  G  
Carter,  C.  D.,  M.  D.. 

Carter,  Orlando  
Castle,  Hon.  M.  B.... 

546 

486 
4°9 
135 

357 
74* 

428 
335 

Craig,  Robert  
Crane.  Frederick  S.... 
Crapser,  George  W.... 

Crego,  Lewis  H  

Cristman.  Henry  
Cristman,  John  
Cromwell,  Philip  I.,  M 
Cruise,  Charles  
Cullom,  Shelby  M  
Culver,  John  N  
Curtis,  Elijah  

300 

435 
262 
597 
332 
••••   5'5 
299 
D....675 
460 
175 
320 
539 

)        Allen,  Joseph  
Allen,  M.   V  

732 
639 

Boies.  H.  L  
Bond,  Shadrach  

..216 

Challand,  Henry  
Challand,  Reuben  

640 

Curts,  J.L  
Cults,  Samuel  

478 

Allen,   Reuben  
Ames,  Ezra  M  

607 

^gg 

Bowers,  Wm  

••529 

Chamberlain,  C.  H... 

2Ig 

Archer,  Samuel  
Arkills,    J.W  

434 

Bradt,C.E  

..748 

Chapel,  George  

667 

D 

Arnold,  Al'ford  

636 

Brechbiel,  J  
Broughton,C.   W   

...732 
••489 

Chapman,  Julius  
Christopher,  C  

685 
547 

Darnell,  James  
Davis,  Rev.  Levi  H... 

482 
648 

...228 

Clapsaddle,  Andrew  .. 

...566 

Davis,  William  

272 

0       Ashcraft,  Alberl  
5       Ashelford,  Abraham 

635 
722 

Brown,    D.   S  
Brown.  D.   D  

...294 
...199 

Clapsaddle,  Geo.  H  ... 
Clark,  A.  H  

507 

Dean.Erastus  
Dean,  Moses  

598 
302 

(       Ashelford,  George.... 

672 

Brown.G.  W.  L  

...308 

Clark,  Alva  

337 

Decker,  Wm  

334 

Atchison,  W.  D  
Atherton,  B.  F  
Atherton,  Charles  

670 
503 

Brown,  James  P  
Brown,  J.  L  
Brown,  J.   W  
Brown,  Russell  R  

...269 

...481 
..386 
..605 

Clark,  James  L  
Cleveland,  S.  Grover.. 
Colby,  E.  R  

369 
.       103 
449 

Dedrick,  Martin  C.... 
Dee,  Richard  
De  Forest,  Lansing... 

676 
•     -7'5 
727 
630 

Ault,  Matthias  

2*° 

Brown,  Wm  

••53« 

Cole!  Walter  L  

3°i 

Delavergne,  Nelson   .. 

.    ...309 

A  urner,  Leonard  

403 

Brown,  Wm.   W  

...49 

Colcman,  Hector  H.... 

311 

Dennis,  Wm.  A  ,. 

385 

Bryan,  O.   M.,  M.   D   ... 
Bryant,  W.   W.,   M.    D.. 

••  35 
•  •  S1 

Coles,  Edward  

115 

Denton,  Joseph  H  

502 

\ 

B 

Buchanan,  James  
Buckingham,  J.  M  

•••75 

Conde.T.  J  
•Cone,  William  

555 
687 
579 

Depue,  F.phraim  
Dettmer,  George  J  
Dickinson,  H.  S  

362 
498 

» 

Buckardt,    John  
Burke,  L.  C  

...25 
...583 

Congdon,  George  G  ... 
Connart,  Louis  

....584 
699 

Dieterich,  Lewis  
Divine,  R.  L  

740 
621 

) 

Burkhart,    J  

••745 

Conrad,  Cassius  M  

277 

Dixon,  John  

572 

rf       Bailey,  Asa  
'        Bailey,  Cyrenius.... 
N        Ballou,  N.  B..M.D. 
J        Barber,  Clark  L  
*V       Barnes,  W.  B  

5°I 

Ph.D.423 

7J8 
39' 

Bushnell,   Elmer  
Bushnell,  Wm.     J  
Butler,  S.    F  
Butterfield,  Edward  
Butterfield,  S.   V.... 

...476 
••574 
...628 
.  .  .69. 
...620 

Coolidge,  Porter  S  
Cooper,  George  C  
Cooper,  Thadcleus  W... 
Corey,  Wm.  H  

Cnr.nn.  Hcnrv  

709 
591 
420 
662 

fin} 

Dodge,  Thomas  
Dodge,  Thomas  W..   .. 
Douglas,  Fred.  S  

194 
677 
384 
3*3 

4»niH 

INDEX. 


.'      Dubrock,  George  W  270 

Gibbons,  Wm  617 

Henderson,  James  635 

Kellum,  Hon.  Charles  197      ff 

i     Dunton,  George  W  259 

Gilbert,  Eli  B  275 

Hiland,  Jackson  707 
Hill,  George  H  351 

King,  William  222      »/.> 
Kinne,  Rev.  David  N..        .     316          I. 

Dyas,  Joseph  '518 

Glidden  James  B  731 

Hitchcock,  C.  H  485 

Kinyon,  Stacy  P  378 

E 

Gletty,  Jacob  716 

Hix,Volaski  3,8 

Kittelson,  Charles  458 

Graham,  James  R  353 
Grant,  Ulysses  S  87 

Holbrook,  Thomas  B  509 
Holcomb,  Hiram  676 

Kirkpatrick,  Hiram  627 

K      Ebinger,  Valentine....  754 
g      Eddy,  Hiram  317 
1       Edwards,  Ninian  119 
'       Eggleston,  Mrs.  Olive  A  434 
Eide,  Tollef  T  476 

Greek,  Joseph  B    432 
Greenfield,  James  L  486 
Greenwood,  Charles  F  280 
Griffith,  Spencer  612 
Grim,  Henry  612 
Grout,  Henry  P  302 
Gurler,  Benj  507 

Hollembeak,AramontN.    ...249 
Holmes,  George  R  523 
Hommersand,  0.   A  517 

Hopkins,  Herbert  H  448 

Kleinsmid,  George  295      <% 
Klemm,  Nicholas  419      f 
Knight,  Samuel  404 
Kunes,Jacob  529 
Kuter,  John  523 

Ellwood,  Abram  261 
Ellwood,  Alonzo  331 
Ellwood,  Hon.  Chauncey.    ..241 

Gurler,  Henry  B  721 
Gurley,  George  W  377 

Hopkins,  Thomas  M,  688 
Hotchkiss,  Nelson  433 
Houghtby,  John  568 

L 

)       Ellwood,  Isaac  L  33 

H 

Howison,Wm  599 
Hoxsey,  Edward  269 

Lanan,  Henry....!  661      ( 

'       Ellwood,  Hon  .  Reuben  89 
*S       Elton,Adolph  ii 
±£       Erhard,  Rev.  L.  A.  R  700 

i  fcSr^r:'.:::* 

a       Evans,   Lorenzo  D  701 
$       Ewing,  Harry....:   221 
r       Ewing,  W.  L.  D  127 

F 

Hager,C   753 
Haile.  Nathaniel  A  278 
Haish,  Adam  498 
Haish,  Jacob  415  * 
Hall,  Jacob  M  740 
Hall,  Sherman  A  193 
Hall,  Stephen  A  466 
Hallam,  Charles  541 
Hamilton,  James  L  669 
Hamilton,  John  M  ,79 
Hampton,  Robert  F  655 

Hummel,  Mrs.  B.  A  753 
Humphrey,  Robert  586 
Hunt,  Charles  S..  716 
Hunt,D.  D  630 
Hunt,  Jame=  627 
Hurst,  Lev!  592 
Husk,  Henry  565 

I 

Lane,DavidT  221      "\ 
Lane,  James  475      /? 
Lang,  William  6.8      j£ 
Laporte,  Alonzo  M  554      E 
Larson,  John  H  606      <^S 
Lat.in,  Carlos.  668      *1 

Latham,  Thomas  F  743      £ 

Leifheit',  Henry  W  556     * 
Leifheit,  William  455      ( 
Lewis,  Edward  747       V 

Farley,  Lawrence  4=7 
Favor,  Benjamin  K.  483 
Fay,EdwinH  504 
Fay,  Herbert  W  669 
Fay,  Wells  A    469 
Fillmore,Millard  67 
/        Firkins,   Asahel  578 
'        Ford,  Thomas  ,39 
§        Foster,  Joseph  W  401 
j         Fraser,Wm  747 
\        Freeland,  Albert  N  404 
French,  Augustus  C  143 
French  E.  C  74, 
French,  George  B  738 
Fulkerson,  James  C  680 
Fulle,  John  B  610 
Fuller,  Harvey  L  541 

> 

G 

/        Gaudy,  Henry  H  215 
y        Gandy,  Joseph  249 
..)         Garfield,  James  A  95 
Garland,  Wm.  H  312 
J"        Gathercoal,  Edmund  435 

Harper,  James  599 
Harper,  James  B  524 
Harper,  Robert  H  57, 
Harper,  Thomas  573 
Harper,  Thomas  568 
Harper,  William  562 
Harrington,  George  600 
Harrington,  Henry  H  687 
Harrington,  James,  M.D...  .285 
Harrington,  Rufus   490 
Harrington,  Samuel   H  370 
Harrington,  Sidney  P  307 
Harrington,  Wipple  A  344 
Harris,  Rev.  Benoni  642 
'Harris,  Lemuel  C  220 
Harrison,  William  Henry....  51 
Hart,  Patrick  M  482 
Hartman,  David  W  260 
Hartman  ,  Elias  432 
Haskins,  Horace  225 
Hatch,  John  3S7 
Hayes,  Asahel  E  466 
Hayes,  Rutherford  B  91 
Heath  John  201 
Heckman,  Philip  418 
Heco*,Wm  655 
Helmer,  Peter  H  323 
Hemenway,  Henry  B  726 

Ives,  Martin  L  368 

J 

Jackman,  Charles  D  731 
Jackson,  Andrew  43 
Jackson,  George  556 
Jackson  ,  William  449 
Jefferson,  Thomas  27 
Johnson,  Andrew....    83 
Johnson,  Andrew  H  ...448 
Johnson,  Andrew  J..  647 

Joiner,  Cyrus  S  367 
Jones,  Harvey  A  36s 
Tones,  John  D  411 
Jordan,  Moses  W  711 
Joslyn,  D.  W.  C  261 
Joslyn,  Harry  A  432 
Joslyn,  Phineas  <;°2 
Joslyn,  P.  V  269 

K 

Keene.tWilliam  H  646 
Kellogg,  H.   A  553 
Kellogg,  Jesse  C  692 

Little,  Abijah,Jr  517 
Little,  Erastus  B  385 
Little,  Henry  H....  393 
Lloyd,  Hon.  A.  W  712 
Lloyd,  Eli  W  646 
Lloyd,  John  343 
Lobdell,  Benj  584      V 
Lock,  James  629      A 
London,  L.   D  705      <T 
Loomis,  William  691       f 
Lord,  RobertD  237      " 
Losee,  Morgan  343 
Lott,  Frank  W  280 
Loucks,  Hon.  Hiram  304 
Love,  Frederick  680 
Low,  Charles  H  559 
Low,  Johnson  580 
Low,  William  R  408 
Lowell,  Hon.  Luther  410      (Q 
Lucas,  Capt.  Thomas  B  586         j 
Luney,  Thomas  A  710        | 
Luther,   Capt.  John  H  679      ,/' 
Lyons,  Joseph  B  6,8        * 

M 
© 

Mackey,  Harrison  34"      ^ 

Madison,  James  31       ^ 

:-• 


: 


INDEX. 


$ 


Marsh,  Charles  W  

..283 

Oglesby,  Richard  J  163 

Ray,John  

...603 

Stafford,  George  E  

....227 

Marsh,  William  W  

..288 

Olmstead,  Albert  A  238 

Ray,  William  H  

....6.7 

Stark,  Arthur  M  

717 

Martin,  Harry  .'  
Martin  Henry  

-3" 

Olmstead,  Andrew  H  218 
Olmstead,  Caleb  311 

Raymond,  Wm  
Read,  George  H  

....287 

Stark,  David  W  
Stark,  Jefferson  O  

....296 
250 

Mason,  George  F  

...470 

Olmstead,  Henry  N  2.0 

Reynolds,  John  

...  123 

Stark,  Marshall  

....715 

Matteson.JoelA  

-.267 

Olmstead,  Mathew  W  508 

Richards,  James  

•-•373 

Stephens,  Samuel  

....295 

Maxwell,  George  N  

...542 

Olmsted,  Daniel  D  475 

Roberts,  Robert  H  

,..252 

Stevens,  Franklin  O.... 

••••599 

Mayo!  Edward  L  

••755 

Robinson,  Hon.  GeorgeS 

...654 

Stiles,  Elijah  

...*oTs 

McAllister,  James  W  

-.580 

P 

Rogers,  Elthom  

....238 

•Stiles,  Samuel  H  

...  349 

McAlpine,Wm.  J  

..721 

Rompf,   George  

•  --744 

Stimpson,  George  

....641 

McCleery,  James  

•   59" 

Pabst,  Martin  697 

Root,   Horace  

...522 

Stinson,  Hon.  Stephen  B 

••••339 

McClellan,    Peter  C  

.   392 

Paine,  Harmon  678 

Rose,  Chauncey  

....687 

Stollberg,   Anton  

....653 

McCormick,  J.  A  

••554 

Palm,  Adam  546 

Rose,  Edwin  P  

...719 

Stone,  Azel   P  

720 

McDole,  James  A  

..698 

Palni,  John  501 

Rosette,  C.  E  

....75. 

Stone,  Jacob  

....476 

McDonald,  W.  W  

..623 

Palmer,  Charles  S  443 

Rote,  Amos  H  

....386 

Storey,  Septimus  

....527 

McDowell,  John  

..193 

Palmer.  Hiram  285 

Rote,Frances  

....403 

Story,Amos  
Stout,  M  .  F  

..    .702 

McDowell,'  Wm.  B  

••354 
••336 

Park,  Ira  5,6 

Rowan,  Harley  B  

200 

Suydam.S.  B  

....752 

McFarland,  James  

•  567 

Parke,  AlmonF  7,9 

Rowley,  Richard  R  

...-584 

Swift,  Samuel  M  

...   600 

McKeague,  Norton  

Parker,  Henry  N  408 

Rowen.Wm.  H  

Syme,  David  A  

••••753 

McQueen,  Hugh  

•  -353 

Parks,  Mathew  6.8 

Ruby,  Dr.  Basil  

722 

Syme,  John  

••    -742 

Merrill,  Henry  T  

••374 

Parks,  Richard  686 

Russell,  James  S  

....226 

Merritt,JohnH  

••546 

Pasley,  Sylvester  708 

T 

Miller,  Christian  

••743 

Patch,  Charles  D  643 

S 

Miller,  George  E  
Miller,  Henry  

.296 
••384 

Patterson,  John  268 

Sanderson.  Charles  

...    456 

Talbot,  George  1  
Tanner,  Oscar  M..  ...... 
Taylor,  Charles  H  

....697 
....468 
....456 

Miller]  Irving  W  
Miller,   Marshall  
Miller,  Peter  

••735 
..296 
•   540 

Peas,DanK  67. 
Peckman,  Ernest  478 
Perkins,  Horatio  N  389 

Sanderson,  Henry  A  

....492 
....690 

....7.7 

Taylor,  Zachary  
Terry,  Thomas  S  
Terwilliger,  George  

....   63 
••••455 
....686 

Miner,Charles  '.'. 
Miner,  Isaac  N  

".!4304 

Perry,  Frank  H  567 
Phelps.Wm.C  484 

Schermerhorn,  H.  A  
Schmoldt,  Oscar  

....5.0 
....400 

Thomas,  Henry  M  
Thomason,  Thomas  

....368 
••••574 

Misick,  Dr.  Charles  L.... 
Moliter,  Edward,  M.  D... 
Monroe,  James  
Montgomery,  J.  Ivor  
Morey,  Ariel  S    
Morey,  Pawling  A  
Morris,  G.  W  
Morsch,  Jacob  
Morse,  Isaac  F  
Mosher,  Edwin  L  
Mosher,  Fred   S  
Mullins,  Robert  
Mutton,  John     

..318 
..605 
•  •  35 

..636 

••   253 
•  •630 
••457 
...709 

...436 
...640 

Pierce,  Daniel  504 
Pierce,  Franklin  7. 
Pierce,  Orrin  194 

Plapp,'  Jacob  F  522 
Polk,  James  K  59 
Pond,  Charles  C  2.8 
Pond,Wm.L  691 
Pooler,  Henry  233 
Pooler,  John  447 
Posson,  Martin   L  6u 
Post,  A.  F  562 
Potter,  George  S  466 

Schoonmaker,  G.  F  
Schoonmaker,  John  M... 
Schule,  Hartman  
Schweitzer,  Rev.  J.C... 

Sebree.'john  S  .  .'  
Sebree,  Wm.  M  
Sedgwick,  Hon.  Westel  W 
Seeley,  Wm.  D  
Seibert,  Jacob  
Severy,  Henry  A  
Severy,  John  M  
Shabbona,  Indian  Chief. 
Shackelton,  M.  G  

....291 
•••341 
....600 
....426 
....209 
....450 

•••  =57 
....668 
.  ...  192 
...728 

••••533 
••••574 

Thompson,  Augustus  C. 
Thompson,   Arthur  J... 
Thompson,  W.  R  
Thorp,  Henry  M  
Till,  Henry  
Tindall,  Thomas  J  
Tomblin,  Lee  E  
Tower.David  
Towne,  Edmond  T. 
Townsend,  Edwin  
Townsend,  Frederick  B. 
Townsend,  Wm.  H  
Treat,  George  S  

....749 

.   ..268 
....699 
....730 
....6.6 
....634 
....467 

••••579 

....271 
....367 
....327 
...•457 

N 

Shoop,  Thomas  

....5.0 

Tuttle,  William  C  

••••333 

Nelson,  Lewis  

...562 

Siglin,  Jacob  

Tyler,  Sanford  A  

....   55 
....719 

Nesbitt,  George  W..M.D 

...286 

Pwtt,  Burton  B....  "^^.'"HO 

Sivwright,  G.  M  

""30, 

Tyrrell,  D.  W  

....450 

Newsham,  Charles  
Newsham,  John  F  

...665 
...469 

Prestegard.Ole  J  604 

Sla.de,  Joseph  
Slater,  Henry  H  

....431 
....246 

U 

Nichols,   Clark  
Nichols,?.  H  

•••497 

Preston,  Norman  215 

Slater.Philo  
Smiley,  George  W  

....485 

Uplinger.John  

••••394 

Nichols,  Reuben  

729 

Puffer,  Alanson  R  428 

Smith  Adolphus  G  

....541 

V 

Nicholson,  Thomas  

...647 

Smith,  David  

....458 

Nichoison,  Rev.  Wm  
Nilson,  Benj  

.  .  .656 

Q 

Smith,  Joseph  

....!& 

Vandeburgh,  H.  G  

Nisbet,  Mathew     

681 

Quilhot,  Peter   V  585 

Smith,  John   P  

260 

Van  Deusen,  A.  V  

....492 

Norton,  David  

444 

Smith,  Nathaniel  

598 

Van  Dusen,  James  

....688 

Norton,  Orrin  M  

.491 

R 

Smith,  Spafford  

....52. 

VanGalder,  F.  O  

....527 

Solon,  Timothy  

....682 

Van  Olinda,  Mrs.  E.  C. 

••••745 

° 

Ramer,  George  504 
Ramer,  Henry  615 

Spansail,  Jacob  

....643 

Van  Voorhis,U.  P  

....696 

O'Brien,  Michael  

•••434 

Rand,  Henry  1  662 

Spickerman,  George  

....7.6 

Vaughan,  Silas  O  

•••739 
..••478 

y:^—     — 2^^r- 


INDEX. 


I 


^ 


Adams,  Augustus  

••47= 

Cristman,  John  

=98 

Haskins,  Horace  

M4 

Polk,  James  K  

...58 

Adams,  John  
Adams,  John  Quincy  

••  38 

Cromwell,  Dr.  P.  I  

«74 

Hatch,  John  

...    .356 

Pooler,  Henry  

...232 

Allen,  Capt.  M.  V  
Arthur,  Chester  A  
Ballou,  N.  E.,  M.  D  

-.638 
..  98 

Curtis,  Elijah  
Depue,  Ephraim  
Divine,  R.  L  

538 
544 

Heath,  John  
Hobbs,  G.  E  

...    .290 

Read,  G.  H..    

...694 
•••570 

Bend,  Lewis..'.  

..650 

Duncan,    George  

""!ijo 

Hopkins,  C.  B  

200 

Richards,   James  

•  •  -372 

Bend,  Mrs.  Jane  

..651 

Dustin,  Gen.    Daniel... 

588 

Jackson,  Andrew  

42 

Sedgwick,  W.  W  

...256 

Bishop,  C.  A  

••494 

Elliott,  T.  R  

608 

Johnson,    Andrew  

82 

Slade.Joseph  

•••53= 

Bissell,  Wm.  H  

..146 

Ellwood,  Alonzo  

33o 

Jones,H.  A  

Smith,  Spafiord  

.  ..520 

Blanchard,  Prof.    A.J  

•396 

Ellwood,  Chauncey  

240 

Kellogg,  H.  A  

550 

Spansail,  Jacob  

...644 

Blanchard,  Mrs.  Abbie  A. 

•  397 

Ellwood,  Hiram  

576 

Kellogg,  Mrs.  Ida  M.  ... 

Stark,  Marshall  

Bond,Shadrach  

..no 

Ellwood,   I.  L  

632 

Kellum,  Charles  

196 

Stiles,  S.  H  

...346 

Boynton.C.O  

..462 

Ellwood,  J.  E  

414 

Kirkpatrick,  Hi  

626 

Stiles,  Mrs.  Charlotte  

•    -347 

Broughton,  C.  W  

..488 

Ewing.Wm.  L.  D  

Lincoln,  Abraham  

?8 

Storey,  Septimus  

•••338 
...526 

Erown,J.L  

..480 

Fillmore,  Millard  

66 

Low,  Charles  H  

558 

Taylor,  Zachary  

...62 

Bryan,  Dr.  O.  M  

••734 

Ford,  Thomas  

....,38 

Madison  James  

30 

Tyler,  John   

...   54 

Buchanan,  James  

••   74 

French,  Augustus  C.... 

I42 

Marsh,  C.  W  

282 

VanBuren     Martin 

...  46 

Burke,  L.  C  

.  582 

Candy,  H.  H  

214 

Mason,  H.  H  

264 

Ward.J.W  

Byers,  A.B  

..564 

Garfield,  James  A  

94 

Mason,  Mrs.  Eliza  

265 

Carlin,  Thomas  

-.134 

Gibbs,  Prof.  D.  M  

306 

Matteson.Joel  A  

154 

Washington,  George  

18 

Chapman,  Julius  

...684 

Gilbert,  E.  B  

274 

Monroe,  James    

Waterman,  J.C  

Cleveland,  S.  Grover  

Glidden.J.F  

=04 

Montgomery,  J.  Ivor... 

'.'.!!  '.380 

Wells,  A.  L  

...664 

Coles,  Edward  

..114 

Glidden,  Mrs.  J.  F   .... 

=0S 

Oglesby,  Richard  J  

162 

West,  David  

...658 

Corscn,  Henry  

.602 

Grant,  Ulysses  S     

86 

Palm,  John  

.500 

Wood,  Henry  

•  •  .438 

Crego,  L.  H  
Crego,  Mrs.  L.  H   

••594 
••595 

Gurler,    Benj   
Hamilton,  John  M  

506 
178 

Palmer,  John  M  

166 

Wood,  John  

...150 

Cristman,  Henry  
Cristman  ,  M  rs.  Louisa  

••5'3 

Harrison,  Wm.  H  

50 

Pierce,  Franklin  

70 

Zellar,E.  R  

.'.'.6*4 

3  § 

Von  Ohlen,  Henry  ,742 

Weddell,  Charles  V  580 

Whittemore,  Henry    C... 

Wrigh 

,JamesC  

....279        X 
....292         | 

Wedlake,  John  540 

Wild,  George  P  

...276 

Wrigh 

,  Thomas  

••••477 

W 

Weeden,  George  W  729 

Willard,  Hosea  W  

•••=33 

Wrigh 
Wylde 

,  Thomas  
Wm.  W  

....592 
....300        ^t 

Walrod,  Erasmus  D  217 

West,  David  659 

Wiltberger,  W.  H   
Wirick,  Jacob  

...417 
...509 

Y 

Walter,  Gustave  73, 

Whalen,John  B  230 

Witherspoon,  Rev.  F... 

•••459 

Yates, 

Richard  

....159 

Ward.Jabez  W  407 

Whipple,  Benj.  F  237 

Wood,  Hon.   Henry  

•••439 

Young 

PhilipG  

....328 

Warren,  George  0  220 

White,  Edward  F  701 

Wood,  Lester  P  

""'    V 

Warren,  Luke  A  748 

White,  John  259 
White,  Ovando  W  567 

Woods,  James  H  
Woodworth,  I.  J  

...361 

Z 

•: 

Washington,  George  19 

Whitmore,  Enos  671 

Wormley,  Henry  W  

...482 

Zeigler 

,  Michael  

....604    ft 

Waterbury,  John  234 

Whitmore,  Henry  O  427 

Worthley,  Prentiss  D.... 

.  .  .402 

Zellar, 

Edwin  R  

£ 

i 
*p 


c 


— 


..  - 


INDEX. 


@J 


INTRODUCTORY                 761 

Lee                                     839 

Shabbona  Express 

798 

Value  of  Local  History     7  62 
/            How  Our  Fathers  Lived    763 
4  *           Character  of  the  Pioneers  7  64 

Malta  Mail 
Hinckley  Review 
Argus 
De  Kalb  Co.  Chronicle 

798 
798 
799 
799 

Malta                                  825 
Sandwich                            870 
Postoffice                        87  1    ^ 
Incorporation                   872    g 

if    THE  INDIANS                        766 

De  Kalb  Review 

800 

Business  Interests          873    ^ 

Genoa  Index 

800 

Banks                               875    f 

FIRST  SETTLEMENT          768 
TOPOGRAPHICAL                769 
ORGANIZATION                    770 

INVENTIONS 
TOWNSHIPS 

801 
805 

Educational                     875 
Religious                        876 
Societies                          878 
Manufactories                 879 

Location  of  the  Co.  Seat  771 
County-Seat  Contests        771 

Afton 
Clinton 
Cortland 

805 
806 
810 

Water  Works                   880 
Fire  Company                 880 
In  the  War                     880    ( 

ACTS    OF   THE    COUNTY 
X        COMMISSIONERS             772 

^i             Board  of  Supervisors          772 

De  Kalb 
Franklin 
Genoa 

8i3 
8i5 
818 

822 

Shabbona                             836    «; 
Religious                        838    / 
Societies                           838    -_V 

&    COUNTY  BUILDINGS          774 
Court-House                      774 

Malta 
Mayfield 

824 

827 

Somonauk                          847    r= 
Religious                        848   & 
Societies                          849   *= 

tt            >il                                      775 
Poor-House                        775 

Milan 
Paw  Paw 
p-  _„„ 

828 
829 

Sycamore                             853    -r 
Incorporation                  854 

JUDICIAL                                776 
THE  BAR                                 778 
CRIMINAL  RECORD            78  1 
POLITICAL                             786 

r  lerce 
Shabbona 
Somonauk 
South  Grove 
Squaw  Grove 
Sycamore 

832 
834 
845 

% 

I5° 

City  Officers                   854   * 
Commercial  Interests    855    ( 
Postoffice                        855 
Educational                    855 
Religious                        857 
Secret  and  Benevolent 

County  Officers                   788 

Victor 

852 

Organizations              859 

,     WAR  FOR  THE  UNION       789 

CITIES  AND  VILLAGES 

Fire  Department            860 
Banking                           860   v 

n     AGRICULTURE                    791 
Agricultural  Societies         791 
Union  Agric'l  Institute      792 
De  Kalb  Co.  Ag.  Assoc.     793 

Cortland 
De  Kalb 
Platting  the  Village 
Incorporation 
Banks 

8n 
863 
864 
864 
865 

Manufacturing   Inter- 
ests                            86  1   6 
Waterman                          805   f 
Religious                          809 
Schools                           809 

THE  PRESS                            794 

Water  Works 

866 

Republican  Sentinel          794 
True  Republican                795 
People's  Press                    795 
Prairie  Home  and  Adver- 
tiser                               795 
L              Sandwich  News                  796 

Fire  Department 
Religious 
Societies 
Cemeteries 
Manufactories 
Supervisors 

866 
866 
867 
867 
868 
869 

MISCELLANEOUS                881 

Railroads                            88  1 
Educational                       882 
Early  Postoffices                883  f{ 
Census  Reports                 885      f 
Matrimonial                        885      1 

Sandwich  Gazette               796 

Fielding 

817 

Statistical                           886  ^' 

De  Kalb  County  Farmer  796 
^              City  Weekly      '                  796 

Genoa 
Hinckley 

821 

843 

REMINISCENCES                  886   ^ 

»                Sandwich  Free  Press         797 
^_              Somonauk  Reveille            798 

Kingston 
Kirkland 

824 
816 

By  J.  C.  Kellogg                886   (e? 
By  Major  Evans  Wharry  893  ^/ 

